sub 12 inch powerbook wanted

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I've run a similar thread before...just waiting for the folks at apple development to do something about it....



I want an apple powerbook that is about 3lbs in weight, has about a 10.2 inch screen, usb, firewire, decent hard drive, dvd/cd-r combo drive, and 7-8hours battery life. I don't mind if the keyboard is slightly smaller than regulation. Sony has a VAIO with similar stats, but apple could make a better one. And I want it.



If anyone knows of something like this in the product line, please tell me. If not, can one of your genius artsy types mock one up so we can email it to apple?





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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 31
    rageousrageous Posts: 2,170member
    I'm guessing it wouldn't sell very well. The 12" is quite small as it is. Sony can afford to have smaller profit margains on products than Apple can, and they can afford to sell products that to smaller markets.



    I just see the market for this type of notebook being too small for Apple to invest in.
  • Reply 2 of 31
    sh0ewaxsh0ewax Posts: 114member
    Seems to me like this design would be better destined for an iBook. It having a combo drive, and probably a somewhat lower to middle range CPU adds up, at least IMO, to a consumer line iBook.



    Maciek
  • Reply 3 of 31
    10.2 inch ibook tablet.



    This would be neat...
  • Reply 4 of 31
    rraburrabu Posts: 264member
    Dump the optical drive; it adds unnessary bulk (and weight). You can use firewire for those needs. On the go, why bother carrying it around?
  • Reply 5 of 31
    Too small. Why go smaller than a 12 incher? Its not like you actually have to use the computer while you're actually walking around . 2.1Kg (12 incher) is not much to carry around in any kind of bag that I spose a business user who might need such a portable machine would have anyway.



    If anything they should just make the PBs lighter. I was disappointed that the form-factor of neither the 12" nor the 15" changed on 16/11.
  • Reply 6 of 31
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by AugustWest

    I want an apple powerbook that is about 3lbs in weight, has about a 10.2 inch screen, usb, firewire, decent hard drive, dvd/cd-r combo drive, and 7-8hours battery life.



    Sure, and throw in a kitchen sink too.



    If you want a small and light PowerBook, give up on the optical drive! rrabu takes the words out of my mouth.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by rrabu

    Dump the optical drive; it adds unnessary bulk (and weight). You can use firewire for those needs. On the go, why bother carrying it around?



    As some of you know, I'm a strong advocate for a sub-PowerBook, without an optical drive. If you're not willing to compromise on all the features, the current 12-inch PowerBook is spectacular. But if you want Apple to include every possible feature in a sub-PowerBook, you might as well get a G5 and a sherpa.



    Say NO to optical drives in subnotebooks!



    Escher
  • Reply 7 of 31
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Well, maybe maybe not, there Escher.



    If Apple takes a 12" PB and tweaks it, I believe they could get the weight down a full pound and shrink the footprint while keeping all the vitals and the same battery life it now has (not 7-8 hours, unless they go for a reflective display)



    The battery bay has a LOT of wasted space in it. They could easily drop a larger battery in there, or just make the thing smaller. Apple is committed to having a built in optical, and lets face it, DVD burning is a cool trick!



    So, the question is, how happy would you all be to have a 3.6 lb fully featured 12.1" DVD-burning laptop?



    A pound, that's all, no more, no less -- something that is within reach of current technology.



    If Apple really wants to go "sub" they'll spec a thin 2.5" drive, I'd be tempted to say 1.8" but durability issues arise. Jetison the optical (external via firewire, doubles as an MP3 player), cut the footprint around the keyboard -- with an Xwide screen -- slim the bugger down to 7/8ths and weight no more than 1.5lbs. Fully environmentally sealed. Full wireless I/O. Great for outdoorsmen, backpackers, what have you.



    But IF you're going to cut features, then the savings MUST be dramatic, not 3 lbs, but half that. Not 1" but 7/8ths or 3/4ths. Loosing functionality just to gain a few ounces or a bit of footprint isn't worth it.
  • Reply 8 of 31
    rhumgodrhumgod Posts: 1,289member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by AugustWest

    If not, can one of your genius artsy types mock one up so we can email it to apple?



    8)




    This is from a thread a while back, but contrasts a 12" and scaled 10.2" PowerBook.



  • Reply 9 of 31
    rhumgodrhumgod Posts: 1,289member
    Here's an updated version - with the 10.2" being quite a bit thinner without an optical drive:





  • Reply 10 of 31
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Rhumgod

    Here's an updated version - with the 10.2" being quite a bit thinner without an optical drive:



    Oooh, Rhumgod, now we're talking!



