Apple Netbook-clone spotted on Web?

Lenovo's first Netbook. Might Apple be working on something similar?

(Credit: Lenovo)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs danced around the idea of Apple releasing a so-called Netbook on Tuesday, but such a device might already be in the wild.

The New York Times' John Markoff reported Tuesday that anonymous sources at an anonymous Internet search company (wonder which one that is) have spotted the tracks of an Apple device with a screen larger than an iPhone, but smaller than a MacBook, in their visitor logs.

That is by no means proof that Apple plans to release a small MacBook in the Netbook vein, but could be evidence that Apple's plans for this category are a little more concrete than Jobs suggested during Tuesday's earnings conference call.

Jobs called the Netbook category "nascent" during his rare appearance on the earnings call and suggested that the iPhone is Apple's answer to demand for a small Internet-browsing device. Still, he didn't rule out eventually heading down that road: "We'll wait and see how that nascent category evolves and we've got some pretty interesting ideas if it does evolve."

I've always thought that Apple has all kinds of product mockups running in its labs, such as a Tablet Mac, a Netbook, or a real Apple TV, but that those products aren't fully developed because the time isn't right, or the demand isn't there, or because Jobs thinks it looks hideous. It's not too hard to imagine that one of those might sneak onto the Internet from time to time, although it's also not hard to imagine the weird device showing up in the server logs as the result of some spoof.

[yipcanjo]

...or it could be one of the MANY netbooks out there that have been hacked to run OSX. Honestly.

[kcotham]

I wonder if it's possible to run a scaled down version of OS X on Newton2x00 hardware. Maybe Apple has finally answered our pleas for a successor to the Newton. Just think how far ahead Apple would be (further, I should say) if Jobs hadn't killed the Newton! I have a 2100 (ten years old) and it still impresses people.

[RJSUSC]

Apple definitely has released netbooks out to the public....also known as the iBooks (12-inch)...Sure, Apple phased iBooks out and upgraded to the Macbook, but when you compare the stats, iBooks were very expensive netbooks ($1,000 price tag for a 12-inch). I am still using my iBook G4 12-inch, and find it filling the "netbook" role very well for me. Even though I payed $1,000 bucks for it two years ago, this baby was well worth it.

[mmntech]

I still use and love my iBook G4 1.33ghz. The last of Apple's low cost laptops to actually feature discrete graphics rather than an integrated solution. It has a Radeon 9550 GPU, which was considered midrange for notebooks at the time. I consider discrete graphics a must in notebooks since integrated solutions are just garbage. The Radeon 9550 still outperforms Intel's GMA X3100 by a significant margin in OpenGL rendering according to my own Xbench tests. The $1000 price point of the iBook was pretty standard for 12'' notebook models at the time. Even today this is true. Look at the Eee, it's price has been slowly creeping up with each screen size boost Asus gives it. Isn't it almost up to $800 now for that fancy beige model. I can't imagine it's any faster than the old iBook either, since synthetic benchmarks I've done only rate the (old) Air's 1.6ghz Core 2 Duo as being 25% faster than the 1.33ghz PowerPC G4. Real world performance will probably be better but then there's still the matter of that awful GMA 950 they throw in them.

[this1!]

if its over 500-600 bucks, its not really considered a net book...

[Tom Krazit]

About 10-inches seems to be the upper limit for the screen size on a modern Netbook, at least according to the way the vendors are defining it.

[mrgoodall]

what is a netbook? a mini notebook? isnt that what the macbook air is? a light/smaller form factor notebook? feel like I'm missing something

[jimbodaddio]

yeah. about $1300 if you spring for the air as opposed to say the wind (msi). or eee pc 701. or the 900. or the 901. or the 1001. or the mini note. or the cloudbook... etc.

[myles taylor]

A Netbook is a laptop that you use primarily to get online, that is cheap, and stripped down in terms of computer power. Since laptops are becoming desktop replacements, the Netbook is for people who are mobile, don't need a large screen, and use their mobile computer primarily on the web. The Macbook Air is a ultra-light, not a Netbook. The screen is bigger, it's got a more powerful processor, and it's more expensive. It's powerful enough to run most common apps. It's a light computer, not a Netbook.

[Riquez-001]

I would love to get something like that, but only if it fits in my back pocket.
Maybe it could be a little bigger than an iphone when closed, but if it starts getting up to the size of a 10" screen then whats the point, you may as well just have a regular MacBook.

[Thomas, David]

Awhile back there was research on virtual eye-ware ... basically "glasses" you could use as a monitor. In addition, there was a lot of research involving input devices such as rollout keypads (the idea was something thinner, and more resilient than the commercial ones today), and even a cool on where you had gloves that were a virtual keyboard.

As far as i'm concerned, an iPhone, Windows Mobile, or other operating system should be able to turn decent "phone" (and we all know if they are at the level of an iPhone, they aren't phones anymore), then who needs a "netbook"?

We have the technology. ANOTHER device we don't.

[myles taylor]

I agree. I think the Netbooks are filling a gap that is rapidly closing. Laptops are replacing desktops and phones are replacing laptops. There is still a gap between those technologies, but in 5 years or so there won't be. The Netbook is a market that will only be here for a few years or will merge with the smartphone. The only question is whether we will call this combined device a phone or a netbook.

[solitare_pax]

They could call it a phonebook - oh, wait - that's what I use to bludgeon vermin at the office. Nevermind.

[pathsunknown]

DISAGREE! I have an iPhone and I love using it to surf the web and do email when in a pinch. But without a keyboard, it's not realistic to expect people to use it as a Netbook. Not to mention my banking ability may be limited by many banks (iPhone lets me surf with Opera so I can view their websites in a true browser, but other phones may not). Oh, and then there's the complexity of unlocking such phones under current US carrier agreements and warranties when I travel internationally and want to use the phone as a Netbook, but not be charged for roaming and data transmission. Just not that practical. Not yet. Ask the carriers (or Apple) to make it easy to unlock the iPhone so I can travel internationally with it, leaving my phone/data plan home, and use whatever local plan I can get.

[photog_7]

With Apple preventing anyone from offering a keyboard for the iPhone, it's not in the same league as a netbook. Even a long email is painful on the glass screen's "keyboard". Give me an optional external keyboard and I'll be happy with my iPhone 3G. Without that option, it's just a fancy phone. I think Apple won't let us have one because they've got a netbook coming, and a real keyboard for the iPhone would hurt netbook sales.

[quality4me]

I have been thinking about getting a netbook for quite some time, I am hesitant because I can see myself leaving the house in the morning and saying "I'll just leave the netbook here, if I need to browse the web I'll just use the Iphone." Which I know would happen 90% of the time. What would be nice is an Iphone that had the same screen size as a PSP, even slightly larger wouldnt be so obtrusize that it wouldn't be worth it. I feel if I got a netbook it would be in violation article 4 section 9, titled, "device duplication" I'm trying to forget the days of leaving the house with my Ipod, camera, phone, and palm pilot.

[voroainc]

http://www.notebooks-driver.com

[Dalmatian28]

Can anyone explain why my previous post was removed???? I have posted here and the C-net had it removed....what is this China???

[Dalmatian28]

Can anyone explain why my previous post was removed???? I have posted here and the C-net had it removed....what is this China???

[jrud]

An apple netbook is an obvious no-brainer. Apple wants people to stop running Mac OS X on cheap laptops. MAKE A CHEAP LAPTOP APPLE!!!! Under $500 and you would have millions of people buying a quality laptop!!!

[jrud]

an over sized iphone would also be VERY nice for the right price