It's back. The Quanta assembled
Apple netbook rumor that
kicked off in March with a
Commercial Times report calling for a
Wintek-supplied touchscreen has returned... with a fever.
China Times has now stepped in with a claim of a
9.7-inch touchscreen netbook to debut in October.
CT claims that Wintek, and Dynapack have all received orders direct from Apple while Foxconn (not Quanta) will be the main manufacturer. It's still unclear whether the reported device takes on the traditional netbook form-factor, goes
convertible like the T91, or is a 9.7-inch slate like a giant iPod touch. In fact, the Chinese-language report translated into English refers to it as "Apple's netbook (or a "tablet" as many call it)" only adding to the confusion. Regardless, we find it hard to believe that Apple would just follow the industry trends here. Then again, Sony did announce the
VAIO W after rebuking netbooks as a
race to the bottom thus leaving Apple as the only major without a low-cost netbook in its portfolio. But $800, if true, prices whatever this is right out of netbook territory -- ultra-portable anyone?
[Via
MacRumors and
Gizmodo]
posted July 13th 2009 7:33AM
Race to the bottom of PEOPLE'S HEARTS!
Netbooks rock, dummies!
Thats no netbook, its a giant iTouch. Too big to run iPhone software.
Could be neat, just a bummer I doesn't have any use for it.
@Paul
Gaming on tablets is great! Touch and pen really make for great and unique gaming styles.
Check out these few examples of games:
Crayon Physics: http://crayonphysics.com/
Also look at the various Windows Touch Pack demos on youtube to see the various games included: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=microsoft+touch+pack&search_type=
We try to hide, but how does Paul A. Chapel find us?
Honestly, all you Engadget editors out there, I've really stopped coming here as religiously because of the comments section. No one says anything productive anymore. There are a million things that are WORTH DISCUSSING about an Apple netbook, but Engadget's comments sections gets trashed by worthless trolls so freakin easily. The problem with the rate-up/rate-down scenario is that anti-trolls are becoming just as annoying as the trolls, and massive bumps to their comment rating make it so you have to sift through mounds of troll bait.
You guys should make a comment system where if one reply is low ranked, the whole thread collapses (including the original post) or even gets deleted permanently. Considering so much in the comments section is repeated, I doubt any real discussion would be lost. Plus, it would encourage people to think carefully about what they say and support their opinion with some kind of factual backup.
Also, there needs to be a clear difference between "i disagree with this post" and "this post is mud-slinging/trolling" instead of just a low rank button. We all know there are a ton of people here who both like and dislike Apple products, but some Apple enthusiasts actually have something decent to say, and it seems like the only time any Apple product lover makes a praising comment, they get low ranked (not talking about trolls like Paul Chapel).
I'm just saying, guys. Considering there are sites like Gizmodo that constantly source you guys for information yet have user comments that are 200% more mature, you really should consider an overhaul to make this place a little more palatable.
"Uh, the same people who bought the iPhone when it was $600. I mean, we're not just talking about just a game console, we're talking about having the whole Mac OS at your fingertips, but with the addition of the games we see on the iPod touch. A hybrid. So yes, I think people would be willing to pay that much."
I can't argue with Paul on this line of thinking. He exemplifies the group of people who will buy something they like regardless of comparative cost or value.
I don't think I can really dispute that whatever Apple makes, short of a turd sandwich (well, an unbranded one), people will lap up. There is a "buzz" about Apple products unlike any other electronics that I can name off the bat. Its fashionable to have an iPhone. Its unquestioned that Macs are for artists.
Is it a bad thing? Not for Apple's shareholders, to be sure. And for the fans.
I don't have sour grapes because Apple is popular, only because most people I run into are part of a consumer cult that buys products as mindlessly as they enjoy reality television.
