Apple validates 13-inch LED backlight units ahead of ultra-portable - Page 2

Wouldn't be surprised if this touchscreen "tablet" shipped with a book reader app that did everything and more than the Kindle

Although, I'm not sure where the content would be downloaded from...iTunes?

Apple's ultra-portable should be an 11" Mac touch®

Displays are for newly-designed, aluminum, consumer MacBooks

Sha-BAM

I find most of the above comments utterly useless and stupid.

Apple has clearly done its market research before investing in such a new product. As a business user, anyone who uses Word/ Pages, PowerPoint/ Keynote, Excel/ Numbers, any professional design/ imaging program, or database software, needs a minimum of a 13-inch screen to be able to use these common applications properly.

If you only need an email system, basic web browsing and a phone, well then you've got theiPhone.

As good as the MacBook is, it is much heavier and more bulky than existing products like the Sony VAIO SZ series, which is incredibly light and powerful and comes with - yes, a 13-inch screen. If Apple can produce a thinner, lighter version of the MacBook, it will sell like hot cakes.

The real unknown is whether it will come with an integral DVD drive.

It may be that Apple plans to relaunch its laptop range to encompass a single family of machines. Whether this is the case, or not, I am sure the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros will be made thinner and lighter in time for January.

If Apple decides to stick with a two tier range, it may simply revamp the existing MacBook line-up and add the super-thin 13-incher to the MacBook Pro range.

But anyone who thinks an 8-inch or 10-inch mac makes sense is probably smoking dope.

We disagree. You did say "most" though

Wow, how original

I said 11". Have you ever heard of a place called Asia?

Maybe you reference smoking dope, cause you smoke "Tailpipe"

Which is why consumers have as much chance of seeing a 10-12" ultra-portable as they do a 15.4 or 17inch Macbook. Neither are going to happen in the near or distant future. Apple doesn't change their product line based on what consumers want, it changes based on that Steve Jobs thinks we want.

I expect the 10" Macbook to be introduced at the same time as the mid tower, never.

All I want is a Sony Vaio TX with an Mac OS. The Sony is perfect: 11.1 in screen, 1.19 kg, optical drive included, etc. I suppose they could go to a 12.1 in screen, but otherwise, what more could one ask for except the Mac OS. Come on Steve, if Sony can do it, Apple should be able to.

Then why does every Japanese manufacturer make one (8"-10")?- Duh?

No- How condescending.

Apple's currently selling a 13" portable, so why can't this simply be new LED backlit LCDs to replace the CCFLs in the current MacBook line. In other words, what in this story implies a new portable? I'm missing something here. Sure, I always like to see new Apple hardware, but nothing in this story implies that.

Apple might not be in to folding keyboards but they are into operating systems. If they could get on the ball with their "i" devices and finish Mac OS/X Mobile with a fleshed out Bluetooth stack keyboards would not be a problem on theses sorts of devices. I'm sure about a half dozen companies would be marketing their BlueTooth keyboards to the "i" device market within days.

Personally I hate the Base station concept so I disagree with that idea. The more the rumors come in though the more I have to believe that this is a MacBook Pro machine and not what many of us are looking for. It just doesn't sound like a low cost laptop to me any more - I do hope I'm wrong.


Dave

I have to wonder what these sorts of people do in the field with their laptop. In my case a slightly more powerful iPhone type device would serve my purposes better than the arrangement described above. The problem with docking laptops, at least the Dells at work, is that they really don't dock well. Generally you have to shut them down before docking or undocking if you expect things to work correctly.

With the right iPhone2 and a few software apps, the whole need for a laptop in the field would go away. One can then go back to installing desktop machines and reap the benefits of better hardware on the desktop. What really frustrates me to no end is that Apple is really very close with iPhone now, a slightly better screen and a bit of reworking the computer and it would be a go.

Well it won't be what I'm looking for either. As to winners I won't declare anything until I see the device. But, the 13.3 screen anything strikes me as to big for anything I want at the moment.

The good thing is that we have little over a month to go and the month in question is one that goes fast.

Dave

And what you provide below isn't?

Here we go again with somebody trying to imprint their particular usage upon the general population. The biggest mistake here is that you assume that every business user makes use of the above applications, wither singularly or in combination. Many don't so your argument means nothing. Further many a good businessman has the ability to adapt to the tools at hand.

An iPhone like device might even cut the mustard for some of us if the right combination of features where introduced. In its current rev though the iPhone is a bit less than what is needed.

I'm not sure what the problem with the size (mass) of the current Mac Book line is, they aren't that bad. This is America and I do expect people to be healthy enough to pick up a laptop of a few pounds.

