Apple Fanboy Netbook Fantasies

The rumor mills among IT web sites, especialy those populated by Appleholics, are churning, as they do with a certain periodicity, with rumors of an Apple netbook - a small, lightweight Apple laptop with a 10-inch screen priced significantly under $1,000.

I really wonder why Apple fans wish so fervently for an Apple netbook. There's a wide selection of netbooks already available. The only distinctive feature of an Apple netbook would be that it runs Mac OS X instead of some version of Windows. I'm lucky enough to be spoiled. I have a six year old Fujitsu Lifebook P2120, a forerunner of today's netbooks, running Windows XP Pro. In 2007, I bought a MacBook Pro.

Here's my secret confession. Apart from its invulnerabilty to malware, I have discovered no functional advantage to Mac's OS. In fact, I like Windows XP more.

Apple will never introduce a cheap netbook. Apple's brand identity is defined by premium priced products. They have never sold a bargain priced machine.

The words cheap and Apple don't belong in the same sentence. They are akin to matter and anti-matter, and great care should be taken to keep them apart.

Besides, Apple already produces a thin, lightweight laptop with a 13-inch screen, the MacBook Air. They would only be undercutting themselves with a similar machine priced significantly below $1,000.

In short, it ain't gonna happen