Mini Laptop Idea
Just got a Treo 650. It was an agonizing, hurry-up-and-wait ordeal because what I really wanted was a portable writing, researching, and email tool combined with a telephone. A thumboard candy bar form factor was the least worst I could tolerate. I hate sliders. The clam shells aren't really that mature in design. Worst of all, there would be all these prototype phones (iPaq Messenger, BenQ P50, RAZRberry, Treo 670, ...) that would be slated to be released RSN, but never released! No wonder Apple never talks about up coming products.
Anyways, while doing all this stuff, it came to me that an ultra-portable Macintosh [i]companion[i] mini-laptop/tablet/e-book could be a truly viable market for Apple. This would be smaller than the current ultra-portable super-connected Centrino systems but bigger than the super-PDA sized systems (like the OQO).
So look at and refine this concept from theapplecollection.com:
Make it < 1 inch thick. The heaviest it can be is about 1.5, maybe 2, lbs. The specs would be 11" 1280x640 swiveling LCD, 1.4 GHz single-core Yonah, integrated graphics, 1 SO-DIMM slot, 30 GB 1.8" hard drive (like in the iPod), nipple for pointing device, WiFi, WiMAX, WiUSB, Bluetooth, USB, FireWire, audio out, SD slot, DVI out, and whatever wireless carrier network tech is out there (EDGE at al).
No internal optical and upgrades would have to be done by external optical or through a computer. Size would be about 10.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches. Weight needs to be < 2 lbs.
There are a gazillion and 1 ultra-portables out there, but they are expensive, and not Apple "beautiful". If HP can make a $650 iPaq hx4700 with 4" 640x480, then shouldn't $999 be within reach for this machine?
It's something I would carry with me at work everywhere, and it'll be easy compared to everyone carrying their laptops in a bag like they were in school or something.
Anyways, while doing all this stuff, it came to me that an ultra-portable Macintosh [i]companion[i] mini-laptop/tablet/e-book could be a truly viable market for Apple. This would be smaller than the current ultra-portable super-connected Centrino systems but bigger than the super-PDA sized systems (like the OQO).
So look at and refine this concept from theapplecollection.com:
Make it < 1 inch thick. The heaviest it can be is about 1.5, maybe 2, lbs. The specs would be 11" 1280x640 swiveling LCD, 1.4 GHz single-core Yonah, integrated graphics, 1 SO-DIMM slot, 30 GB 1.8" hard drive (like in the iPod), nipple for pointing device, WiFi, WiMAX, WiUSB, Bluetooth, USB, FireWire, audio out, SD slot, DVI out, and whatever wireless carrier network tech is out there (EDGE at al).
No internal optical and upgrades would have to be done by external optical or through a computer. Size would be about 10.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches. Weight needs to be < 2 lbs.
There are a gazillion and 1 ultra-portables out there, but they are expensive, and not Apple "beautiful". If HP can make a $650 iPaq hx4700 with 4" 640x480, then shouldn't $999 be within reach for this machine?
It's something I would carry with me at work everywhere, and it'll be easy compared to everyone carrying their laptops in a bag like they were in school or something.
Comments
Build it so that screen has 2 layers and the second on top slides up to butt up against the lower half to make a full sized 10" screen.
Then also build the keyboard so that it has an inner shell that slides in and out, the inner shell holds the Touch-me pad and button.
Thus, when fully deployed the mini would be about the same size as a full size 10" MACchine would be.
Use mini HDs, WiFi cards, and all the smallest components so the battery size can be maximized.
NO internal CD please.
Second, more moving parts equals more things to break.
Finally, the dual-layer screen... I'm not even sure what you're talking about. If it's one screen that slides up, so you have two screens acting like one... it's a bad kludge, for a laptop. Not only does it mean there's a physical break in the image (like having dual monitors on a desktop), but it adds to the thickness of the unit.
Originally posted by Kesh
It's the sort of thing I'd love to get. I'm hoping that the move to Intel will allow Apple to make an ultra-slim notebook, though I doubt it would be cheap. Miniturization tends to be expensive.
The move to Intel will allow it. Actually Apple could do this "Macintosh companion" now if they want to. The 10.9 inch dimension is the width of the current Powerbook 12". Eliminating the optical drive would save quite a bit of volume and allow them to shrink the system down to 10.9 x 6 x 1 inch, at least. The TiBook and Powerbook 17" are already 1 inch thick.