I bought the iPhone when it was $600 but Paul, you are wrong because I will not be buying an Apple tablet or netbook. What will this thing really do an iPhone cannot do for me? Multi-task for sure but beyond that, not much. With an iPhone and a Mac Pro at home, I do not need a third device. I think most current iPhone owners will agree, a large touchscreen device is not needed so they will not be purchasing a tablet.
Simple replies for a simple person:
"So you don't mindlessly use Windows just because 90 percent of the world uses it?"
No.
"Even though it's riddled with viruses and is hard to use?"
Its not. You're doing it wrong.
"Isn't that the same mindlessness that you accuse Apple users of having?"
No. And the accusation was not exclusive. "Consumer cult." Some Apple users = a share.
"I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but how is buying into something that has great software like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro and Aperture and Shake and iLife and iWork and all those things, with the added benefit of a virus free environment, how the heck is there no value in that?"
Reading comprehension: I never said anything about "no value," let alone individual value. I said "comparative value," which requires research and analysis.
"The price of hardware shouldn't automatically be the end of the discussion."
Never said anything about that.
"And how can you say people are buying the iPhone to be "fasionable," whatever that means."
I said having one and talking about one is fashionable. People talk about Apple devices the same way they talk about clothing, jewelry, and other aesthetically oriented goods. Since you read into that as a loaded statement, you assume its pejorative.
The rest of your comment is a garbled mess of failed analogies and things unrelated to my post, so I'll leave that part alone.
Paul, stop praying for the day that Apple becomes a gaming platform. It's not going to happen. App store games are NOT real games and no one cares about them besides preteen girls who play them for five minutes. If you want gaming so badly, I suggest you get a PC, or switch back to a PC since you claim you've used them for so long. Man up.
Wait paul.
what happened to your lower case "a" and is that Jesus as your avatar?
" Who would buy a $800 game console. "
Those people who bought a PS3 or Xbox with some extras...
I use Windows and only Windows on my new 8-core MacPro because OSX sucks. I got the Mac because I'm a video editor and need to use final cut once in a while. Windows 7 destroys OSX. Everytime I boot up OSX I realize how slow, slow, slow it is compared to Windows 7 and how Ugly it is in comparisson. I'm not an Apple hater, as Paul would like to call me, I like my iPhone and my iPod, but OSX is just horrible. I will probably get Snow Kitty because it's only 30 bucks, but I don't have many expectations for it.
If you want to go on about Viruses - well then you are one of those users who clicks on everything and deserves to get the viruses. You probably let your virus software expire 3 years ago because, hey it's still on my computer I'm protected, right? Or you were just too lazy to download one of the many good free antivirus programs out there. If you want to complain about stability - you haven't used Windows since Windows ME.
I like how I'm able to use the programs I want to use, do the things I want to do, and do them the way I want to do them. Not every program I use starts with the letter "i". I don't have a dock popping up all the time, or taking up all my screen space, or being too small when I shrink it. I don't have icons bouncing around like ADHD kangaroos everytime a program wants my attention - even though I don't currently care about it and would rather wait to get to it. I have freedom of choice in the hardware I want to use in my computer - though since I now run it on a Mac I'm limited. I can walk into any store and buy a program and it will work on my system. I also, had I not gotten a Mac, would be running it on better hardware for less than what a Mac would have cost.
Apple makes good gadgets, they should stick to that and that only.
Paul,
Per your request, I checked out your "website" (your flickr account).
In the caption of the "complex vs. simple" page, you said:
"If I had to pick one major reason why Windows is such a pain to use, the Control Panel illustrates it perfectly. It is a pain in the ass to find something here, compared to System Preferences in OS X.
I was attempting to uninstall a program when I was screwing around with Window 7 several weeks ago and couldn't find the Add/Remove icon."
Are you serious? Its a pain to find the "add remove" icon?
That shows you really have no basic operational understanding of computers in general, not just Windows. Things like sorting by name (alphabetically), or using the "search" function which will find any program or document. All you had to do was sort, or to search for "add remove" and you would have found whatever you were looking for quickly.
