The MacBook Mini - Apple's netbook?

April 24, 1:26 PMNY Apple Products ExaminerDavid Courbanou

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Blasphemy, sweet sweet, blasphemy.

Apple has filled almost every technology void in my life. I have an AppleTV, a MacBook, and an iPod touch. I have my movies, music, entertainment and Internet all delivered by Apple in almost every way I could possibly need..

Oh, I know. You ask what more could I possibly need. Well, there's this one thing...

The latest fad in computing is something that's smaller than a notebook, but larger than a smart phone. Typically, it doesn't contain an optical drive. It's stripped down, lightweight and small. It's called a netbook. Manufactures like Dell, HP, Asus, Acer and many others have put out these tiny sub-notebooks. They're selling like hot cakes, too.

And since you're reading in the New York corner of the Examiner.com, you might be inclined to want such a product. You might've noticed that as small and flexible your MacBook is, sometimes it's just a tiny bit to large on that Starbucks coffee table. And sure, you know, 5 pounds isn't that heavy, but something lighter would be great. Right?   

For a company that's reporting profit during some rough times, it's oddly the only product Apple doesn't offer right now. But there are a lot of rumors floating around that they might. Apple hasn't straight out denied they'll never make a netbook, but they have jumped around the issue. In a Q&A Session on Apple's 2nd quarter results at the start of this week, Apple was asked about a netbook. The official response came as follows:

For us it's about doing great products. When I'm looking at what's sold in the Netbook market, I see cramped keyboards, junky hardware, very small screen, bad software. Not a consumer experience that we would put the Mac brand on....For those who want a small computer that does browsing/email, they might want an iPhone or iPod Touch. If we find a way to deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, we'll do that. We have some interesting ideas.

PR is PR. Apple has their prerogative to be aloof and secretive. They wouldn't be Apple if they weren't. But you can also take whatever you hear from a press release with a grain of salt. It's not technically 'reported news'. So, for those of you hopeful that they're secretly brewing something, here's some interesting information...

TheInquirer.net has reported that there are netbooks being manufactured in China. They also rounded up a bunch of other rumors from Digitimes.com, Russian and Chinese news sites 'confirming' that Apple contracted Foxconn Electronics to start churning out these mythical devices

On March 30th, 2009, everyone thought their dreams had come true. Photos leaked from a Russian site to rumor roundup sites like MacRumors.com and 9to5Mac.com showed what looked like a MacBook Mini. An elegant mesh of the MacBook Air with the new glass and aluminum design, shrunk down to size. Sadly, it was an early April fools joke.

But earlier in March, there was a Digitimes.com rumor that Apple has asked Wintek to start making touch screens for a potential device. It seemed even more likely after a Dow Jones newswire report claimed there would be 10 inch netbooks coming out from Apple soon. They also confirmed that Wintek was making them. The original Dow Jones wire site isn't there anymore, but you can read the sumamry on MacRumors.com.

So what's the deal?

Okay, I get it. I do. You're Apple, you'll release whatever contribution you want to make when it's ready, when it's done. I appreciate that, I respect that, I do. But I just can't wait any longer. This is a product that can actually fill a need in my life. If you haven't noticed, I'm a writer, and as a result, I need to write quite frequently, nearly everywhere. It's not always a marathon of hour-long writing, but if I need to just down a few hundred words, the MacBook seems like an awful lot to drag around. Hence, the netbook.

But I cheated on Apple again. I went out and bought a Dell Mini 9. After extensive research, it turns out to be a perfect candidate for a Hackintosh. And hack away, I did. I am now the proud new owner of a netbook running OS X. It's snappy, fast, and does all the little things I need it to do. I'm not going to explain how I did it here, you can Google that.

But the point is, the niche has been filled. So like the AppleTV, I patiently wait until Apple releases an innovative new product or a pretty new computer. But until that time comes, I have to fill the void with a non-sanctioned Apple product.

I know it sounds like blasphemy, but I love this little thing. If the China rumors are true, however, I can only imagine how amazing Apple's version will be. Hopefully, other than the new iPhone this June at the WWDC, concrete whisperings of another Apple product will be announced. You can be sure that if it is released, this Apple Product's Examiner will be first on line to examine it.

My fingers are crossed.