[ylee]

If this is true, it will be a significant change in strategy. The company has always played upmarket. Average iPhone prices have risen since the first iPhone 18 years ago, as opposed to falling. Around that time, I heard Apple's CFO say at a Citigroup-hosted investor conference that his company could release a $799 computer "but we don't want to".

[musicale]

The original Mac mini was $499 in 2005.

But Apple had already released a $799 laptop - the eMate 300 in 1997.

Ahead of its time - ARM processor, 28-hour battery life, flash storage, wireless modem card. Its curved, translucent case design (with a handle!) was echoed in the iMac (1998) and iBook (1999).

It also appears to have come with a decent keyboard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300

[afandian]

I have strong nostalgia for the eMate. Yes, it had a nice keyboard (at least comparable with the era); smaller pitch than standard keyboards. And, of course, resitive pen-based touch screen.

It _was_ a PDA with a keyboard though. It had a good office suite, a web browser, printer drivers, and a vibrant developer community. But you probably still expected to dock it with Newton Connection Utilities on a computer to add software and get data off it.

[ekropotin]

Even 799$ is a waaaay too expensive for something to be considered chrome books competitor.

[giraffe_lady]

The mac mini is $599? Shit a base macbook air is $899.