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Apple Sub Notebook Hints: External Optical Drive, MultiTouch Trackpad?
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Being the proud owner of a current Apple Wireless Keyboard (got it from my girlfriend for Christmas), I like to think it's the perfect form factor for a very portable Mac. Just make the battery compartment the hinge for the screen an make the screen fold to the back. That keyboard is 12" in diagonal so a 11" widescreen would fit. Ditch the touchpad, make it all touch screen, including the magnifying glass of the iPhone for precis pointing. Ditching the DVD drive is mandatory since DVDs just would not fit in there. 
When folded together, Keyboard input would be ignored and you could use the thing as a normal tablet, think iPhone, just bigger.
When folded together, Keyboard input would be ignored and you could use the thing as a normal tablet, think iPhone, just bigger.
My 2 cents..
I don't think optical drives are on the way out, but they are simply just unneeded for an ultra portable. I mean if you really need one or use it often, it's simply not the machine for you. Get a MB or MBP.
I'm a bit worried about the price of this machine, when I was looking for a temporary PC laptop, I found that for the most part the ultra portables tended to be more expensive then 15" laptops with more power, so I never gave them much thought, despite the fact I really like smaller laptops after I used an iBook for some time.
Let's hope that if it's actually a SUB notebook (lowered power) we are paying a sub price, and are back enough from the Macbook to where I'm not tempted to shell a tiny bit more for a full powered machine.
I don't think optical drives are on the way out, but they are simply just unneeded for an ultra portable. I mean if you really need one or use it often, it's simply not the machine for you. Get a MB or MBP.
I'm a bit worried about the price of this machine, when I was looking for a temporary PC laptop, I found that for the most part the ultra portables tended to be more expensive then 15" laptops with more power, so I never gave them much thought, despite the fact I really like smaller laptops after I used an iBook for some time.
Let's hope that if it's actually a SUB notebook (lowered power) we are paying a sub price, and are back enough from the Macbook to where I'm not tempted to shell a tiny bit more for a full powered machine.
A lot of interesting comments here about this. The arguments remind me of when Apple dropped the floppy. Lots of weeping/wailing/ gnashing of teeth/ and shouts of Hallelujah!!
I hae a Dell ultraportable that I use for work. I hate it. Its not like i have to use the optical much, but when i do its never around. So i started carrying it. Its sits quietly in my backpack taking up space and weighing me down. There are cables that tangle with my other cables. Its a mess. For those who tout the Flashdrives: How much software do you buy that is on Flashdrives? Not much i imagine. That is the main difference between the floppy of old and cds. At that time, most software was sold as cds, not floppies. As noted above, having an intergral part of your computer dangling off the side goes against Apple's design beliefs that everything should work out of the box. As much as possible, they try to make a completely capable, self-contained organism. Not saying that it will never happened. But until the majority of software is bought and sold in download form or on flashdrives, Apple will continue to require opticals on their laptops. There are several competing ultraportables that have an optical drive in it so it can be done. Of course, there will be those that whine that it will have GMA graphics and if only Apple had ditched the optical they could have their gaming.
But what if this isn't a laptop. I can't imagine that its a Foleo type thing though there is a Windows Moble version or the Foleo out now. One poster speculated that you could have some sort of mating of the iphone/ipod touch to a Foleo type device. Its interesting device till you loose you phone/ipod, then you are not only out an iphone but stuck with a worthless.... thing. Not ot mention the nightmare of having to hear everyone scratch their heads and wonder why Apple is going into territory was declared no man's land when the Foleo came out and what the Hell do you do with it anyway? As one poster noted, the iPhone is his/her ultraportable. Once the SDK comes out, we will see the real power of the iPhone.
Could it be that the multitouch speculation is a Wacom-like tablet. Or maybe they are going to go the Nintendo DS route. That is an interesting idea but to what end? The current paradigm works pretty well. What would a DS-type interface add? Apple is very keen on ensuring that when they introduce a product it either fills a specific need OR creates a new need (ipod).
