iPod touch "big" - or is it an ultraportable?

[wongulous]

Obviously I can't reveal my source, but he is an Apple employee in Cupertino and would not make something up. So the only way this is untrue is if it is distorted (telephone game) or a smokescreen. He told me that something is coming out with a lot of flash, and he thinks it was mentioned as an extension of the iPod touch project. He said that a "45gb" number was mentioned. He also says it's coming out at MacWorld (obv why I'm posting this here).

I hadn't heard much about this "air" announcement or the ultraportable rumors being connected specifically to the iPod touch, so I thought this merited a new thread. This could mean a few things: multiple ultraportables if all rumors are true, that the MacBook Air is true (and this iPod touch stuff is a smokescreen), that the MacBook Air is a smokescreen, or who knows what else.

45gb was the only part that sounded weird to me (a larger touch, even if just in capacity, but also in screen size if that's the case, would be nice IMHO, probably with or without a keyboarded laptop form factor), but then I was thinking that would make it more affordable than the current 64gb solid state disks out there, and would mean Apple was not using any commercially-available SSD setup (or else has had a custom version made). Not sure why 45gb, maybe so they can say "40gb free" or something and allot 5 gigs to system and obligatory apps... thinking out loud here. Anyway, I've settled on the 45gb being plausible, because with Apple's NAND access they really could easily make their own SSD solution and probably save money as well as make the machine a more flexible form factor (as the existing ones are usually hard-drive-shaped, if not hard-drive-sized).

Thoughts? Anyone else hear about this? Bueller?

[goldenlotus]

You know this is exactly what I'm hoping for; a fully featured computer in the ipod touch form factor. The un-named apple employee seems to be common source for jokesters so I'm not too sure how seriously I can take you, but I certainly hope you are right. Care to provide anymore details?

[wongulous]

Well, yes, in retrospect I guess it's another one of those rumors where you're unsure of the legitimacy of the claims... I'm not sure what even to say. Do you have any questions? He told myself and others in person while vacationing in the past month, but I'm hesitant to be more specific so as not to allow him to be targeted. He really said nothing else, but I didn't want to be rude and prying. I acted really interested and he mentioned the 45gb part. Which sounds totally odd, me being a complete Mac geek and rumor aficionado (which he doesn't know), but I was pretty much swooning over him so I blame that on the hormones.

Anyway, yes... I can't really see (personally) as much value to a customer in a thinner laptop as I do in a larger-screened iTouch, but he didn't really say if it had a keyboard or not. I can't really see Apple doing one of those hideous tablet things that twist around to have a laptop form factor. But for all I/we know, maybe they're separate and both planned products (a thinner/smaller MacBook to replace the hole of the old PB 12", or better fill it anyway, as well as an iPod bigtouch).

[goldenlotus]

Cool very interesting. Did he mention anything about the OS it might run? I'm really hoping when they do the larger ipod touch thing, they will open it up and put a real OS on there. Anyway thanks for posting this!

[wongulous]

I have no more information than that, honestly. Though one might think if it is an iPod, that it would run the pared-down (or so we assume?) version of OS X like on the touch or iPhone now... but then, it would also seem a brilliant move on Apple's part to start calling everything an iPod. There's no reason why an iPod can't be a full computer now. It's just a name, since now some of them run OS X.

[kevinbal]

45gb? That's not any kind of number you can get from a flash-based device.

I could see maybe a 40 GB ultra-portable (8 (system) + 32 (user) ) to keep costs down... but then again, I'd imagine that system software on an ultra-portable could fit on a 4 GB section to further keep costs down. Then really, I think you'd be looking at maybe 4 or 8 (system) + 16 (user), which would probably more the case.

I doubt we'll see a Mac Touch... yet. I think it'd still be far too pricy (look at the ultra-portables from Asus, Fujitsu, etc)... at 7" touch screens, they are 1300-1500 dollars.

I think the more likely situation is the feather-weight version of a form factor similar to the current laptop offering. I personally would absolutely -love- a 7-9" SSD laptop similar to the Asus Eee PC, running a version of OS X, around the 500-600 dollar price point. Probably will be the 13.3", coming in at around 1000-1200 though.

26 hours to go

[CWallace]

Originally Posted by wongulous

He told me that something is coming out with a lot of flash, and he thinks it was mentioned as an extension of the iPod touch project. He said that a "45gb" number was mentioned. He also says it's coming out at MacWorld (obv why I'm posting this here).

Sounds something like Microsoft's UMPC, which is not exactly taking the world by storm. Going to pure multi-touch vs. the tiny display and tiny physical keyboard on many UMPCs would be a plus, but others are touch-sensitive.

I do not see it as any type of "game changer" device that Apple would invest heavily in...


Image courtesy of Microsoft. Larger version here and more info here.

[olternaut]

Originally Posted by CWallace

Sounds something like Microsoft's UMPC, which is not exactly taking the world by storm. Going to pure multi-touch vs. the tiny display and tiny physical keyboard on many UMPCs would be a plus, but others are touch-sensitive.

I do not see it as any type of "game changer" device that Apple would invest heavily in...


Image courtesy of Microsoft. Larger version here and more info here.

You haven't even seen it yet. Rest assured it will be.

[wongulous]

Well, I'm not saying that I have any idea how it would work, but I'd hope it would be better than Microsoft's POS.

Apple *DID* make the mp3 player viable in terms of interface, so why not something like that? I'd believe in Apple before counting them out, as if it is impossible to make a usable 6-10" touch-screen tablet computer. Seriously, Apple would make it usable.

[wongulous]

Originally Posted by kevinbal

45gb? That's not any kind of number you can get from a flash-based device.

I could see maybe a 40 GB ultra-portable (8 (system) + 32 (user) ) to keep costs down... but then again, I'd imagine that system software on an ultra-portable could fit on a 4 GB section to further keep costs down. Then really, I think you'd be looking at maybe 4 or 8 (system) + 16 (user), which would probably more the case.

Well, I don't know if that's available space or total. Maybe it's a 40+6, or 30+16. Maybe it's an iPod HDD of 30gb and a 16gb NAND flash like in the iPod touch now. I have no idea. Or maybe it is the available space, and it's actually 60gb and there's 15gb of system and software... or maybe that was a number seen on a test device that had a lot of development/testing software loaded on it. I wouldn't discount this solely based on the 45gb.

I can't find anything on the net about NAND flash and if it has to be paired like some other types of RAM. For instance, the 8, 16, 32, 64 pattern. Anybody know?