Apple may start to sell netbooks

From TG Daily -

Based on Apple's acquisition of PA Semi, various patent applications, and its hiring of chip designers, Piper Jaffray speculates the company could release a 7" - 10" touch screen tablet with a proprietary CPU for under $700. It also suggests that Apple may want to get into products that compete with Kindle and that also use 3G wireless.

Rumor: Apple netbooks to be made by Foxconn

From The Inquirer -

Chinese-language site Commercial Times is quoting sources from the component supply chain that Apple has sealed a deal with, among others, OEM Hon Hai Precision Industry - or Foxconn - to make Apple netbooks. Accoridngly, Apple's MacBook is already set to become Foxconn's big boost to notebook shipment growth in Q209.

Is the Apple Netbook Really an Ebook Reader?

From Gizmodo -

Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times thinks the 10" panels being ordered by Apple will probably be used on a new ebook. According to him, he keeps hearing about how trucks would arrive at the Apple campus, and offload huge loads of books. Since Apple does not have a big employee library on-campus, then they must be doing something with these books, like turning them into text.

Apple has long been rumored to be preparing for the launching of a bookstore on the iTunes store. Naturally they would want to make sure that they have a very large stock of electronic titles when they do open. So put another way, iTunes could compete with Amazon in the literary marketplace with its own Kindle version.

Wintek to supply touch panels for Apple netbook

From Digitimes -

Taiwan-based Wintek has revealed that it is currently working with Apple to develop some new products, but it does not know what applications the new products are for. The company added that no shipment schedule has been worked out yet, but shipments are likely to begin in the second half of the year.

The Chinese-language Commercial Times believe the new products involve touch panels for Apple's new netbook, which will be made by Quanta Computer.

3 reasons why and how we'll see an Apple netbook soon

JK on the Run provides three compelling reasons why an Apple netbook will most likely appear soon -

1. Based on Apple's history, the current MacBook Pro is overdue for a refresh. And with newer technologies available, a netbook is not out of the question.

2. The main difference between Macbooks (the Air and 13.3" models) and Macbook Pros lie in the graphics chip used. The former has integrated graphics, the latter, dedicated. Since other manufacturers have already started using dedicated chips in their 13" units, there is no reason why Macbooks can't. And when they do, they will be added to the Pro line.

3. Without anymore MacBooks, the brand then becomes available for a 10" MacBook, especially when Hackintosh units based on the MSI Wind (and probably soon on the Dell Mini Inspiron as well) are becoming commonplace. Since these are not 100% perfect implementation, a 10" MacBook out-of-the-box will have a distinguishing factor over the rest.

Everything makes seen especially if the MacBook Air is viewed as an attempt to test and learn about the market.

You can read the full article here.