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matsu

    So, the question is, how happy would you all be to have a 3.6 lb fully featured 12.1" DVD-burning laptop?



    If Apple really wants to go "sub" they'll ... slim the bugger down to 7/8ths and weight no more than 1.5lbs.




    You make some good points there, Matsu. An optical-less 10" 3lbs sub-PowerBook wouldn't really be good enough for Apple. It either has to stay fully featured, or drop in weight even more.



    In reality, I've grown to love my iBook's 12" screen and full size keyboard over the past 30 months with it. And honestly, I don't think I would be willing to compromise on these at this point. The footprint of the 12-inch PowerBook is fine by me. If only Apple would make it thinner and lighter, I would be more than happy. OTOH, a light but DVD-burning laptop like the 12-inch PowerBook is indeed a fantastic proposition. That's why Apple is selling tons of them, including one to me in the next few weeks.



    Escher
  • Reply 11 of 31
    Why would you want a notebook without an optical drive? The added weight and size are nothing compared to the convenience that it offers. Apple's pitch has always been that they make the best, largest, and smallest, FULL FEATURED notebooks, take out the optical drive and they can't claim this anymore. They make some of the most incredible full featured notebooks in the world, extremely light, thin, and functional. What more could you ask for, or in your case less...I don't get it.
  • Reply 12 of 31
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    How many times do i have to say this!



    It can keep everything it has, hell even add backlit keyboard. Just cut the bezel around the screen out, and half an inch to inch of width and length is gone. Lose half an inch. But don't cut features. How can you do this? I don't know but I have faith Apple could do it. Here's why it will never happen:



    Too small of a market and margin, like someone else said. Apple is tiny and can not afford this. Sony can. So keep wishing but it will never happen.



    And tablets are a different thread. And they suck.



    Escher bays may solve the problem, don't you think? Have an extra small battery and decide whether you want more battery or optical drive. Or whatever else.



    It's all about cutting the bezel and width of the edge keys on the keyboard without shrinking the actual keys. They keyboard is gorgeous. And the screen is small already. I mean the 12" PB is already on the cusp. But I don't see it getting much smaller if at all.



    Buy a PDA if that's what you want, or if you want a bloody tablet.
  • Reply 13 of 31
    ryaxnbryaxnb Posts: 583member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DMBand0026

    Why would you want a notebook without an optical drive? The added weight and size are nothing compared to the convenience that it offers. Apple's pitch has always been that they make the best, largest, and smallest, FULL FEATURED notebooks, take out the optical drive and they can't claim this anymore. They make some of the most incredible full featured notebooks in the world, extremely light, thin, and functional. What more could you ask for, or in your case less...I don't get it.



    yea. i think so too. Though a crippled model would be nice:

    11" at 1024x768 or 950x700

    867Mhz-900Mhz G3 (or maybe G4, but use that 750GX G3! It rocks!)

    Max. mem 640MB, 384MB standard (upgrades to 1GB coming "Real Soon Now)"

    Combo/CD-RW drive (watching DVDs on 11" screen is not very practical)

    USB: one port or two, if one includes 2-port hub

    FireWire: one port

    Modem: 56k

    Enet: Gigabit if possible

    Sound: Sound out, includes iMic or similar adapter for sound in

    Displays: Mini-DVI, monitor spanning supported.

    Thinness: 1.05" or 1.1"

    Weight: 4.0lbs if possible.

    Tada.
  • Reply 14 of 31
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Escher

    Sure, and throw in a kitchen sink too.



    If you want a small and light PowerBook, give up on the optical drive! rrabu takes the words out of my mouth.







    As some of you know, I'm a strong advocate for a sub-PowerBook, without an optical drive. If you're not willing to compromise on all the features, the current 12-inch PowerBook is spectacular. But if you want Apple to include every possible feature in a sub-PowerBook, you might as well get a G5 and a sherpa.



    Say NO to optical drives in subnotebooks!



    Escher




    First of all, can I say that I don't believe that sub-notebook lobbyist can possibly be a paying career for anyone but maybe it's more of a vocational thing.



    I have to say that I believe that a 10" sub-notebook, which could also be a rather fetching A5 tablet using a somewhat non-standard aspect ratio, sounds like a good idea to me, except I do agree with your feeling on integrated optical devices, believing that they should be external in this instance.



    Far better in my view for Apple to further demonstrate the loss of its "Not Invented Here" mentality by adopting something like MemoryStick Pro; going this route would open up the whole Memory Stick Pro roadmap to Apple with 2GB available in 2004, 4GB in 2005 and a whopping 8GB in 2006.



