treysmay
Aug 7, 04:00 PM
no frontrow?
ebuc
Jul 21, 05:16 PM
If Intel really can start shipping merom by early August (and we see another manufacturer or two ship such laptops), then WWDC would be a perfectly fine place to introduce new MacBook Pros. But I doubt they'll be ready that early.
Personally, I think its about time we have a major case revision. The aluminum PowerBooks have been out for almost three years (september '03 I believe). Don't get me wrong; current design is great: its functional and elegant, but change has to come eventually.
The iBooks got a big case revision when they moved into the Intel MacBook world, the MacBook-Pros-that-look-like-PowerBooks should, too.
Personally, I think its about time we have a major case revision. The aluminum PowerBooks have been out for almost three years (september '03 I believe). Don't get me wrong; current design is great: its functional and elegant, but change has to come eventually.
The iBooks got a big case revision when they moved into the Intel MacBook world, the MacBook-Pros-that-look-like-PowerBooks should, too.
ergle2
Sep 15, 11:09 PM
If you really want longer battery life, then you should be hoping to keep the X1600. It's regarded as having the best "performance per watt" of recent mobile GPUs.
I'd rather have a bigger battery and a Go 7700. I've not seen any decent figures for power draw on the mobile chips. The 7700 is manufactured on an 80nm process tho', so that should help some.
Personally, I hope (well, pipe dream actually) they'll make MBP build-to-order like Mac Pro. I'd downgrade the CPU to the 2.0GHz version. It wholesales for $130 less than the 2.16, and $340 less than the 2.33. That's way too much to pay for a fractional speed increase.
OTOH, the 2.0 Xeon is $370 less than the 2.66 and Apple only cuts the price $75 for two of them. That's robbery. So I guess MBP BTO probably wouldn't help me even if they did it.
Bear in mind custom options effectively "cost" Apple a lot more due to requiring special attention in a way the rest of the line doesn't. More so with the laptop line due to the processor being socketted rather than soldered.
Personally, I think the 2.33GHz part price is insane considering the small speed-bump, but that's up to Apple.
I'd rather have a bigger battery and a Go 7700. I've not seen any decent figures for power draw on the mobile chips. The 7700 is manufactured on an 80nm process tho', so that should help some.
Personally, I hope (well, pipe dream actually) they'll make MBP build-to-order like Mac Pro. I'd downgrade the CPU to the 2.0GHz version. It wholesales for $130 less than the 2.16, and $340 less than the 2.33. That's way too much to pay for a fractional speed increase.
OTOH, the 2.0 Xeon is $370 less than the 2.66 and Apple only cuts the price $75 for two of them. That's robbery. So I guess MBP BTO probably wouldn't help me even if they did it.
Bear in mind custom options effectively "cost" Apple a lot more due to requiring special attention in a way the rest of the line doesn't. More so with the laptop line due to the processor being socketted rather than soldered.
Personally, I think the 2.33GHz part price is insane considering the small speed-bump, but that's up to Apple.
twoodcc
Aug 4, 03:54 PM
Not to be rude, but are you really dumb enough to ask this? Ok, I'll try to make this as simple as possible: if I used a fully 64-bit OS & fully 64-bit software, that is software optimized for 64-bit processors, on a fully 64-bit processor, what would the advantage of using that set-up over using a 32-bit OS & 32-bit software on a 32-bit processor?
yeah i'd say that's rude. maybe i misunderstood you, but you never said this. (or if you did, i missed it).
i do not know the technical stuff, but i do know that if you had all 64-bit stuff, then it'd be a lot better than all 32-bit stuff. (i know i should use better termanology, but oh well)
yeah i'd say that's rude. maybe i misunderstood you, but you never said this. (or if you did, i missed it).
i do not know the technical stuff, but i do know that if you had all 64-bit stuff, then it'd be a lot better than all 32-bit stuff. (i know i should use better termanology, but oh well)
ender78
Aug 11, 04:49 PM
I think it would be cool if Apple came out with a Mac Mini Pro.
Merom core 2 duo, X1900 GPU, slightly enlarged case, Sata 500GB HD, FW 800, SuperDrive. All for under $1250.00
You want a $300-500 video card in a $1200 machine. Lets be realistic. BTO option yes, built in HELL NO ! The 500GB HD is also overkill. I would expect your config to be $1500-1800. I would like to see a $1199-1399 base price for some sort of tower. One Superdrive Bay, two HD bays [I full, one empty]. PCI Express with one or two empty slots.
