A not so junky netMac next up at Macworld?

Stan Beer
Monday, 15 December 2008 16:33

Opinion and Analysis

A key consideration, of course, is cost. Given that Apple already sells a US$999 13-inch "White" last-generation MacBook, as opposed to the more expensive aluminium unibody "new" MacBooks, everyone will want to know whether Jobs can beat the $999 price, add in a touch screen, and still make the juicy profits Apple crunches out on a quarterly basis.

Such a device, if done properly and at the right price, could easily be Apple's next great hit, providing the missing piece of the puzzle between the iPhone and the MacBook, and capturing a whole new market segment of users who'll ditch Windows and Linux netbooks in a flash to go with Apple's latest and greatest.

As it will run Apple's real Mac OS X operating system, Flash compatibility and "cut and paste" won't be a problem, nor will Bluetooth or a real keyboard.

Having dual mode multi-touch on screen and glidepad will also be another of Jobs' "revolutions", while even iChat will work given that all Apple MacBook portables and desktop screens come with a webcam built in.

Apple could even create a virtual iPhone OS X emulator that simply stretches the images to the 10 or 11 inch screen, thus giving the NetMac the full suite of Mac OS X software, and the 10,000+ iPhone programs as well.

And, of course, this would mean needing to build an accelerometer in as well, but seeing as this is standard gear in so many different smartphones beyond the iPhone, it seems an easy, obvious addition.

Apple, as always at MacWorld, will be under enormous pressure to surprise, amaze and deliver.

A netMac will go a long way to delivering on the promise of the Jobsian shock and awe, and it'd be one more thing many, many people all want to see.

Over to you, Steve Jobs.