Apple's iPhone OS X on Subnotebook

[dburney]

While many are arguing whether this will happen, or what it will or won't be, or why it should or shouldn't happen, I just had a great revelation.

Every evening when I get home from work I have to kick my teenage daughter off of the iMac so I can do more work. The sum total of what she does on our iMac amounts to iTunes and Safari, with the occasional presentation or report. She had an iBook G3 that the logic board died on and we haven't managed to replace it yet - I think this subnotebook idea would be absolutely perfect - and even better, running the stripped down OS X takes down the overhead requirements of the machine further reducing the cost. It would have e-mail, a browser and a few other apps - but really she doesn't need much more. I have a feeling there are tons of young adults/teenagers that just need a browser for myspace and a music player for their MP3s - when they have real work to do they'll hop on the iMac.

This won't be something to run Adobe apps on, it won't run Office - but it will do what it is designed to do elegantly and at a decent price. It will compliment the mac you already have and provide internet and e-mail access from your living room or bedroom or whatever…similarly to a notebook but without the wasted resources that your not likely to use while laying on the couch surfing the net.

 

[Maccus Aurelius]

If you ask me, Apple should just make a dual multitouch screen book with a voice activated finder and a radio chip for expanded connectivity, and call it the Hitchhiker's Guide to the iGalaxy.

 

[TheAnswer]

it's getting tiresome to read Apple "news" that's basically regurgitated Shaw Wu crap.

let's do some journalism, shall we?

Just to clarify...this is a rumors site. The closest this site should be expected to post actual news is when Apple releases something that either confirms or proves wrong past rumors.

 

[pilotError]

But this is partially correct. Multitouch screens are pressure-sensitive unlike most single-point touchscreens.

Is this true for Multi-touch? Most of the experience I've had with Touch screens is the type that pick up the conductivity of the skin (I don't know the technical name for it).

Text entry on devices this size are the killer. Touch-screen displays are pretty horrible for extended periods of text entry, and the miniture keyboards on most sub-notebook devices aren't much better to be honest.

I have to agree here. One of my clients has a pretty extensive set of touch screens out there. We also give them a special pen to do the input, because the users hands hurt when hitting the screen. The pen is more accurate too.

Users like tactile feedback, and while touch may be cool, it doesn't quite work out the way you'd like it too. Not saying Apple hasn't come up with some better way to do it, but seeing how my users bang that pen on the screen I'd be surprised if they released a touch only device for more than just basic iPhone functionality.

 

[EagerDragon]

I have no clue what sort of device this will be, but a lot of the OSX utilities can probably go since the interface is different, obviously most of the support for components that are not used can also go.

It makes sense to trim down the OS for items, drivers and programs that are not needed.

Something functionaly bigger than an iPhone and iPOD but functionaly smaller than a MacBook and it is not a full functional tablet (photoshop, full cut, etc). I have no clue what it could be or why I would want it.

The iPhone has about all the PDA functionality I need, and above that I could also use a MACBook Pro a like tablet, but between those two I can not imagine a device I would be interested in.

 

[iMikeT]

I can't believe that an analyst's speculation about a rumored product makes page 1 news today.

 

[steve_hill4]

I'd almost certainly go for a sub-notebook produced by Apple in the future, but would want the full OS X installed. I would ditch language support, printer drivers I didn't need, at least half of the iLife apps and only install those apps I really needed on the go.

I would hopefully have file sharing through other Macs and networks at home and at work and so storage space would be less of an issue for most day to day stuff. I even guess I could bite the bullet for .Mac and use iDisk for synching eventually, so as long as I had an internet connection available, many important files could be synched that way.

But again, I couldn't envisage wanting a stripped down version of OS X. For most who would want/buy a sub-notebook, it would be counter-productive.

 

[zblaxberg]

I'd still rather have a MBP...I need a workhorse...not something the ups guy is gonna come around with in his back pocket

 

[EagerDragon]

Take the iPhone. Make the whole thing twice the size. Take out the phone (and the need for a contract with a cell phone company), and charge $100 more than the iPhone.

I'd strongly consider buying that instead of an iPhone and just keep using my old, simple phone for making calls while I use this thing for everything else.

umm that is in the price range of a Mac Mini - $699, sounds like a lot for a lot less functionality. $699 will get you an el-cheapo Dell Laptop also.

 

[baddaddy46901]

Why Only Sub Notebooks?

Concievably, why can't any apple computer be an iphone? They all have cameras, speakers, and mic's. The rest is just hardware. Having the iphone on a laptop would mean you would never have to find a hot spot again. Having it in the iMac would mean that it would extend it's role as a media and communications hub. It adds another layer of digital lifestyle to the picture.

 

[EagerDragon]

An operating system that runs with as little as 4GB of space! There is really a landmark there!!!!

Linux have been running on a heck of a lot less space for 10 years.

 

[Clive At Five]

I can't believe that an analyst's speculation about a rumored product makes page 1 news today.