Merom core 2 duo, X1900 GPU, slightly enlarged case, Sata 500GB HD, FW 800, SuperDrive. All for under $1250.00
You want a $300-500 video card in a $1200 machine. Lets be realistic. BTO option yes, built in HELL NO ! The 500GB HD is also overkill. I would expect your config to be $1500-1800. I would like to see a $1199-1399 base price for some sort of tower. One Superdrive Bay, two HD bays [I full, one empty]. PCI Express with one or two empty slots.
guzhogi
Aug 7, 06:41 PM
1 GB Sticks are only $125 each from Third Parties. (http://www.oempcworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1.0G-PC2-5300E&Category_Code=240pin)
2x1 = 2GB = $250 vs Apples 4x 512 NOT 6x 512 = + $270
4x1 = 4GB = $500 vs. Apple's $990
I think you really should change your order to base ram and add TWO 1GB sticks for only $250 for a total of 3GB to begin with for less than the cost of TWO from Apple taking up only 4 slots. :)
A good site for RAM is www.dealram.com. A lot (as in most, if not all) of the RAM is generic, but much cheaper than Apple's!
2x1 = 2GB = $250 vs Apples 4x 512 NOT 6x 512 = + $270
4x1 = 4GB = $500 vs. Apple's $990
I think you really should change your order to base ram and add TWO 1GB sticks for only $250 for a total of 3GB to begin with for less than the cost of TWO from Apple taking up only 4 slots. :)
A good site for RAM is www.dealram.com. A lot (as in most, if not all) of the RAM is generic, but much cheaper than Apple's!
Manderby
Mar 31, 04:30 AM
The lack of color in the system icons is god awful. Color graphics are much more easily identified than a scaled down grey icon.
Stroop effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroop_effect)
You are mixing up badly. That example shows that humans who can read, are trained to rely on what they read almost blindly rather than identifying a color. This means, Apples choice of making the icons grey makes it indeed easier to recognize as there is one less distraction. An even stronger conclusion would be: Leave the icons away completely, because reading is much faster.
Icons were useful in the 1990s, when the number of pixels on the screen was small. Nowadays, just use text, it is way better. Look at websites, icons are used very sparsely. Text is the way to go.
Stroop effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroop_effect)
You are mixing up badly. That example shows that humans who can read, are trained to rely on what they read almost blindly rather than identifying a color. This means, Apples choice of making the icons grey makes it indeed easier to recognize as there is one less distraction. An even stronger conclusion would be: Leave the icons away completely, because reading is much faster.
Icons were useful in the 1990s, when the number of pixels on the screen was small. Nowadays, just use text, it is way better. Look at websites, icons are used very sparsely. Text is the way to go.
wacky4alanis
Nov 6, 08:42 AM
So i assume you will be carrying the TomTom mount and iPhone as one piece at all times? :rolleyes:
Of course you need to bring a mount - you need a mount either way. When I say "carry" I don't mean I keep it in a fanny pack 24/7. I mean I bring it with me when I travel. So let's count for the slow people...
Mount + Garmin + iPhone = 3 items
Mount + iPhone = 2 items
Gee - 2 is less than 3! Yay.
Of course you need to bring a mount - you need a mount either way. When I say "carry" I don't mean I keep it in a fanny pack 24/7. I mean I bring it with me when I travel. So let's count for the slow people...
Mount + Garmin + iPhone = 3 items
Mount + iPhone = 2 items
Gee - 2 is less than 3! Yay.
kjs862
May 7, 11:51 AM
I've been a long time .mac/mobileme user - I would say I've been using their service for about 7 years. Only recently, I started using iDisk. I started using it for text documents, and it seems to work great. But recently, I have been hearing a lot about dropbox and its speed. Is dropbox that much better and what is this speed people are referring to? I played around with it a bit and its nice. It gives you a few more features, but these feature I wouldn't use. Is there any point to switch?
I'm thinking if Apple continues to push forward with MM, it will evolve and just get better and better. I think it might just be nice to stay with Apple.
I would like to see Apple offer both paid and free MM services as someone previously mentioned. Good idea!
I'm thinking if Apple continues to push forward with MM, it will evolve and just get better and better. I think it might just be nice to stay with Apple.
