Apple Defines Netbooks As Junky
No matter how long and hard fans call for a Mac Netbook, the folks at Apple want to remove all doubt that they absolutely, positively will not produce one at this time. Every exec at Apple has taken repeated opportunities to make that point glaringly clear. The latest example was COO (and acting Steve Jobs) Tim Cook during the company’s recent financial conference call. If there was any, even slight, remaining doubt whether Apple will make a netbook, Cook’s definition of the genre should put an end to that:
When I’m looking at what’s sold in the Netbook market, I see cramped keyboards, junky hardware, very small screens, bad software. Not a consumer experience that we would put the Mac brand on. As it exists today, we’re not interested in it nor would it be something customers would be interested in the long term. We are looking at the space. For those who want a small computer that does browsing/email, they might want an iPhone or iPod Touch. If we find a way to deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, we’ll do that.
So there you have it. While many have struggled with the proper way to define the netbook, Apple has boiled it down to the simple: a cramped keyboard, very small screen, junky hardware and bad software. That’s funny; it only took some of us 69 seconds to be impressed with a junky netbook running Mac OS X.
Glad you are NOT running Apple! Netbooks are junk, I own two of them!
Hmm… hate to hear that you own two and find them junky Paul. I’m assuming they don’t meet your mobile computing needs? Care to share why? Just curious because they are meeting the needs of tens of millions of folks based on sales numbers. I realize they’re not for everyone of course…
Well, that’s Apple. Everything is junk except their products.
I beg to differ. Apple is barking up the wrong freakin tree. If netbooks are”junky” why don’t you make one that costs more and can do more??
Noone likes to lug big notbooks anymore. Apple….look at machines other than the old Eee PC 701/702. My 1000HE runs Ubuntu Jaunty very well. Jaunty is NOT junky software….
They already make an ultra-portable that costs more and can do more: The Macbook Air costs a LOT more, has a multi-touch trackpad, and offers comparable battery life with a more powerful processor (and it’s lighter than the 1000HE). Cook also cited the iPhone and iPod touch as alternatives.
> Noone likes to lug big notbooks anymore
Let’s not exaggerate here. The notbook (sic) market is still significantly larger than the netbook market.
When I read about this statement last night, it confirmed in my mind that Apple defines itself as snooty.
Netbooks, tablets. More unnecessary electronic toys for the box manufactures to peddle off to us. Thanks for not jumping into this latest fad Apple.
I have an iPhone and still need a netbook to function. I really find it funny that they think people who want a smaller package should just make do with an iphone.
I purchased a netbook about a month ago and I love it. It will never replace my expensive, powerful fullsize laptop, but I never think twice about throughing my 2lb mini 9 in my bag while I travel. I don’t even notice it in there. The $199 price tag was just a plus.
Apple needs to get off their high horse. These are great little machines for email, web browsing, media, etc.
Yeah, the itouch, or iphone is a great device with a great user experience(I own an iphone) but when I have a choice between browsing the web on my iPhone or my Mini with an 8.9 inch screen, I will choose the mini everytime.
Apple is a little out of touch when it comes to mobile computing. They don’t even have a tablet yet… Let alone a touchable mac of any and they are boasting how PC is copying their innovation.
Depends on your definitions. The iPhone is a tablet device and, unlike netbooks, is mobile, not just nomadic.
Totally agree. The Air is quite nice and semi ultra portable, but it still requires a decent sized bag or protection BECAUSE of the LARGE lcd. Netbooks can do alot of what most people who bought the Air do with them and:
Have more USB ports
Have a end user REPLACEABLE battery
Do not require a bag big enough to carry a 13 or 15 inch laptop when you want more than the just the computer.
They MADE a netbook….it was called the 12 inch G4 Powerbook. In fact, my 1000HE fits nicely in the bag I USED to carry the Powerbook in. I am still looking for a case or bag that will let me have a minimal setup but for now I am happy with my Brenthaven.
All I am saying is….bring out a 12 inch MacBook or MacBook Pro AND…..get away from the Aluminum as it hasn’t changed much except for the unibody since I had my 12 inch powerbook
Y’all are reading it wrong. Apple always disparages the products in a given space before they introduce something. The narrative is consistent: everything in [insert product space] is sucky. We would never do anything that sucky. We would do something that was gloriously non-sucky. Voila! iPod/iPhone etc.
