Apple Says No To Netbooks, For Now

Many gadget fans have been dying for Apple to announce its own netbook line. Apple has proved in the past that it won’t do anything to damage its brand, and it does not consider netbooks as a real way for it to move forward. Netbooks may be portable, energy efficient, and affordable, but that’s not the business Apple is in. Apple is in the business of producing some of the best premium computers on the planet. So it was no surprise to hear Apple COO squash the rumors about Apple working on its own netbook:

Our goal is not to build the most computers, it’s to build the best. At this point, we don’t see the way to build a great product for this $399, $499, this kind of price point unit.

Sad but everyone needs to hear it to get some closure on this issue. As much as I want to believe that Apple may change its mind, this whole netbook issue is a big dilemma for it. Apple is not a recession-friendly brand. It’s not part of Apple’s strategy to develop affordable, cheap devices. In fact, with $500, you may not even be able to get an Apple Macbook’s parts, let alone a fully-fledged netbook. But there is good news here as well. Apple has been rumored to be working on a MediaPad for a long long time, and Apple’s COO is not willing to discount the idea:

I never want to discount anything in the future, and never want to specifically discuss new products.

As I have mentioned in the past, the problem for Apple is not creating a light-weight, energy efficient product. It’s all about the pricing. Netbook is a brand that is associated with cheap laptops. Apple is not into that market, and I am not sure it’d make sense for the company to enter this business now. It only creates brand confusion for the consumers and not a smart move in my opinion. However, introducing an iPod DX could be a good move for Apple and the fans. Who knows. iPhone DX may actually outperform some of the netbooks already available on the market.

One Response to “Apple Says No To Netbooks, For Now”

1. Michael Comeau says:

   July 22, 2009 at 12:43 pm

   I agree – Apple can make a profit on a netbook but I don’t think they want their name on anything cheap.

   They’d get a lot more mileage out of a $799 Macbook than anything else. The company’s market share gains would accelerate even more.

   More here:

   http://bit.ly/15BPlk