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Concept art for an Apple touch-screen Netbook.

(Credit: Gizmodo)

According to various rumors and reports, Apple's got a new slate-style Netbook in the works that may be announced as soon as next month. While we have no confirmation from Apple--or anybody else--that such a product really exists, that doesn't mean we can't do a little market survey and ask you what the thing should be called.

If the rumors are at all on target, the final product will look something like a jumbo iPod Touch. However, what's interesting is that such a PC would most likely be a crossover product for Apple and straddle several product families, includes iPods, MacBooks, and maybe even Apple TV. So, is it part of one of those families or a whole new category unto itself?

Only time will tell, but for now you can cast your vote in our poll of popular candidates or write in your own choice in the comments section. We strongly doubt we'll have any influence whatsoever over Apple's decision, but, hey, people at Apple do read CNET. At least a couple do anyway.

On Thursday, Microsoft started running new anti-Mac ads that are designed to take a serious poke at the one spot where Apple has traditionally been vulnerable: pricing.

All you have to do is shop for a computer to know that Macs are more expensive than Windows machines on a spec-by-spec basis. But when you buy an Apple PC, you willfully know you're paying a little extra--or sometimes a lot extra--for an Apple-designed product.

Apple fans will tell you that Apple PCs are not only slicker-looking but that they're also built better, last longer, and run a better operating system. In other words, you're not just paying the Apple premium for looks, but also for brains and brawn.

If you're a Windows fan, it's nice to see that Microsoft is finally fighting back with an effective argument after getting shoved around badly in Apple ads in recent years. But there's some interesting subtext to the ad, which follows Lauren, a very Apple-looking gal (not to stereotype or anything, but she's got that whole artsy thing going on) as she tries to buy a 17-inch laptop for less than a grand and ends up with a Hewlett-Packard PC for $699 (good luck carrying that thing around).

The key point for me in the ad is when she says, "I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person." Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but I get the feeling that Microsoft is trying to to tap into this wider notion that it's uncool to be ostentatious these days.

In other words, if you're buying a Mac, you have too much money on your hands (i.e., you got a bonus while everybody else didn't). In fact, you should feel a little guilty for overspending--and buying from Apple--in these tough times.

Translation: It's no longer cool to be cool for the sake of being cool. But it's cool to be cheap and utilitarian.

Comments?

Mac OS X loading onto the Dell Mini 9.

(Credit: Gizmodo)

My brother-in-law Ken IM'd me the other day with this message: "Did you see they're loading OS X on Netbooks?" He sent me a link to a Gizmodo article that explained how to hack a Netbook into running Apple's OS X. He also pointed me to a chart that BoingBoing put together showing how compatible various Netbooks are with OS X.

Obviously, none of this stuff is geared to the average consumer--and there are certainly some bugs to contend with--but with some tweaks, techies have gotten certain Netbooks to run OS X shockingly well. Perfect or not, those articles and some videos had my brother-in-law, who's a total Applehead, champing at the bit to get his hands on an Apple Netbook.

Here's the conversation that followed:

Ken: "Apple really needs to do a Netbook."

Me: "Yes, now. It's the biggest growth category in laptops. They're missing out on a big opportunity to take Windows' share away."

Ken: "Apple keeps saying it doesn't want to go near the low-end and make crappy notebooks with low margins. Would tarnish the brand, hurt the bottom line."

Me: "They're lying. They know they have to go there."

Ken: "Agree."

Me: "So they slap a little design flair on the thing, put one model out for $599 and another for $699. Sure, the Windows version would cost you $350-$450, but I'd have no problem paying the Apple premium on one of these."

Ken: "A lot of people would pay $599 for an Apple Netbook."

Me: "No one's buying the Macbook Air at $1,800."

Ken: "I wouldn't say no one."

Me: "OK, but it's sort of the Apple TV of laptops. It's just not that relevant. Most people would prefer buying a more powerful notebook that weighs a little more for a grand."

Ken: "I agree. I almost bought an Air when it first came out, but I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger." [Note: Ken uses a MacBook Pro but he wants a Netbook for nonbusiness travel].

Me: "Apple always talks about design--and they do have great designers--but what people want now is cheap. As I said, this thing doesn't have to be a masterpiece. I'd rather see them keep things simple and elegant and keep the cost down to $599."

Ken: "You should write a column."

Me: "I will."

I have a feeling a lot of other people are having similar conversations. And while I believe that Apple's on the verge of missing an opportunity here--and think it needs to move quickly to put out a Netbook--I also think that it's well aware of the market dynamics.

Microsoft has made it a point to say that Windows 7 is designed to run on entry-level machines, and it's clearly targeting low-cost Netbooks as the next big frontier.

At the same time, Apple is heading toward its own release of a new operating system, Snow Leopard, which is also designed to run faster and more efficiently. So, you'd think that it, too, is ultimately looking toward more inexpensive PCs, including a so-called MacBook Mini and the much-rumored next-gen Mac Mini.

As far my Netbook experience goes, I've been working on and off on a Lenovo S10 loaner unit, and like it enough to strongly consider one of these machines over the next few months.

My brother-in-law is encouraging me to convert the Lenovo into an OS X machine (the S10 is on the list of Netbooks that do pretty well with OS X), though he knows that neither Apple nor Lenovo would be too keen on me doing this. As Gizmodo says, "Hackintoshing" violates the OS X EULA, and should you want to return your hacked Lenovo S10 or Dell Mini 9 for service, you'll probably get the cold shoulder.

"I'm really tempted to buy one of these things and put OS X on it," he IM'd me last night. "I can get a loaded Dell Mini 9 Linux version for just over $400. 2 gigs of RAM and a 32GB flash-based drive."

