Light-weight Stylish Mac Laptops in 2006?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

Taipei Times reports on research analyst predictions that Apple will be introducing "light-weight [notebooks] with a stylish design aimed at luring female users."

The new models are expected come in at the following specs:

12-inch notebooks at 1.5kg (3.3lbs)
14-inch notebooks below 2kg (4.4lbs)

Apple's current iBook comes in at 2.2kg (4.9lbs) for the 12" and 2.7kg (5.9lbs) for the 14" model. Meanwhile, Apple's PowerBook weighs 2.1kg (4.6lbs) for the 12" and 2.5kg (5.6lbs) 15" model.

The article/analyst does not specify whether or not these notebooks represent revised PowerBook or iBook models. One early report did claim that the upcoming Intel PowerBook would see a 20-25% thinner design when it was introduced as early as February. Meanwhile, iBook rumors point to a January release, but expectations of a 13.3" model rather than a 14" model.

The reliability of this information is uncertain.

[matticus008]

It seems silly to report on something like this. OF COURSE notebooks are going to be thinner and lighter next year. We have the past 15 years to demonstrate that trend.

[nsjoker]

i also think female users are already attracted to apple's notebook designs.

[toughboy]

what I dont understand is that this trend is done to "lure female users"..

Which stupid marketing manager think that males love to carry around heavy bulky and ugly things?

Last time I saw something that possibly aimed to lure females was clamshell iBooks.. And they didnt sell well...

[ZorPrime]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

The reliability of this information is uncertain.

My favorate part of the rumor. *heh heh*

I think for the ultra-portable crowd, an 11" wide would be cool but maybe that's too small. Sony's had them for a while... and previous rumors have mentioned Apple employing Sony laptop engineers... 13" wide would be better. Either way, i think the entire line should be widescreen.

[DTphonehome]

Oh please. We all know that I'm what lures females to Macs.

[x_knyght]

I just can't wait until any of the Intel Mac comes out. But thinner laptops would be a plus on luring anyone that travels a lot, not just women. But I know my significant other would love to have a laptop that thin and light.

[richdun]

Lighter and thinner, eh? So that attracts female users? Big and hairy doesn't work so well? Well, that sends me back to the drawing board.

Oh, uh, back to the drawing board for the computers...yeah, that's it.

[vniow]

Originally Posted by DTphonehome

Oh please. We all know that I'm what lures females to Macs.

Oh no you're not.

Not while I'm still around at least...

[buryyourbrideau]

I hope they dont come out with a ridiculous pink iBook or something of that sort.

I mean yea a iPod mini was alright to have one in a odd color, but come on....a laptop?

I think it would just stray away from what I love about Apple...WHITE!

[supergod]

I don't want a desktop replacement: I want a laptop. Something that could be good for typing, internet and gigging with logic. If the iBooks were powerful enough for this, I would definitely pick one up. And I'm assuming they are going to be getting better.

If the next gen iBook supported external displays, I would consider getting one. If not, I'll probably ignore laptops, as I've done up until now.

[nagromme]

I would VERY much like more choices in the "power vs. size" spectrum--and the growth of the Mac market should lead to more options and more "specialized" or "niche" models. Meanwhile, until that happens, Intel's low-power chips can help too!

Sounds like just speculation, but I hope some of this is true. (LoopRumors a while ago mentioned a supposed sub-$500 iBook, too. Really stripped down. I can see it happening.)

I don't know which I'd choose--powerful PowerBook or thin-and-light iBook (or whatever model) but I know I want the choice I'd even consider having the optical drive be external--I rarely use mine. In fact, a real pocketable Mac would be GREAT SOMEDAY. I'd plug into any old keyboard and display at my destination for serious work, and use the built-in tiny keys for casual tasks on the go.

And hopefully even the FULL-powered models will be thinner/lighter than now. That's usually the trend, but the 15" AlBook was a bit larger than the TiBook.

My guess: there may be just one special model (highest-end iBook or lowest-end PowerBook?) that's extra thin but makes some sacrifices (of necessity) to achieve it. The others will be full-power laptops like we're used to (only... faster).

[Eidorian]

Yeah, I'm going to try to save up for a light laptop by Christmas next year. I bought a 15.4" Compaq laptop in 2003. I was big and powerful. It just weighs too much and it's a pain. I just keep it at home and it collects dust. I want something light to take notes on or code.

[Daveway]

[arn]Move on people, nothing to see here...[/arn]

Thanks for the info.

12-inch notebooks at 1.5kg (3.3lbs)
14-inch notebooks below 2kg (4.4lbs)

That's about the only useful part of info. Like the other posters said, "of course things are going to get thinner and lighter!"
http://www.myelixr.com/dump/emoticons/nopompom.gif

[Fender]

The big question is if they will vibrate?

