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Dec 16, 08 - 12:12 pm Comment from: iSteve

When Apple does enter the Netbook market, and they will at some point, the product will be far more than just a stripped down smaller MacBook. It will upend the Netbook market completely.

Wow. He admitted that he just made all of that up out of nowhere. AND he gets paid to do it.

First!... count me in..

Dec 16, 08 - 12:17 pm Comment from: cptnkirk

This guy's a moron. From all I've read the 'netbook' is not a particular success and Apple's current laptops are not suffering by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, in the current climate thay are an incredible success story running far ahead of the rest of the pack. Why oh why would Apple want to cannibalize their own success?

Very clever, make up some kind of prediction so that apple is the bad guy when they don't end up producing it as predicted. I guess if he wasn't doing that, he'd be trying to float some kind of ponzi scheme instead.

Just like Apple was the first company to market with an MP3 player and a smartphone, because the company with the first one is obviously the winner.

God this logic kills me. If the market for netbooks is more than a fad, then Apple will make one, right. This of course is neglecting the idea that the iPhone is already one heck of a "netbook" of its own.

Not according to the mainstream tech media, cptnkirk. They're trying hard to push the narrative that netbooks are a success as a cheaper alternative to notebooks because of the global economic downturn. Now they'll chide Apple for missing out on the trend if Steve doesn't produce one in January, especially if MacBook sales ever show the slightest dip.

Sure, and cannabalize the next generation iPod touch sales. The iPod touch IS Apple's netbook.
The Mac mini is what needs to fill a price gap, but kick butt in doing so.

Dec 16, 08 - 12:50 pm Comment from: MikeK

"Wow. He admitted that he just made all of that up out of nowhere. AND he gets paid to do it."

---------

Yes, that is what the job of an analysts is.. They analyze companies and make predictions as to where they see the company heading.

Where do these jerks come up with this stuff. Haven't they done enough destroying other companies. Lets keep speculating about things Apple is likely to never do.

You ask me - the Touch and iPhone are netbooks,

Dec 16, 08 - 01:09 pm Comment from: macaholic

Well misuse of the word triangulation aside, he (and the rest of his ilk) seem to miss the point that Apple is doing pretty well not listening to these dolts. When times were booming it was 'make cheaper stuff to capitalize on the boom", now that it is not boom times we hear "make cheap stuff to survive". For pete's sake which is it to be. The real issue with Apple and anal-ysts, is that Apple does not listen do them, or cowtow to them, so it drives them batty.

What he is doing has nothing whatsoever to do with triangulation. I hate when people use a big word to impress, thinking they know what it means. I fail to see what using triangles for surveying land etc, has to do with his spoutings. They sound more like cwas ( crazy wild ass speculations), also known as talking out of your ass in a pretentious way.
As my dad used to say, when in doubt, sound convincing.

Ezre Gottheil and the reporter are full of crap.

Dec 16, 08 - 01:09 pm Comment from: HMCIV

This guy can't find his A$$ with a road map and he's trying "Triangulation"? Someone please triangulate a wedgie on this guy.

No they're not. It's that time of the year for the bull$heet to come out, only to not have it happen and the stock price drops.

If netbooks are such a booming market and Apple is purposely keeping their distance, then who's making all the money from them right now? Seems to me Apple is doing much better than the rest of the computer industry currently. Why do they need to get into netbooks?

I think it would be great if Apple came out with a Netbook... But rather than just a stripped down laptop, they should totally rethink it.. First it should be able to connect from anywhere, not just WiFi, but over 3G too... then maybe make it smaller, since all you need it for is browsing, email, contacts, and calendar, you can have a smaller handheld like device with a touchpad like screen, and hell, why not put the keyboard on the screen itself, this would allow the device to be super small, even making it able to fit in your pocket rather than having to lug around a small crippled laptop...

So, a small pocket size device with web browsing, email, contacts and calendar that connects through both WiFi and 3G... And since it would need a cell phone service for the 3G, maybe they could just make the thing a phone too!!!.... Oh..... wait.

Dec 16, 08 - 01:28 pm Comment from: John E

hey, ok, he is making s**t up. but this time i think he will get lucky with a good guess - bet you we see an enlarged Touch in January with a 7" or 9" screen, aimed directly at the netbook market but operating like it does now based on apps. the $499 iTouch?

Dec 16, 08 - 01:28 pm Comment from: DLMeyer

He did suggest something "sensible" ... the netbook as a super-sized iPhone rather than as a diminished Mac Book. Sure ... it's still "a Mac", but it doesn't need to run all the creative/productive programs the full-scale models run. AND, it gets to run all those "games" from the iPhone Store. Sure, you'd want to add in some display programs - to let you show the Keynote presentation you brought with you - and be sure to set the camera so you could join an A/V iChat session in progress ... but, still just a big (by phone standards) iPhone.

Dec 16, 08 - 01:30 pm Comment from: DLMeyer

Talk about "thinking in sync"!

Dec 16, 08 - 01:39 pm Comment from: Ugh.

Two scumbag occupations- lawyers and analysts. Except that lawyers are sometimes useful. Analysts are just bottom-feeding pond scum.

"This guy's a moron. From all I've read the 'netbook' is not a particular success"

Top 10 Laptops on Amazon, Top 5 Sellers and 8 of 10 best sellers are Netbooks

"...device restore is done from iTunes,..."

So, how do I access iTunes if the device is broken, and it's the only device I own?

