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The Neon Rush

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by Spencer Pangborn, Taiwan

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Apple touchscreen device to launch in the fall (Netbook, really?)

Jul 15, 2009 12:00

Back in March, I touched on the rumors floating around that Apple was going to launch a Netbook. It's interesting to watch Apple's communication strategy when it comes to rumors. Jacqui Chang at Ars Technica is one of my favorite tech pundits and this was one of her arguments as to why the Cupertino company would phase in a Netbook:

Apple always trashes an idea before doing it.

This was some time ago, but I do remember Apple saying that Netbooks were too "cheap" to match its brand.

Well, it seems that was all part of the PR smokescreen and the Netbook rumors were, indeed, true. More details have emerged about the Apple Netbook specifications.

The original article in Mandarin comes from sources at the Taiwanese suppliers: Wintek, Foxconn, and Dynapak. Macrumors.com has the translated article and big brother CNET has more info as well.

9.7-inch touchscreen device, no keyboard--TouchBook? Concept art only, but kudos to the graphics team. (Credit: Gizmodo)

They're saying that the device should retail for about US$800, which is a lot lower than my first guess of US$999. Still not "cheap", especially if it doesn't have a keyboard, but I'm sure the folks in Cupertino have done their homework. Slated to launch some time this October.

Edit: If the concept photo is any indication, should it really be categorized as a Netbook? Seems more like a Mobile Internet Device (MID) or Internet Tablet to me. If Apple is concerned about the "cheap" factor, maybe it will distance this device from the whole Netbook category altogether.

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ferdiei

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ferdiei says...
what Apple did accomplished with the iPod+iPhone is nothing short of legendary. if this was to be true, it will be another breakthrough device IF: it incorporate an alternative display at its core such as pixel-qi's to function as an e-book reader as well without sacrificing battery-life (or might be extending batt life instead) given its would-be screen size, enabling tons of e-book contents online(of course thru iTunes apps), plus thin-film solar-cell sandwitched in-between to allow secondary battery charging, even prolonging batt life. a spruce-up touch interface+input methods, even adding haptic-feedback via hybrid capacitive-resistive screen, and last vut not the least layering with a nano-coat(similar to the the oleo-phobic screen of the 3GS), so what's left for the hardware? a decent cpu+gpu, lump of flash-memory, sophisticated wifi-wimax, pseudo-lte/3G+ for seamless wireless connection, and hardware options(usb3.0+hdmi) for game-console connectivity. that would be awesome, and be craved by anyone, again..

Jul 16, 2009 23:34

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About Spencer Pangborn

Spencer Pangborn first moved to Asia to become a popstar but failed, miserably. He is now a marketing specialist and freelance writer based in Taipei, Taiwan. Originally from the Great Lake State, he misses driving in the snow but doesn't miss shoveling the sidewalk. Spencer is co-founder of the Taipei Tech Club, where he socializes with friends to discuss the latest tech news and views around town. Twitter: @spangaroo