His whole answer fits that perfectly:
“For us, it’s about doing great products. And when I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, and just not a consumer experience, and not something that we would put the Mac brand on quite frankly. And so, it’s not a space as it exists today that we are interested in, nor do we believe that customers in the long term would be interested in. It’s a segment we would choose not to play in.”
Translation: Everything in the netbook space is sucky. We don’t do sucky.
“That said, we do look at the space and are interested to see our customers’ respond to it. People that want a small computer so to speak that does browsing and e-mail, might want to buy an iPod Touch or they might want to buy an iPhone. And so, we have other products to accomplish some of what people are buying netbooks for and so, in that particular way we play in an indirect basis.”
Translation: Right now you should buy an iPhone or an iPod Touch.
“And then of course, if we find a way where we can deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, then we will do that and we have some interesting ideas in the space. The product pipeline is fantastic for the Mac. We are – as we look back over the last four plus years, 17 of the 18 quarters of the last four-and-a-half years, we’ve exceeded the market rate of growth.”
Translation: But for the future, we’re working on something that will blow the existing netbooks away, just like we did with the iPod and iPhone. We are Apple. You will be assimilated.
The key phrase is “we have some interesting ideas in the space.”
I agree.
Remember these paraphrased or totally made up quotes from Apple?
“No one wants to watch video on a tiny screen.”
“We don’t see much of a market for an Apple cell phone.”
“We believe a simple universal pricing structure for the iTunes store is the best thing for consumers.”
And now, finally:
“Netbooks are for losers. We pee all over netbooks.”
These quotes, again, may not be 100% accurate.
@David:
Nice reading in between the lines.
With respect to the “junky” comment, Apple products are not completely free of criticism either.
From a financial perspective it is understandable for Apple to avoid a low-end commodity market segment like netbooks. Despite the rough economy the company just announced its most profitable March-quarter ever with 36.4% gross margin and 18.3% net earnings. By comparison HP had 8.1% net earnings for the quarter ending Jan-31/09 and Dell earned bout 2.6% for the quarter ending Jan-30/09.
http://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/22/apple-reports-1-21-billion-profit-for-q2-2009/
http://h30261.www3.hp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=71087&p=irol-reportsOther2009
http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/secure/2009-02-26-SharpCostReductionsandOperationalExecutionHighlightDell’sFiscalFourth-QuarterResults.aspx
Even if they don’t decide to do a netbook like device, it would be a big mistake for them.
If you go to Burger King and you order a drink, small may not be enough and leave you wanting more so you don’t get small, large may be too much for you to handle or leave you feeling guilty for “having too much,” therefore the logical option is medium. Not too little and not too much.
For apple, the iPhone / iPod Touch is the small drink and a MacBook would be the large drink. An Apple netbook would be the medium.
I like the Apple OS, but their computers are too expensive for my taste. A cheap netbook from Apple would be a reason for people like me to say I WANT. Then eventually I BOUGHT TWO. I don’t think Apple has much to lose over something like this.
The iPhone is NOT a replacement for a netbook. End of story.
Reminds of why Apple will never appeal to me as a company. Hard to see how anyone can be an Apple fan with this attitude. I hope they crumble from the recession. Meanwhile netbooks like the Gigabyte touchnote, ASUS T91 & 1004DN will enjoy Apple’s absence. Hell even Vilv is doing something I though Apple should be doing and doing it at an un Apple like price (UMPC at netbook price).
Apple is overhyped & overpriced. New leadership, better pricing & revamped business model would do them justice. Esp in this economy.
> I hope they crumble from the recession
> …
> Apple is overhyped & overpriced.
> New leadership, better pricing & revamped
> business model would do them justice.
> Esp in this economy.
Yikes… Did you see their latest quarterly earnings???
Netbooks *are* junky, when compared to Apple’s preferred user experience:
1) Resolution. Apple can’t/won’t offer an ultra-high dpi display. Roughly 100dpi is their sweet spot, and it works great. However, even though OS X is fairly resolution independent, it’s an awful task to try to fit a proper OS X experience into a 1024×600 display.
