Imagining an Apple Netbook

Would you buy an Apple Netbook? To some, this might seem like an extremely stupid question. After all, the company is one that can sell anything--from phones that cannot MMS or even copy and paste to MP3 players that can transfer songs only from one computer. Though there has been speculation that the Cupertino, Calif., company is in the process of producing a minilaptop, we feel a Mac OS X-based Netbook will probably never happen.

One of the key selling points of a Mac lies in its usability, and a Netbook will not be able to deliver the full Mac experience with its small screen and slow single-core processor. Moreover, an Apple minilaptop will be unlikely to compete in price cuts and may cost as much as another premium Atom machine, the Sony Vaio P.

Does this mean a no-go for a subportable Apple PC? One possibility is that instead of Mac OS X, the company may create a Netbook based on the iPhone interface. This makes a lot of sense, as not only will a mobile platform require less processing power and battery drawn than the full PC operating system, it will also provide access to the App Store and possess instant-on features.

Such a machine will likely come with 3G access for mobile broadband, since the code is already available in the iPhone 3G. With Android-based Netbooks soon to hit store shelves, an iPhone OS-based minilaptop doesn't seem all that far off.

Perhaps things might change when the Intel GN45 and dual-core Atom processors hit the scene. For now, this is what we expect to happen should Apple announce a minilaptop in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Related story:

An Apple Netbook, really?

(Source: Crave Asia)

[monkeyfun14]

iPhone and iTouch are not netbooks before someone says it and niether is the MBA

[Renegade Knight]

A big enoguh screen, and better surfing support though and an iTouch device could be a netbook and give the large format Archos some competition.

[kingrah1]

i dont want to imagine an apple netbook, thats like imagining a Lamborghini with a Volkswagen engine.

[Renegade Knight]

You give to much credit to Lamborghini and not enough to Volkswagon. One isa classic that thought different long before it was cool The other is just another road rocket. It wouldn't suprise me if Mac Users actually drive more Volkswagons per capita...

[pickles319]

Renegade Kight:
That doesn't even make any sense at all......

[forever4now]

As with an Android-based netbook, I can also imagine an iPhoneOS-based netbook.

If these new category of netbooks include all the current smartphone electronics to support cell phone calls, location-based apps, etc., then you be able to do things that are not even possible, on the current generation netbooks. Plus, you get a touch-optimized interface AND super long battery life.

Imagine using a Bluetooth headset to make phone calls on your netbook, while it is in your purse or backpack!

[shofixti]

I agree with the Apple rep's assessment: Netbooks are, by and large, crappy little computers with crappy little screens. I don't see how Apple could present the refined experience most Mac consumers are looking for, while keeping the price compelling enough to attract the Netbook zealots.

[why do i need a name?]

you obviously don't spend a lot of time on airplanes...


I'm quite happy with my Dell Mini 9 running MacOS X (that I am using to type this message) and if Apple had built it I would have been happy to buy one from them. Before you ask, all of my other computers at home are Mac's including iMac's and a MacBook Pro that is just too big and heavy to use when you travel alot.

[disposableidentity]

@why do i need a name?, You obviously don't spend a lot of time running Vista on a crappy little netbook : )

You bring up a really good point, I bet OSX would make a great netbook OS. We still run a bunch of old G4s and G5s with OSX (Tiger & Leopard), they work great. Totally usable for everyday browsing, email & word processing.

[Renegade Knight]

That describes the touch and iphone as well. Those do well.

[000cacarr]

"I bet OSX would make a great netbook OS." Not really. Certainly not compared to Win7. 10.5.x runs fine, but the OSX UI just isn't great on a little screen. Win7 UI works better on a small screen and runs just as fast as Leo, or faster. I've run both on my Lenovo s10 with Atom cpu and just a gig of RAM.

[lkrupp]

If people would accept these devices for what they are the concept might fly. But users would immediately start demanding feature after feature be added, trying to mutate the device into a full-blown Mac with a netbook footprint.

[tonybelding]

I have to laugh at this bit. . . "One of the key selling points of a Mac lies in its usability, and a Netbook will not be able to deliver the full Mac experience with its small screen and slow single-core processor." All I can say is that my Dell Mini 9 runs *great* with Mac OS X, I love it. It has more RAM and processing power than my old TiBook, and way more power than my first iMac, and those were not crippled machines by any means.

[msalsbury]

I happen to like many of today's crop of netbooks. I own one that runs XP, Linux, and Windows 7 with all the apps I care about putting on it. (It would run OS X according to reports I've seen on the web but I don't want to run afoul of Apple legal.) Because it's small and light, I can take it anywhere. Because it's cheap, I don't worry as much about dropping, losing, or damaging it as I would with, say, a MacBook Air or Sony Vaio. I regularly get 6 or more hours of battery life between charges, which beats most "real" notebooks. Sure, it's not as capable as my 17" HP notebook, but when I need that much capability I usually don't mind lugging the extra weight (the HP is probably double or triple the size/weight). My iPod touch is nice for simple browsing or gaming but is far less useful than the netbook for blogging or basic office document work. Neither the Touch nor the netbook would be suitable as your "only" computing device, but I find both serve useful purposes to carry around (and often both are with me).

The reason today's crop of netbooks has such limited specs is that Microsoft placed artificial restrictions on netbook makers' hardware options in order to qualify the machines for Windows XP licenses (to avoid cannibalizing Vista sales). (Google "Microsoft netbook restrictions" if you doubt that.) That's why you don't currently see a netbook with more than 1.6GHz single-core processor, 16GB SSD or 160GB HD, 1GB RAM, 10.1" screen, etc. Those are Microsoft's upper limits to qualify for an XP license. To ship a machine with better specs, you have to either ship it with Vista (which has a performance/usability stigma attached, and likely higher cost) or Linux (which is fine with me but not something everyone wants).

An Apple netbook wouldn't be forced to follow Microsoft-mandated restrictions and could offer a dual-core processor, large SSD or HD, larger or better-resolution screen, more RAM, etc. Although I'm not an Apple fan (or hater), Apple could entice me to buy a netbook if it provided all the benefits of a current netbook (small size, long battery life, portability, and support for Windows, Linux, and OSX) but with better specs and a comparably low price ($250-500). I can imagine Apple coming up with something very cool, but I doubt it will hit the kind of price point I want to see in a netbook.

I think when Windows 7 is released the mainstream netbook makers will abandon XP and thus won't have to limit themselves to single-core CPUs, 1GB RAM, etc., and we should start seeing some real innovation in the netbook space from all netbook makers (Apple included, should it join in).

[Renegade Knight]

The touch costs 299-499. They wouldn't do a netbook for less than that. 999 is where MacBook starts. An Apple netbook is sandwitched between 499 and 999 by default.

[sirishgauni]

this is a very incomplete story, there are lot more reasons why apple won't release a netbook. If you are interested you can check out my article http://whtzupmac.blogspot.com

[applefan2]

I don't know Apple needs to come up with something better than a giant iphone because then it's an iphone without cell service and it isn't pocketable... They need to come away from the Iphone and iPod touch and yet still redefine the netbook.

[LDEFTERRYD11]

Volkswagon make the buggati veyron which would destory any lambo