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Ultra-Portable MacBook Likely at Macworld San Francisco 2008?
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all i want to know is will it be powerful enough to:
-Handle HD home movie content on the go comfortably through imovie
-run leopard extremely efficiently
-handle the next OS comfortably
and will it:
-have an easily upgradable HD like the macbooks
-provide enough features/performance to take as your "personal machine" on business trips without having to have need for a larger comp to sync to/work on.
I want something i can take for a week and use for perhaps an hour a day on one charge (? maybe). Then sync all my work to my iMac at home eventually.
If all of the above, i'm in.
-Handle HD home movie content on the go comfortably through imovie
-run leopard extremely efficiently
-handle the next OS comfortably
and will it:
-have an easily upgradable HD like the macbooks
-provide enough features/performance to take as your "personal machine" on business trips without having to have need for a larger comp to sync to/work on.
I want something i can take for a week and use for perhaps an hour a day on one charge (? maybe). Then sync all my work to my iMac at home eventually.
If all of the above, i'm in.
its OK if its an ultra-portable, but can it be a Tablet PC too? Please? Especially considering that ultraportable is with very few exceptions one of the definitions of a Tablet PC?
Cherry on top?
Cherry on top?
Apple needs to release something like this. My sister has a Dell Inspiron which is 2 or 3 years old and is still smaller and lighter than even the 12" mbp. I would like to show her up.
its OK if its an ultra-portable, but can it be a Tablet PC too? Please? Especially considering that ultraportable is with very few exceptions one of the definitions of a Tablet PC?
Cherry on top?
Just out of curiosity, what industry do you work in where a Tablet PC would be appealing?
The ultraportables of most manufacturers tend to be pretty expensive. I expect the same for Apple's. It will be more expensive than the cheapest MacBook by far. Sony's ultraportable SZ series starts at around $1500 and goes to $2600, according to the starting configurations on their web site. That's the 4.0 lb model.
There are even lighter models for sale in the Japanese market, and they're probably more expensive, still. Check out this specialty importer web site; the 2.0 lb, 12" Sony starts at $2300 and goes to $3900. They probably mark it up a bit more than you'd pay in Japan but still, it's expensive:
http://www.icube.us/
Apple needs to release something like this. My sister has a Dell Inspiron which is 2 or 3 years old and is still smaller and lighter than even the 12" mbp. I would like to show her up.
Which inspiron is that? I didn't know Dell made inspirons smaller than the 12" PowerBook (which is what I think you are talking about).
Josh
*sputter*
You don't ask for much, do you?
Excuse me while I wipe coffee off my monitor.
Sounds cool. I can see maybe a 12" screen, NAND flash, no hard drive or optical drive. However, I wonder how long it'll last if Apple does do this. I could see Apple pulling it after a few months saying it either is not selling well enough or is selling too well and is cannibalizing MacBook/MacBook Pro sales. While I like Apple products, I feel that Apple wants to increase its market share, but only wants to sell high-end stuff that's too expensive for the regular user. IMO, I think Apple's trying to be the Gucci or Versace of electronics world, but also wants everyone to have it and wonders why no one can buy it. Just my 2¢
Although a tablet sounds intriguing, I couldn't disagree with you more. Apple *desperately* needs an ultraportable LAPTOP.
I'm not talking about a glorified palm device like another poster suggested, or an expanded iPhone. I'm talking about an ultraportable laptop for people who travel, people who travel a lot.
Lugging around a 15" laptop, adaptor, extra battery is a complete drag, literally. Tack on cameras, lenses, let alone clothes; it's a burden.
A small form factor, fully-functional laptop is precisely what Apple needs (IMHO
). I saw a 12" powerbook the other day and had to marvel at just how much more portable it is than the current MacBooks and MacBook Pros/Powerbooks. Even then, I still think that the 12" was too big.Years ago, I had a VAIO with a high resolution 10" screen. It weighed like a pound and was smaller than a sheet of paper. I could actually use it on an airplane in coach. It was a dream to carry around. I dread lugging around my 15" powerbook. It's great on the desk, or schlepping to coding sessions or meetings; it completely sucks for extended travel.
I'd love to see Apple do something like the old VAIOs...
Even though I own a MBP 15", I still travel with my trusty 12"er PB. When it comes to the internet and Office apps, it still performs OK. Using it to archive my travel photos is another story: iPhoto crawls on this little boy.
Either a new small MBP or a tablet, it must be as versatile as the 12" PB used to be when it was introduced back in '03; remember how Steve pitched it as a good iLife platform? Sure, we ran 10.2, iLife '03, Keynote 1.0 and MS Office X on it.
And the thing must be priced reasonably (say around $1500?). Now this is gonna be the clincher: the current price of a flash-memory HD replacement ... I recall the 64GB priced at that exact same amount just a few weeks ago
Anyhow, I'm already booked to attend MWSF '08. I hope I'll be super-duper-pleasantly surprised
Either a new small MBP or a tablet, it must be as versatile as the 12" PB used to be when it was introduced back in '03; remember how Steve pitched it as a good iLife platform? Sure, we ran 10.2, iLife '03, Keynote 1.0 and MS Office X on it.
