Re: [NTLK] More MacPad Rumors

From: Dana W Cook <dana.w.cook_at_gmail.com>
Date: Mon Jul 13 2009 - 16:10:26 EDT

Sorry, but I have to pipe in, even after sending in the "aye" as a
lurker. Maybe afterwards, some of you may relegate me back to lurk
status only.

I do not believe that there is "enough" demand to manufacture/produce
such a produce. If you examine the profile of the typical Mac
customer and the typical tablet user, I do not believe that these two
profiles are a match. I don't believe it is a match for either of the
two core Mac profiles; non-technical consumer; graphics heavy user.
So the question is whether or not Apple desires to go after an
additional market and continue afterwards to keep that market happy.
If a company is willing to sell a product to a new market but are not
willing to keep them happy afterwards (third party developers, apps,
hardware, etc) then it shouldn't be done in the first place lest folks
declare that Apple is abandoning them or not supporting them in the
first place.

Each of the 2000+ on this list might desire such a tablet, but that
doesn't seem to be the case regarding tablet sales. I just located an
article that indicated that Acer's tablet sales are high compared to
other vendors and that their tablet sales are 2 to 4% of their laptop
sales. Wow. Therefore, even though many on the list would jump at
the chance for a reasonably priced tablet, the demand just isn't there.

The market that is highly contested now is the netbook market which,
according to a Fortune 500 article, should reach 22 million units
shipped and that that number is currently eating into Apple's market
share. I was under the impression that the expensive MacBook Air was
Apple's entry into ultra portable. It is just that the PC companies
went after small and cheap as a product and Apple went after small and
expensive but keeping computing power up. Again, Apple's core user
profile is a user that needs that power. I happen to not be one of
them. Oh, well, just my thoughts regarding the ongoing discussion.

Maybe this will stir the pot a bit . . . so I can just step back a
learn from all of you.

Dana

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Received on Mon Jul 13 16:10:39 2009

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