April 21, 2009, 4:28 AM — The Apple netbook is beginning to turn into the Obama era's interminable almost-here Apple product, just like yesteryear's "OS X on Intel" (which ended up happening) or "Mac tablet" (which didn't). Well, I suppose it's more accurate to say that the netbook rumors are really just the tablet rumors reborn, slightly reworked to match up with a market segment that has taken off in ways that tablets never did. In fact, some of the form factors being floated under the "netbook rumor" heading seem to be more or less straight-up tablets. As I've noted, I have a hard time seeing the point of a low-powered computer (or high-powered iPhone OS gadget) that you can't properly type on and can't carry around in your pants pocket, which is what a tablet means to me.
[ For more on Apple netbooks see Apple netbook rumors resurface and Can an Apple Netbook Ride iPhone Success? ]
Nevertheless, still more rumors seem to be coming out, and they continue to include touchscreens, so who knows. If I had to put money on it, I'd still say iPhone OS-based, real keyboard, 10-inch touchscreen, $600-$700. But what sort of took me by surprise was the news today that Steve Jobs himself may be heading up the project. It was Jobs who said "We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that," which has been used to pooh-pooh Apple netbook rumors ever since, so if this is really true, it might indicate that Apple's CEO thinks he's come up with some nifty game-changer for the product category.
But more important that Jobs' netbook design judgement (he's not infallible, after all) is just the rumor that he is in fact working, since everyone's been so worried about his health for the past several months. If Phil Schiller announces "one more thing" at WWDC, and a curtain is pulled back to reveal an Apple netbook held aloft by Jobs, I guarantee you that there won't be a dry eye on the house, even if the netbook ends up flopping.
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