iPod hard drives are in constant use when one is watching movies on them. They can't be that bad....
I'm not so sure about that - all iPods have buffer RAM in them. The idea is that the hard drive is driven at full speed for very short bursts, just long enough to fill up the RAM. Then the media is played out of the RAM. When the buffer is close to empty, the hard drive is spun up again to pull in another burst of data.
In the 5G iPod, I believe the buffer RAM was 32 MB.
What about software that 'requires' the disc to be in the drive, like Matlab? A lot of the world still does not have broadband, so how do you update, install, reinstall the OS when your downlaod speed is 2.6 kbps?
Didn't apple have a patent application a while ago for a different type of DVD drive - one that was just a disc shaped depression in the bottom of the case so there was no loading slot/drawer hardware?
This device is not being designed for apps like that; over the years I have had one app that need the disc in the drive and that was a game that I would never dream of placing on my portable.
This device also would likely be bought by people who already have one, two or even three big boy computers and are looking for something to carry around easily; they would plug it in to a home machine via FW 800 (I hope not USB 2).
What about software that 'requires' the disc to be in the drive, like Matlab? A lot of the world still does not have broadband, so how do you update, install, reinstall the OS when your downlaod speed is 2.6 kbps?
Didn't apple have a patent application a while ago for a different type of DVD drive - one that was just a disc shaped depression in the bottom of the case so there was no loading slot/drawer hardware?
But, the drive doesn't have to be in the computer.
For me the most important feature of a ultra portable is it being an all in one.
I would gladly sacrifice (some) weight and thickness if it would truly be an all in one.
I don't use a mouse as this means lugging around extra stuff - and I would *hate* having to pack extra gadgets such as an external drive (160 gb HD is minimum), a DVD (for file transfers and backup).
Ideally an ultra-portable PowerBook would have a slot for storing the AC-adapter.
For me the most important feature of a ultra portable is it being an all in one.
I would gladly sacrifice (some) weight and thickness if it would truly be an all in one.
I don't use a mouse as this means lugging around extra stuff - and I would *hate* having to pack extra gadgets such as an external drive (160 gb HD is minimum), a DVD (for file transfers and backup).
Ideally an ultra-portable PowerBook would have a slot for storing the AC-adapter.
Get a macbook.
Some really need to assess what the concept of an ultraportable means.
Thin makes no sense unless it is a truly driveless laptop.
No hard drive - solid state only.
No Superdrive. Who uses these drives anymore on a laptop?
If true, expect the price to be closer to 2K.
A nine or even eleven inch screen would be awesome.
But, if Steve Jobes doesn't use it, it never gets produced.
Regards,
Roger Born
"These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others."
How the hell are you supposed to install programs or re-install the operating system if it doesn't come with an optical drive?
I remember Apple releasing those Bondi Blue iMacs without either a floppy or a CD burner and the infamous hockey puck mouse, but Job's age is supposed to make him wiser, not dumber...
How the hell are you supposed to install programs or re-install the operating system if it doesn't come with an optical drive?
I remember Apple releasing those Bondi Blue iMacs without either a floppy or a CD burner and the infamous hockey puck mouse, but Job's age is supposed to make him wiser, not dumber...
Apple seems to have survived those "dumb" actions you mention.
There are a fair number of people owning these portables without optical drives, and they seem to be surviving. Mac users will survive as well.
If you really want an ultra portable, you will have to do without something, and that something will be an optical drive.
If you can't live without a built-in optical, then buy something bigger, and heavier.
For me the most important feature of a ultra portable is it being an all in one.
I would gladly sacrifice (some) weight and thickness if it would truly be an all in one.
I don't use a mouse as this means lugging around extra stuff - and I would *hate* having to pack extra gadgets such as an external drive (160 gb HD is minimum), a DVD (for file transfers and backup).
Ideally an ultra-portable PowerBook would have a slot for storing the AC-adapter.
