Apple Netbook Confirmed?

[Sonist]

http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/13/...ctober-at-800/

Coming supposedly in October.

9.7" touch screen. If LCD, then "bleh."

_____________________
"Taiwanese news site InfoTimes reports [translation] that Apple is slated to debut its long-rumored netbook this October. Taiwanese companies Foxconn, Wintek, and Dynapack have reportedly received orders from Apple related to the manufacturing of the new device.

The report notes that Apple is looking to adopt a 9.7-inch touchscreen for the new netbook, slightly smaller than the 10.1- or 10.2-inch screens typically used at the large end of the netbook range.
According to reliable information, Apple will not follow the current market trend (by producing netbooks with screens about 10.2 or 10.1 inches in diagonal length.) Instead, Apple will produce screens with about 9.7 inches in diagonal length. Touch screen will be installed. Wintek will be the main manufacturer of the touch screen.

Exact pricing remains unknown at this time, but the inclusion of a touchscreen and Apple's history of refusing to compete at the lowest price points suggest that the netbook may be priced at around $800.
Because Apple will adopt touch screen technology on its netbooks, Apple will not target low-end consumers, avoiding direct competition with Acer, Asus, as well as their less-than-500-dollars netbooks. Apple’s netbook (or a "tablet" as many call it,) will probably be sold at around $800 USD each.

Apple has repeatedly stated that although it has been looking at the growing netbook market, it is not interested in releasing a low-end netbook product that produces an inferior user experience as current products do. Other sources have recently "confirmed" that an Apple netbook is in the works, but claim that it will not arrive until 2010."

[carld]

$800 puts it well out of netbook territory. As I said a while back, it'll be a nice device, but well out of my price range.

[Teddman]

So it's going for a Kindle DX-sized display, I'm sure that's not a coincidence.

Anyone know if 9.7" will be large enough to read comics comfortably in portrait mode?

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Teddman

Anyone know if 9.7" will be large enough to read comics comfortably in portrait mode?

Yes, it is. Well, for me, at least. I currently use an 8.9" Fujitsu tablet.

[CleverClothe]

That author doesn't know the difference between a netbook and a tablet. They write for a tech site?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by CleverClothe

That author doesn't know the difference between a netbook and a tablet. They write for a tech site?

Sadly, that is true. But these are only rumors, which don't have to make any sense, or have any substance - they just have to bring traffic to somebody's web site.

I don't think 'inferior user experience' has anything to do with Apple's decision not to release a netbook. Some people seem perfectly happy to run OS X on hackintoshed $300 netbooks. That price point simply does not allow them enough profit margin (that's already a problem for existing netbook vendors). Apple likes to make money on hardware sales (although iTunes store is far from a loss leader).

The relatively arbitrary '$800' price point would allow them to maintain the margins they are used to, by offering something a little more powerful than a fully loaded iPod or iPod Touch and a little less than their low end laptops, with some buffer to spare, in case competitors arrive bearing knockoffs.

I think the trick is to define a compelling feature set to differentiate it from iPhone below and laptops above. It has to be better at something that real people want to do, than existing devices in that price bracket. I have no idea what that might be, but very much doubt that an ebook reader is the killer app that people will line up to buy this thing for, particularly if it has inferior battery life or readability as compared with eInk devices.

[fugazied]

This rumor has happened about 4 times per year since 2004. If it does happen this time and IF it has blu-tooth keyboards + 32gb + wireless n and what not, I'll try one out.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by carld

$800 puts it well out of netbook territory. As I said a while back, it'll be a nice device, but well out of my price range.

I don't think "netbook" is defined by the price, but by the size and CPU it uses. The Sony netbook (which they say isn't a netbook but everyone calls it that) can be had for $800 unless you get the really stripped down version.

http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-a...k-price-limits

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VAIO-VGN-...7578595&sr=8-1

BOb

[DaleDe]

A netbook is (or was) defined by Intel in that they allowed their Atom 270 processor is 1 Gig of memory max, 160 GB disk max, 10.x" max screen, 1024 x 600 screen. Microsoft uses the same definition to allow Windows XP. Of course these specs are subject to change, the 270 has moved to the 280 for example. If you notice the other machines that don't follow these guidelines do not have the same processor or OS.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I don't think "netbook" is defined by the price, but by the size and CPU it uses. The Sony netbook (which they say isn't a netbook but everyone calls it that) can be had for $800 unless you get the really stripped down version.

