they're not going down in size, and apple will never make 4:3 ever again. its widescreen all the way, baby powerbook RIP.
You do realize that the Sony Vaio TX series use 11" widescreen displays at 1366x768? With all the same features as a Macbook, up to and including an optical drive, at 60% of the weight and more than double the battery life. As for iPods being the ultraportable future, Apple already tried using a stripped down OS in portables and it didn't do well. See the eMate. People want keyboards because writing with a stylus just isn't very fast even if it had 100% accurate recognition, which it doesn't. And people want to run a variety of apps from office suites to multimedia to email to web browsing, not just the few that can be cobbled to a miniOS. There's no point in trying to come up with a mimimal OS because then it diverts valuable engineering resources from OS X development.
A baby MacBook Pro? Why not... some folks want both expandability and a small/light notebook. Apple might bring it back some day, it wouldn't drop my jaw to see it... 13.3" widescreens though. 4:3 is definitely dead, as someone else mentioned.
However, Apple going beyond that to a teensy tiny little sub-notebooks (9-11")? Blah. I have a 12.1" iBook currently, and I'd define the screen as ' barely adequate' size-wise. The new 13.3" widescreens are at the low-end of what I'd even consider going forward. Most folks I know feel about the same. Keyboard also gets too cramped on a lot of the teensy-tiny micro-notebooks.
Sony TX series is nicely-designed, but $2300+ for an 11" screen just doesn't appeal. They look great for PC notebooks, though.
However, Apple going beyond that to a teensy tiny little sub-notebooks (9-11")? Blah. I have a 12.1" iBook currently, and I'd define the screen as ' barely adequate' size-wise. The new 13.3" widescreens are at the low-end of what I'd even consider going forward. Most folks I know feel about the same. Keyboard also gets too cramped on a lot of the teensy-tiny micro-notebooks.
Sony TX series is nicely-designed, but $2300+ for an 11" screen just doesn't appeal. They look great for PC notebooks, though.
There are fundemental market differences. The reason Apple's Mac market share is seriously hurting in Japan and some other parts of Asia is precisely because they don't offer an ultraportable.
Well, in my humble opinion quality beer should never be kept in a fridge. They say American beer is like making love in a canoe: it is f**ing close to water. But that is not true. There are great beers on both coasts, Anchor Steam on one side and Samuel Adams on the other. But I digress. Sorry.
You think Sam Adams is a great beer! You should try Erdinger Kristallklar, it's the one with the silver label.
As for iPods being the ultraportable future, Apple already tried using a stripped down OS in portables and it didn't do well. See the eMate.
thats why they'll build up from the ipod base, rather than start high as with the emate/newton. the ipod isn't just a DAP, it never was. from the very beginning, it was also designed as a sneakerdisk. Jobs talked about this very usage for portable firewire HD's as being a common thing to do, a year before they introduced the iPod. that is a full blown computer usage type task, and incrementally apple has been adding more computeresque functionality to the iPod where it makes sense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolchak
People want keyboards because writing with a stylus just isn't very fast even if it had 100% accurate recognition, which it doesn't.
depends on what you use it for. in your mind you're imagining them cobbling a newton onto an iPod, and i never said that. i said half a newton. the half that makes sense to include, or at least spiritually, leaning more towards PDA abilities while retaining its native multimedia capabilities. remember, Apple invented the PDA, they were the first and they coined the term with newton. i'm pretty sure all Jobs wants to do is take a profitable and makes-sense route to get there, again (a way that makes sense to Jobs's sensibilities anyway).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolchak
And people want to run a variety of apps from office suites to multimedia to email to web browsing, not just the few that can be cobbled to a miniOS. There's no point in trying to come up with a mimimal OS because then it diverts valuable engineering resources from OS X development.
no point to come up with a miniOS because it diverts resources? are you crazy? what do you think the iPod OS is?
the fact that you dont regard the iPod as a minicomputer with its own miniOS probably demonstrates just how successful Apple has been in entering the consumer mindset. people do regard it as a music player, a device, but not a computer. but it is! its a little tiny handheld computer that does a few things instead of many things or everything. over time they've been adding computerlike functionality to it while still maintaining very clear distinctions between ipod and laptop. thats all i'm talking about here.
