I Looked again at the specs in the clear light of day, and they seem doable (though not probable), especially if it were a tablet and not a keyboard based machine. However, who knows how much a touch-sensitive screen costs? Would it add a huge amount to the cost, or would that be recouped by the loss of the keyboard, hinge, etc.
If Apple can produce an eMac for 1099, then they could produce these at this price, methinks.
You know like a lot of us I would love to see an Apple Tablet. BUT the way viggen put it is completely wrong. The technologies are finally here like someone said: Ink, Airport, Better Battery, Smaller Hard Drive, Bluetooth, RendezVous, iChat, etc.
If Apple give us an "inkPad", it will be with a 12inch display at least (not 9.1). I think it will be letter or A4-size, one inch thick. This gadget must be a complement to a Desktop Mac. Of course if you go on a trip you will connected it via bluetooth with a GPRS mobile phone. It will be made with Wacom (or Apple will buy Wacom next ?? ).
The config will be the following:
12inch TFT (1024x768), direct pen-on-screen control
600 Mhz G3 with 512k L2 cache
100 Mhz System Bus
128 Mb RAM (upgradable to 640Mb -> One slot)
5 Gb Hard Drive (iPod Drive)
1 Firewire Slot
ATI Mobility 8MB RAM
Video Mirroring
Sound Output
Airport Card included
One 10 Mb Ethernet Slot
Modem 56K
Jaguar
a stylus
Then come the software: like usual iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, Mail, iChat, AppleWorks, FileMaker Trial, Painter Trial, Wacom PenTools.
But the price of it is tricky...
Maybe Apple can go for US$ 1299 (economy of scale), but not under.
Go here to see how much only a screen tablet cost:
It's not those that will be taken center stage. Even spymac is being fooled. Yes portables will take center stage, just not in the form of notebook you expected. Think SUB-NOTEBOOK.
This is what you should see introduced on the 17th at the Macworld Keynote:
A machine with that low specs is gonna be less than $1000. I though Apple didn't like those low-margin products, and let high-margin new products trickle down to become low-margin old products.
Kormac: In your wild Apple dreams, does this have an OQO form factor?
Both the names iMate and PowerMate are already taken, both by Griffin Technologies. The iMate is a USB to ADB adapter, and the PowerMate is a cool aluminium volume knob/clicker.
Every macworld somebody out there has to get us all hyped up for some machine that doesn't exist so that we'll end up utterly dissapointed with what they DO in fact give us. Look, this is just not going to happen.. am I the only person who thinks that apple is just not going to take any big chances (as it pertains to HARDWARE) this year? The PC market is abhorrent right now, they can barely move their big market items out the door - and yet, according to you guys, they're going to release some sort of weird electric can opener that can talk to your shower nozzle from 30 feet away. An apple PDA/Subnotebook is a big chance.. god knows i want one but it's just another piece of inventory to possibly lay around an apple store. Jobs must know that now isn't really the time to take any significant chances that could lead to more figures that say "We're behind in sales." Apple's got to find a way to sell what they have right now, not to just keep introducing more and more new types of hardware into a market that already wants to have very little to do with them.
And honestly, Jobs has a two hour keynote.. an hour or more of that is going to be composed of talking about how good OS X is doing, BIG preview of Jaguar, can't wait to see how many freaking bounces it takes for internet explorer to open.. i better find my stopwatch now so i can time it. I'm sure we'll see a sweet photoshop test in there too, man what a trip that'll be. Then maybe a nice 20 minutes on why you should give them money for .mac. Then of course we have to sit through another twenty minutes of freaking "Switch" ads. Finally maybe he'll update a product or two. Chances of seeing anything substantial that is new? I say zero.
This is really exciting -- finally something to speculate about Apple actually producing! I don't care if it really happens or not, it would be wonderful to even think about a device like this materializing -- it would solve many questions and problems for students and businessmen alike (between choosing to buy either a Power Book or Power Mac or both).