BOb

Netbooks are supposed to be defined by price and size. They're supposed to be small, inexpensive computers you can use for basic internet surfing, email and simple office related tasks. They've just become so popular in the 2 years they've been around and the term "netbook" has become a catchphrase.

The correct term for the VAIO P is (U)MID (Ultra-Mobile Internet Device) which is somewhere between a smartphone and a notebook/netbook. That or UMPC. Unfortunately, neither of the terms are as catchy as "netbook".

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Netbooks are supposed to be defined by price and size.

"Supposed to be" by whom?

BOb

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

"Supposed to be" by whom?

BOb

I told you what the definition was and who set it, look back

Dale

[Sonist]

Here is another trickle of news:

"...The 10-inch, 3G-enabled tablet, akin to a jumbo iPod touch, is the latest brainchild of chief executive Steve Jobs. That distinction, as insiders will tell you, carries its share of baggage. Under the critical eye of Jobs, contours must be precise, each pixel of the interface has to match a particular vision, and there can be no fault -- no matter how slight -- or it's back to the drawing board.

As such, AppleInsider has observed silently as the project was reset at least a half-dozen times over the past 24 months. Each time, development was frozen and key aspects of the device rethought, retooled and repositioned. At times, those close to the Apple co-founder had their doubts that it would ever see the light of day, just like a smaller PDA device he canned a few years after returning to the company.

However, the past six months have reportedly seen the critical pieces fall into place. Jobs, who's been overseeing the project from his home, office and hospital beds, has finally achieved that much-sought aura of satisfaction. He's since cemented the device in the company's 2010 roadmap, where it's being positioned for a first quarter launch, according to people well-respected by AppleInsider for their striking accuracy in Apple's internal affairs.

That means that the device, which is expected to retail for somewhere between the cost of a high-end iPhone and Apple's most affordable Mac notebook, is bound to turn up any time between January and March, should there be no last minute setbacks. Analyst's following the Cupertino-based company may consider factoring first full-quarter sales of the device into their models for calendar Q2.

Although Apple maintains publicly that it's thrilled with the relationship it has with exclusive U.S. wireless provider AT&T, the company has a bone or two to pick with the carrier behind closed doors. It's no secret AT&T's lagging has delayed some vital aspects of the iPhone experience stateside, and as such, other people familiar with the matter say Apple is now in active talks with rival Verizon Wireless over the possibility of the carrier playing a key role in providing Internet access for its tablet device. ..."

[Sonist]

Well, the rumor made it to The Financial Times.

It may be geared more to gaming, browsing and video, but depending on the screen, it may also be a killer reading device (hopefully with full PDF support, including Search and annotations.) If so, it would be a clean sweep on campuses.

And, speaking of book things, here is FT's scoop:

"Apple is working with the four largest record labels to stimulate digital sales of albums by bundling a new interactive booklet, sleeve notes and other interactive features with music downloads, in a move it hopes will change buying trends on its online iTunes store."

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Well, the rumor made it to The Financial Times.

It may be geared more to gaming, browsing and video, but depending on the screen, it may also be a killer reading device (hopefully with full PDF support, including Search and annotations.) If so, it would be a clean sweep on campuses.

Yes. This will be much more usable as a portable reference library (textbooks, medical records, legal documents, class outlines, engineering diagrams) than our e-ink devices can ever be, and it will provide a first class browsing and multimedia platform as well. Rich annotation (text, graphics, voice and maybe video recording) and search capabilities will complete the package. Oh and you'll be able to read ebooks on it, too, and it will be better than reading on your netbook or smartphone, but that's not its strength (but it might be 'good enough' for that too).

A lot of people seem to want their e-ink devices to be a portable reference library. However the current generation of such devices is optimized for recreational reading, and have limited annotation and search capabilities, and very tenuous connection to the internet. It's a joke that Kindle DX gets any serious consideration as a tool for the educational market, for example.

The advantages of eInk (low power consumption, readability for long sessions) are just not relevant to this market.

One might imagine this device as finding a home in environments where instant, mostly read only access to technical documents in a portable device is required (medical information, legal documents, engineering designs, sheet music). For a lot of this, a keyboard and trackpad just get in the way and add weight.