Apple May Use Touch Screens For Netbook Mac
It’s no secret that Apple executives have been watching the booming netbook market closely. The mini-laptops, which have screen sizes of 10 inches or less and cost less than $500, have lately been the hottest-selling PCs. According to IDC, shipments of the devices reached 10 million units last year, with half of the units sold in the fourth quarter. Shipments of the low-cost PCs, which accounted for 7% of overall mobile PC shipments last year, are expected to double this year.
And, as Tony Bennett sang at the end of January’s Macworld Conference & Expo, “The Best Is Yet To Come,” reports suggest that Apple might just be prepping a brand new innovative touch-screen netbook.
Analysts predict that Apple’s mini-laptop will offer unique features and command a much higher price than the inexpensive netbooks that are flooding the market.
A new report on Apple’s moves came Wednesday, March 11th, from the Reuters news agency, which quoted an anonymous source saying Apple would take third-quarter delivery of a 10-inch touch screen from display specialist Wintek of Taiwan. Similar Taiwanese media reports of this week also said Taiwan-based Quanta Computer would make the actual PCs for Apple. Despite hopes and rumours, Apple failed to introduce any new Macs, with no sign of an Apple netbook, an ultra portable potentially priced laptop, ideally suited for surfing the Web, sending email, play music and video, and accessing social-networking features and everyday tasks. In essence, it would fall between the iPhone and iPod Touch and a MacBook. One feature Apple may focus on is the ability to read electronic books, magazines, and newspapers. Online retailer Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN).com, which makes the successful Kindle e-book reader, has released an application that turns the iPhone into an e-reader. Apple would likely take this concept further in a touch-screen PC.
Additionally, Ezra Gottheil, analyst for Technology Business Research, told InformationWeek she agrees with reports that Apple’s device is likely to not have a keyboard and to cost from $800 to almost $1,000. “It won’t look like a netbook,” Gottheil said. “It may very well not have a keyboard, and it won’t compete on price.” “This will be Apple’s take on some of the virtues of the netbook,” Gottheil said.
Moreover, a Chinese newspaper suggests now a Mac netbook, or MacBook mini/MacBook nano, could be a reality sooner than later. According to Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times, Apple already has deals with manufacturers underway.
Therefore, Taiwanese company Wintek is reported to be supplying touchscreen panels for any new Apple netbook, while Quanta Computer will actually make the ultra portable Apple laptops suggests DigiTimes. Apple netbook shipments are likely to begin in the second half of the year suggests the newspaper although no details are given to support the claim.
Source: informationweek.com; macworld.co.uk.