2) Hardware. They took enough flak for the performance of the Air. They’re probably concerned that the Atom can’t keep up.
3) Battery life. As Apple moves to integrate Nvidia graphics, they’d have to move to Ion, which is largely unproven in netbooks in terms of heat output and power draw.
4) Keyboard and mouse. Most netbook keyboards suck. There, I’ve said it. They suck. They’re cramped, or poorly laid out, or both. Similarly, the tiny tiny surface area means that the touchpad also tends to suck.
Apple is having trouble diluting the full-blown Mac “experience” into a netbook form factor without blowing the roof off of the pricing. Would I buy an Apple netbook? Probably. Would I expect it to be priced competitively with the Eee? Not at all. I’d expect it to fall in line with the Vaio P, at best.
As a former Libretto user and a 12″ Powerbook fan(atic,) I have a rough idea what Apple likes to do, and how well they’ve pulled it off in the past. They love their keyboard design, and that’s their limiting factor. I can’t say I blame them, the Mac keyboard layout is one of the best I’ve seen, but on the other hand, they still haven’t revived even the 12″ PB form factor, even though it would work great as a 10″ widescreen OS X netbook.
As a long time PC and Windows Mobile user it only took using an iPod Touch synced to a Windows PC to show me just how fabulous Apple are. A device light years beyonds a Windows Mobile device. Using the browser – a workable small screen implementation – wow! I think David is right on – Apple are poised to release something cool. I recall some web detail about 10 inch? screens secured by Apple earlier on. My prediction is a bigger Ipod Touch supported by the App Store and with an easy attachable Apple bluetooth type keyboard. This device will be magic for Zinio magazine reading and using the growing e-books. If you love Oreilly Tech Books check out using them with Stanza on you Ipod Touch/iPhone – fantastic but you can see the attraction of a larger device for this and web browsing. Not a netbook a bit like the fabulous Sony Vaio P is not a netbook
The reality is that Apple likes to charge a premium for it’s products. It realizes that the netbook market has been embraced by budget-conscious consumers whom they can’t reach through marketing with their “exclusivity” and “coolness of design” mantra. And why in the world would they want to cannibalize the sales of their more expensive notebooks to their existing customer base by introducing a slightly less expensive, but still overpriced “Apple” netbook?
That comment about netbooks being “junky” is exemplary of how pathetic and out-of-touch Apple is. HP rolled out a no-compromise netbook exactly 1 year ago with the 2133 mininote. Now exactly a year later they have the Atom version with more performance and a better high-def display. Come Q409 you’ll be seeing the Pinetrail update with Windows 7, and possibly even a dual-core Atom.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say Apple is just making excuses for them missing the boat – it’s very easy to call something “stupid” just because they didn’t bring it to market first. Then again it’s totally not uncommon for Apple to let somebody else, in this case HP/Intel, develop a product/platform over time that get’s the kinks worked out so that they can cannibalize the design, dump their OS/logo on it and claim to have the hot new hardware.
There’s absolutely no reason for Apple to not be able to produce a netbook like the HP 2140 mininote, but let it be their loss for all I care. The fact that HP – their competitor – beat them to market with it, is able to sell it for under $500, and is a device capable of running OSX may be the slap in the face for Apple, for they cannot charge $800 for a similar device.
No compromise? The 2133? Hah! I have one and it’s rather slow (yes, I upgraded to XP). And no, I don’t use it for anything demanding… just a little firefoxing, thunderbirding, and feeddemoning. I still like it because of the keyboard and the high-res screen, but it’s certainly NOT a no-compromise machine.
Oh, and where do I find information on how to run OSX on the 2133 (or for that matter 2140). Last I checked, no one was really successful, but maybe that’s changed in recent days/weeks. I’d be interested in giving that a try.
I had an HP2133, nice machine, but I couldn’t use it as an everyday machine, the keyboard whilst good, was still too small, and the format of the machine was uncomfortable to use for more than an hour at a time. It also didn’t run OSX (and I know there are Hackintosh routes).