think about it, they've added downloadable games. they added a stopwatch and laptimer. they added photo album playback abilities. they added a screen lock to 'secure your calender and contacts'. they added OSX like search abilities. 3rd parties have figured out how to do everything on it from running unix to storing text files, lists of data and maps. these are baby steps to an 'apple style' PDA. not a pre-Jobs era newton PDA, that had everything and the kitchen sink that practically competed with their old powerbooks. this is an incremental build up to the iPod PDA of the future. in true apple style, it will not do everything you want, it will be minimal, but it will also be highly functional for what it is. people will complain about that, but it will also be successful because it was the right combination of features and price at the right time.
there's alot to discuss on this subject, and i should probably go to another thread for it. there's definitely a few missing pieces before the iPod could be considered any kind of PDA, but it gets closer every year. but just a few things, say if it had that touch widescreen, 802.11n and the ability to run OSX widgets, suddenly its a very different device isnt it. far from being just a DAP. the ipod has already made inroads to businesses, if they added the 3 things i listed above suddenly it'd become a business necessity. imagine what that would do in the consumer space.
There are fundemental market differences. The reason Apple's Mac market share is seriously hurting in Japan and some other parts of Asia is precisely because they don't offer an ultraportable.
Now THAT'S a good reason to make one! I'm suddenly down with ultraportables. 8)
Still, if they did, I don't think they could fetch TX pricing for it? In the US, anyway, folks tend to believe that smaller screen = I pay less money. I guess I see why they've held off making one... it's a hard sell in some major markets, and to make it not a hard sell would require going into pricepoints where Apple couldn't make its margins.
Now THAT'S a good reason to make one! I'm suddenly down with ultraportables. 8)
Still, if they did, I don't think they could fetch TX pricing for it? In the US, anyway, folks tend to believe that smaller screen = I pay less money. I guess I see why they've held off making one... it's a hard sell in some major markets, and to make it not a hard sell would require going into pricepoints where Apple couldn't make its margins.
I wonder how Sony is doing with the TX? Hmm.
.
Sales of all computers have been poor in Japan this year, so something is going on there.
Now THAT'S a good reason to make one! I'm suddenly down with ultraportables. 8)
Still, if they did, I don't think they could fetch TX pricing for it? In the US, anyway, folks tend to believe that smaller screen = I pay less money. I guess I see why they've held off making one... it's a hard sell in some major markets, and to make it not a hard sell would require going into pricepoints where Apple couldn't make its margins.
I wonder how Sony is doing with the TX? Hmm.
.
On every air plane flight I am on I see people with the really small Sony's working away. My 12" iBook looks like a freekn 24" iMac next to those things. I haven't seen any of the low voltage one's yet but I haven't flown in a month or so. I will be flying again this week so I will keep my eye out.
Seems I'm not alone, Something smaller, not that I really desire a tiny screen (roll on flexible screens). Something lighter and smaller would be nice (perhaps they should look into some sort of transformer tech). Wonder if Apple is listening.
You think Sam Adams is a great beer! You should try Erdinger Kristallklar, it's the one with the silver label.
Actually, I was in Germany this summer, though not in Bavaria. I wish I had your tip then :-) I will remember it, though, for the next time. By the way, I noticed quite a few Mac users in Berlin: http://flickr.com/photos/elmers_eksnabo
For about three days I had no idea what you guys were talking about, because there was no connection to any sort of Pub in the story.
News flash: nobody, and I mean NOBODY, calls a publication a "pub". A pub is a place to have a drink, pick up ladies (or men, as the case may be), and otherwise have a good time.
That was a really stupid headline. Please don't screw up "pub" again. Thanks.
i would buy a bigger macbook if they put some stuff from the MBP in there like a higher powered video card for us gamers who are not satisfied with the MB gaming card.
This is an Apple related news site, surely we should be talking cider and not ales? Both are available from a good English pub. Then again I wouldn't trust rumors started by drunkards in a pub
I think the gap between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro is a bit too big.
I don't need to play Oblivion, but it would be nice to play at least some games and be able to do a bit of 3d work if you wanted to.
While I can live with the integrated graphics. The Macbook could be a bit sleeker the big border around the screen makes it look almost toyish and what really ticks me off is the glossy screen. I've seen it several times and I just don't want to get a laptop with a glossy screen.
