I am unable to figure out, for the life of me, why there are so many people who blindly believe that Apple needs to release a netbook. Most folks claim that for Apple to stay viable because of the economic situation facing America, and how that sudden fallout is going to affect their ability to sell niche products at elevated prices, they need to do the smart thing and release an inexpensive Mac netbook.
Like, because, selling a netbook is going to solve all of Apple’s problems. As if overnight the company with $25 billion plus (yes, with a B!) in cash reserves is all of a sudden going to disappear because they do not target your average Wal-Mart shopper. Does Apple really act, look and sound like a company that does not know their market?
It almost seems that most of the people making such claims are the very people clamoring for a cheap Mac – they want the sexy Apple hardware and to be able to use the best consumer operating system available today, but ultimately are too cheap to pay the so-called “Apple Tax”. These are the folks, led by Captain Obvious, I was aiming for when I recently wrote a quick and dirty laptop comparison for all the Mac haters.
Apple seems to be doing quite well for itself these days, and will probably continue to do so in to the foreseeable future. There is no compelling evidence to suggest the netbook market is all that profitable. Is it really such a smart move for Apple to jump headfirst in to a market which is not necessarily a convincing business move?
Look, netbooks are inexpensive for a reason – the hardware is dirt-cheap and the margins are extremely low. Making a decent profit selling low-margin hardware demands huge sales numbers. I am certainly not suggesting that should Apple undertake such a venture they would have trouble selling netbooks – quite the contrary in fact. What I am saying is that the bottom-line is not persuasive enough at this time for Apple to enter the netbook market.
There is another side to the netbook story – a lot of folks would love for Apple to release a netbook as some form of ultra-portable. Sure, the MacBook Air is small and lightweight, but it is definitely not a piece of hardware you can throw in your back pocket or carry in your backpack without noticing.
What this group is looking for is a lightweight, small Mac which is larger and more powerful than an iPhone but smaller and lighter than a MacBook Air – a true ultra-portable Mac more so than a netbook.
What is the moral to the story? If you want a Mac yet find them too expensive to stomach, and are crying for an Apple netbook, then do one of two things: 1) save your money and buy one when you can afford it or 2) buy one and deal with the consequences of having paid for premium hardware by one of the best hardware vendors in the world today.
No matter what you think, Apple does not need a netbook to be their savior. Period.
Some very interesting points and I'm with you on people only wanting this as a cheap way to get a Mac. I budgeted so I could get a Mac and haven't looked back since, personally I wouldn't want a “cheap” Mac. I think Apple will find some middle ground between the Air and the iPhone and whatever it is Apple will do it right or not at all.
February 28, 2009 @ 08:11
As you mentioned, I think that is the important point – budgeting for a Mac if you truly want a Mac. If you dont want to spend $2500 for a MBP, then don't. Right?
If people are unwilling to spend the requisite cash to get the hardware they desire then that's on them. But complaining about how Apple needs to release a netbook to appease the cheap bastards is ludicrous methinks.
March 1, 2009 @ 09:50
There's also that the iPhone / iPod Touch are practically netbooks as-is (and the iPhone has a cell connection as well as wifi).
Heck, even the stats are comparable to some netbooks, but they respond a lot faster because they're not running large software designed to work on high-end desktop computers (Firefox, Word, etc). All they lack is a physical keyboard, but odds are they exist already, or will soon.
March 1, 2009 @ 08:38
I've only tried Macs a few times and didn't enjoy the experience much so I wouldn't buy a Mac netbook (or any other mac for that matter). That being said I'm no Mac hater so I don't consider myself biased.
I don't see why they couldn't do the netbook in their own niche. It could be to the MacBook what the Mac Mini is to the iMac. I think it would be a nice piece of hardware and it would sell ok.
It wouldn't be a best seller and I completely agree they certainly don't *need* to sell netbooks. I imagine they have decided the hassle of developing it outweigh the benefits.
March 5, 2009 @ 08:10