These often go against each other. Using your last "ideal" as an example. Adding a power-supply and an area for a retractable cable would make the device thicker than anything we currently have.
You have to be willing to make sacrifices to get ultra-portable. Personally, I hope it's retains the footprint of a 4x3 screen. These Sony Ultra-portables with 16x9 screens are as nearly as wide as a regular machine but have no screen height. Widescreen maybe all the rage but it's a drawback when you are using it to read pages. When in a confined space (say sitting on a plane), it's your width space that is limited. I want the largest surface area of a screen I can get in an ultra-portable. I guess that would be a 1x1 ratio. Does anyone make square screens?
How the hell are you supposed to install programs or re-install the operating system if it doesn't come with an optical drive?
I remember Apple releasing those Bondi Blue iMacs without either a floppy or a CD burner and the infamous hockey puck mouse, but Job's age is supposed to make him wiser, not dumber...
odd that my old "ultra"portable ("ultra" in quotes because it wasn't a true ultra portable) has no built in optical drive but came with an external bay that I could swap in either a floppy or dvd-reader as desired. And not haul it around with me if so desired.
Why are folks arguing that an ultra portable needs an optical drive when the majority do not? Or that 160GB is required? Jeez. Some do...like the Sony but its not a requirement of category. Personally, I would trade the typical GMA 950 or GMA X3100 for dedicated graphics and not including an integrated drive. That would set it apart from the Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba which DO have an integrated DVD drive but integrated graphics.
Meaning a Apple ultra-portable MBP vs a MB. That, along with OSX, would make it stand out a little in the ultraportable market.
Eating apples on Wednesdays during the vernal equinox is not an option and quite frankly stupid.
Seriously, I've never had to restore my operating system while I'm on-the-go. Same for installing new software.
Sell us an ultraportable that comes with an external optical drive. I'll leave the optical drive at home and use it when I need to restore my system or in the rare circumstance that I need to install new software which wasn't acquired and downloaded online. The rest of the time, I don't want the extra weight thank-you-very-much.
An optical drive doesn't mean heavy. One can get a Sony TX with an optical drive, and the entire machine weighs 2.75lb and is still very compact.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtdunham
2) wide screens are useful only in viewing video but diminish readability.
No. Extra pixel density might hurt readability, but widescreen alone doesn't do this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cnocbui
What about software that 'requires' the disc to be in the drive, like Matlab? A lot of the world still does not have broadband, so how do you update, install, reinstall the OS when your downlaod speed is 2.6 kbps?
Maybe with a separate drive? How often do you need to reinstall the OS? That can be done at home, on the go, you're not likely to carry the OS reinstall CD with you, are you?
Software that requires an optical disk just to run (rather than just install) is very rare, I don't think it's a good idea to let that hold back progress with that because it's a dumb idea to do that in the first place.
3./ People who use their (pro) laptop to burn DVD/CD
4./ People who have other people giving them data CD/DVD
the list is ENDLESS
dell did this a while ago as well where the optical drive was a separate enclosure. Major PITA
Why? You can buy plenty of movies that without having to be on DVD. Apple sells them that way. You can copy files to a thumb drive. That covers the remaining four points. Full system backups can be done at home, on the go, the backup only needs to cover documents that were changed, and thumb drives are clearly big enough to handle most people's changed documents. For good full-system backups, you really need an external hard drive anyway, optical drives are too slow & tedious for that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EEVOL
That black "mock up" case is from ColorWarePC.com, they sell modified MBP cases of all colors for a decent price.
Nice, plagiarism. I really don't know if I'd call ColorWare's prices decent though.
An optical drive doesn't mean heavy. One can get a Sony TX with an optical drive, and the entire machine weighs 2.75lb and is still very compact.
Sure. It could have been under 2.5 pounds without it, and smaller still.
Quote:
No. Extra pixel density might hurt readability, but widescreen alone doesn't do this.
