802.11 and Bluetooth (for a wireless keyboard/mouse)
1 FireWire 400 port
DVI output
Headphone jack
Thumb Keyboard like the OQO with trackpoint mouse
Lithion polymer battery
FireWire cable included in box
Size/weight similar to the OQO
BYOOD - Bring Your Own Optical Drive (connected by FireWire or USB)
Now I bet Apple can make this for $1000 today. Why? Apple has economies of scale in its favor, thanks to the iPod and its other products--OQO has only one product and can't use leverage like Apple to reduce costs.
Where to get the tiny hard drive, cheaply? Use those iPod drives Apple buys in bulk!
Where to get the battery, cheaply? Use an iPod battery (or two in parallel) Apple produces in bulk!
Where to find cheap low-power FireWire circuitry? Use the same one found in the iPod.
Where to get that low-power cool G4? Downclock and lower the voltage of the same G4's found in the Mini Mac, iBooks, and PowerBooks. Apple may be lacking in the performance department in its other products, but one thing Freescale/IBM do well is that they make very nice cool G3's and G4 for embedded applications. Perfect for the MiniBook!
Etc....
In fact, due to Apple's other products, Apple could make the MiniBook rather cheaply. Conversly, the Minibook, if successful, could help Apple reduce the cost of its other products.
Now, you say, what about software? Apple's in a perfect position again!
Target Disk Mode -- Quickly download or upload files to the MiniBook from your primary Mac using the included FireWire cable (This encourages switchers who buy a MiniBook to buy a Mini Mac). No optical drive needed!
InkWell -- I got your Newton right here! Built into every MacOS since 10.2, it allows for excellent handwriting recognition on that touch-sensitive display if the thumb keyboard isn't enough.
Quicktime/iTunes -- I got your video iPod right here!
With the touch-sensitive display, Apple could have a "virtual click wheel" on the screen.
iPhoto -- I got your iPod photo right here! Download pictures from your digital camera on the go.
iCal, AddressBook, Dashboard, etc... -- I got your PDA right here!
Keynote -- I got your pocket presenter right here!
802.11 and Bluetooth (for a wireless keyboard/mouse)
1 FireWire 400 port
DVI output
Headphone jack
Thumb Keyboard like the OQO with trackpoint mouse
Lithion polymer battery
FireWire cable included in box
Size/weight similar to the OQO
BYOOD - Bring Your Own Optical Drive (connected by FireWire or USB)
Now I bet Apple can make this for $1000 today. Why? Apple has economies of scale in its favor, thanks to the iPod and its other products--OQO has only one product and can't use leverage like Apple to reduce costs.
Where to get the tiny hard drive, cheaply? Use those iPod drives Apple buys in bulk!
Where to get the battery, cheaply? Use an iPod battery (or two in parallel) Apple produces in bulk!
Where to find cheap low-power FireWire circuitry? Use the same one found in the iPod.
Where to get that low-power cool G4? Downclock and lower the voltage of the same G4's found in the Mini Mac, iBooks, and PowerBooks. Apple may be lacking in the performance department in its other products, but one thing Freescale/IBM do well is that they make very nice cool G3's and G4 for embedded applications. Perfect for the MiniBook!
Etc....
In fact, due to Apple's other products, Apple could make the MiniBook rather cheaply. Conversly, the Minibook, if successful, could help Apple reduce the cost of its other products.
Now, you say, what about software? Apple's in a perfect position again!
Target Disk Mode -- Quickly download or upload files to the MiniBook from your primary Mac using the included FireWire cable (This encourages switchers who buy a MiniBook to buy a Mini Mac). No optical drive needed!
InkWell -- I got your Newton right here! Built into every MacOS since 10.2, it allows for excellent handwriting recognition on that touch-sensitive display if the thumb keyboard isn't enough.
Quicktime/iTunes -- I got your video iPod right here!
With the touch-sensitive display, Apple could have a "virtual click wheel" on the screen.
iPhoto -- I got your iPod photo right here! Download pictures from your digital camera on the go.
iCal, AddressBook, Dashboard, etc... -- I got your PDA right here!
Keynote -- I got your pocket presenter right here!