[strange days]

come on guys, catch some snippets from your secret envoy in TAIWAN and give us a peek of the loot; we're dying here waiting for Mac rumors...

...i'd like the sub 500$ option too, but looks like wishful thinking for now, like the iPhone, or the iPDA ( actually they could offer huge rebates of current lines of iBooks and powerBooks if intel is spread out over the whole line )...

hey, maybe the recent selling out of shuffles means we get new models that remote control the coming "front row" as well playing back mp3 files !

...oh well, three weeks to go, right ?

[starwxrwx]

Originally Posted by supergod

If the next gen iBook supported external displays, I would consider getting one. If not, I'll probably ignore laptops, as I've done up until now.

Apple won't enable external displays by default on the ibook line, it's one more 'feature' that distinguishes them from the powerbook models.

However, I have an ibook and an emac and have been using the screen spanning hack on both for ages and it works fine, so unless the graphics cards no longer support spanning in the new Intel books (unlikely as even 2 years ago the graphics hardware supported it) it's a non-issue

[gekko513]

If this is based on some insider information and not just pure speculation, then the continuation of 12" and 14" form factors is interesting in itself. Other rumors have mentioned 13" widescreen, haven't they?

[thejadedmonkey]

How come there's no photo leaks? Didn't there used to be a lot of photo leaks like a year ago? Give me photos, and I'll get hyped.


Actually, get me a lightweight mac laptop that I can install Vista on and I'll be happy. Otherwise I'll just have some issues with apple. Yes, XP. I tried coding on OS X...doesn't work for me. And games, I need my games that were designed for XP to run on XP, not some crappy port <--that'll be mute when I get a revolition though!)

[joeboy_45101]

Well, we first saw the modern PowerBooks with a Titanium casing. Then Apple redesigned them with an Aluminum casing. I don't know what material they will use in the next generation of PowerBooks but I sure hope that it is LiquidMetal http://liquidmetal.com/. If you are lucky enough to have come in contact with this stuff you will know what I mean. This stuff is sooooo cool, and would be the perfect casing material for a portable. My 1.0GB Cruzer Titanium Flash drive is made out of the Liquid Metal version of Titanium, it is so beautiful and has the feel of polished marble.

[Super Dave]

Ok. I promise I'm not trolling. This is a SERIOUS (not sarcastic) question. Why is this page 1? What makes an item page 1 or 2? Does anyone know? I'm genuinely curious.

David

[NewbieNerd]

Originally Posted by supergod

I don't want a desktop replacement: I want a laptop.

This, however, isn't the case for a lot of people, particularly incoming college freshman who get there first laptop and that's the only computer they use. I see some people with these sub sub 12'' laptops and I just think it's absolutely horrible, in my opinion that is. I have learned the value of lighter laptops somewhat, but I still think performance and joy-of-use is the most important.

Nevertheless, I'm not a girl so what do I know. I think though that it doesn't mean just targeting females; I think it means making Apple notebooks as big a fashion statement as iPods. Yeah, they already turn heads, but it's still more of a "that's neat" than an iPod "MUST HAVE." So it means the college girls with pink polo shirts with the collar popped.

But selling an iPod to such a market is different than a computer. With an iPod, the tradeoffs/choices are physical size and hard disk size, which even the simplest person can understand. This isn't the case with computers though. While there are still physical size/hard disk size choices to be made again, there are also other choices, including most importantly RAM. Average people don't know what RAM is or how it compare to hard disks. So when the cutest, smallest little Apple laptops start shipping with 256 megs of RAM and kids start running as many cute dashboard widgets as they can find, 10 instant message windows open at any given time, iTunes playing, Safari surfing, and iPhoto browsing...as memory hungry as OS X is, these computers start to suck in people's eyes.

Bottom line is...if Apple wants a computer targeted towards those in the market simply to make a fashion statement, they can't sacrifice too much performance in a cute model. This computer needs to just like the iPod: minimize the amount of knowledge that the consumer is expected to have to make a pleasing decision.

[BeigeUser]

Originally Posted by DTphonehome

Oh please. We all know that I'm what lures females to Macs.

That explains the current marketshare.

[mad jew]

Originally Posted by Popular Mechanics, 1949

Computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps only weigh 1 1/2 tons.

Of course, that's referring to desktops, not a nice lithe notebook such as those made by Apple.

[nbame786]

[/quote]Actually, get me a lightweight mac laptop that I can install Vista on and I'll be happy. Otherwise I'll just have some issues with apple. Yes, XP. I tried coding on OS X...doesn't work for me. And games, I need my games that were designed for XP to run on XP, not some crappy port <--that'll be mute when I get a revolition though!)[/quote]

wow... that comment absolutely disgusts me. i feel ill... it's people like you that i hate seeing in my job.