Moreover, I can't believe we're still listening to Shaw Wu! Everything he says is a regurgitation of what is shown on rumor sites, mixed with phony claims of what his "sources" say. Why is it, then, that his sources always say exactly what stockholders and readers of MacRumors want to hear most? Because it's phony.

Look. I don't doubt that Apple has tested some of these ideas, and possibly/probably have working prototypes of them, but that's far from saying they're planning on releasing them. Remember what Steve said about the PDA the developed but never released? It's like that.

Let me tell you a few no-brainers:

SOMEDAY, Apple will rely more heavily on Flash storage.
SOMEDAY, Apple will move the multi-touch interface to the iPod.
SOMEDAY, Apple will expand the use of its multi-touch interface to its portables.

Shaw Wu is coming in and saying it like, A) it's new/groundbreaking/unexpected news, and B) he has sources in Apple. The chances of this are extremely slim. I find that he has little to no credibilty, and his speculation should be regarded no more prominently than speculation by any member of this forum.

End of story.

</thread>

^^I wish I had that power.

-Clive

 

[belovedmonster]

People seem to be assuming that the OS would be exactly the same as the one found in the iPhone. I think its reasonable to assume that whatever device uses this stripped down OSX will do so in a way uniquely designed with the hardware in mind, it wont just be a one size fits all "OSX Mini" than can be installed a bunch of different devices. So the fact that the iPhone doesnt have Finder for example doesnt say that a computer using the same mini OS technology wouldnt have one either.

 

[pubwvj]

Two screens fold together like a book.
Slips in the pocket. Size of an iPod.
Flash memory for long battery life. 4GB, 8GB, 32GB.
Induction recharging of battery.
Wi-Fi for the internet & VOIP.
Cellular for cellphone if desired.
Bluetooth for earphones, keyboard, mouse.
Screen is touch sensitive of course and a tablet.
Sealed case, real world rugged, no ports, no openings.
Full MacOSX from a user's perspective but you don't need optical drive and a lot of other things.
Available in any color as long as it is black.
The iPal - it does it all.

 

[dontmatter]

If by sub-notebook we mean something with a keyboard and trackpad, then awesome, I would love to see one, maybe even buy one. But wouldn't you want that to run a full OS X?

If by subnotebook we mean something like the terrible UMPC platform, even "appplified", then the tradeoff in functionality for size is simply not worth it. Unless it's pocket sized, it may as well be big enough for a keyboard. Admittedly, I see that there's a niche for which such a product would be immensely useful, such as geologists who need more accurate and powerful mapping tools than traditional pen and paper, but for whom keyboard input doesn't work that well anyway, and durability and size requirments make laptops impractical. But it's not a big enough market for apple. Tablet computers just lose too much.

 

[scstsut]

And it will be called iBook

I'll go against the flow on this thread: (I know I'm not the only one)
I expect a 6-10 inch screen obviously with Multi-Touch (which we'll see in everything Apple) but comparison of AppleTV and Microsoft's Media Center PCs has me thinking.

Microsoft hallucinates and sees a future where EVERYTHING runs Windows; everything is a PC. From servers to Xbox to smartphones to watches. Even a wireless display has to run Windows! As a result the Media Center PC is a gigantic, over priced beast.

Apple delivers. They haven't taken the Mac and shrunk it into an AppleTV; they've taken an iPod and transformed it into an AppleTV! And the result, third or less the price of an Media Center PC, a fraction of the size and Apple simple/Just-Works.

They'll do the same with the iPhone. They'll build on the iPhone's simplicity and economy (at least compared to a MacBook) and build a tablet that will sell at a fraction of Microsofts Tablet PC/UMPC (is that Universally Maligned Piece of Crap?). (And the media won't get it and will be saying, "You won't be able to run Photoshop CS3 on it. Tsk, tsk, Apple. It just doesn't offer what Tablet PC offered years ago.")..........

 

[Clive At Five]

We believe this will be particularly important as it has a much smaller footprint and runs with as little as 4 GB of space."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we hear reports that the version of OS X in the iPhone were less than 500MB?

I hope you don't mind me saying that SHAW WU IS AN IDIOT!

Let's consider something else, thuogh. The way the iPhone is set up now, it can run a finite number of programs... camera, e-mail, voice mail, SMS text, 'phone,' etc.

A tablet or sub-notebook based on this same OS would, then only be able to rune a finite number of programs... granted the list might include a word processor, spreadsheet, other productivity things, etc. It would not have the near-limitless possibilities of a regular laptop. I don't think people are willing to sacrifice this. People who want an so-called "ultra-porable" want just that: A computer aimed at being lightweight and easy to tote. They don't want to sacrifice what applications they can use.