Let's pray that something comes out tomorrow morning! (even that G4 iBook!)
<strong>am I the only person who thinks that apple is just not going to take any big chances (as it pertains to HARDWARE) this year? The PC market is abhorrent right now, they can barely move their big market items out the door - and yet, according to you guys, they're going to release some sort of weird electric can opener that can talk to your shower nozzle from 30 feet away. An apple PDA/Subnotebook is a big chance..</strong><hr></blockquote>
What better time to take a chance than when the tried-and-true stuff isn't selling? If you don't know what's going to sell, you might as well try to find out.
Steve said that Apple will innovate its way through this slow period, so I'm figuring that they'll probably innovate their way through this slow period. When sales are slow and money's tight, you have to offer hardware that people just have to have, or they won't budge. You only have the luxury of releasing lukewarm products when consumers are fat and happy.
[quote]<strong>Jobs must know that now isn't really the time to take any significant chances that could lead to more figures that say "We're behind in sales."</strong><hr></blockquote>
Unless there's also a chance that they'll lead to figures that say they're ahead in sales. And especially if staying the course means a near certainty that Apple will lose sales (caveat: their market share has actually been ticking upward this year).
<strong>AirPort *is* Ethernet, just without the cumbersome, thick, heavy wires.</strong><hr></blockquote>
No it's not. Ethernet can carry with you. You go to a neighboring university, plug in your laptop, and bang, your on the net. You go home, you plug into your DSL, bang, your on the net. You go to a lawyers office to sue your wife, bang, your on the net. Airport is Apple only (for the most part) and limited at best in it's availability. Call it a classroom wireless fixer upper, but don't call it a replacement for Ethernet.
No it's not. Ethernet can carry with you. You go to a neighboring university, plug in your laptop, and bang, your on the net. You go home, you plug into your DSL, bang, your on the net. You go to a lawyers office to sue your wife, bang, your on the net. Airport is Apple only (for the most part) and limited at best in it's availability. Call it a classroom wireless fixer upper, but don't call it a replacement for Ethernet.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Actually, you are wrong. According to apple, AIRPORT will work on any wireless network that uses the 802.11 standard. I can take my powerbook into starbucks and be online. I can take my powerbook into the school of engineering at UofI and be online using the "Airport". Airport will work anywhere there is a wireless network setup. The "Airport" card is basically an Apple branded wireless card. However, the Airport is much slower than being "plugged in" using ethernet.
An Airport enabled Mac can utilize any 802.11b network. And if you haven't noticed, these networks are blossoming all over most metropolitan areas. Apple did, once again, a very smart thing by standardizing on a -- get ready now -- standard wireless protocol.
Is it faster than a 100Mbps connection? Of course not. But actually that is a theoretical maximum throughput. At work we have switched 100Mbps for every computer and I have yet to see a workstation exceed 5Mb peaks for stand web, email, or file server access.
Comments
If Apple can produce an eMac for 1099, then they could produce these at this price, methinks.
Hope Springs Eternal,
Mandricard
AppleOutsider
If Apple give us an "inkPad", it will be with a 12inch display at least (not 9.1). I think it will be letter or A4-size, one inch thick. This gadget must be a complement to a Desktop Mac. Of course if you go on a trip you will connected it via bluetooth with a GPRS mobile phone. It will be made with Wacom (or Apple will buy Wacom next ??
The config will be the following:
12inch TFT (1024x768), direct pen-on-screen control
600 Mhz G3 with 512k L2 cache
100 Mhz System Bus
128 Mb RAM (upgradable to 640Mb -> One slot)
5 Gb Hard Drive (iPod Drive)
1 Firewire Slot
ATI Mobility 8MB RAM
Video Mirroring
Sound Output
Airport Card included
One 10 Mb Ethernet Slot
Modem 56K
Jaguar
a stylus
Then come the software: like usual iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, Mail, iChat, AppleWorks, FileMaker Trial, Painter Trial, Wacom PenTools.