The micro laptops like the OQO or those Sony VGN systems are actually smaller than what I'm proposing, much smaller, but those systems have problems. The keyboard not being full laptop size being the primary one. They are also too small to be truly usable like a laptop, screen and screen resolutions are too small, and too big to be like a PDA.
What I intend is for this "Mac companion" to have the same size keyboard as the Powerbook and it needs to be something like 0.8 inches thick. At 0.8", it is thinner than a Treo 650, the OQO, the Sony VGN systems, and about the same thickness as PDAs and cellphones. It makes handling the system easy and typing like laptop normal.
Having an 11 inch screen is also vital. This screen is about 0.4 wider than the current 12" screens and there is enough bezel to for that (at least I think so), 0.2" on each side. The screen resolution at 1280x640 would actually be useful. Perhaps even 1024x512 (which is the same pixel density as the current 12").
So, since it isn't ultra compact like the OQO or Sony VGN, it really isn't that much of a miniaturization. There may even be empty space in there. And hopefully it should be cheap: low end Yonah system, iPod drive, and smallish screen with less pixel density than a Treo 650 or VGA PDA, all of which exists or will exist in sub-$1000 systems. 30 GB 1.8" drive: $150? 1.4 GHz single-core Yonah system: $200? 11" screen: $200?
Also, integrated GSM or CDMA radios would be the coup de grace. This is just normal wireless carrier network along with the "advanced" networking to come from the carriers. The unlimited data package for my Treo at $45/month tempts me. This is on a 320x320 screen! It would be a no-brainer on a Mac companion. I could have Internet access virtually anywhere (in the USA), and not have to rely on the office, coffee shop, library or airport having WiFi.
Originally posted by cubist
What, another subnotebook thread? Come on guys, this has been discussed to death already.
So what let it fly, I for one would love to see this and it?s never going to get old talking about it. That is until Apple grants this Apple geeks wish, and then you wont hear a peep from me. I just bought the Toshiba Libretto to quench my subnote book needs, it's a nice gizmo but I long for OSX. I also can't tell you how much I love the instant-on/standby feature on the PowerBooks.
Originally posted by Kesh
That's... slightly insane. For one thing, you kill the whole point of having a tiny, portable computer by having it butterfly into a larger machine.
Second, more moving parts equals more things to break.
Finally, the dual-layer screen... I'm not even sure what you're talking about. If it's one screen that slides up, so you have two screens acting like one... it's a bad kludge, for a laptop. Not only does it mean there's a physical break in the image (like having dual monitors on a desktop), but it adds to the thickness of the unit.
YOU SAID MY IDEA WAS INSANELY GREAT, THANKYOU ! Here's to the crazy ones !!!
Oh, computers for Midgets, NOOO that markets WAY toooo small -- yak, yak, yak !!!
Apple moving into the Midget market, Serious wakyness on your part !!!
I like moving parts, I think breakage problem was fixed about ten years ago, and the kludge thing, take a survey most of us want more kludge.
Beside the case thing is a now brainer only the screen would be difficult and desktop models close to what I am taking about are just starting to show up.
APPLE NEEDS TO GET MORE CREATIVE THOUGH THAT IS A FACT !!! If it wasn't for this Intel thing they would have been really BORRING for a long time now !
I have no doubt that Apple is looking at what IBM and others (like Sony) are doing in this area and will respond when Intel can deliver.
This is a very nice mini. It would be even better with OSX
It is the Sharp mm20
Originally posted by Buckaroo
This is a very nice mini. It would be even better with OSX
It is the Sharp mm20
Looks like crap. Sharp=Crap
I could see Apple making it with a few changes. The display would have to be a bit taller, maybe an inch or so. That still doesn't leave enough space for a track pad, which is the real deal breaker on this design. I just don't see Apple using a nipple in place of a track pad, just look at how Apple are about adding a couple of buttons and a scroll-wheel to their mice, and now they're going to use a decidedly PC device like that nipple? Finally, there's the optical drive, which is vital to software installation and OS X installs. Unfortunately it seems improbable that the size requirements could be met with an optical drive included - at least not with a G4. Maybe Intel will have a mobile CPU cool enough to cram inside a mini-notebook.
This would suite the people like me who need a computer on the jobsite or in the truck when their 12" is too big. I love my 12" but it could be a little smaller.