Apple: Netbooks Don't Deserve Mac Brand
As the rumors about the new iPhone due out in June really start to kick off, people are also talking about the possibility of an Apple netbook or tablet.
For now, just fantasyFueling the rumors are several reports claiming 'x' manufacturer is supplying the screens or 'y' company is supplying flash memory for the production of a low-cost Apple netbook (or tablet). This week, in an effort to put all these rumors to rest, Apple’s COO Tim Cook reiterated a point Steve Jobs made during an earnings call in 2008: the company is in no way interested in making a netbook.
“We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk,” Jobs said late last year. During that same call, Cook said that Apple wouldn’t produce low-end phones and that it doesn't want to be the market leader when it comes to the number of units sold. Apple wants to make the best phone possible, period. Yesterday Cook revealed just how much he hates netbooks and finished by telling analysts (once again) that budget netbooks is not a segment Apple wants to be a part of.
“When I look at netbooks, I see cracked keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens,” he said. “It’s just not a good consumer experience and not something we would put the Mac brand on. It’s a segment we would not choose to play in.”
According to VentureBeat, when asked about compact devices for browsing and email, Cook pointed out that the iPhone and iPod Touch are both suitable, adding that he thought calling a netbook a personal computer was “a stretch.”
When we heard Steve’s comments last year, we immediately assumed that because the company “didn’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk,” Apple would manufacturer a UMPC (similar to Sony’s P Series Lifestyle PC) and charge customers around $800-$900. However, Cook’s comments make it sound like Apple is against the idea of netbooks entirely, and not just because of their price. However, that doesn't rule out an Apple tablet.
That sounds like a personal problem Steve
How f***ing hard is it? All netbooks use the same damn processor and chipset; what a lame bloody excuse.
Semi-unrelated tangent: Aside from anything else, I'd probably not consider a netbook when I could spend the same amount of money on a good used small notebook and end up with more power and more storage.
That sounds like a personal problem Steve
Seriously though it's hard to see a place for an apple netbook. It would have to be a little more robust than current netbooks to run OSX, though I guess a port from the IPone OS would probably be a better choice. Then again why would they do that when they are pushing the iPhone and earn more with those subscriber fees than selling a sub $500 netbook? We don't want to give customers nifty little features and apps without giving AT&T their unfair share right?
I agree that it doesn't make business sense for Apple right now to put out a netbook. I just wish they weren't ELITIST JERKS about it.
Very well put. I wouldn't expect Mac to put out a netbook. It just doesn't make sense for them to do so.
It's would be like the $50 Steak House down the road coming out with a dollar menu.
Netbooks, despite having moved up in feature sets and prices to the point of stepping into notebook territory, have never been a premium item. The first Eee PC were barebones, utilitarian machines that only promised to run a web browser and other basic items.
Tim Cook's comments, while sounding quite elitist, do reflect Apple's attitudes about the rest of the industry's products -- they're just not Apple. An Apple-designed "netbook" will likely be of a very high build quality (probably with aluminum casing) and most certainly not $500.
Thats one of my biggest problems with the netbooks... I want something nearly identical but with a little bit more processing power and response not to mention graphics...
and apple is ridiculous. they only cater to those willing to pay hundred of dollars more than what the machine is worth. those people prefer the sign to the substance. lame.
Tim Cook is perfectly right to say this plainly, and you guys calling him a jerk (among other, less appropriate epithets) is baseless. How dare he be honest!