Apple did an amazing thing at the WWDC 2009 keynote address, something that no rumormonger or soothsayer predicted. It dismantled one of the four legs that hold up the Mac section of its empire.
Courtesy of Apple
If you remember, many years ago - say 2 PJ (that’s 2 years pre-Jobs’ return), Apple had so many Mac models, addressing so many market segments, that it looked more like GM than a computer manufacturer. One of the first things Steve Jobs did upon his return was consolidate the number of Mac models and the market segments they address.
Steve said there are four primary market segments, no more, no less. They are: consumer laptops, consumer desktops, pro laptops, and pro desktops. Every Mac should fall into one of those categories. Until Monday, those categories were amply represented by the MacBook (consumer laptop), iMac and Mac mini (consumer desktop), MacBook Pro and MacBook Air (pro laptop), and Mac Pro (pro desktop).
But as of late Monday, the consumer laptop category has been reduced to a single MacBook model, one that actually has its roots in a design from 2006. What makes it all the more interesting is that the MacBook was one of the bestselling lines of Macs that Apple had in its stores.
Why did Apple decimate one of its bestselling product lines? And what does it have up its sleeve for this product category?
Donning my soothsayer’s hat, I would say that Apple is making room for a new line of inexpensive Mac notebooks, where the current white MacBook and its $999 price represent the top of the pricing scheme. I don’t mean to suggest that the current white MacBook will remain in this new lineup, just that it’s a temporary placeholder for that price point.
What will the new MacBook lineup look like? I think 13” displays will the largest offered, and most will be in the 9” to 12” range. If you think that sounds more like a netbook than a laptop, you’re right, except that Apple doesn’t do netbooks. I think this new product line from Apple will be something slightly different from a netbook, which would allow Apple to command a better profit margin than current netbook producers are able to eke out.
We can expect these new machines around…oops, my hat just fell off.
I would say that is a pretty good deduction, Tom. Although I would be surprised if 13″ is in the lineup. I would guess that all screens will be the same (10-11″), and there will be nothing “net” about these books. Apple also has software it wants people to use.