I would like to see Apple offer both paid and free MM services as someone previously mentioned. Good idea!
daneoni
Sep 11, 01:00 PM
Ok Ok, I was trying to be sarcastic but it didnt work... More mportantly amazon UK shipping all Macbooks in 1-2 weeks and apple uk shipping in a week....... I sense an update.
...or back to school rush
...or back to school rush
ticman
Dec 12, 10:46 AM
LOL I made my decision and am not looking back. Very happy with my setup but I find I am getting a hissing noise when hooked up using car speakers for playing music. It's a new cable and I have no idea if it's the car connection; the car kit; or the cable.
Keep me posted re ETA of BLT dock
Keep me posted re ETA of BLT dock
2ndPath
Aug 4, 03:49 AM
Wasn't there a decent price difference between the PB 12" and the 15" but had the same processor? I have no idea. I'm really just asking because i'm curious.
Yes, but the difference in price has been smaller. But then there is no 12" or 13" MBP available and the 15" have additional differences, which could justify a price difference.
I guess they will introduce Meroms a bit later into the MacBooks, but not too long after the MacBook Pros (unlike the iBooks which got the G4 about 2 years after the Powerbooks).
Yes, but the difference in price has been smaller. But then there is no 12" or 13" MBP available and the 15" have additional differences, which could justify a price difference.
I guess they will introduce Meroms a bit later into the MacBooks, but not too long after the MacBook Pros (unlike the iBooks which got the G4 about 2 years after the Powerbooks).
vincebio
Nov 22, 12:29 PM
Mr Palm, Apple fan boys:
The perfect smart phone has already been created and is out in the wild: SONY ERICSSON P990.
Wifi, location free, 2 mp camera with flash, keyboard, MP3 player, videos, etc.
yeah. except they forgot to put RAM in it...and the firmware is crap so far..and the battery last about...erm, 24 hours..and they wont support mac..ever!
great phone though!:)
The perfect smart phone has already been created and is out in the wild: SONY ERICSSON P990.
Wifi, location free, 2 mp camera with flash, keyboard, MP3 player, videos, etc.
yeah. except they forgot to put RAM in it...and the firmware is crap so far..and the battery last about...erm, 24 hours..and they wont support mac..ever!
great phone though!:)
dXTC
Mar 29, 02:01 PM
Yeah you bring up a good point. I can't imagine assembling iPods is the most engaging activity ever, and most Americans would probably scoff at the kind of labor they seem to think is below them.
Kind of similar to when they raise an uproar about illegal immigrants taking all the jobs away, when they wouldn't be caught dead doing the kind of work some immigrants do.
Hammer, meet nail head. I'm an American, and unfortunately I must agree with iliketyla's assessment. There is this incredible sense of entitlement that has pervaded American culture. So many people want at least $20 per hour, but [insert deity or lack of one here] forbid they should lift more than two pounds.
Enter the illegal immigrants, who find the pay good enough to live on, not to mention the location, location, location. Hmm... $5 an hour harvesting lettuce heads for hours on end, or dodging drug-cartel bullets in Ciudad Juarez day and night. Not too tough a decision for me, and IMHO one worth the risk of getting caught by US border police.
Kind of similar to when they raise an uproar about illegal immigrants taking all the jobs away, when they wouldn't be caught dead doing the kind of work some immigrants do.
Hammer, meet nail head. I'm an American, and unfortunately I must agree with iliketyla's assessment. There is this incredible sense of entitlement that has pervaded American culture. So many people want at least $20 per hour, but [insert deity or lack of one here] forbid they should lift more than two pounds.
Enter the illegal immigrants, who find the pay good enough to live on, not to mention the location, location, location. Hmm... $5 an hour harvesting lettuce heads for hours on end, or dodging drug-cartel bullets in Ciudad Juarez day and night. Not too tough a decision for me, and IMHO one worth the risk of getting caught by US border police.
SilvorX
Jul 30, 08:12 PM
-At least 5 megapixel camera, I'd love to minimize the amount of things in my pocket by combing my camera and my cell phone ( i hate the beast but my mother makes me carry it) but there isint a camera phone good enough to actually use to take a picture other than an imac G5 in an elevator.
