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3G iPhone and $1500 'Super Laptop' in 2008

It's a tablet, baby!

Hey! You all laughed last year but I got the iPhone mostly right. So.. If the thing is so thin and no hard drive then it's a tablet, not a laptop. Bank this:

Tablet. 8.5 by 11" or less, 12" diag glass screen, 720p HD screen or better, thick as an iPhone. No keyboard, no optical. 32GB flash, 8 memory card slots so you can add a ton of RAM yourself. Power over Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, no FireWire no Express Card. Multi-Touch for fingers, stylus for Ink. Leopard. MagSafe.
 
sblasl said:
Yawn, again.:(

etch_a_sketch.jpg
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http://www.startupgallery.org/gallery/story.php?ii=64
click 'page 3' link...

"One critic called the Mac the world’s most expensive Etch A Sketch"

Wrong then, wrong now.

(Although the Amazon Kindle actually is exactly that, albeit a very high tech version.)
 
cloudnine said:
Well, stupid question... I should probably know the answer to this, but... can you write-protect a flash drive? I mean, obviously the main concern about having a flash drive given for software is the fear of writing over the install files. I guess that's the only real concern :/
Click to expand...

You can. My very first flash drive about 5 years ago had a little switch on the side to go between normal and write-protected (much like floppy disks did). None of my newer ones have this but given that it used to exist, it must be possible. I don't imagine it would be that hard to manufacture read-only drives.
 
If this thing comes out at $1500, I'll be stunned. I was expecting more around $2500.

I still miss my 12" PB, my 15" MBP is great but never has occupied the same place in my heart. This ultraportable is something I've wanted for a long time, I'll definitely be pulling the trigger on a purchase.

As for the 3G iPhone, I'll definitely be getting one of those puppies, too.
 
cloudnine said:
I'm glad you mentioned that... with the fear of sounding naive, I really have a hard time believing that Apple would get rid of the optical drive and start selling their software, what, on flash drives? That just seems ludicrous to me. Either that or they'll start selling their software as download-only? Looking at Apple's product history, I highly doubt that they would sell a laptop with an external optical drive in the box...

I dunno, in theory it sounds great... no optical drive and an SSD HD to dramatically decrease size, but I have a hard time believing it. :confused:
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Possible answers:

- What if it works like an iPhone and you can install software on it by tethering it to your main computer?

- What if you use an external CD drive?

- What if it comes bundled with iWork thus making it unlikely you would ever need to install software?

I mean other than bloatware like Office and Adobe junk everything else can be downloaded anyway already. This might not be for everyone, but it's the way of the future if you ask me.
 
I just want to know, will it drive the big 30" display?

If so, that would make it the ideal personal computer, usable as a big, spacious desktop at home, and as an ultraportable away from home.

That's what I have right now with my 17" MBP, but it'd be sweet if this new one could do that.
 
Version number 3 is coming? Wow, the first Version of the Iphone hasnt come out yet in my country (the netherlands).

When Steve.... :confused:

Dont make me wait no longer man.:eek:
 
bluetooth...?

What if it was a multi-touch tablet, but you could get a stand to prop it up so to speak, and use your bluetooth keyboard and mouse on it as well, so that when you had the two wirelessly connected, the touch keyboard would not come up on the screen when you wanted to type, and a cursor would pop up. On top of that you could use the touch screens many other gestures at the same time. I think that would be cool. Then, when you take it with you, or just want to use the touch, the cursor would disappear and the touch keyboard would show up again when needed.

on a realated note, touch screen controls would be nice for photoshop.... maybe a clamshell with a touch screen!
 
Extra Storage

olliebraves20 said:
I would have to agree with you on that....it can't be any bigger than 32GB.....I guess it would be alright if you didn't work with many pictures or video...you for sure would have to have a small external HD to carry around....by the time you carry another HD and Optical drive around isn't that more of a problem then just having a 15 inch MBP??
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You could always use a new iPod Classic 160 GB for extra storage. Small storage device with the benefit of still being an iPod for music, video, etc.
 
HailToTheVictor said:
Apple won't release a 32gb laptop, I imagine they have something up their sleeve to make it worth our while. Hell, many people have iTunes libraries larger than that.
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A device like this is not intended to carry everything you own on it though, that's the whole point. I would expect this might be a "managed" portable, just like an iPod or iPhone.

Also, judging by iPod sales,...

... most people's iTunes library (that they want to carry with them anyway), is between 4 and 8 Gigs. ;)
 
ibn. said:
$1500? are you kidding me? do people not realize the prices of SSD drives in the market?

if this "super laptop" does have one, it'll be 16GB or less. and honestly, that's just pointless.
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At $10/GB, a 32 GB one is narrowly affordable in a $1500 laptop. Note that Apple gets further flash discounts because they buy like half the world's flash supply or something ridiculous.
 
