Let me preface this by saying I like Apple. I love my Ipod Touch. I don't have a Mac because I like to game....and I like to have a variety of games. But I respect the hell out of OSX et al, and absolutely love multi-touch.
But it's always funny how The Computer of the People often doesn't understand the people:
"...when an analyst asked Cook about the chances Apple will sell a cheap netbook computer, he uncorked. "When I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, " Cook said. "Quite frankly it is not a space as it exists today that we are interested in, nor do we believe that customers will be interested in."
Translation: If you've bought one of these, you've been had.
Then he kept going. "People who want a small computer, so to speak, that does browsing and e-mail might want to buy an iPod Touch, they might want to buy an iPhone," Cook said, nothing that Apple has sold 21 million iPhones and 16 million iPod Touches."
From: http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/22/apple-steve-jobs-technology-enterprise-tech-apple.html?feed=rss_popstories
Personally, I'd love to be able to do the things my little EEE Ninjatop netbook could do on my Itouch that fits in my pocket. LOVE. But the fact of the matter is, the keyboard on the Itouch/Iphone is MUCH more cramped than the EEE, the screen MUCH smaller, and you have no word processors. I can't MUSH from there either, because no one has gone through the hassle of making an app to allow this and go through the approval process for Itunes.
I bought the EEE because business finally figured out what I...and apparently a ton of others...have wanted for a decade: A small, no frills, easily portable laptop that lets you do basic computing. No singing and dancing, just wifi, browser, word processer et all. Cheap. (It was cheaper than my Itouch, btw.)
Now, if Apple will only figure out that people would kill for a multi-touch tablet PC. Folks have been screaming for one for years.
But then, Apple has a habbit of trash talking things until they release their own, hence the interesting kicker at the end of the above article:
"However, Cook implied, if Apple really wanted to build one, it would not suck, unlike all those other netbooks. "Of course, if we find a way where we can deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution then we'll do that, and we have some interesting ideas in this space."
Seriously. "The product pipeline looks fantastic for the Mac," Cook added.
Not that those notebooks could ever compare to a Mac, or even a computer. "These very low-priced netbook computers … are really propping up the unit numbers for the industry as a whole," Cook admitted.
So forget about that whole netbook thing, at least until June, or maybe September. Hey guys, we'll get back to you on that. These are not the droids you are looking for, got it? Did I mention we're about to hit more than 1 billion downloads for the iPhone's app store? Really something, ain't it?
Wheee!"
Seriously, I miss Mac being the freedom loving rebels. They've morphed into Disney with a Stormtrooper color scheme.