If we assume the rumors are true, than I would imagine it would be more along the lines of a consumer tablet. Coverflow is perfect for using a finger and with Coverflow pretty much the way to find anything on your computer with Leopard I think that time could be right for a tablet. The reason the Windows tablets bombed so completely was that the OS was just too clumsy to navigate quickly and accurately. The trick will be for Apple to make it a compelling device. Meaning, create a need. A tablet wouldn't necessarily be a full-blown computer. Trying to do any photoshop/serious wordprocessing/film editing would be taxing and frustrating. It could be more like an iPod Large. But that just muddies the water for buyers and puts the onus on users to come up with a reason to use it. Apple doesn't just create the device and wait for the consumers to come up with a need. That's just not how they do things.
I hae a Dell ultraportable that I use for work. I hate it. Its not like i have to use the optical much, but when i do its never around. So i started carrying it. Its sits quietly in my backpack taking up space and weighing me down. There are cables that tangle with my other cables. Its a mess. For those who tout the Flashdrives: How much software do you buy that is on Flashdrives? Not much i imagine. That is the main difference between the floppy of old and cds. At that time, most software was sold as cds, not floppies. As noted above, having an intergral part of your computer dangling off the side goes against Apple's design beliefs that everything should work out of the box. As much as possible, they try to make a completely capable, self-contained organism. Not saying that it will never happened. But until the majority of software is bought and sold in download form or on flashdrives, Apple will continue to require opticals on their laptops. There are several competing ultraportables that have an optical drive in it so it can be done. Of course, there will be those that whine that it will have GMA graphics and if only Apple had ditched the optical they could have their gaming.
But what if this isn't a laptop. I can't imagine that its a Foleo type thing though there is a Windows Moble version or the Foleo out now. One poster speculated that you could have some sort of mating of the iphone/ipod touch to a Foleo type device. Its interesting device till you loose you phone/ipod, then you are not only out an iphone but stuck with a worthless.... thing. Not ot mention the nightmare of having to hear everyone scratch their heads and wonder why Apple is going into territory was declared no man's land when the Foleo came out and what the Hell do you do with it anyway? As one poster noted, the iPhone is his/her ultraportable. Once the SDK comes out, we will see the real power of the iPhone.
Could it be that the multitouch speculation is a Wacom-like tablet. Or maybe they are going to go the Nintendo DS route. That is an interesting idea but to what end? The current paradigm works pretty well. What would a DS-type interface add? Apple is very keen on ensuring that when they introduce a product it either fills a specific need OR creates a new need (ipod).
If we assume the rumors are true, than I would imagine it would be more along the lines of a consumer tablet. Coverflow is perfect for using a finger and with Coverflow pretty much the way to find anything on your computer with Leopard I think that time could be right for a tablet. The reason the Windows tablets bombed so completely was that the OS was just too clumsy to navigate quickly and accurately. The trick will be for Apple to make it a compelling device. Meaning, create a need. A tablet wouldn't necessarily be a full-blown computer. Trying to do any photoshop/serious wordprocessing/film editing would be taxing and frustrating. It could be more like an iPod Large. But that just muddies the water for buyers and puts the onus on users to come up with a reason to use it. Apple doesn't just create the device and wait for the consumers to come up with a need. That's just not how they do things.
Perhaps Apple will go with a dual-spindle(?) sub-notebook, with a lower unit carrying the optical drive and more battery power and perhaps some docking-station connections (like FW, more USB, RJ-45 leaving just USB and Power on the actual machine)? That way, if you just need the base PC, it's light and thin. If you need it all (or when docked at home/work), you have everything in the lower unit.
Here's my little dummy of an ultraportable Mac using the Wireless Keyboard and some paper:
Screen aspect ratio
Size comparison with Macbook:
Guts (the hard drive leaves plenty of space for a screen lid)
Note: The headphone jack is centered when the think is closed shut.
Size
Full Size Keyboard
Closing lid for tablet mode
Tablet mode (10" screen)
Features:
- up to 2GB RAM (1 SO-DIMM)
- 2.5" HDD
- Full Size Keyboard
- 10" widescreen with multitouch capabilities
- Less than 1 inch thick
- Can be used folded without keyboard
- iSight camera
- Low power Processor (Core 2 Duo 1.5 GHz or something) and GPU
- 2 USB ports (one left, one right), FW400
- Airport Extreme (no ethernet)
- Battery in the hinge
- Easy access to hard drive and RAM
Now Apple, please make one of those and I'll buy it. Call it the new iBook since it would be a great e-Book reader when closed and a nice device for students because it fits everywhere. You can use it when standing in the underground as a tablet and even opened up when you rest it on your forearm, holding it with one hand so you have one hand free for typing. Use iChat AV with Bonjoir to communicate with your fellow Macheads in the same lecture. Leave it next to your TV remote for the ultimate couch computing experience. Put it into your backback's front pouch, purse, car's glove box or just attach it to your belt via the kensington lock. Buy the Apple brand strap that goes from one end of the hinge to the other to carry the device or to hang it over your car's front seat's head rests so the kids in the back can watch movies on the 10" widescreen. This thing would sell like hotcakes.