- The inablilty to do "texting :) :) :) :) :) :) " although there would be an option for "texting" but if someone were to select it a dialogue would come up , "YOU ARE RETARDED, just call them." the only option would be, "get hit by a bus"
5 megapixel seems unrealistic for a cellphone camera right now, but it would sure be nice, I have a 1.3 megapixel camera on my phone, just because it's 1.3 megapixels doesn't mean it's good quality, how do we know that the 5 megapixel camera will be any better? could be as grainy or worse as a low end VGA/megapixel camera :( but knowing Apple, some people will pay a shiny red cent for high quality camera anyways (esp Apple fans)
I disagree for inability to do texting, say if you are in a different country, where it costs say $3/minute just to call someone, or 50c just to send a text message (receiving is usually free), big difference if you just want to send a message of "I'm at the door" or "I'm leaving right now", I'm currently paying for long distance since I'm in a part of Canada that is not my home region, any time someone not from the area I'm in calls ME, I pay for it, and any time I call someone from home, I pay for it as well, so text messaging has really cut down on bills, I don't go over my minutes as much anymore with texting, since 90% of my calls were 1 minute or less calls, so thats where text messaging comes in handy. Although I would rather use a blackberry-like device with free email (if there was such thing, or have an email-only plan that doesnt require a data plan, like text messages)
- The inablilty to do "texting :) :) :) :) :) :) " although there would be an option for "texting" but if someone were to select it a dialogue would come up , "YOU ARE RETARDED, just call them." the only option would be, "get hit by a bus"
5 megapixel seems unrealistic for a cellphone camera right now, but it would sure be nice, I have a 1.3 megapixel camera on my phone, just because it's 1.3 megapixels doesn't mean it's good quality, how do we know that the 5 megapixel camera will be any better? could be as grainy or worse as a low end VGA/megapixel camera :( but knowing Apple, some people will pay a shiny red cent for high quality camera anyways (esp Apple fans)
I disagree for inability to do texting, say if you are in a different country, where it costs say $3/minute just to call someone, or 50c just to send a text message (receiving is usually free), big difference if you just want to send a message of "I'm at the door" or "I'm leaving right now", I'm currently paying for long distance since I'm in a part of Canada that is not my home region, any time someone not from the area I'm in calls ME, I pay for it, and any time I call someone from home, I pay for it as well, so text messaging has really cut down on bills, I don't go over my minutes as much anymore with texting, since 90% of my calls were 1 minute or less calls, so thats where text messaging comes in handy. Although I would rather use a blackberry-like device with free email (if there was such thing, or have an email-only plan that doesnt require a data plan, like text messages)
MacRumors
Mar 29, 01:13 PM
http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/29/japanese-earthquake-leading-to-shortages-of-ipod-batteries/)
http://images.macrumors.com/article/2011/03/29/141248-ipod_touch_4gen_battery.jpg
derrick rose wallpaper mvp.
wiz khalifa wallpaper hd.
megan fox wallpaper hd
http://images.macrumors.com/article/2011/03/29/141248-ipod_touch_4gen_battery.jpg
JRM PowerPod
Aug 5, 09:49 AM
Whats the normal run of events?
3 split up segments and then one more thing
Here is what i reckon
1) Intel transition
blah blah blah, it has been quick, painless developers, developers developers. Everyone has been receptive except $#%#@@! Adobe
Intel keep giving us the chips
today we update MBP and iMac to core 2 duo
2)Talking about tranistion there are 2 products which haven't yet been transistioned
PowerMac > Mac Pro
Xserve > Xserve? Mac Serve?
Mac Pro has 3 configs
Best - Dual Xeon, 1GB 500GB 256X1800 $3299
Better - Core 2 Duo 2.93ghz 1GB 500gb 256mb X1600 $2499
Good - Core 2 Duo 2.6 1GB 250gb 256mb X1600 $1999
Xserves - All Xeons, dah
3) Leopard talk
4) One more thing
Candidates: iPhone, iPod, New Screens (may be intro'd with Mac Pro's) what ever else there could be
3 split up segments and then one more thing
Here is what i reckon
1) Intel transition
blah blah blah, it has been quick, painless developers, developers developers. Everyone has been receptive except $#%#@@! Adobe
Intel keep giving us the chips
today we update MBP and iMac to core 2 duo
2)Talking about tranistion there are 2 products which haven't yet been transistioned
PowerMac > Mac Pro
Xserve > Xserve? Mac Serve?
