Apple touch netbook due in October for $800?
updated 08:05 am EDT, Mon July 13, 2009
Apple Touch Netbook Oct
Rumors of a touchscreen Apple netbook gained fuel on Monday with a claim by China's InfoTimes that supposedly confirms launch details. Backing earlier claims, the site says the system will use a 9.7-inch touchscreen supplied by Wintek and is due to ship in October. Apple is expected to avoid competing directly with regular, sub-$500 netbooks and may use the touchscreen and other features to bring the price closer to $800, much like the Sony VAIO P.
Because of the focus on touch input, Apple is reportedly switching suppliers. Although Quanta will assemble most MacBooks this year, Foxconn is said to have been picked for building the computer thanks to its existing involvement in building and even designing the iPhone. Foxconn has publicly declined comment, but InfoTimes says it has obtained confirmation from the company in private.
Specifications aren't mentioned, including the primary form factor. Apple has openly complained of poor netbook hardware from rivals' offerings already in the market, including small screens and keyboards. The Wintek display would actually be slightly smaller than the average 10.2-inch netbook screen, but it's unclear whether the design would try to improve on the keyboard design or scrap it altogether for a touch-only design. Performance has also been a worry of Apple's and may leave it reluctant to use existing netbook components, particularly the combination of an Atom processor and Intel's own integrated graphics.
Any new computer near the price range would nonetheless be significant for Apple, which has never had a new, retail price computer below the $999 mark and recently altered its lineup so that there is only one regular MacBook versus six MacBook Pros. [via MR forums]
hmm....apps?
07/13, 08:32am (1 reply) reply
Will it be the anything-goes app development world of Macs or will it be the tightly-controlled world of the iPhone?
I'm betting it will be an app store. Apple has tasted that 30% and is going to want to repeat that experience.
ethical_paul
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Joined: Mar 2002
App store
07/13, 08:41am reply
I am not sure if Apple actually is turning a profit on the App Store, I think it has only started to make money off the iTunes store. In both cases these stores were used to drive business to the iPhone and iPod rather than be profitable in their own right.
rytc
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2001
UI?
07/13, 08:50am reply
My perception of this device will turn on the user interface Apple chooses to implement. Will it act like a small laptop or like a big iPhone?
ebeyer
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Joined: Jun 2004
Tempting.
07/13, 09:29am reply
I'd seriously consider a machine like that, if it had decent storage, and could run a few of my games. If it had a SD card reader and 3G I'd be sold.
njfuzzy
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Joined: Apr 2001
hmmmm
07/13, 10:01am (1 reply) reply
$800. to big for a phone or pda. Too small for a laptop. Kinda sounds like a Newton 2100.
I think Apple would do better with a thin 10" you snap your iPhone/iTouch into. Now, you have all the connectivity and just add a bigger screen and keyboard. Sell it for $300 with some storage and I'll order today.
simdude
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Joined: Jun 2004
Why not a powerful ARM
07/13, 10:09am reply
processor with an enhanced graphics chip. Apple could allow running the current iPhone processor at full speed in a larger device. I personally think that Apple should go with a larger mobile device that runs Mobile OSX so users can get full benefit from the App Store. Some of those apps are getting very powerful and with all those developers already on board how can Apple lose. It would also make a decent gaming machine and eReader. I know Apple doesn't believe in buttons, so I don't know what can be done about that except an external input device.
I think Apple should go with a big iPhone.
iphonerulez
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Joined: Nov 2008
how many screens?
07/13, 10:09am reply
Is there a guesstimate for how many of these Wintek screens Apple has purchased? Because based on that number we might be able to speculate whether the netbook will have one display surface or two display surfaces.
c4rlob
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Joined: May 2009
App Widgets?
07/13, 10:11am reply
Anyone else kinda see this thing being built on an ARM proc with the ability to run iPhone apps as widgets like dashboard? That'd be kinda nifty though wouldn't work for all apps.
My guess is since it's not on a cell network they might have an app store but won't require it.
Salty
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Joined: Jul 2005
engadget
07/13, 10:38am reply
I find the comments here to be seriously dumb, selfish, and pretty much off the point entirely. In other words, this site is turning into engadget. Since the comments system itself has long been, um ... difficult to use, why not either scrap comments altogether or go whole hog and put something better in? (and yeah I can see the irony of posting and off the point comment about off the point comments but I did it so I wouldn't have to specifically get into all the dumb comments and insult the writers of same).
Gazoobee
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Joined: Feb 2009
What about the Mac mini?
07/13, 10:50am reply
It retails for $599. How many Hackintosh netbooks there are out there? I wonder if Apple can tell by the pings on it's software update servers. You can get get a decently equipped netbook (in netbook terms) for less than $300.
IONLYUSEOSX08
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Joined: Feb 2008