Nice story about running OS X on a Dell Mini 9 on XLR8yourmac.com

[richorlin]

The keyboard isn't THAT small. The photo is screwy.

[guitarist]

Robert M wrote:
C(-)ris,

What am I missing here? A Dell Mini 9 is a scaled back notebook computer. A Macbook is a notebook computer that isn't scaled back. Of course, they're going to be a bit different, aside the Macbook being an Apple produced Mac. But, to say they are nothing alike is ridiculous.

Robert

Yes, it's different. Apple's industrial design appears to be mostly style-oriented, visual, status-driven, or aesthetic, but that's misleading, it's different in a multitude of small but important practical ways. Apple will never cripple a keyboard the way Dell did. The Dell Mini 9's keyboard is decent considering the size constraints, but is merely acceptable, not superior. Apple is uncompromising in other small ways, as well, that the user experiences on a daily basis. It's not just Dells, the distorted miniature keyboards of the current cheap netbooks stands out as being among the most problematic things for companies like Apple to adjust their standards to develop a solution for. I'd be curious to see what Apple would do with that amount of space.

I agree that to say they're "nothing alike" is foolish. Of course they're alike, they're both computers, they are portable, they have a battery, etc., but that's about it. The comparison doesn't go far beyond the fact that they're both computers. A Kia and a Saab are both cars, too. Each has four wheels, and a steering wheel, brakes, etc., and run on gasoline. Therefore, they are alike. But the differences are compelling, too.

richorlin wrote:
The keyboard isn't THAT small. The photo is screwy.

Yes, it is that small. The photo is accurate. The apostrophe key is nuts, I agree. The keyboard layout is barely tolerable. But cute enough and cheap enough to accept. No one pretends otherwise, it's not the Mini 9's strong suit.

I have a Dell Mini 9, I'm happy it can be customized to run Leopard, but it's a substitute and a novelty, not in the same class as Apple's hardware. I don't expect Apple to compete down at this price and quality level, so I don't expect a cheap Apple netbook, but imagine theyll introduce something for $500+ that will capture attention and develop a new category or a new market, building on their success with other portables like the iPod and iPhone. And I hope they ignore the Dell Mini, so we can keep screwing with them!

[vision63]

hal wrote:
[quote=vision63]
Hopefully Apple will kick it's butt with some awe-inspiring piece of work that we'll line up around the block to get.

apple will NEVER offer something this inexpensive - that's the whole appeal... if they matched the size and weight, apple's offering will START at $500.

and I'm fine with that...
I agree.

[macphanatic]

hal wrote:
[quote=vision63]
Hopefully Apple will kick it's butt with some awe-inspiring piece of work that we'll line up around the block to get.

apple will NEVER offer something this inexpensive - that's the whole appeal... if they matched the size and weight, apple's offering will START at $500.

and I'm fine with that...
I hope that Apple will never offer something as cheap as the Mini 9. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the Mini 9 is one of the main reasons that Dell's profit margin has eroded.

[vicrock]

I took my Dell mini 9 on a weekend trip this past weekend. It was great to lighten my load, but I would probably not want to have to deal with the small screen and keyboard for a longer trip. I get a LOT of e-mail and my eyes were really not happy with the smaller size screen. I could probably get used to the keyboard, but my typing speed was WAY down.

[richorlin]

No, I also have a Dell Mini 9 and the perspective is definitely off on that photo. Either that or the guy has HUGE hands.

[AAA]

I used to touch type on the Sharp WIzard 8000 series. I'll grab mine (on the shelf next to me) for comparison.

[Robert M]

Mac,

I suspect one of the primary reasons Dell's profit margin has eroded is due to the sales they have on items on a regular basis and the discount coupons that reduce the price of even sales items are readily available. That's how I got a $649 dollars display for less than $500.

Robert

[guitarist]

Robert M wrote:
Mac,

I suspect one of the primary reasons Dell's profit margin has eroded is due to the sales they have on items on a regular basis and the discount coupons that reduce the price of even sales items are readily available. That's how I got a $649 dollars display for less than $500.

Robert

Interesting to note that Apple is one of the few companies in this industry---perhaps the only company---that studiously, ferociously avoids this kind of discounting and coupon stacking and profit-shaving price competition, keeping its price almost universally fixed at each stage.

There's the retail price, then there's the refurb price. And that's about it. No wild sales, drastic discounts, sell-offs to erode Apple's stake. A lot of companies admire this, and envy Apple's disciplined protection of its profit margins. For Apple, its been a matter of survival. And growth.

Third-party retailers will never post an ad that says "50% off all new iMacs!".