Let's hope they at least make a normal screen an option.
Comments
I doubt we'll see a 15.4" MacBook. (But I didn't expect a 14"iBook back in 2002 either)
If it turned out I am wrong (again), I doubt it will have the same 1440x900 resolution as the 15" MacBook Pro.
Apple probably pulls the same trick as with the iBook 12" and 14" screen resolution, so a 1280x800 resolution max.
That would make sense. It's the same resolution as other value notebooks.
they're not going down in size, and apple will never make 4:3 ever again. its widescreen all the way, baby powerbook RIP.
You do realize that the Sony Vaio TX series use 11" widescreen displays at 1366x768? With all the same features as a Macbook, up to and including an optical drive, at 60% of the weight and more than double the battery life. As for iPods being the ultraportable future, Apple already tried using a stripped down OS in portables and it didn't do well. See the eMate. People want keyboards because writing with a stylus just isn't very fast even if it had 100% accurate recognition, which it doesn't. And people want to run a variety of apps from office suites to multimedia to email to web browsing, not just the few that can be cobbled to a miniOS. There's no point in trying to come up with a mimimal OS because then it diverts valuable engineering resources from OS X development.
However, Apple going beyond that to a teensy tiny little sub-notebooks (9-11")? Blah. I have a 12.1" iBook currently, and I'd define the screen as ' barely adequate' size-wise. The new 13.3" widescreens are at the low-end of what I'd even consider going forward. Most folks I know feel about the same. Keyboard also gets too cramped on a lot of the teensy-tiny micro-notebooks.
Sony TX series is nicely-designed, but $2300+ for an 11" screen just doesn't appeal. They look great for PC notebooks, though.
However, Apple going beyond that to a teensy tiny little sub-notebooks (9-11")? Blah. I have a 12.1" iBook currently, and I'd define the screen as ' barely adequate' size-wise. The new 13.3" widescreens are at the low-end of what I'd even consider going forward. Most folks I know feel about the same. Keyboard also gets too cramped on a lot of the teensy-tiny micro-notebooks.
Sony TX series is nicely-designed, but $2300+ for an 11" screen just doesn't appeal. They look great for PC notebooks, though.
There are fundemental market differences. The reason Apple's Mac market share is seriously hurting in Japan and some other parts of Asia is precisely because they don't offer an ultraportable.
Well, in my humble opinion quality beer should never be kept in a fridge. They say American beer is like making love in a canoe: it is f**ing close to water. But that is not true. There are great beers on both coasts, Anchor Steam on one side and Samuel Adams on the other. But I digress. Sorry.
You think Sam Adams is a great beer! You should try Erdinger Kristallklar, it's the one with the silver label.
As for iPods being the ultraportable future, Apple already tried using a stripped down OS in portables and it didn't do well. See the eMate.
thats why they'll build up from the ipod base, rather than start high as with the emate/newton. the ipod isn't just a DAP, it never was. from the very beginning, it was also designed as a sneakerdisk. Jobs talked about this very usage for portable firewire HD's as being a common thing to do, a year before they introduced the iPod. that is a full blown computer usage type task, and incrementally apple has been adding more computeresque functionality to the iPod where it makes sense.
People want keyboards because writing with a stylus just isn't very fast even if it had 100% accurate recognition, which it doesn't.
depends on what you use it for. in your mind you're imagining them cobbling a newton onto an iPod, and i never said that. i said half a newton. the half that makes sense to include, or at least spiritually, leaning more towards PDA abilities while retaining its native multimedia capabilities. remember, Apple invented the PDA, they were the first and they coined the term with newton. i'm pretty sure all Jobs wants to do is take a profitable and makes-sense route to get there, again (a way that makes sense to Jobs's sensibilities anyway).
