More Apple Netbook Rumors Pinpoint Foxconn as Manufacturer

[ULFoaf]

Thanks fletch33

Fletch33, thanks for the netbook experience report. That Wind sounds mighty nice .... I don't know if I can wait for Apple!

 

[Benguitar]

My guess on the price if the rumor is true.

600-800 dollars?


I personally need power in my machine, but NetBooks look very cool.

 

[bananas]

I want my FoxBook with Nvidia Ion chipset and dual core Intel Atom. 3G would be cool. Thank you.

P.S. please deliver it before august.

 

[Marx55]

What do you mean? If I connect a USB disk and simply boot - I have full Windows to repair it.

You need another Apple to fix it, I only need a USB drive. I think the Windows solution is a lot less expensive (as usual).

Here is the scenario:

- A mac needs repair and you cannot fix it booting from such Mac, which may even not boot at all.

- You turn it on and press the T (for Target) key.

- You see a huge FireWire icon logo on such Mac screen.

- You connect such Mac (working now as a mere disk; no operating system has been loaded) to a healthy Mac.

- You use the healthy Mac to repair the other Mac, which shows as a mere disk on the healthy Mac Desktop.

THAT IS THE MAGIC of Target Disk Mode. There is nothing like it on the Windoze world and it has saved us many times when repairing Macs. It is absolutely great and any --absolutely any-- Mac user may need it sooner or later.

It is impossible to do it with USB.

 

[nukiduz]

Apple is all about easy of use. To all those who'd like a scaled up iPod touch, how exactly could you use such device? Hold it on your hand and touch OS X? How could you type text? How would you carry it around?
A 10" tablet looks like something Apple would never do. People are buying netbooks like crazy because they can do small tasks just like other netbooks: surfing, emailing and editing documents. So, even if a keyboard-less tablet looks uber fancy, it's not really that practical.

 

[headfuzz]

Good points, thanks for clearing it up.

No problem

if they do release a netbook (~10" screen) they're going to want to make sure it can run FULL osx (by that I mean iLife apps, including garageband, imovie, etc). If they can get a laptop that small to run those apps smoothly (which I don't think current hackintoshes can) then it likely will be a result of great product design and/or quality components - end result, a lot more expensive than the current netbooks.

Just to clarify, my Mini 9 (and MSI Winds and others like them) WILL run all those apps (with the possible exception of iMovie and iDVD), just not as quickly as a Macbook. Of course as mentioned earlier the small capacity SSD's are not ideal for large libraries of photos and the like either.

I think what it effectively boils down to though is that if Apple were to release a netbook as we know them today Macbook sales would go through the floor (and Macbook Air sales would be practically non existent) so the only serious money spent on laptops would be professionals buying the Macbook Pro. And therein lies the problem imho.

Which is a shame because if Apple did release such a machine I think it would encourage more switchers (people are far more likely to spend < $500 on a Macbook Nano than $1000 on the entry level White Macbook if they require a laptop and are curious to try out a Mac) and therefore have an overall positive effect on Mac sales in the long run. Of course, if they released such a machine AND cut the price of the others all units would be selling, but this is Apple, the company who put all their prices UP during the biggest global recession for a century.

If they do release a device that runs iPhone OS or a similar variant I believe they'll have missed the point entirely.

Time will tell.

 

[headfuzz]

Here is the scenario:

- A mac needs repair and you cannot fix it booting from such Mac, which may even not boot at all.

- You turn it on and press the T (for Target) key.

- You see a huge FireWire icon logo on such Mac screen.

- You connect such Mac (working now as a mere disk; no operating system has been loaded) to a healthy Mac.

- You use the healthy Mac to repair the other Mac, which shows as a mere disk on the healthy Mac Desktop.

THAT IS THE MAGIC of Target Disk Mode. There is nothing like it on the Windoze world and it has saved us many times when repairing Macs. It is absolutely great and any --absolutely any-- Mac user may need it sooner or later.

It is impossible to do it with USB.

