Apple's netbook strategy: deny, deny, deny
- TAGS:AAPL, Apple, netbook, Timothy Cook
- IT TOPICS:Laptops & Netbooks, Macintosh
In Thursday's IT Blogwatch, Richi Jennings watches Apple not plan to make netbooks. Oh no. Not never. Capiche? Not to mention the psychology of Twitter...
John Boudreau quotes all the quotable quotes:
Apple Chief Operating Officer Timothy Cook Cook dampened expectations today that Apple might enter the low-end netbook market, which has boosted computer sales globally during the downturn.
...
“When I look at what is being sold in the notebook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens — just not a consumer experience, not something we would put the Mac brand on,” he said during the company’s quarterly earnings conference call with analysts. “It’s a segment we don’t play in.”
MG Siegler drives the point home: [You're fired -Ed.]
During its earnings call today, Apple COO Tim Cook (who is leading Apple day to day with Steve Jobs out on medical leave) ... reiterated Apple’s stance that netbooks, as they exist today, are basically crap. He called their keyboards “cramped,” and their hardware “junky.” “This is not something we would put the Mac brand on.”
Brian Caulfield is, like, wow, man:
Wow. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the money pile Wednesday morning.
...
Of course, if you report numbers like Apple just did in the worst economy since the Great Depression, you can be in any mood you want.
But Jason Snell sees through Apple's smoke and mirrors:
As someone who’s fascinated by the idea of Apple doing some sort of small device—not necessarily a netbook, but something bigger than an iPod touch and smaller than a MacBook—I pay close attention to what Apple says about the whole netbook market.
...
If you follow Apple regularly, you’ll know that the company often runs down its competitors in a category before introducing its own game-changing product in that category ... Apple COO Tim Cook’s ... past statements lead me to believe that Apple is indeed planning its own answer to the netbook—and his statements during Wednesday’s conference call did nothing to dissuade me from that opinion ... With smack talk like that, can Apple’s entry into the netbook market be far behind?
Professor Preston "Farnsworth" Gralla has great news, everyone:
With a Google Android notebook already spotted in the wild and rumors heating up about an Apple netbook, Microsoft's two biggest competitors may soon go head to head with one another in the increasingly crowded netbook market. The winner? Consumers, who can expect lower prices, more features, and greater choice.
...
Expect marketing and deals to arrive when Windows 7 ships, most likely later this year. Microsoft will be pushing Windows 7 heavily, so you can expect discounts and new notebook features then. Google netbooks will probably be around by then, and if Apple really is preparing a netbook, it wouldn't be a surprise to see one before the holiday season. It'll be a great time to be a consumer.
And finally...
Previously in IT Blogwatch:
- TWC's un-metered broadband is, err, metered
- Oracle-Sun: "Dumb... Sad... Moronic."
- Obama's CTO is Aneesh Chopra
- ...more
Buffer overflow:
- Shark Bait: When you figure out what you want, give me a call
- Richi Jennings: Commtouch's new OEM Web security business
- Doc Searls: Getting real about fixing health care
- ...more
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Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/adviser/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 24 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him on Twitter, pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, or just use boring old email: blogwatch@richi.co.uk.
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