iPod touch with camera, 11.6-inch MacBook Air expected this year
Apple will release a new iPod touch with a 3-megapixel camera capable of recording both photos and video, as well as a redesigned, thinner MacBook Air with an 11.6-inch display this year, a new rumor states.
The new iPod touch is expected to arrive in August or September, when Apple usually refreshes its iPod lineup, while the MacBook Air would arrive in the second half of 2010, according to a new report from Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes. Mingchi Kuo, senior analyst, said component makers revealed that the redesigned MacBook Air will have an even slimmer and lighter design than the current hardware.
"The technologies used for the design and concept are expected to be broadly used in the company's other product lines to boost their competitiveness," the report said.
Kuo claimed the notebook, which will reportedly sport an 11.6-inch screen, smaller than the current 13.3-inch display, will also be powered by an Intel Core i-series ultra-low voltage processor. Shipment volumes of the new MacBook Air, said to be manufactured by Quanta Computer, are expected to reach just 400,000 units this year.
The MacBook Air was last updated over a year ago, giving it a new entry price of $1,499 with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Quanta is said to also be the manufacturer of Apple's forthcoming iPod touch update, which will allegedly sport a 3-megapixel camera as well as the same A4 processor found inside the iPhone 4. Previous reports claimed that the new handheld device will also include a forward-facing camera for FaceTime video chat, though DigiTimes only mentioned one camera. iPod touch shipments in 2010 are expected to be between 17 million and 18 million.
The new iPod touch is expected to arrive in August or September, when Apple usually refreshes its iPod lineup, while the MacBook Air would arrive in the second half of 2010, according to a new report from Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes. Mingchi Kuo, senior analyst, said component makers revealed that the redesigned MacBook Air will have an even slimmer and lighter design than the current hardware.
"The technologies used for the design and concept are expected to be broadly used in the company's other product lines to boost their competitiveness," the report said.
Kuo claimed the notebook, which will reportedly sport an 11.6-inch screen, smaller than the current 13.3-inch display, will also be powered by an Intel Core i-series ultra-low voltage processor. Shipment volumes of the new MacBook Air, said to be manufactured by Quanta Computer, are expected to reach just 400,000 units this year.
The MacBook Air was last updated over a year ago, giving it a new entry price of $1,499 with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Quanta is said to also be the manufacturer of Apple's forthcoming iPod touch update, which will allegedly sport a 3-megapixel camera as well as the same A4 processor found inside the iPhone 4. Previous reports claimed that the new handheld device will also include a forward-facing camera for FaceTime video chat, though DigiTimes only mentioned one camera. iPod touch shipments in 2010 are expected to be between 17 million and 18 million.
Comments
So it appears that Apple made the decision (once again), that form is more important than function. They're using the less capable 3 megapixel camera in the iPod touch simply because it's slightly smaller than the 5 megapixel camera in the iPhone 4. They refuse to simply make the case slightly bigger to accomodate the better camera.
It's more likely they're trying to avoid cannibalizing sales of the iPhone 4.
It's more likely they're trying to avoid cannibalizing sales of the iPhone 4.
It seems like they definitely have to hold stuff back from the touch, there's a huge difference in the price between the iPhone without subsidy and the iPod touch.
I hope the display is 1280x800 (about 130dpi). Despite having just bought a 15" MacBook Pro with the HD anti-glare display, I will buy an 11.6" MacBook Air if it has 4GB of ram and an HD display.
1) Update of the Macbook Air
Macbook Air will likely have a 13'' screen as it does now.
As batteryperformance needs significant improvement to be of the same level of Macbook and Macbook Pro, the Macbook Air will need all the space AND the new Intel i-series low voltage processors OR one made by Apple itself, like the iPad and iPhone.
I guess that does not leave a lot of room to make the package even thinner and lighter.
And let us hope it will offer 3G simslot standard or the option to build-to-order one.
2) As the Macbook Pro 13'' and ipad 10'' leave not enough room for an extra niche product, the Macbook Air will cease to be after stock runs out.
I would like to eventually end up with a new 11" MBA and an iPad 3G and an iPhone 4.
Yes, there is a lot of 'overlap' but I would use the iPad for presentations and viewing content online, the iPhone to stay connected at all times on my days off and the MBA for work, website updates, reports, etc.
For the price of a 27" iMac, (~$2,500), I would be completely mobile and able to run my business out of my backpack!
As much as I enjoy my desktop, I prefer to work in a coffee shop or restaurant than sitting in my own den. Plus I would go from 2.5 hours of battery life on my MacBook to 10 hours on an iPad and probably 6 hrs. on a new MBA.
Thanks Apple!
Ps. I would also eliminate my Cable Internet service (~$40/mo, $500/year) and solely survive with ATT 3g which is pretty good in my area and free wifi in said restaurants.
Best
OTOH, the 11.6" MBA concept is a pipe dream; they can't even work out the processor/chipset/GPU issues, let alone deliver a smaller form factor that few people will buy given the price point. Especially since the iPad is taking up the slack in demand for "smaller than a laptop, larger than an iPhone" product line.
Who makes this stuff up?