    Not only is the capacity acceptable, so is the bandwidth!
  • Reply 15 of 31
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DMBand0026

    Apple's pitch has always been that they make the best, largest, and smallest, FULL FEATURED notebooks, take out the optical drive and they can't claim this anymore.



    I couldn't care less about the marketing people not being able to claim that all of Apple's notebooks are "fully featured." What I care about is a notebook that will weigh me down even less than a 12-inch PowerBook. Cutting out the optical drive may not save much weight directly, but indirectly it will allow for a smaller, lighter frame and case. The point of a subnotebook is to omit what I don't need to achieve lighter weight. I don't need an optical drive (on the road), thus a subnotebook shouldn't have one.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Aquatic

    Escher bays may solve the problem, don't you think? Have an extra small battery and decide whether you want more battery or optical drive.



    Not quite, Aquatic. The small battery would still be a waste of both space and weight in my subnotebook. Add dual bays to the 15-inch and 17-inch PowerBook? Now we're talking. My first PowerBook was a 520c, the series that pioneered the dual battery/expansion bays. My second PowerBook, a Wallstreet, further refined that concept. Even today, a Pismo with dual batteries will give you longer battery life than a 14-inch iBook.



    I don't need no bays. And I don't need no stinkin' optical drive.



    Escher
  • Reply 16 of 31
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mark- Card Carrying FanaticRealist

    First of all, can I say that I don't believe that sub-notebook lobbyist can possibly be a paying career for anyone but maybe it's more of a vocational thing.



    Are you trying to tell me that you make a living as a "Card Carrying FanaticRealist?" Nobody ever claimed that you could make money by living out your AppleInsider fantasy titles. There's a separate field in our profile for our income-generating professions.



    Quote:

    I have to say that I believe that a 10" sub-notebook, which could also be a rather fetching A5 tablet using a somewhat non-standard aspect ratio, sounds like a good idea to me, except I do agree with your feeling on integrated optical devices, believing that they should be external in this instance.



    We're in heated agreement here. However, why on earth would you want Apple to use Sony's proprietary Memory Stick format? Compact Flash provides significantly higher capacities, right now. I want technology that is available and affordable today. Memory Stick satisfies neither of the two criteria.



    Escher
  • Reply 17 of 31
    (double-post)
  • Reply 18 of 31
    gawd dammit....sony went and did it again:

    http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Style-a/...505/index.html



    less than 1cm thick, 10"lcd and only .758kg.



    And a sexy carbon fibre casing to boot....drool



    I have to agree with escher....we dont need no stinkin optical drive on an ultra portable. Not once during an hour-long tokyo train-ride into work have i ever needed to use a cd-rom. (i either leave the external drive at work or at home)



    Sure i dont condone using windows...but for portability, sony seems to have all the solutions. My vaio-c1/picturebook is great to watch my movies (mpg and avi) with QT or VLC, while i am bored on my commute.



    Dont get me wrong i love my titanium too...but 15" is just too big to pull out in a crowded train.
  • Reply 19 of 31
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Escher

    Are you trying to tell me that you make a living as a "Card Carrying FanaticRealist?" Nobody ever claimed that you could make money by living out your AppleInsider fantasy titles. There's a separate field in our profile for our income-generating professions.







    We're in heated agreement here. However, why on earth would you want Apple to use Sony's proprietary Memory Stick format? Compact Flash provides significantly higher capacities, right now. I want technology that is available and affordable today. Memory Stick satisfies neither of the two criteria.



    Escher




    Ahh, income-generating! Those were the days!



    Actually, I get confused about proprietary these days! There are more companies than just Sony producing Memory Stick media and certainly more companies producing devices that have Memory Stick capability.



    That said, CF and SD have more penetration, but do they have the throughput? I don't know and - to be honest - I'm not too bothered.



    The "realist" bit of my AI title should have the word "pragmatic" attached to it as I'm utterly agnostic about what media gets supported, with my only conviction on this subject being that there is probably a better/more convenient read/write/removable solution for a sub-notebook/tablet than an optical device.
  • Reply 20 of 31
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Aquatic

    How many times do i have to say this!



    It can keep everything it has, hell even add backlit keyboard. Just cut the bezel around the screen out, and half an inch to inch of width and length is gone. Lose half an inch. But don't cut features. How can you do this? I don't know but I have faith Apple could do it. Here's why it will never happen:





    They can't cut it down too much. The Airport antennas are in there.
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