Mac Pro has 3 configs
Best - Dual Xeon, 1GB 500GB 256X1800 $3299
Better - Core 2 Duo 2.93ghz 1GB 500gb 256mb X1600 $2499
Good - Core 2 Duo 2.6 1GB 250gb 256mb X1600 $1999
Xserves - All Xeons, dah
3) Leopard talk
4) One more thing
Candidates: iPhone, iPod, New Screens (may be intro'd with Mac Pro's) what ever else there could be
yetanotherdave
May 3, 01:47 AM
You think you've got it bad? In Britain we have
milk and beer by the pint
coke by the litre
roads by the mile
tablecloths/fabric etc by the metre
petrol/diesel by the litre
fuel efficiency is measured in miles per gallon but carbon emissions are measured in grams per kilometer.
weight of people in stones and pounds
sugar/flour etc in kilograms
fruit by the pound
cheese by grams
bread loaves are labelled in grams, bread rolls sold by the dozen.
height in feet and inches.
and so on. It's a real mess. Basically we started to change, then stopped because people didn't like it. Then the EU decided certain things must be measured imperial, so now we have a have way house where nothing makes sense.
We switched from pricing petrol in gallons to litres when petrol got to 99.9 pence per gallon, and it was easier to change the signs to litres than add another digit. :rolleyes:
milk and beer by the pint
coke by the litre
roads by the mile
tablecloths/fabric etc by the metre
petrol/diesel by the litre
fuel efficiency is measured in miles per gallon but carbon emissions are measured in grams per kilometer.
weight of people in stones and pounds
sugar/flour etc in kilograms
fruit by the pound
cheese by grams
bread loaves are labelled in grams, bread rolls sold by the dozen.
height in feet and inches.
and so on. It's a real mess. Basically we started to change, then stopped because people didn't like it. Then the EU decided certain things must be measured imperial, so now we have a have way house where nothing makes sense.
We switched from pricing petrol in gallons to litres when petrol got to 99.9 pence per gallon, and it was easier to change the signs to litres than add another digit. :rolleyes:
Mike Oxard
Mar 29, 09:24 AM
For $1000 you would go a long way to getting a mac mini with a 1TB drive and get it hosted at macminicolo (http://www.macminicolo.net/). Send them a secod hand mini and it'd be cheaper. Not sure how nice the experience would be streaming stuff to your phone over 3G though :o
Cinch
Nov 26, 07:54 PM
Like i stated in one of the other threads, this would be a great buy for Teachers, Artist, Photographers, or anyone else on the go. But, i think it would also be better if it was like IBM's tablet PC; one where you have be a laptop one minute, then a tablet the next minute.
I still think a notepad/sketchpad in combination with your MacBook/Pro is still far superior from a tablet. You guys get the feeling that a lot of people here and elsewhere wants to unify things that are not meant to be together e.g. TV-computer, Camera-cellphone, mp3-player-cellphone.
I think a notepad or sketchpad is save here, rest assure. Until a tablet has a feel and responsiveness of a notepad, I just don't see a tablet beating out a superior notepad and laptop
Cinch
I still think a notepad/sketchpad in combination with your MacBook/Pro is still far superior from a tablet. You guys get the feeling that a lot of people here and elsewhere wants to unify things that are not meant to be together e.g. TV-computer, Camera-cellphone, mp3-player-cellphone.
I think a notepad or sketchpad is save here, rest assure. Until a tablet has a feel and responsiveness of a notepad, I just don't see a tablet beating out a superior notepad and laptop
Cinch
tny
Nov 26, 11:54 AM
i don't think it would appeal to that many people, to have an Apple tablet. I mean, the PC/Win versions aren't great sellers...
I don't think it would appeal to that many people, to have an Apple MP3 player. I mean, the existing ones aren't great sellers.
See the problem here? The reason the iPod took off was because it wasn't like the existing MP3 players.
Take a look at a group of current products:
1. The UMPC. Seems like a good idea, but not successful so far. Why not? Here's Gartner:
But while the UMPC concept has promise, today�s hardware cannot deliver on it. In Gartner's view, success will require:
* Technology advances that are at least two years away (including an eight-hour battery and a sub-$400 price)
* Low-cost, compelling content bundles (Intel and Microsoft are working on partnerships in this area)
* A better Microsoft shell/interface running on top of Vista
* Text entry options beyond �thumb-typing�
* "Dock and go" synchronization, requiring minimal user interaction
* Sustained market momentum from Microsoft and Intel
Today, we believe it isn't possible to produce compelling UMPC products � just "proofs of concept." The low battery life, high price and non-Vista operating system will likely hurt the UMPC's market acceptance in this first go-round, and the negative backlash could damage its future chances.