That is a given. More so though is the though of exactly what is coming. Everybody is wrapped up in a new notebook computer, but the possibilities are more than just a notebook.

Or in traditional Apple fashion they could milk the Mac Books for a bit longer. The Mac Book Pros are certainly past due for a refresh but I don't see the lines merging.

That would be a good guess. The other guess would be that this device somehow incorporates MultiTouch and Apple thus creates a third product in the line up. I see this as more than a reasonable possibility and depends very much on how far they have come with Touch technology. This would give them a platform to ease people into the newer man machine interfaces. Making a to radical of a change all at once would not be good for Apple's customer base.

Not at all they just have a different set of needs than you . This shouldn't be hard to understand.

Dave

You shouldn't be.
Ultra-portable means very easy to carry.
It has nothing to do with size or weight exclusively.

The rest of the industry is making ultra-portables that are ultra-underpowered and ultra-unproductive.
I believe Apple will deliver an ultra-portable that is powerful and feature-packed.
It will have a usable keyboard, a good size screen, ample horsepower and battery life.
I wouldn't be surprised if business people bought it in droves and many ran Windows on it.

And they should call it the MacSlappy.

and i agree with you on this. If i could get an iPhone with full Quickview (being able to view spreadsheets and documents) with 64GB of flash storage, i would not need a notebook. I want to check my mail, surf the web, download and view my images, music and movies. Let me wirelessly connect my camera for downloads, have a few simple games and I'm in.

I don't think in todays time i need a notebook to do this. And yes, i can see what is happening in Japan to happen here with the texting generation also.

Read the article in the like I posted.

They are two different concepts, the first is your interpretation of the idea and not the current generally accepted use in the computer industry. The second, the currently accepted class of notebooks is determined by the weight and size. The generally accepted range of the class of devices is approximately 10-12" screen and 2 to 4 lb.


By your measure, the iPhone should be considered completely useless. It's too underpowered to do anything useful or productive.

I find this assertion to be troubling because it's not really true. It's less powerful than the higher wattage chips (1/2 to 2/3rds the clock), but the point isn't to cram maximum gigaflops, because cramming extra gigaflops sucks battery life, and requires big batteries. Ultraportables aren't intended to do solid modeling, movie rendering or anything like that. If you're just doing documents, email, listening to music, or even watching movies, a 2.6GHz CPU is plain overkill, a 1.5GHz ULV chip can do that with far better battery life, making it more useful away from the plug.


I think you're smoking too much of something. Apple can't afford to have modern computer CPUs and computer chipsets made specially for them, they pull from the same pool as everyone else.

I am a bit confused. Isn't the Newton supposed to be the ultraportable?!

Speaking about ultraportable. This brings back memories of the first iPod introduction where Steve was talking about portable (the iBook) and ultraportable (the iPod).

The article seems to suggest that there's a notable maturation of the computer buyer market. The first example used said that the owner already had a three year old computer. Computers just don't need to be replaced very often, it's not like they all die young and it's not as if everyone has a compelling reason to buy a new computer every three years. Heck, earlier this year, I just replaced an old Xeon workstation that I gave my dad. It was 9 years old, and still functioned fine. I replaced it with a three year old computer that my sister's workplace was decommissioning and it's more than he needs, so it should serve him for quite some time.

So you're against docking just because the very limited examples you've seen were poorly executed? That's a very poor argument. That makes as much sense as saying the iPod would suck because the Nomad sucked.

I have docks for my notebook and they work fine. One dock even had PCI slots, which worked fine with PCI cards.

I choose to believe that AmbientMatrix and foobula with their single posts are plants from Apple giving us the hint that it's multi-touch based.

If Apple releases an ultraportable laptop, weight and thickness are what will make it "ultra" portable. A 13" screen would give it the same dimensions as a piece of paper or a magazine. Why on earth would it need to be smaller than that? Imagine an Apple Laptop that slides right into your briefcase or backback along with your papers, folders, and notebooks that is really thin and very light, but packs a lot of power, has a solid state hard drive and a lot of battery life. Yeah, I think Apple might sell a few of those

Macworld can't get here soon enough!

My workaholic wife aside, I am a pro user and educational materials developer/writer. I have creative periods that come up suddenly and I want to be able to capitalize on them when they arise and do not want to carry a full-sized computer at all times "just in case"; for now, I have a Palm (I used to have a Clie, RIP). I also need some portable power for my daily work (presentations, classes, meetings). What I want to be able to do on an ultraportable:

- easily carried (pocket or in my camera bag with my camera)
- check and send email
- manage my schedule
- surf the Net
- view photos
- listen to music
- play a game or two

My Palm or even my cell phone is doing well so far...