And if you couldn't? Well, there's always Google, and a million answers right at your fingertips.
Apple is not less or more confusing than Windows, computers in general are confusing. That you understand what is going on in OSX only means that you have experiential knowledge.
Your endless comparisons to Windows are so non-rigorous, its comical. Go take a basic computing class at your local community college. You can't learn anything without putting some time and effort into it.
Does your Mac work your fork and mouth, too?
Not to mention...if you had been trying to remove a program on Vista/7...it's worded nice and big "Uninstall a Program"...just saying
Or maybe go to the program in the start menu..most have uninstallers right there...
@John:
I completely agree with you. When I first joined Engadget, there used to be some worthy discussions in the comments but now, it seems like everybody is at war (read MS vs Apple in all arenas). If there is even a mention of 'Apple' or 'Microsoft' in a post, people start trolling or fighting or whatever you wanna call it. Apple makes quality products and so does Microsoft. But, Apple-haters and MS-haters will never accept this. They will keep on fighting and 'trolling'. This will never stop. Apple and Microsoft have become like religions to these people who cannot hear/read anyone disgracing it.
And the funny thing is, Engadget editors won't even reply (or take any action) to your comment. Why? Because they do not want this shit to stop. This is the money-machine for them. Compare Apple/MS posts to other posts. These posts gather 100+ comments every time as opposed to 50+ comments (max) on other posts. They want more and more comments on their posts so that their website is even more popular. Granted, given to them as they are business-minded. But, looking at the shit that goes on in these posts, the quality of comments on their website is going down.
@Paul, who said "I have never seen people more smug than a guy who has tweaked out his NewEgg bought PC with an overly expensive Nvidia card and an insane chunk of RAM. Those guys talk about the size of their RAM like they're talking about the size of their Johnson. Still doesn't make a bit of difference in game though. Multiplayers are all about PING, not the size of your hard drive."
- See I can do that too
You are right, online games depend heavily on the internet connection...but what about how it looks? What about all those single player games? Hardware is a huge factor, don't try to pretend it's not.
"On the Windows 7 task bar, everything is less distinct. You can't really tell when something is open. "
You have got to be kidding me. You mean the big glowing box around the entire icon doesn't give away that it's open? You mean hovering the mouse over the icon and being able to see all the open windows is difficult? A big glowing box is much easier to see than a tiny tiny light under an icon.
The reason you are having difficulty going back is because now you actually have options. Not just the straight up Apple telling you what you can do and how you can customize. Windows gives you basically full freedom.
Macs don't need virus software?
http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200849/2539/Apple-encourages-anti-Virus-protection-no-word-on-if-the-marketing-department-agrees
I think Engadget needs a KOS policy for some accounts. I mean trolling is fun if done well and I'm partial to the odd bit myself but this is getting silly.
So the fact that APPLE is telling its users to install MULTIPLE virus scanners means nothing to you. Wow, you have a thick skull man.
Paul, I see your angle and I like it. Especially, since the thing can double as table and a game console, but it can triple as a color eBook reader. And, I'm sure there's plenty of apps for displays this big that haven't ever been explored.
Personally, I think there would be more use for a screen that's as large as 4 iPhones screens. Then it can do all the above, and be a decent GPS unit for your car too. The screen depicted above would be too large for a GPS mount in your car.
"I've had several hundred small viruses which I got without any interaction whatsoever and any Windows user who say they haven't had any viruses is lying."
Several Hundred - Ha now I know you're full of crap. Nobody has ever gotten several hundred viruses, especially from zero interaction. If you somehow figured out a way to get several hundred viruses on your computer you obviously can't even use a mouse properly. I can honestly say I have never gotten a virus. I can't prove it, but I can honestly say it.
"When I had XP, I regularly used Ad Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy and those programs ALWAYS discovered something on my computer."