The possibilities are endless.
sounds cool, but I don't see Apple making a tablet. I like my PDA but this would have to be very small to take off, not PC tablet size.
enzo0511, it's an entirely different machine to the iBook - it's not a laptop. People who buy an iBook generally don't buy another mac. This device would primarily supplement a desktop, a way of carrying your mac in your pocket.
There's no risk about it, I don't see it eating into any other product sales providing it's priced right and seen as an extension to the line, the same way the iPod is an extension of iTunes in your pocket.
enzo0511, it's an entirely different machine to the iBook - it's not a laptop. People who buy an iBook generally don't buy another mac. This device would primarily supplement a desktop, a way of carrying your mac in your pocket.
There's no risk about it, I don't see it eating into any other product sales providing it's priced right and seen as an extension to the line, the same way the iPod is an extension of iTunes in your pocket.
No i didn't look at it, i assumed it was laptop size. (whoops) BUT I still don't see Apple making one, Jobs' first decision when coming back to Apple was to scrap the Newton, it was the effect of the action rather than the action. Jobs was saying 'I'm in charge and I'm scrapping their projects.' Jobs is stubborn, how long did Apple not support ATi cards for, after their blunder? I don't see Jobs going back on this one. I think it would help Apple sales, like the halo iPod effect. Make it Windows compatible.
the world is a different place to when the Newton was around. So we're all happy with exactly what we have, are we? No more progress needed in the portable world, it's just perfect as it is? Is that what we're saying?
the world is a different place to when the Newton was around. So we're all happy with exactly what we have, are we? No more progress needed in the portable world, it's just perfect as it is? Is that what we're saying?
Not at all there is space in the market for an Apple solution, like the iPod integration but across all apps. Windows solutions and decent technologies with a strong OS. However, Apple won't go there! The newton, along with Pippin were too early. The iPod was almost too early.
While I don't personally think Apple's gonna release a miniBook anytime soon, it does tie in fairly well with their scalable interface, where everything is vector-based. This is coming in Tiger, isn't it?
OS X would normally suck at the resolutions discussed for the miniBook, but if you could simply scale the interface so that it appeared to be running at a higher resolution (with hard-to-read text, mind you), it could be workable.
I wonder if you could mirror the display at different resolutions? For instance, display a Keynote presentation at full resolution through a projector, while displaying the same screen, scaled to fit on the miniBook?
While I don't personally think Apple's gonna release a miniBook anytime soon, it does tie in fairly well with their scalable interface, where everything is vector-based. This is coming in Tiger, isn't it?
OS X would normally suck at the resolutions discussed for the miniBook, but if you could simply scale the interface so that it appeared to be running at a higher resolution (with hard-to-read text, mind you), it could be workable.
I wonder if you could mirror the display at different resolutions? For instance, display a Keynote presentation at full resolution through a projector, while displaying the same screen, scaled to fit on the miniBook?
Apple could pull it off. The main things that this device could be used for is iTunes, Quicktime, Safari, Email, DVD Palyer, Note-taking, Keynote/PowerPoint Presentations, yada yada, yada, so on and so forth.
Apple could pull it off. The main things that this device could be used for is iTunes, Quicktime, Safari, Email, DVD Palyer, Note-taking, Keynote/PowerPoint Presentations, yada yada, yada, so on and so forth.
If Apple wanted tom make a PDA it would be amazing, but I don't see it happening.
ok, so you don't see it happening. Now lets hear from some more optimistic forward-thinking people who are more interested in the future.
Why is everybody so personal on the is forum? I was expressing my opinion, I know people don't agree with me but I was expressing what Jobs has said on many occasions.
it's nothing personal, we know what Jobs has said about PDAs, but we're not talking about PDAs.
This discussion is about what we'd like to see, and not about accepting that we'll never see anything. I want to be excited about the (hopefully near) future.
Comments
5" 800x480 touch-sensitive trans-reflexive screen identical to OQO's
<1GHz PPC7447B low-voltage G4 or a <1Ghz PPC750GX G3
512MB RAM soldered-on (non-upgradable)
40GB hard disk (1.8")
16MB-32MB Radeon graphics (Quartz Extreme capable)
1 USB 2.0 port
802.11 and Bluetooth (for a wireless keyboard/mouse)
1 FireWire 400 port
DVI output
Headphone jack
Thumb Keyboard like the OQO with trackpoint mouse
Lithion polymer battery
FireWire cable included in box
Size/weight similar to the OQO
BYOOD - Bring Your Own Optical Drive (connected by FireWire or USB)
Now I bet Apple can make this for $1000 today. Why? Apple has economies of scale in its favor, thanks to the iPod and its other products--OQO has only one product and can't use leverage like Apple to reduce costs.