I have replaced the HP with a Macbook Air. This is by far the best notebook I have ever used, (and I had over 20 notebooks in my technology life). It perfectly fits my need for a highly portable but fully function machine (and my functional requirements are a full size keyboard and screen). I know the Macbook Air is expensive, but for me its worth every cent.
I think Apple will produce an iPhone / iTouch based netbook device, rather than a small OSX machine.
Apple says netbooks are junky. At the moment they are right. I’m still looking for the perfect netbook it is very elusive. Users will disagree with what’s important but I rate keyboard and trackpad as one key feature. Nothing delivers that I have seen. Sony showed the way years ago with their compact TX range with chiclet keyboard and good mouse buttons. Is copying something good that difficult? Asus 1000 HE might be close finally with chiclet keys and maybe decent mouse buttons, but it is an ugly brut. Sorry Luscious but HP fail badly with side mouse buttons and no space between keys. And at least on the Mininote 1000 lets not get on to battery life and hard disk speed. Shame because it’s one of the cooler looking devices. I like my Wife’s Aspire One but side mouse buttons drive me mad and now a new version bigger and mouse buttons still don’t feel great. Why didn’t a mainstream manufacturer try a narrow netbook with 9 inch screen keyboard mouse stick ala Sony Vaio P instead of so much me to clones? Ah it’s a hard road to the perfect netbook.
Netbooks will kill the PC companies. It’s the old “we’ll make it up in volume argument.”
It’s too bad that people confuse their own unwillingness to pay more than $500 for a computing device with good business practice. Netbooks will be viewed upon as “you reap what you sow” historical Business 101 case study where marketshare only buy you illusion one is a player (temporarily). Too bad after 100 years of capitalism, people still can’t distinguish between good marketshare and bad marketshare.
Mark my words, Dell will be the first of many companies that will be put out of business by blind fervor of wanting the world’s most successful companies to sell out their future for a product that generates no profits. And Microsoft will aid that by convincing consumers through their ad campaigns that the only time a PC is worth getting is when someone hands you cash.
I disagree that netbooks will kill pc companies. The only way that will happen is if they insist on putting the crippled version of Windows 7 on it or not use Linux on the device. The OS is rapidly becoming irrelevant. The browser is the post important piece of software on anyone’s desktop right now.
Asus themselves are making some cash by selling these tiny machines. The Atom is a good processor and very soon now Nvidia’s Ion platform will also make a netbook that can play HD video. What more do you need?
Som,e complain about the screen and the keyboard on a netbook but add a outboard monitor and a keyboard and now you have a regular computer. Just need a tiny bit more oomph and you can have a good system.
Also, one thing wer jkontherun readers need to figure out is we’re the early adopters and the digerati. We demand more performance from things or when we take a hit in performance, some other reason to like and use a device. Right now, I like my netbook alot and it works for me just fine. I don’t edit videos much so I don’t need the horsepower everyday so there’s no reason for me to have a fullsize notebook.
What was that really small, futuristic, portable clam shell device Apple manufactured a few years back….
Hmmmm it started with an “N”
I think, something to do with falling apples and someone’s head?
What could it have been….
Phil: What do you think a iPhone is? The iPhone OS is a special version of Mac OS X.
I appreciate the iPhone runs a version of OSX, what I meant when I said that Apple might bring out a netbook type device running the iPhone / Touch version of OSX, not the standard Leopard / Snow Leopard they currently use for notebooks and desktops.
An iPhone is no netbook – its a Content Delivery Device for iTunes and the App Store – while its current version is incapable of even basic WP requirements like ‘cut and paste’, landscape keyboard or access to 3rd Party peripherals – like printers. Calling the iPhone (or any smartphone) a netbook is disingenuous, at best.
Meanwhile, Apple must call all netbooks junky – the problem is is that they cannot afford to build one. Not for the parts (which are all of a kind these days, even in an Apple) but rather, traditional MacBook sales would be gutted if Apple were to offer a competitively priced (under $450) netbook. Even if this offered a ‘Lite’ version of OSX (say, no iLife included) users would soon discover – as they did with netbooks – exactly how little they need, not how much they can spend.
Apple relies on products that are premium priced (and the PT Barnum quote) to maintain its bottom line. And that’s counter to netbooks.