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Ultra-Portable Mac Expected at Macworld Expo 2008

uh...

corywoolf said:
They need to make it smaller than 13" to attract the crowd that loved the 12" PowerBook form factor.
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Me thinks not. 12" powerbook has a different footprint and arguably more functioning screen space than the current 13.3" macbooks since the macbooks are widescreen. 13.3" across a longer rectangle isn't the same as 12" across a albeit shorter one.
 
joemama said:
Wow I'm thinking in the $500-600 range. ANything higher would infringe on MacBook sales. think about it - no traditional HD, no optical drive. Most of the cost is in the screen/touch screen.
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No way. You pay for portability and convenience. It won't be marketed to the same people who buy the MacBook.

It'll be marketed to people who want the ultimate in a portable laptop, the people that don't want a MacBook. The 12" PowerBook was always priced higher than the 14" iBooks, and I don't think this one would be any different.
 
erzeszut said:
No way. You pay for portability and convenience. It won't be marketed to the same people who buy the MacBook.

It'll be marketed to people who want the ultimate in a portable laptop, the people that don't want a MacBook. The 12" PowerBook was always priced higher than the 14" iBooks, and I don't think this one would be any different.
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Agreed. This model would be different than the current crop of MacBooks. I have a MBP now and wouldn't mind having something like this.
 
Macmadant said:
I prey to god this has a decent dedicated graphics card, otherwise i'm going to go and cry
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LOL!!!! I guess you were joking, but I'll take the bait: There is no way this would have a dedicated graphics card--dedicated or otherwise. I think every place in it's design where there was a tradeoff between size/battery life and computing power, Apple would have chosen size/battery life.

If this device exists, I'm guessing it will be the something like the NanoBook Pro (not that name necessarily, but how it's positioned in the lineup).

I'm afraid it will be more expensive that the MacBook: It will incorporate new and expensive technologies like a solid state drive, a very slim form factor, possibly some kind of minimal bezel, maybe a docking station or external optical drive. It will probably be impractical for people who don't have a lot of money to spend on computers and a strong need to be mobile.

Also, AI rumored this thing to come out a long time ago, so they don't have very accurate sources on this.
 
Everyone is saying that it can't be 13" because that isn't "ultra-portable". It may not be, but we don't know for sure that this laptop is going to be "ultra-portable". Read the rest before you go tearing me apart saying "but it says ultra-portable!"

Lets just say that the Apple spy or whoever started this rumor saw a 13" and in his mind believes that 13" in conjunction with a thinner body means ultra-portable, and published it. From then on everyone thinks that it has to fit the definition of ultra-portable.

Instead of arguing over semantics, we could try to speculate what Apple WOULD release.

And everyone needs to realize that no built in optical drive doesn't mean you can't watch movies, burn cds etc. It just means that you need to have your external drive there to burn a CD, and you need to rip your DVD onto your notebook before the trip, or consider de-cluttering your shelf by utilizing this great thing Apple already released called iTunes! Apple is already going all digital!

I'm a student, and would LOVE them to release a 12" or 13" MB Pro. I don't need a built in optical drive. I could get around not having one at all, but I'm sure they will include and external one.
 
jpxdude said:
13" is not a sub notebook and not an ultra portable.

If the terms "sub notebook" and "ultra portable" are synonymous with the rumor, we can expect something 12" or smaller.

A thinner, lighter 13" without optical drive just doesn't make sense.
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A 13" screen doesn't preclude it being sub-portable.

Look, for a computer to be usable, it needs to have a usable keyboard. Until foldable or projected or alternative keyboard layouts become viable, you can look at a basic MacBook or MacBook Pro keyboard as a miniumum width and height for a portable.

So, a 13" screen, minus most all of the bezel is about right, if you want a full-sized keyboard (minus the bezel). Then it's a question of how thin you can make it. And that's when you get to things like a solid-state hard drive and no/external optical drive.

So consider a 2-2.5 lbs laptop with a height and width almost the minimum dicated by a 13" screen and fullsize keyboard. It'll be something you can easily heft with one hand. I call that an ultraportable.

Sure, smaller ultra-portables have been made, but it's not like these things are wildly popular. I don't think Apple ever enters a market willing to be satisfied to achieve niche status. If they are really going to do this they are going for something bigger, and that almost certainly means a different approach that what others have tried before.
 
There is no way that this will be cheaper than even the top-end MacBooks, irrespective of some hardware losses (which will be more than made up for cost-wise with the introduction of LED backlighting, new batteries and flash drives). It is aimed at different users, predominantly professionals who don't utilize a laptop as their primary computer (as opposed to most students and many others), people who have desktop replacements like the MacBook Pro which aren't ideal in terms of portability and those that just want an ultraportable mac.

I think it will have similar specs to the BlackBook, but you obviously will have to pay a premium for the form and function, not to mention cutting-edge tech. So I see it coming between the MacBook and MacBook Pro at $1799.

I also still think that the Aluminum MacBooks are coming, following the livery of the iPod Classic, but it will predominantly be an aesthetic change, with the higher-end model getting LED and perhaps other slight upgrades in terms of specs (i.e. losing the combo-drive and sightly more HD space) but I wouldn't bet much on that.

While the MBPs will get upgrades similar to what the MBs just had, increased intel processors and little else.
 
MacboobsPro said:
Without an optical drive Apple will have to offer Leopard, iLife et al as a digital download right?
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Nope, just the option to install them from either an external drive, or (preferably) from the drive on another mac connected by firewire or ethernet.

Any machine sold without an optical is going to end up being a second machine for most buyers.
 