While I agree about the lack of Firewire and this resulting issue being a pain, it should be pointed out that you can still boot from an install DVD from either built in or external drive on the USB bus by holding down the C key while booting to get into an OS X environment and from there use the default utilities that you would otherwise use on the healthy Mac to resolve the issue anyway; repair permissions, repair disk structure, use terminal in root mode to do pretty much anything. Any 3rd party software requires that it be installed on the other Mac to begin with.

Target Disk Mode's only real benefit in this regard is that you don't require an install DVD and you already have somewhere to move/copy files to if need be, which, again is not particularly difficult when using an install DVD; just plug in an external hard drive on the USB bus and move stuff in the terminal.

TDM is a convenient way of performing essential maintenance that is capable of being done by other methods.

 

[AidenShaw]

TDM is a convenient way of performing essential maintenance that is capable of being done by other methods.

If Target Disk Mode is operable with the CPU or memory removed or failed, then it has an advantage over USB.

If the CPU has to be operable on the system for TDM to work, then either booting the Live CD, a Live USB thumb drive, or the full OS on a USB hard drive would seem to me to be equivalent in functionality.

 

[iMacmatician]

I really hope the MBPro doesn't end up using (dual-core) Arrandale.. Besides, the far better quad-core Clarksfield will be out during the summer sometime and Arrandale won't be here until 2010.

I hope so too, and the recent report of Clarksfield being only 35 W removes the TDP barrier. But speeds aren't exceeding 2.0 GHz, which might mean Apple won't use it (although the Mac Pro dropped in clock speed when going from Penryn to Nehalem).

 

[headfuzz]

If Target Disk Mode is operable with the CPU or memory removed or failed, then it has an advantage over USB.

If the CPU has to be operable on the system for TDM to work, then either booting the Live CD, a Live USB thumb drive, or the full OS on a USB hard drive would seem to me to be equivalent in functionality.

The computer still requires a CPU and memory to be present and operable for the boot ROM to mount the disk(s) using TDM.

 

[hashholly]

No problem



Just to clarify, my Mini 9 (and MSI Winds and others like them) WILL run all those apps (with the possible exception of iMovie and iDVD), just not as quickly as a Macbook. Of course as mentioned earlier the small capacity SSD's are not ideal for large libraries of photos and the like either.

I think what it effectively boils down to though is that if Apple were to release a netbook as we know them today Macbook sales would go through the floor (and Macbook Air sales would be practically non existent) so the only serious money spent on laptops would be professionals buying the Macbook Pro. And therein lies the problem imho.

Which is a shame because if Apple did release such a machine I think it would encourage more switchers (people are far more likely to spend < $500 on a Macbook Nano than $1000 on the entry level White Macbook if they require a laptop and are curious to try out a Mac) and therefore have an overall positive effect on Mac sales in the long run. Of course, if they released such a machine AND cut the price of the others all units would be selling, but this is Apple, the company who put all their prices UP during the biggest global recession for a century.

If they do release a device that runs iPhone OS or a similar variant I believe they'll have missed the point entirely.

Time will tell.

First things first, thats not really true, the Wind's and Dell Mini and any other netbook will choke on a Garageband project with multiple tracks when it comes to playback if it doesn't freeze on you first, IMovie, not happening, and IDVD.....your nuts to think you wont be there an entire day to encode, if you even get that far. Now dont get me wrong, netbooks are great for surfing, chatting, maybe listening to music (i've had an aspire one that couldn't smoothly playback itunes), and word processing, but thats about it.

At some point people need to accept that apple sells expensive products, period. You can argue back and forth all day wether its worth it or not, but the fact of the matter is you know this from the start, there is nothing to complain about. Its like walking into a porsche dealership and complaining that you cant find anything as cheap as a KIA...you know better than this. (not directed at you personally, but moreso at the general blah blah blah, they need a cheap Mac ideology)

 

[polaris20]

If Target Disk Mode is operable with the CPU or memory removed or failed, then it has an advantage over USB.

If the CPU has to be operable on the system for TDM to work, then either booting the Live CD, a Live USB thumb drive, or the full OS on a USB hard drive would seem to me to be equivalent in functionality.

Yeah TDM is neat and all, but I boot off of LiveCD's all the time (either Ubuntu, Knoppix, or UltimateBootCD4WIN) with a USB drive of some sort, and do all I need to do just fine.

