Behold, The Apple Tablet – Answer To The PC Netbook
Despite a tremendous amount of nay-saying from Apple and Mac fans alike, it looks like Apple has found a way to provide the netbook market what they are seeking. Yet doing so without offering the typical netbook experience that Apple clearly was looking to avoid at all costs.
The Apple Tablet, when released, is believed to be something around the range of 10 inches, run off of the iPhone OS and be available for under a $1000. Frankly, if Apple is seriously looking to hit the netbook market, I would hope that they are able to make this happen for under $600.
Dollars aside, the real question is whether or not non-Apple users will find the Tablet to be the kind of device to woo them away from the PC netbook currently making a real splash around the world at the moment. Knowing Apple’s ability to wow folks, I would say yes. There is really no question in my mind that regardless of any given hang-ups PC owners might have with an Apple Tablet, the Mac users of the world would swarm to get their hot little hands on such an item.
5 Comments
Happy Days are Here Again | Chris Pirillo
May 24th, 2009
at 10:36pm
[...] Behold the Apple Tablet – is this the answer to the PC Netbooks? [...]
Kav
May 25th, 2009
at 2:59am
While the concept is great and the interest is no doubt there, I don’t think this type of product will single-handedly have quite the impact you describe. At least not directly for Apple.
Unless that price tag comes down a long way, this is the type of product only Mac fans, very high end netbook users and those with cash to burn will jump for. With the economic situation being what it is, this isn’t like to be an enormous number of people.
That is not to say that the product itself won’t be fantastic. In fact I hope it catalyses the market like the early Asus Eee netbooks did. Then I think we’ll see a lot of other manufacturers develop products more in line with Techcrunch’s Crunchpad nearer their $200 target price. I think that’s when you’ll see your revolution in couch computing.
Flint
May 25th, 2009
at 3:16am
I’d definitely agree. I’ve heard somebody (I think it was Ars Technica) describe what the called a “Media Tablet” – which I think would be pretty sweet – kind of like an iPod Touch on steroids. Something you could easily surf the web on, and watch videos on. I’d love something like that.
I have an iPod touch – and while I can surf the web on it – and watch videos – I think it’d be great to have a bigger screen to do that.
I’m sure there will be plenty of haters out there who will say “nobody will buy it – it’ll be overpriced – you can get the same thing with a keyboard for less…” blah blah blah.
The thing is – Apple will make it in such a way that it will do what the majority of people want it to do (watch videos and surf the web) without having to deal with all the crap and garbage, and “underpoweredness” that you’d have in dealing with a netbook.
Kyle Klink
May 25th, 2009
at 5:39am
Apple release a tablet for under $600? You’re dreaming. What Apple has going for them right now is that Mac fans would line up for miles to get their hands on an Apple tablet. Hell, they would line up for miles to get their hands on ANYTHING Apple. And that right there is why Apple will never sell a computer for under $600, they just don’t have to.
The cult-like following Apple has going allows them to produce products with out-dated hardware yet sell it at prices much higher than any PC would cost.
I know, I know. Macs are not more expensive that PCs, blah blah blah. Right. The only difference between a Mac and a PC is the OS (and I do prefer Mac OS). But how much should we be willing to spend on a computer just to get an OS we prefer?
Ron Knights
May 25th, 2009
at 8:15am
I think the $300 price tag for PC Netbooks is too high.
Why would I want to spend $600 for Apple’s answer to the Netbooks?!