Will Apple Have a Netbook?

As big brands in the computing industry join in the netbook bandwagon, it is not surprising to find some sectors half-expecting, half-pressuring Apple to offer its own netbook on or before the end of 2009.

Company watchers have been predicting designs for Apple's still to be produced netbook. Some imagine a traditional design, while some expect a revival of the Mac Tablet, but substituting the stylus pen with the iPhone's multi-touch technology.

The speculation on an Apple netbook was given even more fuel with a report from Taiwan's Wintek Corporation, which said that is supplying 10-inch touch screens to Apple, and we all know that netbook LCDs are are from 7 inches to 10 inches in size. If Apple is indeed developing its own netbook, there may be issues to deal with.

Keyboard

Apple is mostly known for its touch screen keyboard. So it is no wonder many are wondering if Apple would go this route in its netbook, and opt for a 10-inch version of the iPhone's touch-screen keyboard. Of course, Apple might just go against its grain and opt for the undersized keyboards found on the current crop of netbooks.

Size

Apple really has three options when it comes to size:

build a 9-inch to 10-inch Mac netbook, miniaturize the tablet PC to netbook size, or simply build a larger iPod Touch with a 7-inch screen.

Operating System

Of course, the Apple would be running a variation of the Mac OS on its future netbook. The question is, will it be the full version of the Mac or a stripped own version like that found on the iPhone. By omitting some features of the Mac OS, we will be seeing a netbook with a very long battery life, but then, a full version can do so much more.

Storage

Apple has been using flash memory on its iPods and iPhones, so it will not be surprising if Apple will build netbooks with flash-based SSD drives. The question is, how much storage capacity will the Apple netbook be capable of? Flash memory helps reduce the physical size of netbooks as well as their power consumption. They are not, however, known for large storage capacity.

Connection

It is possible that Apple would incorporate 802.11n wireless networking in its netbook as well as USB port and Bluetooth. The real question is whether the Apple netbook will support 3G, which allows mobile devices to connect anywhere in the world where there is a phone signal. With 3G support, we might just the Apple netbook to be the most expensive in its class.

You can find information to compare netbooks on the site http://www.compareminilaptops.com

John Kessler