Apple Planning Network With Touch Screen

[Harper]

Releaselog | RLSLOG.net Rumours: Apple plans netbook with touch screen

Rumours: Apple plans netbook with touch screen

Apple is planning to launch a netbook computer with a touch screen monitor as early as the second half of this year, two people close to the situation told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday. The mini laptop computers will likely have monitor screens that are between 9.7-inches and 10-inches, one person, who declined to be named, said. Another person said other specifications and functions are still under evaluation. Apple is working with Taiwan's Wintek Corp. a contract manufacturer of small and medium displays, to make the touch-screen displays and Quanta Computer Inc. , the world's largest notebook maker by revenue, to assemble the new netbooks, the second person said. Netbooks are primarily designed for Internet browsing and mobile computing. They cost less than conventional laptop computers, and are lighter and smaller.

Apple's entry may come in what is expected to be a very tough year for computer sales. Desktop-computer shipments in particular are expected to fall by nearly one-third globally in 2009 as consumers increasingly shift to laptop computers, according to projections released by research firm Gartner Inc. earlier in March. While netbook computers have become a major sales driver for computer companies, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs last year dismissed netbooks, even going so far as to suggest Apple's third-generation iPhone - a smartphone device that offer multifunctions - could serve as a netbook. Jobs told analysts in October Apple isn't “tremendously worried” the slump will drive customers to less-expensive PCs and added, “we don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk.”

Why can't Apple just make a normal netbook that that will not cost an arm and leg. Like there is a lot of people that are shopping around for netbooks for school, uni or home. Some of them are looking at the netbook, but find the price of the Mac Book Air unjustified for what thier requirements are.

If they are going to be making a it touch screen, then they should look at the possibility of making it a touch screen tablet

 

[hikaricloud]

“we don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk.”

We do.

 

[Harper]

Honestly, the netbook market is really there for those people that just want a "$500 computer that's [in apple's eyes is] a piece of junk.” I am not saying that netbooks are a "piece of junk" as mine does more than what i want / need it to do.

1.6Ghz CPU, 1Gb Ram, Hardrive just big enough to load OS and a few other apps and a data. It's designed for Internet, Office and Portability. Not really any thing else.
If apple is going to be putting a touch screen on it, that might as well be classing it a tablet PC as it's going to have a price tag simulare to a Portege M700. Apple's really missing the concept of what the netbook is all about.

 

[hikaricloud]

That's what I was thinking too.

 

[zedman3d]

“we don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk.”

Congrats on failing the 'netbook' part of it.

 

[TheOtis]

Honestly, the netbook market is really there for those people that just want a "$500 computer that's [in apple's eyes is] a piece of junk.” I am not saying that netbooks are a "piece of junk" as mine does more than what i want / need it to do.

1.6Ghz CPU, 1Gb Ram, Hardrive just big enough to load OS and a few other apps and a data. It's designed for Internet, Office and Portability. Not really any thing else.
If apple is going to be putting a touch screen on it, that might as well be classing it a tablet PC as it's going to have a price tag simulare to a Portege M700. Apple's really missing the concept of what the netbook is all about.

I don't see why more people don't understand what a netbook is for. On my local news station they did a segment on Netbooks. They completely missed the point. The lady said to steer clear of SSD's because they're smaller then hard drives and don't offer a big size. I wanted to vomit. The whole idea behind a Netbook is portability, longer battery life, and to be used for office and the internet. Not to hold a lot of media files or to game. But to go online and word processing. Hence the name NETbook.

And about the topic- I'm not surprised at all by Apple wanting to do this. They have that boutique premium brand image going for em. So them releasing a Netbook but having it be a touch screen makes sense.