If the system's got a bad mobo or proc, then I take the 30 seconds to pop the drive and attach a $20 SATA/EIDE to USB cable. Big. Deal.

 

[Sehnsucht]

I have Windows 7 and Photoshop on an eeePC Atom with 2 GiB RAM, and it's fine for small stuff. I wouldn't load a 40 MPixel multi-layer project, but I wouldn't want to do that on an MBA either.

I think that people would expect a netbook to be slow at big jobs, but it's nice to be able to do big stuff in a pinch. I'd bring my 6 GiB dual core Win7 x64 laptop if I were expecting to do a lot of Photoshop - but I'd like the option of doing some touchup from the netbook.

My store just starting carrying the Dell mini 10 (woot for employee discounts) . Grabbing one of these and hackintoshing it is extremely tempting. I wonder if the HDMI output works under OS X.

 

[nukiduz]

My store just starting carrying the Dell mini 10 (woot for employee discounts) . Grabbing one of these and hackintoshing it is extremely tempting. I wonder if the HDMI output works under OS X.

That Dell is indeed tempting. Its design is the best I've seen from Dell but I think OS X doesn't support its graphic card ):

 

[andrewdale]

That Dell is indeed tempting. Its design is the best I've seen from Dell but I think OS X doesn't support its graphic card ):

Yeah, everything I've read is that no one has managed to get OS X working on it. Which is a bummer. I love my wife's Mini 9, but it's just too small for my hand. I would need a 10" or 12" screen to be able to work!

 

[Marx55]

What do you mean? If I connect a USB disk and simply boot - I have full Windows to repair it.

You need another Apple to fix it, I only need a USB drive. I think the Windows solution is a lot less expensive (as usual).

Nope. You cannot boot from a USB because the Mac does not boot. You cannot repair a Mac from Windows.

 

[danny_w]

You just linked me to something that says $280, which I already said. I don't care what the sale that's no longer existent was. Wow, a Dell Mini with a 4GB drive for $280. What a useless POS. Even if it was $200, it's still useless unless I carry an external drive.

The other place looks beyond shady, and I would never deal with them.

I'm also fully aware of the install sizes of Ubuntu and Windows. You continually ignore what I point out in my signature, that I use those OSes continually.

It doesn't erase the fact that a tiny SSD is useless.

You can quite often get an Acer Aspire One with a 120GB/160GB hard disk for $299. I got mine used for $220 on CL and I love it! Not all netbooks have tiny SSDs (I know that I wouldn't want one).

 

[Marx55]

While I agree about the lack of Firewire and this resulting issue being a pain, it should be pointed out that you can still boot from an install DVD from either built in or external drive on the USB bus by holding down the C key while booting to get into an OS X environment and from there use the default utilities that you would otherwise use on the healthy Mac to resolve the issue anyway; repair permissions, repair disk structure, use terminal in root mode to do pretty much anything. Any 3rd party software requires that it be installed on the other Mac to begin with.

Target Disk Mode's only real benefit in this regard is that you don't require an install DVD and you already have somewhere to move/copy files to if need be, which, again is not particularly difficult when using an install DVD; just plug in an external hard drive on the USB bus and move stuff in the terminal.

TDM is a convenient way of performing essential maintenance that is capable of being done by other methods.

Install DVDs may not have the latest software. Sometimes it is needed to run several different applications in a row to fix a disk, which you cannot do booting from a different bunch of CD or DVD. You need a functional CD or DVD driver and you may need many of such disks with you all the time, which again may not be updated.

With Target Disk Mode, you have it all with a single click. The difference may be reparing or not repairing the Mac. That simple.

 

[JonHimself]

Install DVDs may not have the latest software. Sometimes it is needed to run several different applications in a row to fix a disk, which you cannot do booting from a different bunch of CD or DVD. You need a functional CD or DVD driver and you may need many of such disks with you all the time, which again may not be updated.

With Target Disk Mode, you have it all with a single click. The difference may be reparing or not repairing the Mac. That simple.

