Hey Apple... is this what you have been waiting for?

I'm still waiting for my Apple blessed ultra-portable netbook (my hacked HP is looking long in the tooth). Seriously, take the HP mini, Apple-fy it... and overcharge me $200 and you will have a happy fan.

I give you a thumbs up for trying with the MacBook Air, but you originally missed the mark by about $2000 and about 5 inches.

If it is $2,000 it will become another MacBook Air. Something people say "wow" about, but simply don't purchase. Sure, some people own Airs but when it came out, the price was ridiculous.

Who are they marketing this product to?
- It's too expensive for "everyone."
- It would need to be as powerful as a MacBook Pro to warrant the bump in price
- The iPhone already has a good amount of content
- The Nook, Kindle, bla bla bla has already taken on the low end book market.

Apple needs a $529 netbook. Seriously, take my $329 HP mini and place your "Apple Approved" stamp on it and I would buy one today. The tablet, IMHO, is like the word "web portal." A term that is synonymous with failure.

@cashmonee

My point was, Apple is still missing out on a market. I would have paid the Apple tax... they just didn't build it. Honestly, if Apple would have built the HP Mini Atom with 2GB of ram and charged $500 (about $200 above the HP mini) I would not have an HP mini in my apt.

That said, I love having a computer that I don't have to worry about. I would be really upset if someone stole my hackintosh, but only $299 worth.

I'm anxious to know about my poor little Atom hackintosh, and if 10.6.1 is the end of the line for the ride.

NOTE: I use the hackintosh roughly every day and have had minimal problems. Sound is a little funky, but it works. I also own a MacBook Pro, Mini and an old PowerMac.

The reason I have a netbook (like most users) is pure convenience. It is tiny, it is affordable, it does what I need it to do. Apple simply is missing this market and I really wish they would sit down and think about how they could develop a netbook. Charge $500 for the thing... but just get it out. If Atom isn't there, I'll probably stick with 10.6.1 forever... or until I throw the thing away in a couple of years.

Apples and Oranges

Population Density:
Japan: 336.9
USA: 31.6

It is no surprise that their phones are more complex as it easier to maintain a nationwide infrastructure. Their population density is approximately 10x that of the United States... thus, much easier to maintain their infrastructure. That alone would permit the carriers to focus on the extras.

I will echo what others have said. Many of their phones are not "smartphones." More like standard phones on steroids.

Microsoft still doesn't understand Apple.

The Microsoft stores will fail in the same way that the Gateway stores failed. I'm not trying to be overly critical of Microsoft, but why exactly would I go to a Microsoft store? I can pick up Windows and MS Office at a number of locations... along with their other software offerings.

I go to the Apple Store because:
- They can service the OS and hardware (and much of the software), all under one roof.
- Most other stores don't carry Mac hardware/software.
- There are few Mac experts (Genius)
- To check out the cool Mac hardware/software

Having an Apple Store was the only solution for Apple as nobody was stalking Mac software/hardware at the time. It was very difficult to have your hardware serviced and people wanted to "try before they buy."

I don't see the same issues with Microsoft.

Not a horrible price. You are really paying for the n wireless and larger screen and "Sony Tax." The Atom is a nice little CPU. I've been using mine for ~5 months.

That said, if you don't need the larger screen or n, you can get a much cheaper system.

sign...

I still don't understand how some people consider the Atom unusable. Perhaps if you expect the system to perform like a full sized laptop, you would be disappointed, but I have been using my HP Mini 1000 for well over four months and have been completely satisfied with the speed. Yes, my large laptop is much faster... but that's not the point. The mini is ultra portable (and with Leopard, it's even nicer).

Would I like to see faster chip combination? Sure... but don't say that the Atom is unusable... or even slow. It's perfect for what it does.

The trick is, there really isn't a hard definition of what a smart phone is. Also, who doesn't want a smart ?

If I was looking to buy an operating system, home, car or TV and asked:
- "Do you want a smart operating system?"
- "Do you want a smart home?"
- "Do you want a smart car?"
- "Do you want a smart TV?"

I would probably say, "yes!" The alternative is not wanting a smart phone... which can be perceived as wanting a "dumb" device.

Errr, no thinks.

Seems very inefficient.

The internal combustion engine has a poor energy efficiency rating from the start... compound that by the inefficiency of the generators and you have a poor system from an environmental standpoint.

It would be much more efficient to use electricity from a coal/wind/nuclear power plant and let the car use less fuel.