Apple Losing Market Share Due to Netbooks?

[Vincent Ferrari]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_losing_market_share_due_to_the_lack_of_a_netbook_in_its_line_up/' target='_blank'>http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.p...in_its_line_up/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"According to DisplaySearch-a provider of information, consulting and conferences on the display supply chain and display-related industries- netbook shipments grew by 160 percent in the third quarter of 2008. This means that "companies that have missed or decided not to play in the netbook market-such as Apple-have lost market share," reports The Guardian."</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1228965461.usr18053.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Okay...&nbsp; Maybe mathematically this might be true, but I'm not even sure I buy it in that regard either.&nbsp; Anyway, this isn't the first time Apple has been criticized for its prices and not catering to the low-end and playing the margin game and it probably won't be the last.</p><p>Besides...&nbsp; Who says Apple isn't going to pull a Netbook out of its hat in January?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Just sayin'.</p>

[Spooof]

I don't get netbooks. I have a hard time using a 13" macbook. For getting things done a 15inch is all I can stand. Who wants to surf on a 9 inch screen?

[Vincent Ferrari]

I don't get netbooks. I have a hard time using a 13" macbook. For getting things done a 15inch is all I can stand. Who wants to surf on a 9 inch screen?

I had the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and I miss it terribly. It's a very useful little machine, actually. Is the browsing experience as good as it is on a larger screen? Nope, but you do get used to it after awhile.

[Spooof]

As I type this I am working on a Dell Latitude XT - 12 inch tablet and it drives me crazy. I don't think that I could get used to it. If I had my way I would live to send this thing back to Dell and exchange it towards an E6400. Well part of the problem is that it is not apple hardware.

[Joe Johaneman]

Who needs a netbook when you've got the iPhone.

Just sayin'.

:-)

[Pony99CA]

Maybe mathematically this might be true, but I'm not even sure I buy it in that regard either.
Unless there are more details, you can't tell whether it's true or not.

For example, just because netbook shipments grew 160% doesn't tell us much. If they all ate into sales that would have gone to full-size Windows notebooks, it wouldn't affect Mac's share at all. If Windows notebook sales held steady, and all of the netbook sales were new (not replacements), Mac won't have lost users, but would lose marketshare (but only because the overall market got bigger due to a new player).

That's why I find marketshare discussions somewhat overblown. There were also those studies that said the iPhone is now #2 in marketshare, but that didn't necessarily mean there were fewer BlackBerry or Windows Mobile users, just that their percentage of the overall smart phone market is less.

In fact, it's possible for every other player to gain users but lose marketshare to a player that has a phenomenal increase in sales.

If netbooks actually start taking away sales from Apple, that will be news.

Steve

P.S. The link in your original post is broken Here's the correct link (http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_losing_market_share_due_to_the_lack_of_a_netbook_in_its_line_up/).

[Pony99CA]

Who needs a netbook when you've got the iPhone.
Somebody who wants to see more than something smaller than a paperback book. I like my Motorola Q9m, but my Celio Redfly makes actually reading things on it so much nicer.

Steve

[Macguy59]

I like my Motorola Q9m, but my Celio Redfly makes actually reading things on it so much nicer.
Steve

So you spent $200 - $300 for a bigger screen and keyboard for your phone ?

[Macguy59]

I sometimes think articles like this are cries for help. Please make a Mac portable I can afford ! Why else chastise Apple for not competing in that space ?

[crimsonsky]

Every time I think of getting a cheap PC laptop or netbook, I am stopped by one major fact: OS X. I am fully committed to and in love with OS X and quite frankly, I won't buy a computer that doesn't run this OS. So for me, I'm married to Apple for my computers. Yes, I wish they were cheaper and I do buy the cheapest in class (Mac mini for desktop, mid-range Macbook for laptops).

Apple could surprise us, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Folks have been pining for the return of the 12" screen a la Powerbook G4 12" and their pleas have fallen on deaf ears at Apple. And Apple's cheapest machine - the mini, hardly gets the love of the rest of the Apple lineup. It seems to me that Apple really isn't the least bit interested in playing in the low end space with its computers and that's just something we'll have to learn to live with.

[doogald]

When he introduced it, Steve Jobs said that Apple worked for three years to perfect the iPhone before it came to market. It was probably similar for the MacBook Air. I am sure that Apple's R&D started working on something with a Netbook like device earlier this year, but to expect them to have anything new before Macworld 2010 is probably wishful thinking. Certainly before July. And they may decide that there is just not enough margin in the market to be worth their while.

[Vincent Ferrari]

I sometimes think articles like this are cries for help. Please make a Mac portable I can afford ! Why else chastise Apple for not competing in that space ?

BAM.

Well put ;-)

[Darius Wey]

I had the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and I miss it terribly. It's a very useful little machine, actually. Is the browsing experience as good as it is on a larger screen? Nope, but you do get used to it after awhile.

Agreed.

I don't get netbooks. I have a hard time using a 13" macbook. For getting things done a 15inch is all I can stand.

A netbook shouldn't be viewed as one's primary machine. It's for the crowd who want a small device that they can use primarily for browsing, e-mail, and IM. For everything else, larger and more powerful laptops and desktops still reign supreme.