But the price of it is tricky...
Maybe Apple can go for US$ 1299 (economy of scale), but not under.
Go here to see how much only a screen tablet cost:
<a href="http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_15x.cfm"; target="_blank">http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_15x.cfm</a>;
<strong>AirPort *is* Ethernet, just without the cumbersome, thick, heavy wires.
AirPort is where its at for Apple. I would believe if this guy had some more specific info (part # or some spy photo).
Nice to dream tho... ahhh pretty...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Um, NO! (in response to "AirPort *is* Ethernet")
<a href="http://www.spymac.com/forums/?board=4&action=display&threadid=4813&start=0"; target="_blank">http://www.spymac.com/forums/?board=4&action=display&threadid=4813&start=0</a>;
================================================
It's not those that will be taken center stage. Even spymac is being fooled. Yes portables will take center stage, just not in the form of notebook you expected. Think SUB-NOTEBOOK.
This is what you should see introduced on the 17th at the Macworld Keynote:
*9.6" Color LCD screen
*8.25" x 6.5" x .87" thick
*titanium enclosure
*700 MHz G3
*20 GB HD
*ram = 128 MB min
*ports = 2 firewire, 2 usb, ethernet, modem, audio in/out
*8 hour (max) battery, rechargeable via firewire adapter
*Airport ready, Bluetooth built-in
*input = toggle between stylus & onscreen digital keyboard
*Protective leather sleeve included
*Mac OSX 10.2, iPlan (scheduling app), Appleworks & all other digital hub apps included
==============================================
Have fun!
P.S.: To Fran441:
I think it is about time that you can talk about IT!
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: kormac77 ]</p>
A G3 in a brand new product?
Titanium for a consumer machine?
A machine with that low specs is gonna be less than $1000. I though Apple didn't like those low-margin products, and let high-margin new products trickle down to become low-margin old products.
Kormac: In your wild Apple dreams, does this have an OQO form factor?
<a href="http://www.transmetazone.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1060"; target="_blank">http://www.transmetazone.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1060</a>;
<a href="http://www.oqo.com"; target="_blank">http://www.oqo.com</a>;
I would buy an Apple OQO (assuming the price was around/less than $1500) if it was released.
The question is, would others? Because thats what counts. I might like Apple to release something, but we don't want another cube on Apple's hands.
Barto
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: Barto ]</p>
<strong>
Um, NO! (in response to "AirPort *is* Ethernet")</strong><hr></blockquote>
Technically it is a wireless ethernet protocol.
10baseT Ethernet is 802.3, Airport is 802.11, 802.16 is Wireless broadband, but they are all based on ethernet.
<strong>
*9.6" Color LCD screen
*8.25" x 6.5" x .87" thick
*titanium enclosure
*700 MHz G3
*20 GB HD
*ram = 128 MB min
*ports = 2 firewire, 2 usb, ethernet, modem, audio in/out
*8 hour (max) battery, rechargeable via firewire adapter
*Airport ready, Bluetooth built-in
*input = toggle between stylus & onscreen digital keyboard
*Protective leather sleeve included
*Mac OSX 10.2, iPlan (scheduling app), Appleworks & all other digital hub apps included
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: kormac77 ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
I've now seen these specs on 4 or 5 rumour boards. I've also seen talk of iPlan/iOrganize/etc. Rumours do breed but it seems a good spec'd system.
If it's true, we have an Apple uberPDA. And I have less money in my bank account...
<strong>why would apple pull EtherNet and a modem, yet still have AirPort ability?
This makes no sense, none, none, this is a poorly drawn up dream</strong><hr></blockquote>
No sense? How about "we want a wireless network device"? Like carry it around the house?
You make no sense, actually.
