Tablet rumor roundup
MacRumors has put together this roundup, consolidating the rumors of an Apple ultra-portable macbook. I've made no secret of my wish for a double- or triple-size iPod-touch-like tablet but a 2.5-pound NAND-based Macbook sounds pretty appealing, even if the estimates are on the pricey side.
So what are your takes on ultraportability? Let us know in the poll below.
[Via Digg]
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MacRumors has put together this roundup, consolidating the rumors of an Apple ultra-portable macbook. I've made no secret of my wish for a...
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I just got an Asus EEE PC and it's fun, but SMALL. The screen isn't a problem actually, but re-learning to type on the keyboard frankly is. I'd kill for a well designed 10 inch screen lappy with NAND and decent design all around, or even the 13" thinner version, if it shows up. I do dislike the weight of my MacBook.
December 11 2007 at 11:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIn reality, i _dont_ want a touch or multi touch monitor. i would MUCH rather have the money be put towards a tablet mac. If they could get cintiq style functionality (1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt sensing, etc) I think that line would be the pinnacle of graphic design tools.
December 10 2007 at 11:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't care how big it is... just get the weight down... w-a-y down.
And what's with the touch screen love? I can't imagine key commands as being easy on something so slickery. Don't know about you, but I loves me some tactile feedback.
I just bought a new MacBook. I am considering returning it and waiting... The MacBook is nice but doesn't excite me much. If it does not excite me, I won't use it that much. I would love something smaller, lighter, more portable for odds and ends stuff and traveling. Otherwise, the PowerMac and iMac at home are sufficient. A slick overgrown iphone with a real keyboard and lightweight 12 inch display... SEXY!
December 10 2007 at 9:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyA TravelBook...
* a peripheral Mac for viewing/presenting docs, no hard core processing... and iPod for the rest of your files!
* no hardware keyboard
* no optical drives
* 32-64GB NAND
* Full OS X Leopard
* eBook reader would be a bonus
* pen input with new drawing/sketch pad SW as bonus
* sync to one or more desktop/laptop Macs
* VGA-out for presentations, plus USB, plus various card readers, plus Firewire for auto terminal disk mode with host Mac
* wifi and wimax
* load it for your trip and go, or access your desktop/laptop Mac via internet
* new .Mac services
What I really would like to see is a giant iphone/ipod touch. Say 6-8 inches. Sort of like the data pads in star trek.
Obviously any real work would be done on a laptop or desktop system, but things like note-taking, email, ebook reading, and web browsing would finally be viable on a form factor of that size, due to multi-touch technology.
A keyboard would be unecessary, since most of the difficulty with the iphone keyboard is the inability to a.) use it in landscape mode in most apps, and b.) the inability to fit all five fingers on it.
For those who like tactile feedback the new super thin bluetooth aluminum keyboard would be a good match for the device.
A PCMCIA slot for EVDO or 3g, 802.11b, bluetooth, couple usb ports, and you have yourself a portable device that is simple, elegant and usable while you're on the road or at the coffee shop.
I have a mac at home and the office, but I travel with a Sony VAIO TX. 1"+ thick, 2.8 lbs, 11" screen, 60 GB drive, DVD-RW built in. I love it, but I wish it was a mac. I would buy a new smaller MacBook Pro if it had the following specs:
Silver aluminum enclosure
11"x8"x1" dimensions
Under 3 lbs.
11-13" widescreen
U7600 Core 2 Duo @ 1.2 Ghz +
60GB drive or optional 32 or 64GB Flash drive (not sure I'm ready to pay the premium for flash though)
Slot-loading super-drive
Express Card slot or built in Sprint WAN
5 hour battery life (2 movies on a plane to Asia)
$1799 or less
Would you buy this? I would.
I travel with a MacBook now because I like the screen size and the keyboard. A thinner, lighter Mac portable with a similar overall screen and keyboard size would be ideal and I would buy one just as soon as it became available. Flash SSD storage could enable this.
December 10 2007 at 7:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYes, at last a possible competitor to the Palm Foleo! oh, wait...
December 10 2007 at 5:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyEh, can we go back to the plain vanilla voting system?
December 10 2007 at 3:17 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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