- type the text for my next book quickly and easily
- draw sketches for my text (everything I do comes with lots of images)
- import photos from my camera, do some simple editing
- work on my presentation for a conference
- record audio for my presentation and perform basic editing on the audio
- work on my finances
- video chat
- present on a large screen TV or a projector or with the computer itself
- print directly to any printer that accepts PDF or photo output

This is where the Touch just can't touch a computer. However, there is no need for a MacBook.

A properly executed dock would be great, and modern connectors do not require rebooting.

that will never happen on a Ultra Portabe. All of the above are plausible until you hit play a game or two. Playing games arent even possible on ultra portables. All of them run low voltage CPU's that on most tests would be running 50% slower then a reference PC from last year. Lets not mention no graphics card, the Sony TZ series is a prime example, it runs a GMA 950. Thats not even good enough to run Warcraft III.............the drivers will die and your screen will freeze as you play. Trust me I tried. A ultra portable will never play games. Casual or otherwise

My nano already has great games, as do my cell phone and my Palm.

Done.

Not all games are graphically demanding. For all we know, he may be thinking Bejewelled.

Here's my idea for a really thin MBP in aluminum and glass.



13.3" LED backlit LCD
Intel mobile Penryn Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB
2GB RAM
64GB SSD (slim, module type, 3mm)
AirPort 802.11n + Bluetooth
Innovative collapsible port module
Magnetic latch
(I'm not sure if an optical drive will be onboard or external)

The biggest feature will be the low weight. I'm thinking about 2.5 lbs. How much? My guess is around $1,699 or $1,799 which is between a MacBook and a MBP.

I was thinking more along the lines of Goban, MiniGolf, and Solitaire. Little apps to waste time while waiting for my creative mood to kick in (though playing Goban is not actually wasting time; igo is an educational game). Nothing overly graphic-intensive; I leave that for my creative work at home on my MacPro.

Ah i misunderstood, generally when you say Solitaire and MiniGolf I think Excel games and stuff I do at work on the sneaky side. If a ultra portable was a 13.3 inch form factor i expect it to be able to at least play older graphical intense games i.e. something basic like WoW

I've sort of been combining ideas and patents and history of Apple products to come up with a product idea.

What if the new computer is like the Duo/Dock design.

Here is what I'm basing mine on:

Wacom has a 12" Cintiq panel that is a pen tablet combined with a monitor.
http://global.wacom.com/cintiq/12WX.cfm

Apple bought a company that was developing a multi-touch keyboard/display. I don't remember what the name of the company is.

Apple has ordered a massive amount of 13.3" LEDBL/LCD displays.

I saw a picture here about the Newton reborn (can't find it here anymore...where is it?)

------
So how about a tablet computer that plugs into a dock so you can use it as your input device?
The ability to have two plugged in together so you can use one as a display and one as your input device? Like a really big Nintendo DS?

What about networked computing? Have a MacPro/MacMini type box with a powerful video card, optical drive and large HDD. That way you would be able to use the stationary machine as a booster to drive a larger monitor(s).

It would be like carrying your keyboard and mouse around with you, one that has its own CPU and RAM.

Does this make any sense at all? I haven't had much of a chance to polish this idea yet.
Any other ideas??

I've sort of been combining ideas and patents and history of Apple products to come up with a product idea.

What if the new computer is like the Duo/Dock design.

Here is what I'm basing mine on:

Wacom has a 12" Cintiq panel that is a pen tablet combined with a monitor.
http://global.wacom.com/cintiq/12WX.cfm

Apple bought a company that was developing a multi-touch keyboard/display. I don't remember what the name of the company is.

Apple has ordered a massive amount of 13.3" LEDBL/LCD displays.

I saw a picture here about the Newton reborn
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...he_newton.html
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...gn_images.html

And more info about multitouch.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...touchpads.html
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ay_patent.html
------
So how about a tablet computer that plugs into a dock so you can use it as your input device?
The ability to have two plugged in together so you can use one as a display and one as your input device? Like a really big Nintendo DS?

What about networked computing? Have a MacPro/MacMini type box with a powerful video card, optical drive and large HDD. That way you would be able to use the stationary machine as a booster to drive a larger monitor(s).

It would be like carrying your keyboard and mouse around with you, one that has its own CPU and RAM.

Does this make any sense at all? I haven't had much of a chance to polish this idea yet.
Any other ideas??

Rolo, thank you, that is exactly what I am hoping they will build.

All these know-it-alls saying "13 inches is not ultraportable" SHUT UP!! 2.5 lbs or less, in such a tiny profile, is ultraportable.

A screen smaller than 13" is just impractical in today's age. Second Life, deep Flash web content, multiple parallel OS's, you need some decent screen space. The challenge is to shrink everything except the screen. LED allows you to shrink the battery, as does the solid state storage module. Nice.