Where to get the tiny hard drive, cheaply? Use those iPod drives Apple buys in bulk!
Where to get the battery, cheaply? Use an iPod battery (or two in parallel) Apple produces in bulk!
Where to find cheap low-power FireWire circuitry? Use the same one found in the iPod.
Where to get that low-power cool G4? Downclock and lower the voltage of the same G4's found in the Mini Mac, iBooks, and PowerBooks. Apple may be lacking in the performance department in its other products, but one thing Freescale/IBM do well is that they make very nice cool G3's and G4 for embedded applications. Perfect for the MiniBook!
Etc....
In fact, due to Apple's other products, Apple could make the MiniBook rather cheaply. Conversly, the Minibook, if successful, could help Apple reduce the cost of its other products.
Now, you say, what about software? Apple's in a perfect position again!
Target Disk Mode -- Quickly download or upload files to the MiniBook from your primary Mac using the included FireWire cable (This encourages switchers who buy a MiniBook to buy a Mini Mac). No optical drive needed!
InkWell -- I got your Newton right here! Built into every MacOS since 10.2, it allows for excellent handwriting recognition on that touch-sensitive display if the thumb keyboard isn't enough.
Quicktime/iTunes -- I got your video iPod right here!
With the touch-sensitive display, Apple could have a "virtual click wheel" on the screen.
iPhoto -- I got your iPod photo right here! Download pictures from your digital camera on the go.
iCal, AddressBook, Dashboard, etc... -- I got your PDA right here!
Keynote -- I got your pocket presenter right here!
The possibilities are endless.
Originally posted by Existence
Apple is almost perfectly suited to make something like the OQO. I'll explain later, but first the specs of what Apple's Minibook could be:
5" 800x480 touch-sensitive trans-reflexive screen identical to OQO's
<1GHz PPC7447B low-voltage G4 or a <1Ghz PPC750GX G3
512MB RAM soldered-on (non-upgradable)
40GB hard disk (1.8")
16MB-32MB Radeon graphics (Quartz Extreme capable)
1 USB 2.0 port
802.11 and Bluetooth (for a wireless keyboard/mouse)
1 FireWire 400 port
DVI output
Headphone jack
Thumb Keyboard like the OQO with trackpoint mouse
Lithion polymer battery
FireWire cable included in box
Size/weight similar to the OQO
BYOOD - Bring Your Own Optical Drive (connected by FireWire or USB)
Now I bet Apple can make this for $1000 today. Why? Apple has economies of scale in its favor, thanks to the iPod and its other products--OQO has only one product and can't use leverage like Apple to reduce costs.
Where to get the tiny hard drive, cheaply? Use those iPod drives Apple buys in bulk!
Where to get the battery, cheaply? Use an iPod battery (or two in parallel) Apple produces in bulk!
Where to find cheap low-power FireWire circuitry? Use the same one found in the iPod.
Where to get that low-power cool G4? Downclock and lower the voltage of the same G4's found in the Mini Mac, iBooks, and PowerBooks. Apple may be lacking in the performance department in its other products, but one thing Freescale/IBM do well is that they make very nice cool G3's and G4 for embedded applications. Perfect for the MiniBook!
Etc....
In fact, due to Apple's other products, Apple could make the MiniBook rather cheaply. Conversly, the Minibook, if successful, could help Apple reduce the cost of its other products.
Now, you say, what about software? Apple's in a perfect position again!
Target Disk Mode -- Quickly download or upload files to the MiniBook from your primary Mac using the included FireWire cable (This encourages switchers who buy a MiniBook to buy a Mini Mac). No optical drive needed!
InkWell -- I got your Newton right here! Built into every MacOS since 10.2, it allows for excellent handwriting recognition on that touch-sensitive display if the thumb keyboard isn't enough.
Quicktime/iTunes -- I got your video iPod right here!
