MacBook Air and iPad in one device?

[Night Spring]

How about this: create a keyboard base unit (MacBase?) that includes a pointing device (trackpad) plus the CPU/GPU/etc for running OSX. It would have one or two hinged mounting points. Alter the iPad just slightly to include one/two mounting sockets on the side (not standard iPod dock ports).

When the iPad is mounted on the keyboard unit, it uses the iPads display, battery, and flash storage to function as a full OSX computer (using the keyboard unit's CPU/GPU). The "lid"/iPad can be folded down on top of the keyboard unit via the hinge mechanism.

When the iPad is removed, it uses a second internal CPU/GPU to run iOS as a normal iPad. Note: the keyboard unit would be non-functional unless the iPad was attached.

Best of both worlds?

I think Lenovo is building or was planning to build a device like this. Problem is, the keyboard part runs Windows, but the detached tablet part has little or no programs built to run on it. Also, I don't think data syncs automatically between the tablet and keyboard parts. For instance, the tablet part runs some kind of calendar app that doesn't share the data with the calendar in Outlook on the keyboard part.

I think Apple is smart to build the iPad as a stand-alone device, wait a few years for the iPad apps to mature, then when they finally build a combo device, there will be plenty of apps for it in both modes. Oh, and what with the app store for OSX and Lion getting some iOS like features, by the time Apple comes out with a combo device, many apps will already be available with versions for both modes, with a smooth way to sync data between the keyboard version and tablet version, so you can play Angry Birds sitting at yur desk with the keyboard attached, then keep playing from the same level on the go with just the tablet part. Apple shouldn't, and I'm thinking they wouldn't, build a combo device until the software and apps are ready to do this.

 

[MrWillie]

Of course, we do have the Sync to only one computer problem that Apple have given us.

You buy your iPad and sync to iTunes at home on your iMac, bring your iPad to work, but you can't do certain tasks without using iTunes and you can't just install iTunes on your work machine, as would need natural. You have to wait till you come back home at the end of the day to do what you need to.

It's about time Apple at the very least allowed you to sync to two machines, in a typical scenario Home and Work.

Of course, the other option, and the one I much prefer myself, is to make the iPad a more independant device that does not need to be linked to a "Computer" to perform some basic tasks.

None of the above is anything to do with technical limitations, it's all to do with Apple's control over the device I'm afraid

I agree totally that the iPad should be more independent. However the one computer sync rule is not all Apple's fault. It's partly the music and movie industry's fault. Lets say I come over to your place for a visit. I see your music library and decide to plug my device up, bam, I just copied a thousand or so songs from you, without paying. That's why the sync is only one way and why it wipes your device when you try to sync to a different computer. It's part of the agreement with the music and movie industries.

But man o man, a sync free iPad would be sweet.

 

[Night Spring]

I agree totally that the iPad should be more independent. However the one computer sync rule is not all Apple's fault. It's partly the music and movie industry's fault. Lets say I come over to your place for a visit. I see your music library and decide to plug my device up, bam, I just copied a thousand or so songs from you, without paying. That's why the sync is only one way and why it wipes your device when you try to sync to a different computer. It's part of the agreement with the music and movie industries.

But man o man, a sync free iPad would be sweet.

On the other hand, I'm now contemplating buying a MacBook Air, and I find myself wishing that the Air would sync with my iMac the way iPod/iPhone/iPad does. That way I could easily carry a subset of my iTunes library on the Air, and vary my music selection depending on what I'm in the mood for. The SSD on the Air is too small to hold my entire media library, but managing a smaller library on the Air would surely be messy and painful. I want my Air to be dependent! Independence is overrated!

 

[MrWillie]

On the other hand, I'm now contemplating buying a MacBook Air, and I find myself wishing that the Air would sync with my iMac the way iPod/iPhone/iPad does. That way I could easily carry a subset of my iTunes library on the Air, and vary my music selection depending on what I'm in the mood for. The SSD on the Air is too small to hold my entire media library, but managing a smaller library on the Air would surely be messy and painful. I want my Air to be dependent! Independence is overrated!

NAS, external USB drive, Dropbox, or Mobile Me. (I haven't used mobile me. At least not YET.) Until the wife and I get home from our little vacation, my work laptop has a bigger hard drive than her really old desktop. (I bought the wife's daughter a new laptop, and we are taking her late 2008 high end iMac, which I had also bought for in late 2008.) I keep all our music and movies on the external drive, hook up my laptop and manage my iPad and iPod Nano that way. I don't watch movies or listen to music on the laptop, but I do do movies and stream podcast on the iPad. iPod is for downloaded podcast and music.

 

[Night Spring]

NAS, external USB drive, Dropbox, or Mobile Me.

Both MobileMe and DropBox have too little storage to store all my media files (unless I pay for more storage). USB drive defeats the purpose of having a compact portable computer -- I'd have to take the USB drive with me if I want to access my media while on the go. A NAS configured to be accessed over the internet? Maybe, but requires some setup, and the Air doesn't have built-in 3G, so, needs a USB cellular modem or MyFi (MyWi? I keep getting them mixed up) hotspot device. Again, more things to carry, not to mention needing another data plan, so not ideal. Oh, and this applies to DrobBox/MobileMe as well.

There is Homesharing, I suppose, but I've never tried it yet. Anyone know if you can share only specific playlists? So I could, say, make a "Air" playlist on my iMac, and share that with the Air? And every time I change the "Air" playlist on my iMac, the changes get synced to the Air?

 

[MrWillie]

But you don't need to bring ALL your media with you when you travel. Just manage your media when home.

 

[Night Spring]

But you don't need to bring ALL your media with you when you travel. Just manage your media when home.

Well, of course. But what I was saying is it would be easier to manage my media if the Air synced with my iMac the same way as the iPad/iPod/iPhone.

 

[Macbees]

I think it is more likely that iOS and OSX merging into one than a combo hardware that runs both OSes coming out in the future. The signs are already there with OSX Lion to be more iOS like.
My take would be in the years to come MB Airs will fizzle out first, taken over by tablet form computers.. larger size laptops will contunue for some time ( those >15" ) but with a thinner lighter form factor.

 

[jazziethomas]

Dell currently has a cool Duo Tablet Netbook Hybrid Merging the ipad with the macbook air would totally make sense.

Whoah does this gadget really exist? this is so cool. as for apple I think they won't do it for this would decrease their sales in a certain way unless they would sell it for a pretty expensive price.

 

[MrWillie]

Whoah does this gadget really exist? this is so cool. as for apple I think they won't do it for this would decrease their sales in a certain way unless they would sell it for a pretty expensive price.

Again, these devices have existed for the past 10 years. Dell even sold them. (The screens rotated around 180 degrees and then laid down over the keyboard.) You even had Win XP Tablet edition. These tablets were never big sellers. You had to search Dell to find them, the least expensive one were around $1800 and underpowered.

Anyone else remember OQO ? $1800 WinXP PDA. OQO is outta business.

This is just an underpowered overpriced Atom net book with a touch screen. Come on, this is nothing new.