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UltraPortable Connecting System?
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i agree..if anything it just adds the extra thickness Y. and if it has to pivot about that point..the only real place it is thinner is at the very edge of the port..where it it exposed. if that makes sense. stupid idea i rekcon.
also to the people telling those that want a cheap ultraportable to "go buy a dell", im sorry if we all dont have thousands and thousands of dollars to spend. to suggest we buy a dell is an insult to everyone
we are also entitled to a quality laptop thats not an exorbitant amount.What?! You say Apple is going to make the ports out of soap?
Wha... SOAP???
Sure, that's great when you first buy it, and yes another stroke of Apple genius in clean industrial design, but then what happens if it gets wet and the ports get all sudsy and start to melt away? I for one would have serious reservations about buying a laptop with ports made of soap.
The dimensions for the new alu-wired keyboard are 17" wide, 4.5" deep, .75" high.
As for the dimensions of the new alu-wireless keyboard, well, my dear, you will just have to wait until they are officially released.
I for one hope Firewire has a nice long life with apple, I love it. And for many current applications it is indispensable. I actually miss it from the iPod, it is faster. It is the de facto standard for camcorders (including some older ones, which many people have). USB simply is not up to transferring DV. And eSata and such is not nearly mainstream and FW 800 while it can be argued isn't exactly common either, is a fantastic interface for external HDD's (which are used very commonly with laptops, especially i would imagine with an ultraportable which would have a small HDD, maybe flash SSD).
my 2.0000000000000000000000000000000001 cents
my 2.0000000000000000000000000000000001 cents
Yes. In fact, you could argue that putting FW800 on the new imac is a shot across the bows of eSATA (I wanted eSATA in the imac).
Dear Apple,
Just give me the option to ship you my 12" Powerbook G4, have you throw in a new chip,bigger hard drive, and brighter screen, then ship it back to me.
I swear to God I'll be happy for another 3 years.
Just give me the option to ship you my 12" Powerbook G4, have you throw in a new chip,bigger hard drive, and brighter screen, then ship it back to me.
I swear to God I'll be happy for another 3 years.
Exactly my thinking. I was wondering if the half-inch of width this saves is justified considering we just added a moving part with at least two points of failure [hinge pins on each end of the panel]. They are subject to wear and tear, too, under normal use, so it's not just a risk that the panel will be broken -- it's a question of when the hinges fail. Remember you'll have to open that panel every time you use a port -- that's a lot of opening and closing.
Maybe they'll outlast the typical life of the computer, but if it breaks after 3 years, you can't just go to Fry's and get a replacement. Your laptop's trashed. Is that half-inch of space worth it?
You got all that from a cryptic diagram? You can predict when something will break that may never even be built? And that it will trash a laptop that also does not yet exist?
But to answer your question: yes. Innovative approaches to miniaturizing computers are absolutely worth it. I would love an ultraportable and it's nice to know that Apple is contemplating solutions that would accomodate standard ports. I'm sure they're contemplating lots of things. It's anybody's guess what will finally ship, but at least when it does you will be able to more legitimately say what a terrible idea it is.
hhhmm this new feature needs an interesting abbreviation.......
how about UPS??? that doesnt sound like its taken
UPCS???
no??
how about UPS??? that doesnt sound like its taken
UPCS???
no??
Yep...and it would make life so much easier when travelling in those jet powered tin cans
Not just that, but aesthetically it would look strange. It would break the clean lines that Apple loves if the ports (when expanded) were thicker than the case. Plus there would be a seam between the main chassis and this foldable port thing.
I can't imagine this ever goes into production. They probably patented it just to drive Dell or Toshiba nuts...this is exactly the kind of thing I could see one of those companies trying to put onto their laptops.
I'm not an Apple owner yet but there's an iMac to come as soon as Leopard is available and almost certainly a macbook to replace my aging Thinkpad soon after. One of the things that puts me off is the lack of a dock but is this as much of an issue as you say?
i thought the apple monitor connector included firewire and usb so your mouse/keyboard (if not wireless) and peripherals can be connected to the display. Your networking is likely wireless anyway (which is sufficiently fas for nearly everything) which just leaves power - so only 2 cables.
i'm with you - i think a really nice, magsafe, dock connector would be better (and my monitor is a dell so i'll have to manually cable usb as well)
I don't like anything that adds more moving parts to a system. It's just another thing that will break or bend.
idea: supply the notebook with only one ueberport and relocate all other ports to the power adaptor.
this "apple universal adaptor" is connected to the wall outlet, provides multiple usb, hdmi/dvi, audio in/out, ethernet so that all cable clutter goes into this thingy rather than the laptop itself.
with your macbook, you get not one, but two "apple universal adaptors". one for your home. so tv, hifi, printers, cameras, etc. will always be plugged in. another one for the road, maybe a lighter, more transportable version with less ports. (the "home adaptor" could be merged with the airport adaptor.)
the cable between macbook and power adaptor (yes, the "apple universal adaptor connector cable") can thus transpond any cable-based data and/or energy needed. it uses a magsafe connector whose ends can be connected into each other which facilitates storing. also, the cable can be lengthened by simply using multiple cables. make that connector a standard on all apple devices, so that when you're only using apple devices, you only need one type of cable.
get the idea?
of course, 2 or 3 usb and maybe the audio ports should additionally be left on the macbook, since they will be needed most in mobile usage. once you connect to a second monitor or an ethernet, you're more likely to be close to a wall outlet.
this "apple universal adaptor" is connected to the wall outlet, provides multiple usb, hdmi/dvi, audio in/out, ethernet so that all cable clutter goes into this thingy rather than the laptop itself.
with your macbook, you get not one, but two "apple universal adaptors". one for your home. so tv, hifi, printers, cameras, etc. will always be plugged in. another one for the road, maybe a lighter, more transportable version with less ports. (the "home adaptor" could be merged with the airport adaptor.)
the cable between macbook and power adaptor (yes, the "apple universal adaptor connector cable") can thus transpond any cable-based data and/or energy needed. it uses a magsafe connector whose ends can be connected into each other which facilitates storing. also, the cable can be lengthened by simply using multiple cables. make that connector a standard on all apple devices, so that when you're only using apple devices, you only need one type of cable.
get the idea?
of course, 2 or 3 usb and maybe the audio ports should additionally be left on the macbook, since they will be needed most in mobile usage. once you connect to a second monitor or an ethernet, you're more likely to be close to a wall outlet.
doesn't seem like an approach Apple would take, but I mean it's a great idea and why not patent it right? I'm sure they have something better brewing...
It's a bit too complex. Apple likes to create simple products that are capable of doing a lot. Apple's emphasis is on ease of use, not on feature-saturated hardware.
Don't you worry; Apple will patent everything it can, even if it's completely useless
Stick an SSD in there and tell us how it goes - that'll solve most of what you're missing i'm sure, and it'll cost roughly the same...
