Netbook Digest

Via Engadget:

Everyone paying attention to the netbook market knew this was inevitable: rumors abound about the possibility of a touchscreen Apple netbook in Q3.  Two Taiwanese-based magazines, Commercial Times and DigiTimes, have sent the tech blogosphere into a tizzy by reporting that Qunta has been commissioned by Apple to construct a line of touchscreen netbooks.

We’ve talked about the possibility of an Apple netbook several times in the past, and by the looks of it Apple has done their own research.  Commenters and industry aficionados have had mixed thoughts about whether the Apple netbook is a good idea.  Some are convinced that every Apple netbook they sold would be taking a sale away from either a more expensive powerbook or an iPhone with a lucrative $30/month data plan.  Others are convinced there’s room in Apple’s business model for a netbook-type computer and that the Mac faithful would be inclined to purchase one in addition to their macbook pro and iPhone, completing what some would consider the trifecta of Mac fanboyism.  MacBook Pro, hypothetical Apple netbook, and iPhone.

If these reports are true we’ll get to see who was right, but in the mean time, sound off.  Is the Apple netbook a good idea, and if so, is the touchbook format a valid move?