Screen aspect ratio
Size comparison with Macbook:
Guts (the hard drive leaves plenty of space for a screen lid)
Note: The headphone jack is centered when the think is closed shut.
Size
Full Size Keyboard
Closing lid for tablet mode
Tablet mode (10" screen)
Features:
- up to 2GB RAM (1 SO-DIMM)
- 2.5" HDD
- Full Size Keyboard
- 10" widescreen with multitouch capabilities
- Less than 1 inch thick
- Can be used folded without keyboard
- iSight camera
- Low power Processor (Core 2 Duo 1.5 GHz or something) and GPU
- 2 USB ports (one left, one right), FW400
- Airport Extreme (no ethernet)
- Battery in the hinge
- Easy access to hard drive and RAM
Now Apple, please make one of those and I'll buy it. Call it the new iBook since it would be a great e-Book reader when closed and a nice device for students because it fits everywhere. You can use it when standing in the underground as a tablet and even opened up when you rest it on your forearm, holding it with one hand so you have one hand free for typing. Use iChat AV with Bonjoir to communicate with your fellow Macheads in the same lecture. Leave it next to your TV remote for the ultimate couch computing experience. Put it into your backback's front pouch, purse, car's glove box or just attach it to your belt via the kensington lock. Buy the Apple brand strap that goes from one end of the hinge to the other to carry the device or to hang it over your car's front seat's head rests so the kids in the back can watch movies on the 10" widescreen. This thing would sell like hotcakes.
Has anyone noticed that the current Macbook track pad is nearly identical in size (measuring only 2 mm thicker and 4 mm wider) than an iPhone?
Docking station/video trackpad anyone?
I guess you could say sort off. Seen them in person. Not impressed by the size or quality. They do look nice. And they weigh less than 3 pounds.
Remember, a true ultra-portable laptop is not a regular laptop.
My current Sharp MM20 is an example.
There are tradeoffs associated with ultra-portable laptops. They do not have the speed, storage capacity, screen size of a regular laptop. Plus things like optical drives are not included.
Below are the pounds per cubic inch for the MB, MBP15 and MBP17:
MB:
- Height --> 1.08 inches
- Width --> 12.78 inches
- Depth --> 8.92 inches
- Weight --> 5.0 pounds
- Volume --> 123.12
- Pounds per cubic inch --> 0.04061
MBP15:
- Height --> 1.0 inches
- Width --> 14.1 inches
- Depth --> 9.6 inches
- Weight --> 5.4 pounds
- Volume --> 135.36
- Pounds per cubic inch --> 0.03989
MBP17:
- Height --> 1.0 inches
- Width --> 15.4 inches
- Depth --> 10.4 inches
- Weight --> 6.8 pounds
- Volume --> 160.16
- Pounds per cubic inch --> 0.04246
I find it interesting that the MBP15 is less than the MB.
Form factor wise, I was thinking along the same lines as soon as I saw the new wireless keyboard. It's small, solid, lightweight, and the key feel is good.Here's my little dummy of an ultraportable Mac using the Wireless Keyboard and some paper:
Screen aspect ratio
Features:
- up to 2GB RAM (1 SO-DIMM)
- 2.5" HDD
- Full Size Keyboard
- 10" widescreen with multitouch capabilities
- Less than 1 inch thick
- Can be used folded without keyboard
- iSight camera
- Low power Processor (Core 2 Duo 1.5 GHz or something) and GPU
- 2 USB ports (one left, one right), FW400
- Airport Extreme (no ethernet)
- Battery in the hinge
- Easy access to hard drive and RAM
Don't agree with the 2.5 inch HD. SSD or 1.8 inch HD would be my guess.
Nice idea.
