Not sure if this fact has been mentionned before, but I just stumbled on this article and it got me thinking about the fact that Apple adopted DisplayPort but went to the trouble of making mini DisplayPort. Laptops are big enough for a full-size DisplayPort, whatever you may think or what Apple may be saying today.
However, if you check the size of the mini DisplayPort, and if you look at the bottom of your iPhone/iPod touch (assuming you have one), you can clearly see that there is probably more than enough room at the bottom to add a mini DisplayPort.
And if you add Bluetooth to the next iPhone/iPod touch, then you can connect your iPhone/iPod touch to a real display (i.e. I wouldn't want to work all day on a 3.5" display), with sound, USB peripherals through your display USB hub, via the iPod connector, and use a wireless keyboard and mouse. The ultimate portable Mac.
And before you say "Macs are more powerful than the iPhone", those of us old enough already know that soon, very soon, the iPhone itself will be more powerful than most users needs. Even flash storage keeps doubling every year or so too, so it's not a problem either. You leave your terabytes of videofiles at home, connected to your display USB hub.
So, anyone else see the link between this "portable Mac" idea and the mini DisplayPort? Is this the future for Macs?
edit: the concept in the link above is dumb for a simple reason: you waste a perfectly good display and multi-touch pad if you insert it behind the display.
For a very easy, less cables clutter, Apple-style docking system, I see the aluminium keyboard with an iPhone/iPod touch dock connector (similar to this, but the keyboard part only) to convert your iPhone/iPod touch into a multi-touch pad with built-in LCD display for icons, etc. The iPod dock and mini DisplayPort connectors are built-in the docking area.
However, if you check the size of the mini DisplayPort, and if you look at the bottom of your iPhone/iPod touch (assuming you have one), you can clearly see that there is probably more than enough room at the bottom to add a mini DisplayPort.
And if you add Bluetooth to the next iPhone/iPod touch, then you can connect your iPhone/iPod touch to a real display (i.e. I wouldn't want to work all day on a 3.5" display), with sound, USB peripherals through your display USB hub, via the iPod connector, and use a wireless keyboard and mouse. The ultimate portable Mac.
And before you say "Macs are more powerful than the iPhone", those of us old enough already know that soon, very soon, the iPhone itself will be more powerful than most users needs. Even flash storage keeps doubling every year or so too, so it's not a problem either. You leave your terabytes of videofiles at home, connected to your display USB hub.
So, anyone else see the link between this "portable Mac" idea and the mini DisplayPort? Is this the future for Macs?
edit: the concept in the link above is dumb for a simple reason: you waste a perfectly good display and multi-touch pad if you insert it behind the display.
For a very easy, less cables clutter, Apple-style docking system, I see the aluminium keyboard with an iPhone/iPod touch dock connector (similar to this, but the keyboard part only) to convert your iPhone/iPod touch into a multi-touch pad with built-in LCD display for icons, etc. The iPod dock and mini DisplayPort connectors are built-in the docking area.
