Netbooks will eat into Apple, since they are for people who are causal users who just do basic stuff. Quite similar to many Apple users, although Apple users are so brand loyal….who knows probably won’t matter.

The conundrum for current netbooks is cheap price, cheap product, but ever-decreasing component costs will ameliorate that over time. At some point, PC makers will be selling the equivalent of a MacBook Air in build quality for the price of an Eee PC. If a tablet is supposed to be a permanent alternative to a MacBook mini, it will end badly for the company. However, if the tablet is another product that also fills the netbook gap for six months to a year, until Apple can scale the MacBook down into a flash-based portable of respectable computing potential, then it’s a win for everyone, margins included.

I can seriously see when the time is right the next big visual theme after Aluminium to be glass and tumbled stone-like material. This would be excellent for small 10 inch ipod like units and imagine the unibody strength.

Anyhow when I look at companies like Dell there’s an impending smell of death. How can Dell compete? I’m sure there’ll be others to jump into their shoes/gobble market share but when I hear about Microsoft and their stores/adverts/new products I wonder who’ll be making the machines they run on? Will it be Dell long term? Who knows.

I think one thing Apple has proved and is continuing to prove and thats you can innovate yourself out of any situation/market. With great products and attention to detail, now just hurry up and launch a Apple TV with web browsing and ability to games!!!

It is my belief that as smart phones get better and the mobile broadband gets faster, more and more people will stop replacing their PCs and just keep their smart phones. As an example, my dad and sister have no need for PCs. They have everything they need on smart phones.

I read an article yesterday talking about the possible demise of the Air after one more update. But why? I love my Air. I think it is a great machine and a treat to carry around. But with all the talk over netbooks, and Apple saying they can’t make one that’s junk, then why not turn the Air which competes with Macbooks, into a netbook and break into that niche without any internal competition? Its already far superior to other netbooks, no optical drive, and optional SSD. A nice update would be a smaller screen, equivalent to those found in netbooks, a buttonless trackpad like those in the macbooks, and bam, you got a netbook killer! Smaller screen, lighter weight, better battery life… Obviously they wont have the low price point of other netbooks, but dollar for dollar Apple products are far superior in every aspect anyways. And lets face it, nobody is using bloated memory or processor intensive programs on an air, except for quick on-the-go ideas. But anyone needing the power is either not using an air, or has a more powerful backup in one of Apples other fine products. I would definitely spend the extra green to get my hands on an Apple netbook, especially if it is some derivative of the Air design.

Ok, bash away.

Just look at Acer who is currently buying market share aggressively. They certainly loose money on the $800 notebooks they are pushing into the market. While that is a smart strategy given the current economy, it is not sustainable. Nor is it predictable how customers react once Acer must raise prices.