What widescreen does do, is to shrink the height. you get less on the screen at once. A web page would have to be scolled more to read the entire thing.
2.75lbs is much too heavy! 800g is the maximum weight that can sell well in Japan. There is no excuse for a laptop to weigh more than that.
You shouldn't use Japan as a basis of what will sell well in the US or EU. You may find that to loss a built-in optical drive just to shed some weight may not work so well in those markets. Japan may be ahead with technology, but that doesn't mean everyone else is following directly in their footsteps. Most "westerners" that I know still feel a 15" screen is ideal as they move from a desktop to a notebook as their main machine.
2.75lbs is much too heavy! 800g is the maximum weight that can sell well in Japan. There is no excuse for a laptop to weigh more than that.
How much do those cost? My impression is that weight is the leading edge, not the maximum, it ends up being like squeezing turnips for blood, or so the expression goes. Already ultraportables are pretty expensive, setting 800g as an upper limit would be even more so.
I'm confused...I want one but during waking hours I use a superdrive every 5 hours or so and I burn while I'm sleeping as well. How can you use a laptop without a drive?
Some really need to assess what the concept of an ultraportable means.
I guess some of us just miss the 12" PB :-)
Personally I wouldn't be mind an external optical drive as long as it was flawless when I need to do boot from it with the install disks. I would just by an extra one so I had one for work and one for home like I do now with powerpacks.
The less I have in the bicycle pannier the better!
I'm confused...I want one but during waking hours I use a superdrive every 5 hours or so and I burn while I'm sleeping as well. How can you use a laptop without a drive?
Exactly what are you writing? I haven't needed to write a disc in a long time. My notebooks have writers but I've never used them.
Comments
iPod hard drives are in constant use when one is watching movies on them. They can't be that bad....
I'm not so sure about that - all iPods have buffer RAM in them. The idea is that the hard drive is driven at full speed for very short bursts, just long enough to fill up the RAM. Then the media is played out of the RAM. When the buffer is close to empty, the hard drive is spun up again to pull in another burst of data.
In the 5G iPod, I believe the buffer RAM was 32 MB.
What about software that 'requires' the disc to be in the drive, like Matlab? A lot of the world still does not have broadband, so how do you update, install, reinstall the OS when your downlaod speed is 2.6 kbps?
Didn't apple have a patent application a while ago for a different type of DVD drive - one that was just a disc shaped depression in the bottom of the case so there was no loading slot/drawer hardware?
This device is not being designed for apps like that; over the years I have had one app that need the disc in the drive and that was a game that I would never dream of placing on my portable.
This device also would likely be bought by people who already have one, two or even three big boy computers and are looking for something to carry around easily; they would plug it in to a home machine via FW 800 (I hope not USB 2).
In the 5G iPod, I believe the buffer RAM was 32 MB.
The 60 gig has a 64 MB buffer.
What about software that 'requires' the disc to be in the drive, like Matlab? A lot of the world still does not have broadband, so how do you update, install, reinstall the OS when your downlaod speed is 2.6 kbps?
Didn't apple have a patent application a while ago for a different type of DVD drive - one that was just a disc shaped depression in the bottom of the case so there was no loading slot/drawer hardware?
But, the drive doesn't have to be in the computer.
Who knows if that's for present devices?
I would gladly sacrifice (some) weight and thickness if it would truly be an all in one.
I don't use a mouse as this means lugging around extra stuff - and I would *hate* having to pack extra gadgets such as an external drive (160 gb HD is minimum), a DVD (for file transfers and backup).
Ideally an ultra-portable PowerBook would have a slot for storing the AC-adapter.
For me the most important feature of a ultra portable is it being an all in one.
I would gladly sacrifice (some) weight and thickness if it would truly be an all in one.
I don't use a mouse as this means lugging around extra stuff - and I would *hate* having to pack extra gadgets such as an external drive (160 gb HD is minimum), a DVD (for file transfers and backup).