And people want to run a variety of apps from office suites to multimedia to email to web browsing, not just the few that can be cobbled to a miniOS. There's no point in trying to come up with a mimimal OS because then it diverts valuable engineering resources from OS X development.
no point to come up with a miniOS because it diverts resources? are you crazy?
the fact that you dont regard the iPod as a minicomputer with its own miniOS probably demonstrates just how successful Apple has been in entering the consumer mindset. people do regard it as a music player, a device, but not a computer. but it is! its a little tiny handheld computer that does a few things instead of many things or everything. over time they've been adding computerlike functionality to it while still maintaining very clear distinctions between ipod and laptop. thats all i'm talking about here.
think about it, they've added downloadable games. they added a stopwatch and laptimer. they added photo album playback abilities. they added a screen lock to 'secure your calender and contacts'. they added OSX like search abilities. 3rd parties have figured out how to do everything on it from running unix to storing text files, lists of data and maps. these are baby steps to an 'apple style' PDA. not a pre-Jobs era newton PDA, that had everything and the kitchen sink that practically competed with their old powerbooks. this is an incremental build up to the iPod PDA of the future. in true apple style, it will not do everything you want, it will be minimal, but it will also be highly functional for what it is. people will complain about that, but it will also be successful because it was the right combination of features and price at the right time.
there's alot to discuss on this subject, and i should probably go to another thread for it. there's definitely a few missing pieces before the iPod could be considered any kind of PDA, but it gets closer every year. but just a few things, say if it had that touch widescreen, 802.11n and the ability to run OSX widgets, suddenly its a very different device isnt it. far from being just a DAP. the ipod has already made inroads to businesses, if they added the 3 things i listed above suddenly it'd become a business necessity. imagine what that would do in the consumer space.
There are fundemental market differences. The reason Apple's Mac market share is seriously hurting in Japan and some other parts of Asia is precisely because they don't offer an ultraportable.
Now THAT'S a good reason to make one! I'm suddenly down with ultraportables. 8)
Still, if they did, I don't think they could fetch TX pricing for it? In the US, anyway, folks tend to believe that smaller screen = I pay less money. I guess I see why they've held off making one... it's a hard sell in some major markets, and to make it not a hard sell would require going into pricepoints where Apple couldn't make its margins.
I wonder how Sony is doing with the TX? Hmm.
.
Now THAT'S a good reason to make one! I'm suddenly down with ultraportables. 8)
Still, if they did, I don't think they could fetch TX pricing for it? In the US, anyway, folks tend to believe that smaller screen = I pay less money. I guess I see why they've held off making one... it's a hard sell in some major markets, and to make it not a hard sell would require going into pricepoints where Apple couldn't make its margins.
I wonder how Sony is doing with the TX? Hmm.
.
Sales of all computers have been poor in Japan this year, so something is going on there.
Now THAT'S a good reason to make one! I'm suddenly down with ultraportables. 8)
Still, if they did, I don't think they could fetch TX pricing for it? In the US, anyway, folks tend to believe that smaller screen = I pay less money. I guess I see why they've held off making one... it's a hard sell in some major markets, and to make it not a hard sell would require going into pricepoints where Apple couldn't make its margins.
I wonder how Sony is doing with the TX? Hmm.
.
On every air plane flight I am on I see people with the really small Sony's working away. My 12" iBook looks like a freekn 24" iMac next to those things. I haven't seen any of the low voltage one's yet but I haven't flown in a month or so. I will be flying again this week so I will keep my eye out.
All I want's a MacBook Mini.
Me too. One with a 9" screen (like the little Vaios that Sony Style makes). I need the portability for school Steve!!!!1!!111!!
You think Sam Adams is a great beer! You should try Erdinger Kristallklar, it's the one with the silver label.
Actually, I was in Germany this summer, though not in Bavaria. I wish I had your tip then :-) I will remember it, though, for the next time. By the way, I noticed quite a few Mac users in Berlin: http://flickr.com/photos/elmers_eksnabo
PUB?!
For about three days I had no idea what you guys were talking about, because there was no connection to any sort of Pub in the story.
News flash: nobody, and I mean NOBODY, calls a publication a "pub". A pub is a place to have a drink, pick up ladies (or men, as the case may be), and otherwise have a good time.
That was a really stupid headline. Please don't screw up "pub" again. Thanks.
I don't need to play Oblivion, but it would be nice to play at least some games and be able to do a bit of 3d work if you wanted to.
While I can live with the integrated graphics. The Macbook could be a bit sleeker the big border around the screen makes it look almost toyish and what really ticks me off is the glossy screen. I've seen it several times and I just don't want to get a laptop with a glossy screen.
Let's hope they at least make a normal screen an option.