He'd rather wait for the Apple Netbook, of course. But I have a feeling that if it doesn't come soon, he's not going to be able to wait any longer. The force is strong for the Apple lover who longs for a Netbook.

What do you guys think?

Helpful links:

CNET's best Netbooks (full reviews)

Gizmodo's step-to-step guide to turning the Dell Mini 9 into a Mac Netbook

BoingBoing Netbook compatibility chart

Wired's running OS X on a Netbook (Apple made Wired pull the video)

Wake up and restore from MSI Wind Netbook with Mac OS X (YouTube video):

Acer Aspire time trial with video running (YouTube video)

Think wishful: Concept dream designs of the mysterious Apple Brick have surfaced on blogs.

(Credit: Yves Behar/OLPC)

By now you've probably heard the rumors that Apple is having an event on October 14th, where Steve Jobs will introduce new Apple laptops to the world. At this point, it's unclear whether the lines will be refreshed with new processors and configurations or whether we'll see a more substantial redesign to the Macbook and Macbook Pro. And then there's the big secondary question of what's going on with the MacBook Air?

Chances are, if there's an update to the Air, we'll just see a bump in processor speed and storage capacity, particularly in the solid-state version of the Air. But, then there's this mysterious thing called the Brick that started with a site called 9to5Mac and made a few orbits around the blogsphere. Some say it might be a tablet. Others think it's a new version of Apple TV. And many are conjecturing that it's a low-cost, lightweight Netbook to match up against all the mini notebooks hitting the marketing--including models from Dell, HP, Asus.

If, indeed, we're about to be introduced to a MacBook Mini or an Apple Netbook (or, maybe Jobs does go counter-intuitive and calls this lightweight machine the Brick), isn't it time to ditch the first-gen Air while it still has some value? I figure the one-two punch of a refreshed Air with a new budget-price Apple notebook will knock $300-$500 off a used Air's current selling price.

Or, with two weeks to go before the press event, is it already too late? Is the Air already utterly devalued? Let me know what you think.

The author in seat 31C.

(Credit: John Falcone)

A few weeks ago Marguerite Reardon wrote about how American Airlines was starting to offer a new inflight WiFi service called Gogo. Well, I'm on my way to CNET's San Francisco office and was worried that with 5 hours on a plane I would fall behind on my blogging. But lo and behold about 20 minutes after we got off the ground a Gogo representative came down the aisle and handed me a pamphlet telling me how easy it was to get online. I just couldn't resist, so here I am blogging at 37,000 feet.

I gotta say, the speed is pretty impressive. Speakeasy's speed test clocked in at a 2,592 kpbs download speed and a 279 kbps upload speed. CNET's bandwidth meter pegged me at 1,122 kbps on the download side.

That said, when I tried to watch a little Hulu, the video got a bit choppy in spots, much like the flight that I'm on. The other downside is that the Wi-Fi appears to be having a serious impact on my battery life. It's draining rather quickly, which is partially why I'm going to keep this post short. Obviously, the next thing American--and other airlines--need to do is to make more power connections available to fliers. Also, it'd be good if the airlines would enable voice over IP services like Skype--apparently they are restricting its use along with cell phone use in flight (I will try to test Skype on my way back to New York see if that statement is accurate).

Still, having Wi-Fi on board, even if it does cost $12.95 for the flight, is a step in the right direction and makes the skies a lot friendlier for bloggers--and any sort of business professional who's feeding the machine 24-7. On the other hand, Gogo and other services like it leave you with one less cherished place to be off the grid.

Final note: I did notice that I'm posting this on 9/11 and I was going to say something about how this technology would--or wouldn't have--changed anything that day. But it's probably not worth going there.

Comments?

The HP Pavilion dv7-1025nr is a 17-inch laptop, though you'd never know it from its name.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Each day during the week here at CNET we have a quick meeting to talk about what stories and reviews we think should be promoted on the CNET home page. Not so surprisingly, computers and TVs are popular among our readers, so those types of products tend to get a lot of play on the CNET home page. But, the problem is these computers and TVs have the most ridiculous model numbers attached to them that it makes it very difficult--and almost comical--to pitch them.

Take a recent selection of model numbers from the Home & Hardware schedule. From HP you have the HP Pavilion dv7-1025nr and HP Pavilion dv5-1004nr. Then there's the Gateway GT5692, Sony Vaio VGN-FW140, Compaq Presario CQ50-115NR, Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815, and Toshiba Satellite U405D-S2852. On the TV front, you get stuff like the Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U, Westinghouse VK-40FS580D, Mitsubishi LT-46148, Toshiba Regza 42RV530U, and Vizio SV470XVT. The list of wacky names goes on and on, which makes you think: what are these people thinking?

By "these people" I guess I mean the marketing teams of these various companies. I mean, haven't they learned anything from Apple? Some of the cell phone manufacturers seem to have. Now we're seeing popular phones like the Samsung Instinct and LG Dare that have simple one-word names that people can easily remember. There's a shocker.

I'll give Dell credit for trying. At least its models kind of make sense now and are limited to four numbers (for example, its Inspiron 1525 is a laptop with a 15-inch screen). But my God, the Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815? What the hell is that? I have trouble rattling it off correctly in a meeting and sometimes miss a number or letter.

And so I ask: Can we please put a stop to long, stupid model numbers that don't give you any idea what the product is? I'm singling out certain computer and TV manufacturers but the poor-naming phenomenon is fairly widespread--there are plenty of electronics products with ridiculous names. Anybody have any insights into all this or nominations for the most absurd model number?

Thanks.