Yup, they're called Tracking Cookies. A lot of websites use them. I bet your Mac has them. They are completely harmless. Completely.
"I could just imagine someone screwing up their Mac because they reformatted the hard drive or something and then saying, "Well, I probably got a virus and Apple didn't warn me, so I want 5 billion dollars."
Yeah man, thats basically what Microsoft gets from Apple users everyday.
"I meant several hundred combined, like over the years. It's probably more like thousands, if you take in account all the virus scans I did for XP over the years."
Haha, you're still full of crap. Give me a logical number like...hell I'll even go high...8 over the years that xp has been around and I'll believe you. And you still have to be a bad computer user to get 8. Still not buying "thousands"
Mac users really should stick with Macs. If you can't find "Add/Remove Programs" or determine which applications are open using the new Windows 7 taskbar then you are not ready for Windows. Sure, my 85 year old grandma who just got her first computer 6 months ago can tell you how to do that stuff, but if Mac users find that challenging oh well.
For the record, to save Paul and others the horror of having to "find" where the remove programs are here are the steps in Windows 7:
1. Click on the start button (now a graphical representation)
2. Click on Control Panel (right side - about half way down)
3. Click on the option called "Uninstall a Program"
Total time from start to finish is under 1 second. Wow. Freaking hard, I know.
As others have pointed out the taskbar in Windows 7 glows around any icon where you have a program open. It is VERY EASY to see which apps are open. Hover over that app and you get a preview of the window. Couldn't be easier.
OK, this back and forth has gotten out of control. You guys are just bickering over PC v Apple now. Nobody will change their mind or come to new realizations with the same tired fight.
Regarding the tablet Paul, I think you are missing some issues. I can see that you would like a gaming tablet, but comparing it to the iPhone is silly. The iPhone is a phone first remember and happens to handle other apps and games - thats why it has been popular for games (plus the ability to use itunes music). If you take this tablet, it is missing the convenience elements that makes the phone worth people's time and money. If I could have a DS that does gaming fine, why would I want a big ass tablet to play games on that takes more space and really doesn't combine devices. See, the iPhone made less machines needed for people to do different things and thats what people like. All of us can run around with a laptop a music player and a phone now and so where is the innovation that draws people in to this idea? I just don't see it.
So first Steve Jobs says that Apple is getting into games "in a big way," Paul Chappel says that if Apple gets into games then they would be a sell-out, now he is advocating this "me too" tablet as an alternative to video game consoles. It would be nice if we had one consistent argument from you, Paul.
Also notice Paul is switching personalities again.
Wow I can't believe I read through all of that. Listen we all have our own personal needs/ or wants from an OS, so why waste time trying to argue about what we like/dislike about others choice in OS?
There is absolutely a need for such a device from Apple (for years now), even more so now than ever because of the iPod Touch and iPhone and what it does with multi-touch, web and Apps. Those three right there, multi-touch, Apps and viewing the web on a much larger screen will probably be enough to see sales. But if the rumors are true Apple will most likely go way beyond the casual use and offer unique features that separates it from the iPod Touch and iPhone class of devices. So Paul sorry I don't think games (though it will be on the device) will be a huge factor here. Leave that to the much more pocketable iPod Touch/iPhone. I'm guessing and hoping this is targeted more towards power users looking for the added screen size and reduce weight to get serious work done. At designers looking for the usability of Apple's Mobile OSX, and to run professional apps we are used to. Music producer/composer looking to lighten his load on the road with one of these bad-boys. Much better eBook reader. etc. etc. It will obviously be a niche market compared to the iPhone or iPod Touch, but there is still a market worth pursuing imo.
