Analyst: Apple to Unveil Two Netbooks at Macworld Expo

Ed Sutherland ()

steve-chippy/Flickr)

(Credit: steve-chippy/Flickr)

Apple will unveil two netbooks at the upcoming Macworld Expo in response to the gloomy economy, an analyst predicted Tuesday. The devices would likely follow the path of iPhones’ dependence on the App Store and iTunes.

Ezra Gottheil, analyst with Technology Business Research Inc., believe Apple will introduce two low-priced computers at the January tradeshow, according to Computerworld Tuesday. The crumbling economy and growing consumer interest in netbooks is cited as spurring expected decision.

“It looks like netbooks are real, and getting a certain amount of traction,” the analyst told the publication. The netbook category grew 160 percent during the third quarter, DisplayResearch announced last week. Apple was described as the “lone exception” to computer makers entering the segment.

Although announced in January, the netbooks would not be shipped until mid-2009, permitting time for a developer community to be created, suggested the analyst.

Update: “I think it would be a huge financial diaster if Apple came out with a netbook,” independent financial analyst Andy Zaky told Cult of Mac. Apple would be competing with itself and suffer lower margins if it produced a netbook, he said.

Gottheil recently told investors he expected Apple to enter the netbook market within the first six months of 2009. However, the Cupertino, Calif. company cannot simply offer a modified MacBook.

The new devices could follow Apple’s own “closed system” for updates, employing the iPhone’s App Store for software and iTunes for upgrades, Gottheil said.

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The analyst said the first Apple netbook would resemble the MacBook Air, echoing similar speculation. The second netbook would cost around $599.

The danger is a netbook could hurt sales of MacBooks, Gottheil warned.

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About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • Justin

    First.

  • Martijn

    Do these analysts get fired when their prediction ratio falls under a certain target?

    Likelihood is close to 0 I guess. If Apple would introduce some mobile gizmo other than an iPhone/ iPod Touch, I expect they will come up with something that’s a bit more innovative than a shrunken notebook.

    I love netbooks, but the interface sucks. I did testdrive a new 13″ MacBook and a NetBook in a store, they were displayed together and if you want to do some serious work-while-travelling on it other than e-mail, it makes much, much more sense to carry a 13″ MacBook around. They are not much heavier either. A 7″ screen plus equal small keyboard is just too small, and compared to a 10″ machine, a 13″ just makes just more sense (size matters after all).

    However, I would not be suprised if Steve would pull the next thing we all want out of the air, and it is mobile, but I guess most of MacWorld will be about Snow Leopard and the new direction of computing Apple is going to move to.

  • Church of Apple

    @Justin
    Don’t you ever, EVER do that again!
    EVER!

    Anyway, there’s no way Apple’s coming out with TWO netbooks. If it comes out with one it’ll be a multi-touchy, tablety device a la iPhone. Oh and there will def be Snow Leopard news and I can also see Mac apps added to the app store. It’d be about time too.

  • drew

    Yeah, I agree with Martijn. Putting out a netbook would only hinder their own sales. Plus, Apple doesn’t sell cheap computers. It is not what Apple targets, their target market is to people who wish to have a high end computer for that high end price. Now I can not see Apple changing that mission for a rising trend, especially since the netbook is still in its early stage of development.

  • firesign

    @justin really? don’t be an idiot, please.

    on topic: there will be no cheap netbooks from apple. i agree with the rumor that there will be a refresh for the mini though, finally.

  • http://www.gearsandwidgets.com/ phoenix

    I highly doubt this will come true, if for no other reason than it would undercut the mobile market sector that Apple already has locked up with the iPhone. They don’t need to split their mobile users by providing them two different options for mobile computing, even if they’re on different scales.

  • Lucas

    i’m not seeing it. the iphone/touch is being set up to be the mini portable of the Mac world.
    if anything, Macworld will likely be new configs on the imacs and mac mini new time capsules and perhaps airport boxes and a new apple tv with perhaps an updated ilife and iwork

  • Crysophilax

    Hmm, picks up iPhone, now lets see. Spreadsheet app? Well, I cant see it. Wordprocessor app? again no. Project planning? Presentation? Have I missed something. iPhone is a great tool, but it’s not a notebook, or a netbook, so I don’t see its position being threatened. Or have I missed something?

  • Justin

    @ Church Of Apple
    @ firesign

    Why should that even bother you?
    Get over it, faggots.