Apple used to dominate the laptop category at Amazon. During the past year, it has conceded to netbooks from Asus and Acer.

Dec 16, 08 - 02:33 pm Comment from: thethirdshoe

This was pulled out of thin air, and that's what where it will return to.

I think these analysts are consistently over-estimating the demand for netbooks. I've only ever seen one person with a netbook (Acer Aspire One) in real life, but I've seen tons and tons of Macbooks. I don't think this category is as important as pundits and analysts are saying it is.

Dec 16, 08 - 03:04 pm Comment from: Renderdog

A super-sized iPhone would get my $500! Please please please...

As for the article, I wouldn't knock Ezra too much. At least he was honest, unlike a majority of the rumor starters.

My 2 cents is worth only so much:

Two fasted growing segments in consumer electronics are:
Netbooks and GPS

Dream segments for APPLE FANBOYS are:
*the merging of AppleTV and the Mac mini
*larger ipod touch or multi-touch tablet
*turn-by-turn directions for google maps

It would just seem to me that you could have a killer product covering that gambit of needs.

No HD- Low power consumption- new video port output for running Apple Tv / basic web and ichat video functions thru a mini port to dvi adapter. App Store (which I expect for all Macs sooner than later) Let your imagination run wild a bit... the iphone seemed like every bit the fiction that this could have...
As per use in the car: if the Google search interface is good enough for voice recognition- why not SMS.

Hmmm... would I trade my MBP for a Apple netbook if I had a choice? No, since the MBP is my main computer. Would I trade my iPhone for a netbook? No, since I can't put a netbook in my pocket. Do I NEED a netbook like I need my laptop and iPhone? No.

My take: people who would go for a $3-400 netbook like the Acer or Asus Eee instead of a Mac wouldn't really care for a Mac anyway, or would come back later when they find the netbook is not enough. For a supposedly analyst this guy does not understand the market nor the consumer.

Somebody should create a database of analyst predictions so when they spout drivel it can be compared to how accurate they have been in the past.

Asus and, to an even greater extent acer, are doing fantastic business with netbooks. The things are selling like hotcakes, often as soon as they are in stock.

The most important thing about netbooks, and something most of you retards are missing competely, is that the margins on netbooks are higher than on laptops. The machines are inexpensive to the buyer, and thus look like bargains, but involve low component costs--atom processors, two year old or more chipsets, no optical drive, small power adapters, 7-10 inch screens. The atom processsor is no speed demon, but using picassa last week I was able to take a set of digital photos and turn them into a prerecorded high definition slide show movie. Not the most involved thing in the world, but it did it faster than my g5 tower using iphoto, and unlike picassa good ole iPhoto wouldn't output a 720p movie.

I have an acer aspire and for compactness and utility I can only compare it to my old PowerBook duo.

Companies making netbooks would much rather sell a netbook than a low end laptop because the margins are higher.

The aspire also has a more useful array of ports than my MacBook, in addition to being half the weight.

The only technical problem with a mac netbook is that an atom running leopard would not be snappy.

Lets face it, If Apple did offer a Netbook, they would charge $799

Also, apple would have a natural opening in the netbook market in that microsoft restricts the hardware manufacturers can use while still offering xp, and no one wants to make a linux-only netbook. Apple could quickly spin a netbook amenable os by stripping some of the visual glitz from leopard (tiger would have been the ideal netbook os).

Also, the netbook is still in flux and no one has done a perfect one--hp has the best kwyboard but the trackpad/button combo sucks, and the mini doesn't have the high res screen the 2133 had. The aspire has the same annoying button placement and small pad as the hp, and a smaller screen. Asus' machines don't stand out in screen, keyboard or trackpad, have too many models, and are pricier than acer. The wind also doesn't excel at anything, but with the acer has the best mix of compents at a good price.

Apple could take the old 2300c design off the shelf, update the componets and cut the thickness of the machine in half, and be 90 percent of the way to the best book,

Dec 16, 08 - 05:32 pm Comment from: ken1w

Apple's two "netbooks" will be (1) an iPod touch with a bigger screen and (2) and iPhone with a bigger screen. They may be called something else, but one will be a device with WiFi but no phone, and the other will be a device with both WiFi and phone. One will be subsidized by a wireless carrier contract, and the other one will not be. So basically, one is an iPod touch with a bigger screen and the other is an iPhone with a bigger screen.

So I think this Keizer guy is correct. It will completely different from a cheapened MacBook.

Dec 16, 08 - 06:00 pm Comment from: thethirdshoe

If it cost $800, it's functionality would be worth $800.

Apple will never sell any kind of laptop, netbook whatever in the $300-$500 range that isn't significantly subsidized by someone else.

The only way a super-sized netbook comes out is if AT&T;wants to subsidize it, so it would be 3G.

Pure, stupid speculation which will cause analysts to dump on Apple's stock come January when Apple announces new Mac Minis and no netbook.

Would someone remind me again why playing in the $300-$500 laptop price point is a good thing? Seems to me that all the companies who have those products aren't doing very well, while Apple makes millions in profit every quarter and has enough billions in the bank to bail one out (a bank, or another computer company like Dell).

Dec 16, 08 - 10:01 pm Comment from: John E

ok, well there is definitely a number of us who think Apple will launch an up-sized Touch (and/or iPhone) as its version of the netbook in january. and then, there is maybe a larger number who think not.

so ... let's wait three weeks and see. someone will get to say they told us so ....