And the thing must be priced reasonably (say around $1500?). Now this is gonna be the clincher: the current price of a flash-memory HD replacement ... I recall the 64GB priced at that exact same amount just a few weeks ago
Anyhow, I'm already booked to attend MWSF '08. I hope I'll be super-duper-pleasantly surprised
So you are making a huge assumption.
READ:
And unless Munster posts the phone conversations for all of us to hear for ourselves, I wouldn't believe him for a minute that he "talks to people in the supply chain, China, Taiwan." Aside from that, Apple has confidentiality agreements with suppliers, so they cannot reveal to whom and how much they are supplying. A supplier could say, "we moved 15 million 4GB NAND Flash SSDs, but that's about it. The rest is all just assumptions.
-Clive
the ultra-portable/thin mac book is likely to fall in to one of two categories:
1) a gorgeous looking, but rather pedestrian, me-too product. it will still sell like hot-cakes, but won't be the game changer that apple can be (think ipod mini, airport express, appleTV, etc...)
2) a paradigm shift in what an ultra portable is (think ipod, iphone, macintosh, etc...)
there's nothing really wrong with either approach, though i'm sort of hoping for option 2. with the iphone i hardly pick up my powerbook anymore, but there are plenty on instances where the iphone just doesn't cut it. i could use something between the two, for the couch, meetings, the coffee shop, etc...
1) a gorgeous looking, but rather pedestrian, me-too product. it will still sell like hot-cakes, but won't be the game changer that apple can be (think ipod mini, airport express, appleTV, etc...)
2) a paradigm shift in what an ultra portable is (think ipod, iphone, macintosh, etc...)
there's nothing really wrong with either approach, though i'm sort of hoping for option 2. with the iphone i hardly pick up my powerbook anymore, but there are plenty on instances where the iphone just doesn't cut it. i could use something between the two, for the couch, meetings, the coffee shop, etc...
Oh please, please! I want one!
My prediction for Mac World is... Upgrades to the new Intel processor for the iMac and Mac Pro, a major update for the iPhone with 3rd party apps (this is a no brainer) and a whole bunch of fixes and feature refinements, possible new iPhone with more memory (16gb), and I really hope a new Ultra Portable with all the goodies. If we're lucky, we'll hear some good news on iTunes and more content coming and maybe they'll make AppleTV worth while???
As always... it should be a fun ride!!!!! Any other educated predictions?
My prediction for Mac World is... Upgrades to the new Intel processor for the iMac and Mac Pro, a major update for the iPhone with 3rd party apps (this is a no brainer) and a whole bunch of fixes and feature refinements, possible new iPhone with more memory (16gb), and I really hope a new Ultra Portable with all the goodies. If we're lucky, we'll hear some good news on iTunes and more content coming and maybe they'll make AppleTV worth while???
As always... it should be a fun ride!!!!! Any other educated predictions?
I'm dying for a 12 or 13 inch Macbook Pro. I want MORE graphics power than a macbook, and less size/price than a 15" MBP, and when I need more screen real estate, I'll plug in my monitors. I frankly don't care if it's thin or thick, just give it a dedicated graphics card. The macbook is just not suitable for anyone who needs to cut video. I mean real video, not iMovie.
Then you AND macrumors got this wrong. Or more likely MR was skipped the obvious part where they assume everyone knows analysts have contacts etc. in the supply chain. Guess they should not skip the obvious for some.
You truly do not know what his job entails do you?
Good grief.
You make a totally false statement and falsely accuse him of JUST reading rumor Web sites to come to his conclusions.
Then, instead of just saying, yah I was wrong, you now say that being an anylyst consists of nothing but reading the Internet.
Do you know what their job entails. I guess not otherwise you would not have made your remark in the first place.
He may be right about this or maybe wrong but
Is just plain wrong.
Yep "all" he does is read macrumors sites... That managing director title of his, he just "manages to director his browser to rumor sites?" that senior researcher title he has, " he just the most senior researcher of the intnernets?" All those people that work for him, just cruise the Internet rumor sites all day?
Just quit while you are behind...
money in hand, I can't wait.
Granted, I've been waiting for this for almost 4 years now, so I won't be surprised if the rumor continues to simply be just that... a rumor.
Granted, I've been waiting for this for almost 4 years now, so I won't be surprised if the rumor continues to simply be just that... a rumor.
And what does the financial community think of this Munster fellow?
http://www.thestreet.com/s/the-five...-this-week/newsanalysis/dumbest/10392262.html
Why do anyone pay any attention to him, really?
TheStreet said:
http://www.thestreet.com/s/the-five...-this-week/newsanalysis/dumbest/10392262.html
Why do anyone pay any attention to him, really?