Rumor Mill: Apple To Release $99 3G Netbook Says AT&T Source

[Kaido]

http://www.itproportal.com/por...netbook-says-t-source/

A source situated "pretty high up in AT&T?s food chain" apparently told the BoyGeniusReport website that a $99 3G Apple netbook will be coming out this summer.

Although this might be part of a disinformation campaign, BGR is known for its reliable sources and if this information nugget is confirmed, then it means that the 3G Apple netbook will ship without a Windows OS and possibly with Apple's own iPhone OS 3.0.

Although a $99 appears to be uncommonly cheap, it is likely that the netbook will be offered on a 2-year contract and subsidised by the network operator. The 8GB iPhone costs $69.99 per month at least including a compulsory $30 per month data plan on top of the $199 fee for the 8GB iPhone 3G.

We have already ruminated over Apple's prospective netbook (8 Ways The Apple Netbook Will Be Different) and the cheap entry price could mean that Apple will be going for a cut down Netbook that will not compete with its cheapest Macbook, at least not for now.

What can we expect then? Maybe a iPhone OS based netbook with a keyboard and a 10.1-inch touchscreen. Essentially a large version of the iPod Touch then. There are also rumours that Apple will be using Marvell's 1GHz PXA168 CPU in its netbook.

Apple never previously sold the iPhone unlocked and SIM Free. So it wouldn't be a surprise that its mobile internet device comes at an affordable price but with huge strings attached. Again, the $99 price point is too low for an expensive Macbook-esque Netbook which leaves us with the option of a cheap Netbook maybe based on the original, innovative Psion Netbook.

Reuters said that Apple is getting a Q3 2009 delivery of 10" touchscreens from Wintek in Taiwan.

This will be really cool for carputer systems...a 3G-connected 10" display with built-in touchscreen.

 

[sjwaste]

Not interested. I'll probably lack a few non-critical, but ubiquitous features, just like the iPhone and iPod Touch have tended to do. Whatever the cost, add in the price of upgrading to the next model a year later that adds back the obvious missing features, but leaves the door open for a sequel. Whether or not it was a mistake, I'm not happy that Apple shipped the original iPhone w/o 3G support. That should've been a top-of-the-list item, but they knew they could shift a bunch of units, and then sell 3G hardware to basically the same user base a year later. I'm not falling for that crap.

As it stands right now, even my Palm Centro is more feature-complete than the iPhone is, and adding features like A2DP don't require "jailbreaking" the phone. Let's face it, there's a very good reason that Apple isn't penetrating the (lucrative) corporate market with their phone offering -- its not price nor feature competitive, it just has a nice UI and form factor.

Their netbook will have to be a pretty major departure from that to get the corporate demo. I work for a firm that is 75% road warriors, but we don't buy form over function.

It's a shame, because releasing a feature-complete phone or netbook would really drive the adoption of other Apple technology here. We'd love to bring Macbooks with us to our client sites, many of us own one at home, but it needs to be an end-to-end solution to really get people over. Apple doesn't sell Macbooks by trickling out new features, they do so by innovating on form factor, OS, stability, etc. I wish they'd try to sell their mobile devices the same way, because I know many of us would be on board if they did.

/rant

 

[mugs]

So you figure AT&T charges you $30 a month for the data plan, and after two years you've spent over $800 on a netbook. :laugh: Definitely doesn't appeal to me since I never have a need to use my laptop in places that don't have wifi.

 

[shocksyde]

Originally posted by: mugs
So you figure AT&T charges you $30 a month for the data plan, and after two years you've spent over $800 on a netbook. :laugh: Definitely doesn't appeal to me since I never have a need to use my laptop in places that don't have wifi.

Great deal for a carputer, though.

 

[sourceninja]

Honestly, depending on what features it has, I'd probably buy something like this.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Apple could make a beautiful iPod like tablet, it would rock...

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Apple could make a beautiful iPod like tablet, it would rock...

It'd be really neat for integration, too - carputers for MP3s, kitchen cabinet computers for recipes, a digital jukebox in your living room with a touchscreen...I can think of all kinds of fun applications!

 

[Pliablemoose]

If they include the GPS chipset from the current generation iPhone, they would have the carputer market locked up.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
If they include the GPS chipset from the current generation iPhone, they would have the carputer market locked up.

Hmm...

-10" capactive touchscreen
-GPS chip
-3G chip
-Wifi chip
-16-64 gigs of Flash memory
-Plays music, movies, podcasts, etc.

And with the newly-announced ability to add 3rd-party hardware components, it would be cake to make a dock interface for a car stereo...plus the allowance of turn-by-turn direction apps - we could have AM/FM/HD/XM-Sirius radio attachments, GPS systems with higher-power GPS chips via the dock interface, audio output, etc. That'd be super awesome 😀

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
If they include the GPS chipset from the current generation iPhone, they would have the carputer market locked up.

Hmm...

-10" capactive touchscreen
-GPS chip
-3G chip
-Wifi chip
-16-64 gigs of Flash memory
-Plays music, movies, podcasts, etc.

And with the newly-announced ability to add 3rd-party hardware components, it would be cake to make a dock interface for a car stereo...plus the allowance of turn-by-turn direction apps - we could have AM/FM/HD/XM-Sirius radio attachments, GPS systems with higher-power GPS chips via the dock interface, audio output, etc. That'd be super awesome 😀

It would fit with Apple's uncanny ability to develop a niche where none existed or to bring one mainstream.

What would they name it? The iTablet?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
If they include the GPS chipset from the current generation iPhone, they would have the carputer market locked up.

Hmm...

-10" capactive touchscreen
-GPS chip
-3G chip
-Wifi chip
-16-64 gigs of Flash memory
-Plays music, movies, podcasts, etc.

And with the newly-announced ability to add 3rd-party hardware components, it would be cake to make a dock interface for a car stereo...plus the allowance of turn-by-turn direction apps - we could have AM/FM/HD/XM-Sirius radio attachments, GPS systems with higher-power GPS chips via the dock interface, audio output, etc. That'd be super awesome 😀

It would fit with Apple's uncanny ability to develop a niche where none existed or to bring one mainstream.

What would they name it? The iTablet?

Well speak of the devil 😀

http://www.appleinsider.com/ar...navigation_system.html

 

[sjwaste]

That's a patent filing for safety features on a navigation system. I don't want those. If my F700BT has taught me anything, it's an inconvenience, and one that I ultimately bypassed. For instance, if I'd left everything in place, I couldn't have been able to route myself to class last night when the 395 onramp was closed near me. There wasn't exactly a shoulder to stop on b/c of the construction, either. Considering I had to go through SE DC to get there, I wasn't about to stop. Same thing for a return trip. Night construction, I want to be able to hit menu - destination - go home. That's not dangerous.

The problem with any Apple navigation product will be that sort of lockdown, since they don't want to get sued, and the likelihood that it won't fit in a Double DIN form factor, because they can sell more portable units to people. No thanks.

Like I said in a previous post, a tablet would be cool only if it were feature-complete from the start (iPhone OS 3.0 to get cut and paste? come on). Even then, an in-dash unit is best for automotive use.

 

[Pliablemoose]

One of the most added on features to netbooks is GPS by users, I do it and prefer it to a stand alone unit.

I take my netbook to work every day, my employer is hell on employees that shop using the business network, and have terminated employees for it. When it's slow, or during my break/lunch, I drag out my netbook, link up with the guest Wi Fi they provide... this would allow employees to do the same thing, and not have to rely on Wi Fi to get on line.

Another killer system from Apple. Price it under $800 and they have another winner.