Ideally an ultra-portable PowerBook would have a slot for storing the AC-adapter.
Get a macbook.
Some really need to assess what the concept of an ultraportable means.
Thin makes no sense unless it is a truly driveless laptop.
No hard drive - solid state only.
No Superdrive. Who uses these drives anymore on a laptop?
If true, expect the price to be closer to 2K.
A nine or even eleven inch screen would be awesome.
But, if Steve Jobes doesn't use it, it never gets produced.
Regards,
Roger Born
"These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others."
How the hell are you supposed to install programs or re-install the operating system if it doesn't come with an optical drive?
I remember Apple releasing those Bondi Blue iMacs without either a floppy or a CD burner and the infamous hockey puck mouse, but Job's age is supposed to make him wiser, not dumber...
How the hell are you supposed to install programs or re-install the operating system if it doesn't come with an optical drive?.
Haven't you heard? Leopard is being released on a 8GB Firewire Flash Drive, super fast booting, no need to install.
How the hell are you supposed to install programs or re-install the operating system if it doesn't come with an optical drive?
I remember Apple releasing those Bondi Blue iMacs without either a floppy or a CD burner and the infamous hockey puck mouse, but Job's age is supposed to make him wiser, not dumber...
Apple seems to have survived those "dumb" actions you mention.
There are a fair number of people owning these portables without optical drives, and they seem to be surviving. Mac users will survive as well.
If you really want an ultra portable, you will have to do without something, and that something will be an optical drive.
If you can't live without a built-in optical, then buy something bigger, and heavier.
Simple, right?
For me the most important feature of a ultra portable is it being an all in one.
I would gladly sacrifice (some) weight and thickness if it would truly be an all in one.
I don't use a mouse as this means lugging around extra stuff - and I would *hate* having to pack extra gadgets such as an external drive (160 gb HD is minimum), a DVD (for file transfers and backup).
Ideally an ultra-portable PowerBook would have a slot for storing the AC-adapter.
These often go against each other. Using your last "ideal" as an example. Adding a power-supply and an area for a retractable cable would make the device thicker than anything we currently have.
You have to be willing to make sacrifices to get ultra-portable. Personally, I hope it's retains the footprint of a 4x3 screen. These Sony Ultra-portables with 16x9 screens are as nearly as wide as a regular machine but have no screen height. Widescreen maybe all the rage but it's a drawback when you are using it to read pages. When in a confined space (say sitting on a plane), it's your width space that is limited. I want the largest surface area of a screen I can get in an ultra-portable. I guess that would be a 1x1 ratio. Does anyone make square screens?
How the hell are you supposed to install programs or re-install the operating system if it doesn't come with an optical drive?
I remember Apple releasing those Bondi Blue iMacs without either a floppy or a CD burner and the infamous hockey puck mouse, but Job's age is supposed to make him wiser, not dumber...
odd that my old "ultra"portable ("ultra" in quotes because it wasn't a true ultra portable) has no built in optical drive but came with an external bay that I could swap in either a floppy or dvd-reader as desired. And not haul it around with me if so desired.
Why are folks arguing that an ultra portable needs an optical drive when the majority do not? Or that 160GB is required? Jeez. Some do...like the Sony but its not a requirement of category. Personally, I would trade the typical GMA 950 or GMA X3100 for dedicated graphics and not including an integrated drive. That would set it apart from the Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba which DO have an integrated DVD drive but integrated graphics.
Meaning a Apple ultra-portable MBP vs a MB. That, along with OSX, would make it stand out a little in the ultraportable market.
Eating apples on Wednesdays during the vernal equinox is not an option and quite frankly stupid.
Seriously, I've never had to restore my operating system while I'm on-the-go. Same for installing new software.