I'm not entirely sure I understand either side of this side-argument, but from what you said it sounds like Install DVDs *might* not be the best option and *may* need to be updated otherwise it's possible that it *could* be harder to boot from discs *some of the time*. To me, it sounds like discs are still an *option* just not necessarily the easiest, or best.. but an option nonetheless.

Does the image on the firewire disk also not have to be up-to-date? From what I remember when I had to have my ibook fixed, after the Apple Genius used the firewire drive to re-install osx (or whatever it was he did) I still had to run a bunch of software updates because he didn't have the most recent 'image' (again, I'm not entirely sure I even know what I'm talking about, so try not to focus on that if I am to be scolded). I'm not sure if that's what you mean about install dvds not being up-to-date and requiring additional updates after the fact.

 

[olternaut]

Where the hell are the Apple spies when you need them? Remember thinksecret? We need some spies to leak some more apple info on this mystery product!

 

[AidenShaw]

(i've had an aspire one that couldn't smoothly playback itunes)

I've seen octo-core Xeons stutter on Itunes - it's such a pig on Windows it's unreal.

Nope. You cannot boot from a USB because the Mac does not boot. You cannot repair a Mac from Windows.

You mean that Windows can boot from a USB hard drive or flash drive, but that marvelously advanced UNIX-based OSX can't?

Install DVDs may not have the latest software. Sometimes it is needed to run several different applications in a row to fix a disk, which you cannot do booting from a different bunch of CD or DVD. You need a functional CD or DVD driver and you may need many of such disks with you all the time, which again may not be updated.

With Target Disk Mode, you have it all with a single click. The difference may be reparing or not repairing the Mac. That simple.

And the system on the USB hard drive wouldn't be up-to-date?

Where the hell are the Apple spies when you need them? Remember thinksecret? We need some spies to leak some more apple info on this mystery product!

ThinkSecret's mole was really Steve Jobs !

Now that Steve's out of the picture, he doesn't know what's going on, so there are no more leaks.

Therefore, everything that you read is made-up fiction.

 

[olternaut]

I've seen octo-core Xeons stutter on Itunes - it's such a pig on Windows it's unreal.




You mean that Windows can boot from a USB hard drive or flash drive, but that marvelously advanced UNIX-based OSX can't?




And the system on the USB hard drive wouldn't be up-to-date?




ThinkSecret's mole was really Steve Jobs !

Now that Steve's out of the picture, he doesn't know what's going on, so there are no more leaks.

Therefore, everything that you read is made-up fiction.

Don't kid yourself. Steve is still ruling over Apple right from his sick bed. His brain is hooked into a telepathic enhancement device a la cerebro so he can continue his mind control over the Apple collective.
Resistance is futile!

Seriously though. We need someone to recruit an Apple employee as a spy. Or at the very least we need someone from China or Korea to sneak into Foxconn's facility and take a few spy shots. All without being shot themselves of course.

 

[JonHimself]

Don't kid yourself. Steve is still ruling over Apple right from his sick bed. His brain is hooked into a telepathic enhancement device a la cerebro so he

It should come as no surprise then that within the last few months I've read about brain-controlled twitter and a brain-controlled robot (or something). Seems fishy that as soon as Steve can no longer physically be at the Apple building that I have seen a way for someone to control a robot (or perhaps a replica) from a different location as well as be able to send simple commands (perhaps commands less than 140characters) by using only their brain... hmm....

 

[danny_w]

You mean that Windows can boot from a USB hard drive or flash drive, but that marvelously advanced UNIX-based OSX can't?

I think what he meant was that the Mac in this theoretical situation is dead and cannot boot. However, the Mac in this case would still be usable in Target Disk Mode. It simply allows the hard disk of the dead Mac to be used as an external drive to another Mac (or actually any computer with Firewire).

 

[danny_w]

Yeah, everything I've read is that no one has managed to get OS X working on it. Which is a bummer. I love my wife's Mini 9, but it's just too small for my hand. I would need a 10" or 12" screen to be able to work!

You must not be reading much then. The Dell Mini 9 is supposedly one of the easiest of all non-Mac notebooks to install and run Mac OS X on.

EDIT: Sorry, I thought you were talking about the Mini 9, not the 10. My mistake.