Excellent news! I'll be in the market for a laptop this spring so I cannot wait for an ultra portable to tote around on the college campus. I need 64GB minimum though (35.6GB iTunes Library) or it won't work... I'll likely be disappointed in the capacity range and have to opt for a Hard Drive based notebook but you never know :)
 
Disk Size... why so much???

jragosta said:
I disagree. For a lot of business users, 32 GB is plenty. I need to have Office and a bunch of Office files. Add 5 GB for a slimmed down OS and that's plenty of room. (of course, more would be better, but lots of people don't need 100 GB+.
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Right on JR! I think too many people get focused on disk space. I'm in the software industry and have a decent collection of software on my MacBook Pro (including Office, iLife, Adobe Design Suite and more) and I've only used 25gbs of disk space on this Mac so far. Now I have only had this Mac for about 5 months, but still, that's a lot of stuff in about 25 gigs... I think 30-40 gigs would be perfect for the business user who wants portability and function.

Come February I think my bank account is in trouble again! ;-)
 
With Back to My Mac, the size of the portable's "hard drive" becomes largely irrelevant. Well, unless you don't have .mac :)

This "super-laptop" sounds just right. However, at $1500, it is going to need a big extra feature to get over the mental hurdle of spending hundreds more for less hard drive, less an optical drive, etc. compared to a Macbook. To me, that means touch screen. But who knows!
 
My new MacBook Slim still sounds pretty appealing, but it costs about half what I was expecting to pay for it. I wonder what they're leaving out? I hope it's not coming with a meager 32GB SSD, unless there's also a 64GB option. And it doesn't need a monster video card like the MacBook Pro, I guess. I just hope it's solid, elegant, and brilliant.
 
rikers_mailbox said:
I fully expect the keyboard on the forthcoming "ultra-portable" will be *very* similar in appearance (if not identical) to the current bluetooth keyboard offering. Apple developed an ultra-thin yet highly usable keyboard for a reason.

By releasing it for desktops beforehand, now they can boast that even their ultra-potables have full-size keys.



No kidding. I <3 my 12" PB.

and that's my 2-cents.
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I am thinking you are right on this since I think the same thing. :)

From what I have heard, those that have seen the prototypes said exactly the same thing.

The keyboard on this ultra-portable is supposedly virtually identical to the new aluminum keyboards in styling.
 
timschizzle said:
What if it was a multi-touch tablet, but you could get a stand to prop it up so to speak, and use your bluetooth keyboard and mouse on it as well, so that when you had the two wirelessly connected, the touch keyboard would not come up on the screen when you wanted to type, and a cursor would pop up. On top of that you could use the touch screens many other gestures at the same time. I think that would be cool. Then, when you take it with you, or just want to use the touch, the cursor would disappear and the touch keyboard would show up again when needed.

on a realated note, touch screen controls would be nice for photoshop.... maybe a clamshell with a touch screen!
Click to expand...

yes yes yes!
Pull out a any copy of an OReilly book 9" x 6 ". 11" diag.
There's my idea of optimal size for:
- Tablet when carried (a nice big touch)
- Traditional functionality when stood in a simple stand (dock) and paired with bluetooth keyboard and mouse magsafe passthrough on dock to allow charging in or out of dock. dock to externald HD and monitor if you need more space.

I had been thinking about some sort of Transformer ultraportable that allowed the screen/cpu to disconnect, but this would be much more elegant.

Still doubt it for Macworld tho'.
 
ibn. said:
$1500? are you kidding me? do people not realize the prices of SSD drives in the market?

if this "super laptop" does have one, it'll be 16GB or less. and honestly, that's just pointless.
Click to expand...

Well obviously InnoDisk (see link below) seems to think the price is set to fall off on these drives. I'd imagine they're just waiting around for a company like Apple to throw them some large quantity orders. You never know what kind of deals Jobs is going to work ... You can already get 32GB SSD drive for around $250 as individual units at newegg and such.

http://texyt.com/128GB+ssd+flash+hard+disk+drive+price+00101
 
12-inches is far TOO large for a true ultra-portable. A handheld computer is what is needed. With a full Mac OS X inside. The computer in your pocket.
 
boxlight said:
Sounds like a neat device, but if it's going to be:

- 12" Mac
- half the thickness of MacBook
- half the weight of MacBook
- no hard drive
- 8 or 16 Gig flash storage
- $400-500 more than current MacBook

... then I'm afraid to say I'll take the MacBook. And I'd bet this machine will quickly go the way of the G4 Cube.

Now if it was $400 *less* than the cheapest MacBook, I might buy one.
Click to expand...

At least 16GB probably 32GB option as entry device to allow for real computing.

No DVD drive.
 
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