Well I think the hard drives is the performance bottleneck in most laptops. If you want to do multimedia and multitastking, I think a 1.8" drive won't cut it as it's slow, small and rather expensive. 2.5" are affordable, big, go up to 7200 rpm and fit nicely into my concept. 1.8" is fine for iPods, but I don't think you could play DVD-quality movies off of it reliably, running Leopard and some small apps in the background.
These were all true in the past. Apple will enter the market in an attempt to re-define "ultraportable" (and will market it as such).
Ultraportables were slow mostly because they had to use low-RPM HDDs and low-power chipsets. SSDs change all that, and the Core2Duo platform at 45nm will be very power efficient.
If they can keep the 13" screen and just reduce the margin around the screen, that would be great. 11" would be too small for me.
Put all this together and I think they will have an ultraportable that sacrifices very little, except for maybe a built in optical drive. I really hope they nail the $1499 price point - you pay a bit of a premium for the size, SSD, etc. but it does pretty much everything a Macbook will. In fact it will feel much faster than the Macbook OR MBP because of the SSD.
SSDs are already adopting the 2.5" form factor.
...and Apple is adopting, wait, they're not. they simply buy the flash chips and solder them onto the PCB. like they do with iPods. why waste space with bulk plastic when you've got major companies releasing and developing exclusive parts just for you products (e.g. Intel quad-core Xeons)
Who would buy a laptop where the hard disk is soldered in? Standard form factor is the way to go. One expects to at least be able to upgrade the RAM and storage in a laptop. SSDs with a 2.5" form factor have very little internal wasted space, especially when they start doing the multilayered flash chips.
I haven't heard anything to this effect - but what would be really awesome is if, by ditching the optical drive and going to a 45nm processor, there is enough room to implement a thermally passive (no fans) design in this ultraportable. It may not happen this January, but I think 2008 will be the year of the solid state computer. No fans, no spinning disks, no moving parts. And I hope Apple will lead the way!
Remember you have to get a battery in there and like the iPod/phone/touch it's going to be one of the largest parts only made bigger by the fact this one would want to be replaceable. Your not going to get it in the hinge its going to have to be alot bigger. also the hinge is going to put the device off balance most the time.
The iPhone battery is smack in the middle for that reason.
Ok for say the battery is not replacable is in the hinge and the whole device is 1inch thick allow for casing and at best your going to get 4.5cubic inches of battery, in Lithium-ion polymer will get you about 22Wh. (by these numbers at wikipedia). Compared to the MacBooks 55Wh battery.
That seems like a massive power reduction would be needed, to get the same battery life.
I guess to make a device that small something has to give.
The more you think about the more a such a device would be impresive technically.
The iPhone battery is smack in the middle for that reason.
Ok for say the battery is not replacable is in the hinge and the whole device is 1inch thick allow for casing and at best your going to get 4.5cubic inches of battery, in Lithium-ion polymer will get you about 22Wh. (by these numbers at wikipedia). Compared to the MacBooks 55Wh battery.
That seems like a massive power reduction would be needed, to get the same battery life.
I guess to make a device that small something has to give.
The more you think about the more a such a device would be impresive technically.
I don't mean to burst your bubble by suggesting that you spend some time looking around, but all the other companies have been shipping quad-core Xeons as well.
(Actually, right now the other guys are shipping quad core 45nm Penryn Xeons while Apple is shipping the older generation 65nm Woodcrest/Clovertown chips.)
the age of the disc at an end?
Also, a drive-less design prevents future obsoleteness of integral hardware, thus the focus on an external "DRIVE" ensures a longer life of the product for the user in this market.
True, the age of the disk is not over,yet. The hints of an external drive may reflect the current evolution of disc format/capacity. The "more replaceable" external drives not only accommodate future disc revisions, They also free apple from the burden of their physical demands, be it space or power, and reduce the over all cost of their product in a new and expensive market.
Also, a drive-less design prevents future obsoleteness of integral hardware, thus the focus on an external "DRIVE" ensures a longer life of the product for the user in this market.
YES, there is need for a true differentiation of user levels in the mac portable line. The current price is slanted toward the high priced/spec laptop. An analysis of the apple product line shows a $1000 difference between adequate machines for designers, iMac->MBP->MP. With the introduction of a new portable it is necessity for Apple to reposition their portables in a more accurate consumer relation to their customers. There needs to be 3 levels of MBP and at least 2 levels of MB to fit portability/performance to competitive price levels.