They are people around saying that sub-notebooks shouldn't be made to run Final Cut, Apeture, Mathematica and Photoshop simultaneously. I agree with that statement... but it should be able to run at least one of those at a time. People who have these computers usually have a specific use in mind, and if those uses don't fall into what Apple might decided to allow the device to do, the customer is out of luck. This very issue is even a concern for devices as small as the iPhone, but would be a DISASTER on a laptop. Apple will almost certainly NOT use the iPhone OS on a laptop. They may, however, use a derivative of it, which is user-customizable, but they can not afford to take the risk of limiting its users to the degree that they do with the iPhone.

-Clive

 

[OriginalMacRat]

Could you imagine a 24" laptop

Actually, I can.

I have the 17" PowerBook and it is starting to feel kinda small.

 

[Clive At Five]

Flash memory for long battery life. 4GB, 8GB, 32GB.

What's wrong with 16GB?

Two screens fold together like a book.

LCDs don't handle bezel-less edges very well.

Two screens
Wi-Fi for the internet & VOIP.
Cellular for cellphone if desired.
Bluetooth for earphones, keyboard, mouse.
Full MacOSX

With all this stuff, if it's the size of an iPod, you'll get about 20 minutes of battery life.

I think that this device would be rockin', yes, but with today's technology, you'll be lucky if it's 2x the thickness of an iPod, especially due to two LCDs and necessity of a LARGE battery (Wi-Fi, three bluetooth devices, two LCDs).

The folding things won't really work properly unless it's OLED, which is nowhere near ready for mainstrem applications. OLED requires no bezel, is very energy efficient, and can be "printed" on nearly any substrate.

The next big improvement we need is battery life. Something needs to be done about this universal hinderance. It makes laptops only last 3 hours and even small gadgets like iPods last for a mere 12 hours before being recharged.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not gonna happen with today's technology.

-Clive

 

[Maccus Aurelius]

Two screens fold together like a book.
Slips in the pocket. Size of an iPod.
Flash memory for long battery life. 4GB, 8GB, 32GB.
Induction recharging of battery.
Wi-Fi for the internet & VOIP.
Cellular for cellphone if desired.
Bluetooth for earphones, keyboard, mouse.
Screen is touch sensitive of course and a tablet.
Sealed case, real world rugged, no ports, no openings.
Full MacOSX from a user's perspective but you don't need optical drive and a lot of other things.
Available in any color as long as it is black.
The iPal - it does it all.

iPal...I like it

Basically an apple branded wifi equipped organizer..kinda like those Tiger Electronics things that were advertised ad nauseam on tv back in the mid 90's .

It would have to have ports of some kind...so one could have a solid connection to it, even if it's just one sealable USB connector. Oh, and let's not forget a mini magsafe thingie

What I'm imagining here is a more advanced more expensive Nintendo DS.

 

[Clive At Five]

Wu, who was among the first analysts to forecast the unveiling of Apple's iPhone music player/phone earlier this year, cited unnamed industry sources as the basis for his report.

Even Reuters is listening to this guy! This needs to stop.

Secondly, Wu WAS NOT the first to predict the iPhone. The iPhone has been predicted since 1999 when they registered iPhone.org

People need to look at EVIDENCE before they spew this PURE CRAP at us!

-Clive

 

[Mgkwho]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we hear reports that the version of OS X in the iPhone were less than 500MB?

I think the 4GB meant the hard drive over all, not that OS X would take up 4GB.



The only way I see a sub notebook happening is if its capacity is 32 GB. No way could 4GB work unless there was some super syncing new feature...way beyond what's out right now.

I really hope for a new syncing with the user's preferences...there's a patent out I think...

-=|Mgkwho

 

[TheManOfSilver]

If Apple is to use this stripped down version of OSX on an ultra mobile PC, I think it'd probably be a really small computer, probably even a little smaller than a UMPC. If the screen were large enough, I don't see why they wouldn't want to use an operating system that had a complete Finder and window management system.

I agree. Basically the only other type of device that could use the mini-OSX and still be functional would be an Apple PDA (basically an iPhone without the phone ... or in other words, the eventual widescreen iPod).

Having a small format notebook or tablet or UPMC without the ability to install and run regular OSX applications (especially productivity software) would be a complete non-starter.

 

[aswitcher]

Maybe 2008.

This year the iPhone. Its as big as the Mac and iPod for Apple, so why distract people with another device.

Plus next year flash will be signficantly cheaper again, making a Mac Tablet more affordable.

 

[Cinch]

Agreed. The allure of the sub-notebook device is the small form-factor while still retaining the complete OS X experience. I can see certain physical features being omitted, i.e optical drive, but I would expect software features to remain intact. The iPhone is the smaller UMPC to a certain extent. Does anyone actually take this Shaw Wu seriously? Seems he just continuously regurgitates information, that he reads on the rumor forums.

Is it just me, but when I use the MacBook I don't conciously think of enjoying OSX or as you put it the "OSX experience". To me, I experience surfing the web for news, shop etc (Safari), organizing music (iTunes), and writing a manuscript (Word).

Cinch