I like this. I currently have a 3Gs, a 20" iMac and a MacBook.
I would like to eventually end up with a new 11" MBA and an iPad 3G and an iPhone 4.
Yes, there is a lot of 'overlap' but I would use the iPad for presentations and viewing content online, the iPhone to stay connected at all times on my days off and the MBA for work, website updates, reports, etc.
For the price of a 27" iMac, (~$2,500), I would be completely mobile and able to run my business out of my backpack!
As much as I enjoy my desktop, I prefer to work in a coffee shop or restaurant than sitting in my own den. Plus I would go from 2.5 hours of battery life on my MacBook to 10 hours on an iPad and probably 6 hrs. on a new MBA.
Thanks Apple!
Ps. I would also eliminate my Cable Internet service (~$40/mo, $500/year) and solely survive with ATT 3g which is pretty good in my area and free wifi in said restaurants.
Best
I have a friend that does the exact same thing except she uses a MBP with a 7 hour battery.....and now that Starbucks is offering free wifi life is good!
Hope you get what you want out of the products releases....
There are places for each in the product lineup.
The issue will be price. I find it hard to believe that it will sell well if it's >$1000. I could imagine a lot being sold at $799 entry, $899 with options. Apple was agressive with price on iPad and that could be done again here.
It's more likely they're trying to avoid cannibalizing sales of the iPhone 4.
Even if this were true, so what? Apple is still taking your money. Why would they care which product you purchase? Or does Apple make a cut of AT&T's monthly rates?
Even if this were true, so what? Apple is still taking your money. Why would they care which product you purchase? Or does Apple make a cut of AT&T's monthly rates?
Apple's iPhone is heavily subsidized by AT&T. No one knows the exact amount, but pundits estimate the subsidy to be $350-400 per handset. Apple no longer gets a cut of AT&T's revenue as with the original iPhone; the subsidy is a one-time payout.
Apple can't cry if you buy one Apple product in lieu of another, but without a doubt, the gross margin on the iPhone is stupendous.
It seems like they definitely have to hold stuff back from the touch, there's a huge difference in the price between the iPhone without subsidy and the iPod touch.
This is a rumour, just as it has been rumoured, absurdly, that Apple is going to turn to OLED very soon.
It makes no sense for Apple to not use the exact same camera in the Touch that is found in the iPhone, if the Touch is to remain essentially an iPhone minus the phone part. Economies of scale means the cost per unit would go down as the number of units ordered goes up.
I'm not convinced that Apple will continue to design the Touch strictly as a variation of the iPhone. It's a device that cries out for a different set of specs better suited to what people are doing with the device. I realize that rumours are not pointing in that direction but on the other hand, the rumours being offered have gone in some puzzling directions, meaning that all we're getting is unimaginative guessing.
While sales of the Touch have been outstanding, if Apple stands still, that can change very quickly. As touch-screen devices multiply, and not just from Apple, a device like the Touch that has no phone element yet sports a very small screen, relatively speaking, risks becoming irrelevant. It would be logical to up the screen size of the Touch, while keeping it compact enough for it to remain pocketable. I don't think there's really room in Apple's line-up for both a Touch as currently sized and something that slots in between that and the iPad.
Design a Touch around the current screen, then design one around a 5" screen. Compare the devices. The 5" Touch would offer better browsing, e-reading, game play, video playback, and would certainly be better suited for displaying photos. The current Touch would more easily slip into one's pocket but would a Touch sporting a 5" screen be difficult to slip into a pant pocket? I have a notepad that I have slipped into my pocket without a second's thought often that measures 4" X 6". The Touch measures roughly 2.5" X 4.5". Plenty of room between those two for increasing screen size with a negligible impact on portability. One would presume a cost advantage for the current design but how much of an advantage? Up to this point the Touch has shared a screen with the iPhone but the iPhone just went to the Retina display. Put a larger screen on the Touch but with the same resolution as the Retina display and chances are you have similarly priced screens. The larger screen would possess lower pixel density and hence likely be easier to produce.
What are the odds that after a very minimal update to the Touch last year, Apple would merely take the Touch as is and tack on a 3-megapixel camera that would be inferior to a lot of phone cameras, including the iPhone. At the very least you'd figure the next Touch would get the hardware bits from the new iPhone, including the Retina display, the 5-megapixel camera, faster processor, etc. It would not be a shock if Apple went beyond such an obvious update, evolving the Touch into something more than an iPhone variant. What people use the Touch for has evolved and as such isn't it logical to evolve the hardware to better accommodate what it's being used for? To do otherwise seems rather un-Apple-like.
I'll have to buy a MacBook Air if Apple is going to kill it.
Well, that's a lame statement, because we all know that Apple doesn't announce dead products, it simply removes them from the stores
Given how the MBA is nice pocket change for Apple though, I don't think they'll kill it yet. Especially when it can be used as test-driving new technologies for the Macbook Pro, like it was for the unibody construction.
Not sure how an 11.6 inch screen would allow for a full-sized keyboard, which is one of MBA's selling points.
The 12" PowerBook had a full-size keyboard.
If they're smart, they'll market this as the true netbook/thin & light competitor and price it accordingly.