Full FeedAre we going to see a sub-notebook in January?
Are we going to see a sub-notebook in January? I don’t think so. There are rumors on the internet that Steve is going to announce some kind of “netbook” or “sub-notebook,” however, you wish to refer to it. The device would have the same functionality as the MacBook Air, with a lot less processing power and storage. The current Apple line up of computers includes the MacBook (from $999), the MacBook Air (from $1,799), and the MacBook Pro (from $1,999).
Steve stated on Apple’s most recent earnings call, a call which he normally lets CFO Peter Oppenheimer take care of, that Apple cannot make a laptop for $500 that is not a piece of crap. I would have to agree with Steve on this one. A $500 Apple device would not only undercut MacBook sales, but it would have to be so stripped down and bring something unique to the market of the “netbook” to be successful at all.
I think if Apple is going to enter this niche market, they will have to come up with something that dazzles people in order to be successful because there are quite a few “netbooks” out there right now. I’m thinking maybe a completely touch based interface? Maybe a 3-D desktop environment? Maybe Apple is going to make me look like a fool and announce the best device in the history of electronics, and maybe it will be a $499 iBook. What do you think?
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Hmmmm… somehow I don’t think so
It would be really nice if Apple released some kind of sub-$1000 notebook, but, as the article stated, this would undercut Macbook and Mac Pro sales - I don’t think this would happen!
It’s something to think about for the future, though…. :P
on December 14, 2008 at 08:23 PM - LINKI don’t think that a $500 Apple computing device will be so much a scaled down Mac but a scaled up iPhone.
on December 14, 2008 at 09:32 PM - LINKA $500 mac? Unlikely.
on December 16, 2008 at 07:35 AM - LINKApple can make an inexpensive netbook if they so choose. But from a business standpoint, it does not make sense. A $500 Apple Netbook will carry lower margins than the MacBook / Air / Pro models and likely pull sales from the MacBook. A $500 Apple Netbook would also compete against the larger strorage versions of the iPhone- which can do just about everything a netbook can do -and- deliver higher profit margins to Apple.
on December 17, 2008 at 09:23 AM - LINK