With the touch-sensitive display, Apple could have a "virtual click wheel" on the screen.
iPhoto -- I got your iPod photo right here! Download pictures from your digital camera on the go.
iCal, AddressBook, Dashboard, etc... -- I got your PDA right here!
Keynote -- I got your pocket presenter right here!
The possibilities are endless.
sounds cool, but I don't see Apple making a tablet. I like my PDA but this would have to be very small to take off, not PC tablet size.
why would apple take the risk to bring such a laptop on the market ?
enzo0511, it's an entirely different machine to the iBook - it's not a laptop. People who buy an iBook generally don't buy another mac. This device would primarily supplement a desktop, a way of carrying your mac in your pocket.
There's no risk about it, I don't see it eating into any other product sales providing it's priced right and seen as an extension to the line, the same way the iPod is an extension of iTunes in your pocket.
Originally posted by jasonfj
MacCrazy, it is small. Did you look at the OQO?
enzo0511, it's an entirely different machine to the iBook - it's not a laptop. People who buy an iBook generally don't buy another mac. This device would primarily supplement a desktop, a way of carrying your mac in your pocket.
There's no risk about it, I don't see it eating into any other product sales providing it's priced right and seen as an extension to the line, the same way the iPod is an extension of iTunes in your pocket.
No i didn't look at it, i assumed it was laptop size. (whoops) BUT I still don't see Apple making one, Jobs' first decision when coming back to Apple was to scrap the Newton, it was the effect of the action rather than the action. Jobs was saying 'I'm in charge and I'm scrapping their projects.' Jobs is stubborn, how long did Apple not support ATi cards for, after their blunder? I don't see Jobs going back on this one. I think it would help Apple sales, like the halo iPod effect. Make it Windows compatible.
Originally posted by jasonfj
the world is a different place to when the Newton was around. So we're all happy with exactly what we have, are we? No more progress needed in the portable world, it's just perfect as it is? Is that what we're saying?
Not at all there is space in the market for an Apple solution, like the iPod integration but across all apps. Windows solutions and decent technologies with a strong OS. However, Apple won't go there! The newton, along with Pippin were too early. The iPod was almost too early.
OS X would normally suck at the resolutions discussed for the miniBook, but if you could simply scale the interface so that it appeared to be running at a higher resolution (with hard-to-read text, mind you), it could be workable.
I wonder if you could mirror the display at different resolutions? For instance, display a Keynote presentation at full resolution through a projector, while displaying the same screen, scaled to fit on the miniBook?
Originally posted by TrevorD
While I don't personally think Apple's gonna release a miniBook anytime soon, it does tie in fairly well with their scalable interface, where everything is vector-based. This is coming in Tiger, isn't it?
OS X would normally suck at the resolutions discussed for the miniBook, but if you could simply scale the interface so that it appeared to be running at a higher resolution (with hard-to-read text, mind you), it could be workable.
I wonder if you could mirror the display at different resolutions? For instance, display a Keynote presentation at full resolution through a projector, while displaying the same screen, scaled to fit on the miniBook?
Apple could pull it off. The main things that this device could be used for is iTunes, Quicktime, Safari, Email, DVD Palyer, Note-taking, Keynote/PowerPoint Presentations, yada yada, yada, so on and so forth.
Originally posted by isomething
Apple could pull it off. The main things that this device could be used for is iTunes, Quicktime, Safari, Email, DVD Palyer, Note-taking, Keynote/PowerPoint Presentations, yada yada, yada, so on and so forth.
If Apple wanted tom make a PDA it would be amazing, but I don't see it happening.
Originally posted by jasonfj
we're not talking about a PDA. The functionality isomething is talking about is way beyond a PDA.
it's a device that does less than an iBook - a mini computer or tablet PC. Whatever you call it, I don't see Apple making it, Jobs' likes mice.
Originally posted by jasonfj
ok, so you don't see it happening. Now lets hear from some more optimistic forward-thinking people who are more interested in the future.
Why is everybody so personal on the is forum? I was expressing my opinion, I know people don't agree with me but I was expressing what Jobs has said on many occasions.
This discussion is about what we'd like to see, and not about accepting that we'll never see anything. I want to be excited about the (hopefully near) future.