God, I want one of those.

I think we've all gotten a little too far away from the initial "macbook thin" rumors and too far into our own wishes--which, by and large, are not the wishes of the consuming masses. Apple doesn't sell "scary" products like a multi-touch slab without a keyboard, or worse yet, a half-laptop without the kind of funtionality that users expect from laptops in general. All their products, aside from perhaps the Mac Pro and XSERV which serve niche markets, deliver advanced functionality in a form that fulfills user expectations about what a computer is.
I expect we'll see something that looks like a laptop, including a keyboard and an optical drive which will play and burn dvds. Prepare to be disappointed Newton-lovers.
Additionally, I think we are forgetting that Apple most likely has a five-year production-cycle plan with the introduction on the "ultra portable" that probably sees the phasing out of the Macbook and making the MacBook Pro more a competitive and specialized portable computer, remaining eventually the only traditional laptop in Apple's lineup.

Agreed. Web 2.0 necessitates a screen of at least 13". We've all surfed on the iPhone/Touch. It's usable, yes, but not productive. I haven't used Nokia's new ultraportable monstrosity, but the screen looks so small that I can't imagine doing anything more than checking email. Apple is not going to sell us a $1000+ email-checker.

I guess I am one of the know-it-alls that won't shut up. No, I won't shut up, because 13 inches is simply not ultra-portable. An ultraportable could easily be stuffed into a day pack with other stuff and carried up a mountain. Anything 13 inches big cannot be handled in the same way. I currently have a MacBook Pro, my wife has a MacBook and they are both too large to carry on a daily basis. Screen size... well, the Touch has a tiny screen and has a great way of dealing with it. Many Palm apps also have a great way of fitting into a hand-held's small screen. If the apps are configured correctly, then it can be done and done well. Much of our world is quickly going towards cell-phones, anyway (as the linked article above suggests is the case in Japan) and they have even smaller screens.

An ultraportble is small enough that it is almost not noticed, no matter how small a waist pouch you have on, and does not require special consideration (a 13 inch thinny, though sexy as Rolo's design is, requires at least a somewhat sturdy case to carry it in, lest it be bent. Currently, my Palm and its keyboard fit neatly inside my video camera bag along with my camera and its accessories, including a mini tripod, and there is room to spare and I have no worries that anything will get damaged. That is what I call ultraportable. My Clie was even slimmer (it had a very nice thumb board so I didn't need the external one) and could slip into my pocket.

Rolo's MacThin is sexy and nice and I would buy one in a heartbeat, but I would not consider it ultraportable. Easier to carry than the current configuration, yes, but still a delicate instrument requiring some extra care.

The only thing that drives innovation is the need for capital (to use Marxist rhetoric) to constantly reinvent itself in order to sell new stuff to the same people. I don't think the majority of people who buy laptops from Apple--small business owners, students, wise grandparents, and artists--want something that is small so they can take it backbacking with them.
I don't think there is the market demand for the product of your dreams...from Apple at least.
They are an American company after all, designing for the American cultural aesthetic.

One reason they cannot break into the huge Japanese computer market and prefer to make excuses.

However, three years ago few of us would have dreamed that Apple would one day make a cell phone, so, you never know.

I can always hope.

I think your definition of Ultra Portable is way out of our time. A 11.1 inch wouldn't be ultra portable for you either then your talking about a product closer to UMP like that small small Vaio with no mouse pad. I don't think Apple would ever do a product like that. Never. Why? Cause noone would buy it, not enough to justify marketing dollars to go into it. Lets look at a standard Macbook Market, in Australia at least, cause thats where i come from.

Nearly all the Macbooks are bought by students, enthusiast, Apple fanatics, or hip metrosexual, and in young professionals. This goes for the iMac too. What really is the market share for a ultraportable? You sound like a knowledgable guy and you should be able to tell me in a rough estimated guess in terms of units what they will sell. Not that many. Definetly not as many as a Macbook or 13" Macbook "ultraportable" would. You gotta build a business case around it, as opposed to thinking only about your needs.

The other reason why I dont think Apple has ever cracked Japan, their products are overpriced and Japanese people don't really need computers. Their phones are like their life, they write entire novels on their cell phones for crying out loud. My friend who is now a student/graduate, he doesn't even grace his computer much. I hardly get to talk to him on MSN, like, EVER. None of the exchange students i have kept in contact with use their computer much. Its just not a nesscity for them I've found. Games they get from the PS3 or Wii and simple word processing and things they can do normally. To over price a non nesscity of life will always screw you over. Even Ipods are considered expensive

What PC's last "2.4 years" and then die? My dad still uses his 90 MHz Pentium Dell from god knows how long ago and it works fine.