An Apple tablet would beat content bundles problem, the shell/interface problem, and the synchronization problem. Inkwell and a bluetooth keyboard option would help; and built-in WiFi will certainly help. If Apple can do something about the battery problem . . . I also think the form factor needs work.
2. The PDA. Right now the PDA market is growing, not shrinking - mostly thanks to the Blackberry and the PocketPC and at the expense of Palm. The magic combination seems to be email + cell wireless: if you can get your email anywhere you can use your cellphone, a PDA becomes a more compelling device. This ties in closely with
3. The cell phone. Everyone is in agreement that the cell phone is a target area for Apple; the question is who Apple's carrier will be. A GSM-based device that does EDGE could be used with many different networks.
4. The eBook reader, like the Sony Reader. The good side of the Sony Reader is low battery consumption and a very readable screen. The bad side is that it has to have a pretty low-consumption, low-use processor, no color, and the screen update speed is abysmal. The underlying tech of eInk isn't going to help with an Apple tablet, but the form factor might be a very good choice for a UMPC/Blackberry killer.
5. The tablet computer. The reason the tablet computer has been a failure is because the writing interface isn't very good yet, and because the damned things are the same size and weight as a notebook, so there's little point in dumping the notebook for a tablet. A smaller form factor with the same power, but one that it a little more usable and compelling than the UMPC might be very successful.
6. Video device, like the iPod with video or its competitors. A lot of folks complain that it's too small a screen, and the battery power isn't so hot. If you could have a larger screen that is not much heavier, and just a little more battery power . . .
7. Web pad / web appliance (Nokia 770, Audrey, Pepper Pad, etc.) The problems with these so far have been form factor and OS quality. Most web appliances have run either PocketPC/Windows CE or customized Linux distributions. The Linux distributions that have been used haven't had a good enough UI for a general computing, general audience environment - the needs of a web appliance are too complex to be handled the same way embedded interfaces (like TiVo's) have been handled. Windows CE isn't designed for a general computing environment, either, and makes too many compromises. I also think the Nokia 770 is too small, the PepperPad is overwhelmed by its case, and the Audrey isn't flexible enough.
A successor to the Newton that was a true OS X device, in a form factor similar to the Sony Reader, with .Mac synchronization, Airport Extreme and Bluetooth, a FireWire 400 and two USB 2 connectors, a mini-HMDI socket (with HDMI and DVI converters), a dock connector, an iSight, and an optical-capable audio plug, with some of the on-screen navigation tech we've seen in Apple patents, would be fantastic.
But I'd be surprised if the tech is there yet: the processors aren't small enough and cool enough, the flash memory (you'd want flash and not a hard disk drive) doesn't have enough capacity yet, and the batteries don't have a long enough life. I'll bet there is a prototype device like this in the Apple labs, but it might have mediocre stats: say
700 MHz processor equivalent
16 GB storage
256 MB ram
3 hours of battery life (1.5 playing an iTunes movie)
estimated cost to consumer $999.
I think a successful device would need
1.2 GHz processor equivalent
80 GB storage
1 GB RAM
8 hours of battery life (5 playing an iTunes movie)
estimated cost to consumer $699.
I don't think it would appeal to that many people, to have an Apple MP3 player. I mean, the existing ones aren't great sellers.
See the problem here? The reason the iPod took off was because it wasn't like the existing MP3 players.
Take a look at a group of current products:
1. The UMPC. Seems like a good idea, but not successful so far. Why not? Here's Gartner:
But while the UMPC concept has promise, today�s hardware cannot deliver on it. In Gartner's view, success will require:
* Technology advances that are at least two years away (including an eight-hour battery and a sub-$400 price)
* Low-cost, compelling content bundles (Intel and Microsoft are working on partnerships in this area)
* A better Microsoft shell/interface running on top of Vista
* Text entry options beyond �thumb-typing�
* "Dock and go" synchronization, requiring minimal user interaction
* Sustained market momentum from Microsoft and Intel
Today, we believe it isn't possible to produce compelling UMPC products � just "proofs of concept." The low battery life, high price and non-Vista operating system will likely hurt the UMPC's market acceptance in this first go-round, and the negative backlash could damage its future chances.