Macbook needs a redesign
I think the debate of keeping/removing the optical drive will rage on until Apple redesigns the MacBook. When you compare the MacBook with other laptops that have a Core2Duo, 13.3" screen, webcam, optical drive, plus all the other features of the MacBook, the MacBook is WAY behind. Apple's competitors have surpassed Apple in this laptop category for a while now.
The biggest difference is weight. The MacBook-comparable Sony and Toshiba models are OVER a pound lighter. The 15.4" MacBook Pro is only 0.2 pounds heavier than the MacBook yet it's bigger and has more features. Something is seriously wrong with this picture!
The Apple MacBook lineup should really look like this:
MacBook ultraportable - 3 lbs (0.5 in thick)
MacBook - 4.1 lbs (0.7-1 in thick)
MacBook Pro 15.4 in - 5.4 lbs (1 in thick)
MacBook Pro 17 in - 6.8 lbs (1 in thick)
Pick your weight: 3, 4, 5, or 6 lbs.
If the ultraportable is more than 0.5-0.6 in thick, it will be behind in technology unless the optical drive is included so that it will be similar to the competition. I can see having the optical drive in a 0.5 in ultraportable being a space problem, but a 0.7 in thick laptop should easily accommodate an optical drive.
I would love a lighter and thinner MacBook because I need the optical drive, but the current MacBook is huge and heavy. As long as Apple continues to believe the MacBook is "good enough", the pro-optical drive people will continue to advocate for it to be included in the ultraportable.
I think the debate of keeping/removing the optical drive will rage on until Apple redesigns the MacBook. When you compare the MacBook with other laptops that have a Core2Duo, 13.3" screen, webcam, optical drive, plus all the other features of the MacBook, the MacBook is WAY behind.
Apple's competitors have surpassed Apple in this laptop category for a while now. The biggest difference is weight. The MacBook-comparable Sony and Toshiba models are OVER a pound lighter. The 15.4" MacBook Pro is only 0.2 pounds heavier than the MacBook
yet it's bigger and has more features. Something is seriously wrong with this picture! The Apple MacBook lineup should really look like this:
MacBook ultraportable - 3 lbs (0.5 in thick)
MacBook - 4.1 lbs (0.7-1 in thick)
MacBook Pro 15.4 in - 5.4 lbs (1 in thick)
MacBook Pro 17 in - 6.8 lbs (1 in thick)
Pick your weight: 3, 4, 5, or 6 lbs.
If the ultraportable is more than 0.5-0.6 in thick, it will be behind in technology unless the optical drive is included so that it will be similar to the competition. I can see having the optical drive in a 0.5 in ultraportable being a space problem, but a 0.7 in thick laptop should easily accommodate an optical drive.
I would love a lighter and thinner MacBook because I need the optical drive, but the current MacBook is huge and heavy. As long as Apple continues to believe the MacBook is "good enough", the pro-optical drive people will continue to advocate for it to be included in the ultraportable.
I have to agree the battery is one of the biggest things in mobile devices nowadays. But 22Wh isn't that bad actually. Remember the screen is smaller and using a clocked down processor can save lots of power. That thing would probably work 2 hours, Maybe 3 using SSD instead of a hard drive. I didn't think of balance at all. This thing would be hard to balance indeed.
There's a new way to manufacture lithium ion batteries that might ten fold battery life within a few years so things will get interesting then. (article: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/january9/nanowire-010908.html).
So just add a trackpad below the keyboard and you have the space you need for a decent battery and more decent cooling. And boom, there you have the thing you can see on the pictures with that large trackpad. Just bring back the 12" powerbook I say, perfect form factor and keep the superdrive in there.
Precisely! We are in the middle of a WAR
because the HD-DVD and Blu-ray Forums couldn't decide on a single freaking format. Apple wisely sits out. (And as others have said, they want you to watch downloaded movies (preferably from iTunes))It'll be really interesting to see what kind of margins they get on this thing...
I am pretty sure it is not too far fetched to think it will include 32 gigs of solid state considering a 32 gig 1.8" drive was already released a year ago. I am sure by now the cost is down and buying it bulk and Apple's history of getting a good deal on parts, they should be able to get something like this in the touch book.
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=6938