I own an Inspiron Mini 9 and a MacBook, and when it comes to portability, the Mini 9 wins hands down. I'd have no hesitation taking it over the MacBook when travelling abroad.

[ucfgrad93]

I don't get netbooks. I have a hard time using a 13" macbook. For getting things done a 15inch is all I can stand. Who wants to surf on a 9 inch screen?

The only benefit I see of netbooks is their ultra portability. That said, I wouldn't want to use one on a regular basis. I'd rather haul around my 15 inch MacBook Pro.

[crimsonsky]

Agreed.



A netbook shouldn't be viewed as one's primary machine. It's for the crowd who want a small device that they can use primarily for browsing, e-mail, and IM. For everything else, larger and more powerful laptops and desktops still reign supreme.

I own an Inspiron Mini 9 and a MacBook, and when it comes to portability, the Mini 9 wins hands down. I'd have no hesitation taking it over the MacBook when travelling abroad.

And for those uses, the advantages of OS X don't really factor in. I tend to want EVERYTHING on my portable computer which is why I haven't seriously considered a netbook, although it sure would be easier on the pocketbook than another MacBook!

[TopDog]

A netbook is a laptop no. 2 that you take with you on trips where you don't want/need to work, but would like the possibility to write mail, upload some photos, blog, etc...

I'm right now on a visit to my mother in law and have just brought the Eee 901 with me. I can do emails, chat a bit and surf a little bit on the mobile phone, but it's not the same experience as a netbook.

The nine inch screen is actually big enough for casual surfing.

[Pony99CA]

So you spent $200 - $300 for a bigger screen and keyboard for your phone ?
Did you really need help with that answer? :rolleyes: OK, here goes....

Actually, I spent $200 (less than most netbooks) for:


A much larger screen with more desktop-like resolution (800x600)
A better keyboard (the Q9m already has a QWERTY keyboard, but not a numeric row or CTRL key for easy copy/paste)
An extended battery that can recharge my phone
USB ports that I can attach flash drives, full-size keyboards and mice to
A VGA out port that I can attach a projector to
A built-in trackpad (not very useful on a Smartphone, but it could be on a Pocket PC)

So it's a step up for my phone, not a step down from my laptop like a netbook is. (I do see the advantages of netbooks -- I'd love one for browsing while sitting on the couch, for example.)

Any other questions?

Steve

[Macguy59]

The nine inch screen is actually big enough for casual surfing.

I think a browser like the iPhones Safari and Opera Mobile would be a great option for these netbooks. That auto magically resize to fit the browser window. Multi touch touchpad would be nice to ;)

[Macguy59]

Any other questions?

Steve

Just one. Has your sense of superiority caused an inner ear problem ? j/k . . . mostly

That was meant to be rhetorical. Wrong punctuation.

[Pony99CA]

Just one. Has your sense of superiority caused an inner ear problem ? j/k . . . mostly
You ask a snarky question, you get a snarky response. I don't think that's a "sense of superiority", just turnabout being fair play. ;)

Had you asked, "Why would you spend $200-300 for a Redfly?" the answer would have been far less snarky. (Have I said "snarky" enough yet? :D)

Besides, I always thought it was Apple people who had that "too-cool-for-you" sense of superiority. :p < donning fire suit >

Steve

[Macguy59]

Besides, I always thought it was Apple people who had that "too-cool-for-you" sense of superiority. :p < donning fire suit >

Steve

Naw. It's genetics :p

[TopDog]

I think a browser like the iPhones Safari and Opera Mobile would be a great option for these netbooks.
I'm running Opera 9.6 on my Eee, it has a great zoom feature.

Opera 9.6 is available in the Eee downloads site for all Xandros users :)

[doogald]

I went to Europe last summer (Italy and Scotland), traveled a few thousand miles while there, and I would have LOVED to have a small, netbook-sized Mac rather than carry the MacBook.

[Macguy59]

I went to Europe last summer (Italy and Scotland), traveled a few thousand miles while there, and I would have LOVED to have a small, netbook-sized Mac rather than carry the MacBook.

It's a relatively straight forward process to get OS X running on a NetBook like the Dell Mini 9 or the MSI Wind. You just need the freely available hacked version of OS X (Leopard) a replacement Wi-Fi card (internal) and a 4GB USB Flash drive or external DVD drive. I've actually had the pleasure of playing with a Wind that had OS X installed. With 2GB of RAM it was surprisingly peppy. The only issues I recall was with sleep/resume and something about the audio ports needing to be manually switched depending on whether you wanted to use the built-in speakers or headphones for sound.

[doogald]

It's a relatively straight forward process to get OS X running on a NetBook like the Dell Mini 9 or the MSI Wind. You just need the freely available hacked version of OS X (Leopard) a replacement Wi-Fi card (internal) and a 4GB USB Flash drive or external DVD drive. I've actually had the pleasure of playing with a Wind that had OS X installed. With 2GB of RAM it was surprisingly peppy. The only issues I recall was with sleep/resume and something about the audio ports needing to be manually switched depending on whether you wanted to use the built-in speakers or headphones for sound.

But it is a violation of the licensing agreement for OS X and I will not do that.