TMA said:
iWalk? iNewton? iBook Mini? Mini Book?
Pffffft I don't have any enthusiasm for this 'rumor' what so ever.
I think iBook Mini hits the nail on the head, since as the article pointed out it goes with their "Mini" theme. I think they should market it as a sub-notebook though, not as a PDA. Hmm...maybe they revive the G3 or use some other low-power Moto chip?
I picture something like this:
low-power G3 running at 800MHz (gotta have at least 5 or 6 hours battery life)
6" to 8" Widescreen Display (touchscreen). At least 640 pixels wide.
Full qwerty keyboard
1 or 2 USB ports (possibly also FireWire)
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled (same setup as Mac mini)
1.8" Hard drive at 20GB or 40GB
1 RAM slot, up to 1GB (laptop memory)
small external video connector (same as iBooks)
not sure about video card, but something with 32MB VRAM and ability to run full-fledged OSX and drive and
NO optical drive
Under 2lbs. weight
Omitting the optical drive and using a 1.8" hard drive will allow the unit to be quite a bit smaller than he Mac Mini. As with the iPod mini when it first came out, it would not be that much cheaper than the cheapest iBook. (especially considering the expensive hardware like touchscreen and 1.8" drive). So maybe something like this could sell for $800 initially?
As with the iPod mini, I think there would definitely be a market for it. It would be the size of a small paperback book so we're talking a whole new level of portability. It could be marketed to students or mobile professionals that just need a machine to take notes, edit documents, surf the web, send email, etc. And the bluetooth and external display connector mean that you can use it as a full-fledged computer at your desk at your dormroom or office.