Law Technology

An Apple NetTouch? A Netbook from Apple After the Third Quarter?

By Ross

OK, I’m the first to admit there’s some speculation going on here because of course, Apple won’t confirm, deny or comment on the question of its netbook plans. A Reuters article from March 11th quoted a “source” as saying that Apple will take “delivery of newly developed 10-inch touchscreens from Taiwan . . . amid talk the U.S. firm is developing a touchscreen PC.” The Taiwanese tech journal, Digi Times went even further, quoting a Chinese-language “Commercial Times” report to that effect. Digi Times further note that Taiwan’s “Quanta Computer will be the maker of Apple’s new netbook.”  Hmm . . . if true and following the hunch that where’s there’s smoke, there’s most often fire . . .

It would be rational to believe that Apple has a strong intention to play in the explosively growing netbook market in some fashion. The challenge for Apple is severalfold in doing so:

• First, it’s very late to the segment, and Steve Jobs initially did his version of the infamous Gates statement (”640K ought to be enough for anybody” or, sensationally paraphrased as “we don’t need no more steenking RAM”) when he commented that the netbook market was “nascent” and that Apple was “neutral” about it. Then of course, the netbook market exploded as one of the fastest growing PC segments in history (just in time for a tanked economy where $300-$400 PC systems were all many could afford).
• Apple can’t come in with a “me too” netbook that isn’t anything more than a “Honey, I Shrunk the Macbook” kind of product - the expectations are that Apple will innovate and rennovate the segment with something typically Apple-revolutionary.
• Apple never misses an opportunity to release a premium-priced product that is functionally superior to its segment competitors - it would be illogical to think it will pass up an opportunity for netbook ivory-towerism.

So 10″? Touchscreen? While there’s a remote possibility Apple is outfitting its retail stores with some kind of 10″ touchscreen-equipped coolness, odds are far greater that’s it’s a preview of Apple’s first netbook/tablet-type machine late this year or early next year (think the hottest holiday gift of ‘09)?? The killer legal accessory to replace yellow-pads? Something leaps and bounds ahead of clunky existing tablet PCs for every lawyer to use for notetaking?
Food for thought . . . and for general salivation . . .

Full post as published by Ross Ipsa Loquitur on March 13, 2009 (boomark / email).