Sell us an ultraportable that comes with an external optical drive. I'll leave the optical drive at home and use it when I need to restore my system or in the rare circumstance that I need to install new software which wasn't acquired and downloaded online. The rest of the time, I don't want the extra weight thank-you-very-much.
An optical drive doesn't mean heavy. One can get a Sony TX with an optical drive, and the entire machine weighs 2.75lb and is still very compact.
2) wide screens are useful only in viewing video but diminish readability.
No. Extra pixel density might hurt readability, but widescreen alone doesn't do this.
What about software that 'requires' the disc to be in the drive, like Matlab? A lot of the world still does not have broadband, so how do you update, install, reinstall the OS when your downlaod speed is 2.6 kbps?
Maybe with a separate drive? How often do you need to reinstall the OS? That can be done at home, on the go, you're not likely to carry the OS reinstall CD with you, are you?
Software that requires an optical disk just to run (rather than just install) is very rare, I don't think it's a good idea to let that hold back progress with that because it's a dumb idea to do that in the first place.
How about this :
1./ People who watch DVDs on their laptop
2./ People who backup their laptop
3./ People who use their (pro) laptop to burn DVD/CD
4./ People who have other people giving them data CD/DVD
the list is ENDLESS
dell did this a while ago as well where the optical drive was a separate enclosure. Major PITA
Why? You can buy plenty of movies that without having to be on DVD. Apple sells them that way. You can copy files to a thumb drive. That covers the remaining four points. Full system backups can be done at home, on the go, the backup only needs to cover documents that were changed, and thumb drives are clearly big enough to handle most people's changed documents. For good full-system backups, you really need an external hard drive anyway, optical drives are too slow & tedious for that.
That black "mock up" case is from ColorWarePC.com, they sell modified MBP cases of all colors for a decent price.
Nice, plagiarism. I really don't know if I'd call ColorWare's prices decent though.
An optical drive doesn't mean heavy. One can get a Sony TX with an optical drive, and the entire machine weighs 2.75lb and is still very compact.
Sure. It could have been under 2.5 pounds without it, and smaller still.
No. Extra pixel density might hurt readability, but widescreen alone doesn't do this.
What widescreen does do, is to shrink the height. you get less on the screen at once. A web page would have to be scolled more to read the entire thing.
An optical drive doesn't mean heavy. One can get a Sony TX with an optical drive, and the entire machine weighs 2.75lb and is still very compact.
2.75lbs is much too heavy! 800g is the maximum weight that can sell well in Japan. There is no excuse for a laptop to weigh more than that.
2.75lbs is much too heavy! 800g is the maximum weight that can sell well in Japan. There is no excuse for a laptop to weigh more than that.
You shouldn't use Japan as a basis of what will sell well in the US or EU. You may find that to loss a built-in optical drive just to shed some weight may not work so well in those markets. Japan may be ahead with technology, but that doesn't mean everyone else is following directly in their footsteps. Most "westerners" that I know still feel a 15" screen is ideal as they move from a desktop to a notebook as their main machine.
2.75lbs is much too heavy! 800g is the maximum weight that can sell well in Japan. There is no excuse for a laptop to weigh more than that.
How much do those cost? My impression is that weight is the leading edge, not the maximum, it ends up being like squeezing turnips for blood, or so the expression goes. Already ultraportables are pretty expensive, setting 800g as an upper limit would be even more so.
Get a macbook.
Some really need to assess what the concept of an ultraportable means.
I guess some of us just miss the 12" PB :-)
Personally I wouldn't be mind an external optical drive as long as it was flawless when I need to do boot from it with the install disks. I would just by an extra one so I had one for work and one for home like I do now with powerpacks.
The less I have in the bicycle pannier the better!
Michael
I'm confused...I want one but during waking hours I use a superdrive every 5 hours or so and I burn while I'm sleeping as well. How can you use a laptop without a drive?
Exactly what are you writing? I haven't needed to write a disc in a long time. My notebooks have writers but I've never used them.