“Apple Inc. will introduce two netbooks at the MacWorld Conference and Expo next month that will be tied to the company’s App Store, as is its iPhone, an analyst said today,” Gregg Keizer reports for Computerworld.
“‘I don’t have any inside information,’ said Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research Inc., as he spelled out his take on Apple’s next hardware move. ‘This is just by triangulation,'” Keizer reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Ohh, triangulation. But, what about hexagification?
Keizer continues, “Citing evidence that included the gloomy economy, climbing sales of the least-expensive laptops and comments CEO Steve Jobs made in October, Gottheil said Apple would show a pair of netbooks at January’s conference, then as it did two years before with the iPhone, put it on the market midyear.”
“Unlike other computer makers, Apple has avoided the bottom of the market, leaving it vulnerable as $300-$400 netbook sales have surged. The problem with producing a netbook, Gottheil said then, was that if it was simply a stripped-down MacBook, Apple ran the risk of cannibalizing sales of its higher-priced, and higher-margin, notebooks,” Keizer reports. “Apple, in effect, needs something completely different, Gottheil said.”
Keizer reports, “That’s why he believes Apple will introduce netbooks next year that, like the company’s iPhone, will exist in an Apple-controlled ‘closed system’ where software is delivered via the App Store, device restore is done from iTunes, backup is available through an optional online service, most likely MobileMe, and peripheral and add-on choices will be limited.”
Full article here.
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..
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.
“Wow. He admitted that he just made all of that up out of nowhere. AND he gets paid to do it.”
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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,
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.
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.
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?
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.
Talk about “thinking in sync”!
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.
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.
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.