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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Really? $400 less? I peruse the newspaper ads on Sundays and from what I can find, even the best deals either use last year's mediocre hardware or are pretty closely-priced to Apple's offerings.
And do you really want a computer that will just sorta-work for 2.4 years then die? At least with a Mac, you'll have stable hardware, stable software, an easy-to-use UI, and a really slick-looking industrail design all on a unit that'll last you at least 4 years. Look at the number of people still carrying their 12" G4 PowerBooks around. And me? I'm using a G4 iMac that's going on 6-years-old this spring.
The things I listed above are worth the "$400 premium" ... at least to me.
-Clive
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.
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!
The problem with making things ultra-thin but still the size of a MacBook is that they lose structural rigidity and become easy to warp or bend. I've seen plenty of 12" iBooks that have been warped by users sticking them in a backpack/laptop bag so I can't imagine how Apple would create a 13" MacBook Thin, especially if they use Aluminium instead of the magnesium/thermoplastic they use in the MacBook as people seem to be asking for.
Reduce the size as well as the thickness and you get back the structural rigidity. Use materials that are highly rigid too - Aluminium isn't.
As I said earlier, the MacBook Thin rumour is simply nonsense. This LED backlit screen is for the MacBook refresh.
Comments
Macworld can't get here soon enough!
- 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.
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
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
Done.
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
Not all games are graphically demanding. For all we know, he may be thinking Bejewelled.
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
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??
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??
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Really? $400 less? I peruse the newspaper ads on Sundays and from what I can find, even the best deals either use last year's mediocre hardware or are pretty closely-priced to Apple's offerings.
And do you really want a computer that will just sorta-work for 2.4 years then die? At least with a Mac, you'll have stable hardware, stable software, an easy-to-use UI, and a really slick-looking industrail design all on a unit that'll last you at least 4 years. Look at the number of people still carrying their 12" G4 PowerBooks around. And me? I'm using a G4 iMac that's going on 6-years-old this spring.
The things I listed above are worth the "$400 premium" ... at least to me.
-Clive
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.
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!
The problem with making things ultra-thin but still the size of a MacBook is that they lose structural rigidity and become easy to warp or bend. I've seen plenty of 12" iBooks that have been warped by users sticking them in a backpack/laptop bag so I can't imagine how Apple would create a 13" MacBook Thin, especially if they use Aluminium instead of the magnesium/thermoplastic they use in the MacBook as people seem to be asking for.
Reduce the size as well as the thickness and you get back the structural rigidity. Use materials that are highly rigid too - Aluminium isn't.
As I said earlier, the MacBook Thin rumour is simply nonsense. This LED backlit screen is for the MacBook refresh.