An Apple tablet would beat content bundles problem, the shell/interface problem, and the synchronization problem. Inkwell and a bluetooth keyboard option would help; and built-in WiFi will certainly help. If Apple can do something about the battery problem . . . I also think the form factor needs work.
2. The PDA. Right now the PDA market is growing, not shrinking - mostly thanks to the Blackberry and the PocketPC and at the expense of Palm. The magic combination seems to be email + cell wireless: if you can get your email anywhere you can use your cellphone, a PDA becomes a more compelling device. This ties in closely with
3. The cell phone. Everyone is in agreement that the cell phone is a target area for Apple; the question is who Apple's carrier will be. A GSM-based device that does EDGE could be used with many different networks.
4. The eBook reader, like the Sony Reader. The good side of the Sony Reader is low battery consumption and a very readable screen. The bad side is that it has to have a pretty low-consumption, low-use processor, no color, and the screen update speed is abysmal. The underlying tech of eInk isn't going to help with an Apple tablet, but the form factor might be a very good choice for a UMPC/Blackberry killer.
5. The tablet computer. The reason the tablet computer has been a failure is because the writing interface isn't very good yet, and because the damned things are the same size and weight as a notebook, so there's little point in dumping the notebook for a tablet. A smaller form factor with the same power, but one that it a little more usable and compelling than the UMPC might be very successful.
6. Video device, like the iPod with video or its competitors. A lot of folks complain that it's too small a screen, and the battery power isn't so hot. If you could have a larger screen that is not much heavier, and just a little more battery power . . .
7. Web pad / web appliance (Nokia 770, Audrey, Pepper Pad, etc.) The problems with these so far have been form factor and OS quality. Most web appliances have run either PocketPC/Windows CE or customized Linux distributions. The Linux distributions that have been used haven't had a good enough UI for a general computing, general audience environment - the needs of a web appliance are too complex to be handled the same way embedded interfaces (like TiVo's) have been handled. Windows CE isn't designed for a general computing environment, either, and makes too many compromises. I also think the Nokia 770 is too small, the PepperPad is overwhelmed by its case, and the Audrey isn't flexible enough.
A successor to the Newton that was a true OS X device, in a form factor similar to the Sony Reader, with .Mac synchronization, Airport Extreme and Bluetooth, a FireWire 400 and two USB 2 connectors, a mini-HMDI socket (with HDMI and DVI converters), a dock connector, an iSight, and an optical-capable audio plug, with some of the on-screen navigation tech we've seen in Apple patents, would be fantastic.
But I'd be surprised if the tech is there yet: the processors aren't small enough and cool enough, the flash memory (you'd want flash and not a hard disk drive) doesn't have enough capacity yet, and the batteries don't have a long enough life. I'll bet there is a prototype device like this in the Apple labs, but it might have mediocre stats: say
700 MHz processor equivalent
16 GB storage
256 MB ram
3 hours of battery life (1.5 playing an iTunes movie)
estimated cost to consumer $999.
I think a successful device would need
1.2 GHz processor equivalent
80 GB storage
1 GB RAM
8 hours of battery life (5 playing an iTunes movie)
estimated cost to consumer $699.
firestarter
Mar 31, 02:31 PM
Only for a year. Fill up that 20 Gigs and a year later you can either empty it down to the free 5, or pony up.
Wow, a dollar a year!
Wow, a dollar a year!
Unspeaked
Aug 2, 11:24 AM
I like this guy. He's being reasonable. However, I'd bet that Apple does NOT update any other Macs to Core 2. Yet. Save that for Expo Paris.
I agree with this 100%.
I agree with this 100%.
JoeG4
Nov 26, 10:43 PM
Buy out OQO and make the resulting device a little thinner.
http://www.pcstats.com/articleimages/200401/ces2004OQO-4.jpg
http://www.pocketnow.com/html/portal/reviews/0000000796/review/info.jpg
http://www.pcstats.com/articleimages/200401/ces2004OQO-4.jpg
http://www.pocketnow.com/html/portal/reviews/0000000796/review/info.jpg