I'll be in the market for a replacement notebook for my Gen1 MacBook, so I'll be interested to see what this offers. Size and weight are very important to me.
 
all im hoping for is a macbook pro 13 inch lol. just something to go head to head with dells 1330 but yeah no optical isnt a deal breaker and im hoping if they do use nand make it os only to help costs.. idk
 
it will be $ filling the clear gap in the current line 1500. 1000 more for a bigger scree no way there needs to be a middle man. Macbook pro update also.
 
This device will most likely be very, very expensive, and include the bigger flash and a full keyboard. But it will not have the great of a graphics card, if any.
Or,
It will be a true tablet mac. The full size iPod Touch, which i think is a lot more likely. It will be just a slate with a glass screen and maybe an isight.
The market for either one of these will never be for a primary use computer, which is why it will lack an optical drive most likely, if it is.
Neither on will ba that powerful, maybe a core duo that tops out at 1.5ghz other wise i think it wouldn;t be near affordable for any one but the niche
I have a macbook and a macpro, and the speed is way different, but I can run aperture and final cut express a lot better than i could on my 17 Powerbook.
So if you have an 12pb, as your main computer, you really have nothing to lose. It's just a suggestion, that you maybe consideer what u are doing with your computer
 
BRLawyer said:
Exactly. Apple will LEAD again the trend in terms of phasing out obsolete things...this was the case for floppies and will be the case for CDs and DVDs. out the minds of customers and catapult Apple to the first place in the IT industry; in other words, it's gonna be one of the last nails in Microsoft's coffin...I WILL buy it the moment it's released...GO APPLE!
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1. Apple has already phased out the DVD writer on the low-end Macbook and Mac Mini. They have the innovative combo-drive. Apple ahead of the curve.

2. Why would yet-another-subnotebook (Sony have done these for yonks) be the final nail in Microsoft's coffin? Microsoft do not produce laptops of any flavour. You can run Microsoft's XP and Vista on Apple just as well as on any Sony, HP, Dell or Gateway, so why should Redmond care tuppence about another niche product?
 
Oh please.... let it be with a optical drive.. I was just fine with something like the old powerbook g4 12"

I'm traveling a lot with publick transport and I need a all in one laptop for my work that can replace a desktop. The current 13" macbook is just to heavy and slight to big to be real portable. I don't want to live without optical drive. I like to burn DVD's or CD's when I'm on travle. I even like to watch DVD's if I'm in my hotel for work.

Everytime I hold my Girlfriends old 12" powerbook I'm jaloes.. It is exactly all I need in size.

I don't get how people can be so easy without optical drive. I truly wished apple can be smarter then everyone else and make something stunning flat and small with optical drive... :D :apple: I'm I alone here with that wish??

Regards,
Bas
 
ParisParamus said:
Is anyone out there really hankering for a lighter MacBook?
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Me! I want MacBook prices (or $1500 more realistically), no optical drive, lighter, better battery use, 13" screen, full size keyboard. :)

It seems like the NAND-Flash idea is to have both Flash and a HD - at least that's what I remember from earlier rumors about Robeson / Santa Rosa machines. OS on the Flash, storage on the HD. It works for me... How much memory does OSX need on a hard drive?

I bet they have a dedicated graphics card - that's the big complaint about the Macbooks, and it would drive a ginormous external screen for all you pro users. There's your price differentiation from the Macbook. Or maybe not if they're going for battery life...

I would think it would be at least as powerful as a Macbook, if not moreso - you use the extra space freed up by the optical drive to make this work...
 
It's interesting to see all the different interpretations of what this thing might be. We're all over the "map" -- from powerful PDAs to full-power notebooks in a small package. Product positioning is everywhere from below the MacBook to primo subnote in the MacBook Pro tier. $799 to $3000. Some are begging for an optical drive, while others are glad it's (possibly) been pared out of the package. Some want a 10" screen and compressed keyboard, while others want 13" with a full-size keyboard.

Like everyone else, I have my personal hopes and feature preferences, but I respect everyone's take on this thing, and I'm enjoying reading the different perspectives and predictions. It will be fun to see what shows up, if it even really appears in January.
 
i rely want the memory it sounds very efficient. If i know apple they will do a great job on it, it will be affordable because it isn't a pro just a midline. what do you think of a touch screen or enhanced keypad. there has to be a larger touch screen device coming out because of their copy rited finger jesters.
 
Manatee said:
It's interesting to see all the different interpretations of what this thing might be. We're all over the "map" -- from powerful PDAs to full-power notebooks in a small package.
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Yeah! Maybe there's a market for Apple to expand its product lines a bit and be more generous in the configurations they offer. Now that they're doing so well on profits and market share, perhaps they don't have to be so one-size-fits-all. Here are a few possibilities:

replacement for PB 12" (a light 13" MBP)
ultra-super-micro-nano-portable-pro expensive laptop
tablet / iPhone Biggie
mid-range tower
apple TV / Mac Mini convergence (media mac)
 
Discrete graphics card ?

I'm very curious to know what kind of graphics Apple is going to put into this thing. My 12" PB is nearly pushing 4 years old, but it still running Leopard great (although minus the translucent menu bar !) with 64 megs of dedicated graphics.

What would / should the equivalent setup be for 2008 ?

Here's Daring Fireballs take:

"Smaller, super-thin, lightweight MacBooks coming at Macworld Expo, says AppleInsider. How’s Apple making it so much thinner than current MacBooks? By eliminating the optical disk drive — i.e. what the iMac was to the floppy, this machine is to the CD/DVD drive. My Magic 8-ball says AppleInsider is mostly correct.

Update: I asked my Magic 8-ball if this upcoming super-thin MacBook still has a (non-Flash memory) hard disk drive, and the answer came back: “IT IS CERTAIN”. (iPod Classics have hard drives; they’re pretty thin.)"
 
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