Does Apple need a netbook?
Apple dominates the $1,000-plus segment, but average PC selling prices are heading South at a high rate of speed. Can Cupertino own the netbook like it has with the mp3 player and smartphone segments? Does it need to?
If you check the Amazon Computers & PC Hardware top sellers list, aside from four or five 13.3-inch and larger Apple-branded notebooks, you will mostly see a dog’s breakfast of netbooks. This new category of portable computer is being credited with “saving Christmas” for company’s schlepping Windows hardware.
That said, Technology Business Research (TBR) analyst Ezra Gottheil (via Computerworld) believes the netbook’s rapid rise and the concomitant fall in average selling prices will force Apple to produce a netbook of its own sooner rather than later.
“It is too much to ask consumers to pay more than twice as much for a PC in these times,” the analyst says, adding that he believes an Apple netbook will arrive in 2009.
Moreover, if you want to believe the people who spend their days (News.com) searching the Web for Apple’s product plans embossed on grains of rice, a Mac netbook has already been spotted:
[A] search engine company shared with me on condition that I not reveal its name: The company spotted Web visits from an unannounced Apple product with a display somewhere between an iPhone and a MacBook. Is it the iPhone 3.0 or the NetMac 1.0?”
Um, whatever…
According to RTT News, the largest growth in Web traffic this holiday season has been enjoyed by Apple, which has seen visitors surge by 29 percent to 11.94 million uniques. Further, anecdotal evidence specifically indicates MacBook sales are up and, of course, Apple-branded notebooks are always top sellers on Amazon (see above).
So, does Apple really need to make a netbook? No, they don’t and as Steve has previously said just slapping a logo on a $499 OEM POS (piece of…) doesn’t add value for customers or the company.
Does that mean never? Of course not—Apple’s gone on to make a number of products Steve has publicly pooh-poohed.
Still, for the next eight to 12 months, I’m don’t see Apple releasing one. Besides, to those who haven’t noticed, the iPhone and iPod touch already own the palmtop market…
What’s your take?
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December 8th, 2008
Apple got to be the leader in portable music players by putting out a player that was so much better than what was in the market at the time of the launch of the original iPod. Apple is becoming the leader of the smartphone market by putting out a smartphone that is so much better than Windows Mobile or Palm. Steve Jobs may not like current netbooks but should consider it a place where Apple could put out their own Netbook that is so much better than what is currently on the market.
December 8th, 2008
Is it really too much to ask you to put retail in front of $1000+? Or is being accurate just beyond impossible?
It’s still an impressive achievement, but no direct sales are figured in. You know like Dell, Levano, HP who get 90% of their sales.
Know why Apple rules that segment? Because who wants a Mini? Everything else is over $1,000.
That’s why you are unlikely to see a netbook from Apple. Small margins and taking Macbook sales. Apple is in the great position of mainly competing with itself.
December 8th, 2008
Great piece – dugg! I completely agree with you. I’ve gone a little deeper into the reasons why they won’t create a netbook, where I take apart Ezra Gottheil’s latest analysis (http://devinsblog.com/2008/12/07/apple-stands-for-quality-not-quantity/), and what would happen if they do come out with a piece of hardware in that price range (http://devinsblog.com/2008/12/07/apples-netbook-release-strategy-redefining-netbook/).
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