And honestly, Jobs has a two hour keynote.. an hour or more of that is going to be composed of talking about how good OS X is doing, BIG preview of Jaguar, can't wait to see how many freaking bounces it takes for internet explorer to open.. i better find my stopwatch now so i can time it. I'm sure we'll see a sweet photoshop test in there too, man what a trip that'll be. Then maybe a nice 20 minutes on why you should give them money for .mac. Then of course we have to sit through another twenty minutes of freaking "Switch" ads. Finally maybe he'll update a product or two. Chances of seeing anything substantial that is new? I say zero.
Let's pray that something comes out tomorrow morning! (even that G4 iBook!)
<strong>am I the only person who thinks that apple is just not going to take any big chances (as it pertains to HARDWARE) this year? The PC market is abhorrent right now, they can barely move their big market items out the door - and yet, according to you guys, they're going to release some sort of weird electric can opener that can talk to your shower nozzle from 30 feet away. An apple PDA/Subnotebook is a big chance..</strong><hr></blockquote>
What better time to take a chance than when the tried-and-true stuff isn't selling? If you don't know what's going to sell, you might as well try to find out.
Steve said that Apple will innovate its way through this slow period, so I'm figuring that they'll probably innovate their way through this slow period. When sales are slow and money's tight, you have to offer hardware that people just have to have, or they won't budge. You only have the luxury of releasing lukewarm products when consumers are fat and happy.
[quote]<strong>Jobs must know that now isn't really the time to take any significant chances that could lead to more figures that say "We're behind in sales."</strong><hr></blockquote>
Unless there's also a chance that they'll lead to figures that say they're ahead in sales. And especially if staying the course means a near certainty that Apple will lose sales (caveat: their market share has actually been ticking upward this year).
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: scottiB ]</p>
Hey, thanks for the insider info. It sounds like a real winner!
<img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: Merlion ]</p>
<strong>AirPort *is* Ethernet, just without the cumbersome, thick, heavy wires.</strong><hr></blockquote>
No it's not. Ethernet can carry with you. You go to a neighboring university, plug in your laptop, and bang, your on the net. You go home, you plug into your DSL, bang, your on the net. You go to a lawyers office to sue your wife, bang, your on the net. Airport is Apple only (for the most part) and limited at best in it's availability. Call it a classroom wireless fixer upper, but don't call it a replacement for Ethernet.
<strong>
No it's not. Ethernet can carry with you. You go to a neighboring university, plug in your laptop, and bang, your on the net. You go home, you plug into your DSL, bang, your on the net. You go to a lawyers office to sue your wife, bang, your on the net. Airport is Apple only (for the most part) and limited at best in it's availability. Call it a classroom wireless fixer upper, but don't call it a replacement for Ethernet.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Actually, you are wrong. According to apple, AIRPORT will work on any wireless network that uses the 802.11 standard. I can take my powerbook into starbucks and be online. I can take my powerbook into the school of engineering at UofI and be online using the "Airport". Airport will work anywhere there is a wireless network setup. The "Airport" card is basically an Apple branded wireless card. However, the Airport is much slower than being "plugged in" using ethernet.
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: BrDoc ]
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: BrDoc ]</p>
I would probably buy one to suppliment a PMac, but not as a standalone.
And I use a LinkSys Access Point to connect my Pismo to an "Airport" (read: 802.11b) network.
<strong> Airport is Apple only (for the most part) and limited at best in it's availability.</strong><hr></blockquote>
<img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
An Airport enabled Mac can utilize any 802.11b network. And if you haven't noticed, these networks are blossoming all over most metropolitan areas. Apple did, once again, a very smart thing by standardizing on a -- get ready now -- standard wireless protocol.
Is it faster than a 100Mbps connection? Of course not. But actually that is a theoretical maximum throughput. At work we have switched 100Mbps for every computer and I have yet to see a workstation exceed 5Mb peaks for stand web, email, or file server access.
Screed
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: sCreeD ]
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: sCreeD ]</p>