I will say from XP to Vista was a little confusing, it didn't take to long to figure out how they changed things, but things are different and first time using it, it took some work. But, going from XP to OSX is just as confusing. I'm still figure out OSX, personally I prefer Windows, just because its what I know and am comfortable with and can function in. OSX still confuses me, I have yet to really understand networking Macs. Networking with windows is incredibly easy. As for the bit about viruses I don't think I've ever had a virus or anything like that, though, I have fixed many computers of people who got infected....well I'm not sure if its a virus as much as just adware crap. No matter what OS you use, I think people should just the internet responsibly. As for Pauls argument about not accidently downloading/installing adware is because you have to put in your password, well, with vista they have something similar, though, it may be overdone a bit, you have to approve just about everything, though, its not really as bad as I was lead to believe.
I just find it funny how a lot of people are like oh we'll never do a netbook, or, they are to good for netbooks (sony and apple) yet here they are doing it and making them overpriced at that. If it cost that much, why not just get a macbook, its not that much more?
I agree with Geir. This is going to be a big tablet..
wow. apple managed to make something even shittier that the last abortion of technology.
I hope those companies keep turning out netbooks with razor thin margins and they all start having price wars. I'd love to see the net result of that. I'm hoping they get them down to about $250 apiece and see if they can afford to keep building them for about a year before they realize they can't sustain that business model. I'm fairly certain it would start putting some American PC manufacturers out of business as the rest of their product lines can't bring in enough revenue to keep the netbooks flowing. It reminds of the same way Japan did business after the war. They kept undercutting prices for electronic goods due to government subsidies and cheap labor until they drove American companies out of business and then they were free to raise their prices. China seems to be managing this cycle to repeat history.
I don't think a device like iTablet would scare Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony. I think it would be pretty expensive. Gaming with something like the iPhone or a Tablet PC would be limited. I know developers can go crafty and all, but touch-based controls won't always be flexible. If they were to make tablet for gaming at a small price, they might have to remove some of Mac OS X's components. Now, if they make it very easy to develop for that device, it may do better. You could use a controller accessory to make up for limited controls. I know this is your dream Paul so........that's it.
Public: Ahem...........I will say I don't like the thing about Apple joining the console game market, no hard feelings. I admit I am a Nintendo-lover. Remember, this is my opinion. It's just an opinion, so don't take it too seriously.
Seriously, someone up in Engadget needs to IP ban Paul A Chapel. He comes on here, trolls all the Apple threads, not to mention every other single phone, computer, and netbook thread, with his useless nonsense and I have to wade through 80 posts of Paul and people responding to his crap. I've had enough, much less I would like to get a quality response to the original poster, but it is gonna end up on page 8 because people are giving Paul the attention he wants and surely doesn't deserve.
Anyways, on a lighter note, I would like to see some kind of low spec'd computer come out through Apple to see if they are going to release a thin client version of OSX, and i am not talking about the iPhone/iPod Touch OS, that doesn't count.
@Jordan
what sort of idiot pays the apple tax just to put some shitty operating system on their computer? OSX is BY FAR superior to Windows. If you can't acknowledge that then you're clearly an idiot.
"Apple" and "low cost" in the same sentance looks weird.
"sentence". gawd, it's too early.
Just means it will be $990 by October release.
its not a horrible price considering HP's touch panel pc is $400-500 more than an equivalent non-touchpanel pc. Subtract, and u get a $400 netbook with an apple logo on it. I'm not a fanboy by any means, and will probably never buy a mac... but the price isnt horrible for apple.
@greggo Cheap? That's what they get for going with Foxconn aka worst mobo manufacturer in history.
I feel so honored to be the first to say, "yeah right."
I already got my credit card ready
a 9.7-inch slate like a giant iPod touch please
GO HABS GO!
how about a ipod touch-like slate with a hinge similar to the nokia n97 that folds up to reveal a keyboard?
The N97 sucks the silicone right out of my breasts.
a 9.7" slate with a fold up keyboard - isn't that nearly a MacBook??
notice, the only feature i would care to borrow from the n97 would be the hinge that allows the screen to fold up and reveal a keyboard
How is $800 LOW COST.
Huh? The best netbooks top out at around $400