b5media.com

Advertise with us

Enjoying this blog? Check out the rest of the Technology Channel Subscribe to this Feed

Macintosh, Mac Apps, iPhone, Steve Jobs, Apple

Does Apple Really Need To Make A NetBook?

by Juan on January 22nd, 2009

Over the course of the past few days I’ve spoken to two friends who are considering getting a Netbook. One of them is a Mac user. He’s thinking of getting a netbook having tried one of our friend’s HP Mini-Note.

The MacBook Air is the closest thing that Apple has to an ultraportable. The Air is thin and light but the 13″ screen still makes it a wide laptop. It’s also quite expensive. The starting price for the Air is $1800.

Compare that to netbooks such as the Mini-Note which have 10-11 inch screens and priced somewhere between $400-$700 dollars. But because of the lower price point you get a slower processor and basically a slower architecture.

While netbooks are small and more affordable they’re not for everyone. If you travel a lot and use your laptop as your primary work computer then a netbook isn’t for you. I just can’t imagine spending a whole day with a netbook. It’s fine for checking emails and the occasional web browsing but not for a full day of typing out a document or doing a spreadsheet.

The Air however offers a full-size keyboard, ample screen real estate. While it’s not the most powerful computer, it’s enough for a full-days worth or word processing and doing spreadsheets.

The Air and netbooks in my opinion are totally different markets. The question is does Apple need to be in both markets.

Apple has said before that while they’re watching the netbook market, they don’t want to go into that market if they can’t offer anything substantial. If they feel that they can’t make a good contribution to that market then why get in to it?

In my opinion, Apple doesn’t need to be in the netbook market. If it’s email and web browsing you want, the iPhone/iPod Touch does a pretty good job at it. I’d be happier if Apple comes up with a slightly bigger mobile device that is similar to the capabilities of the iPhone.

I feel at this current time, Apple should just leave netbooks to the likes of HP and Acer.

Tags: , ,

POSTED IN: Juan's Posts, MacBook Air

0 opinions for Does Apple Really Need To Make A NetBook?

  • No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!

Have an opinion? Leave a comment: