"The world and his dog, it would seem, want Apple to make a netbook. Even that part of the world that has no idea what a netbook is wants Apple to make one. But this is Apple we're talking about, and if it decides to make something that fits into the same market that the PC industry has been addressing with netbooks, you can bet it will be something special. Here's our best guess at what it might be."
Okay not for nothing, but if the upcoming (maybe) Netbook (tablet) that Apple may (or may not) make looks like this or along these lines, you won't be able to get my credit card into the hands of a black turtle-necked salesperson fast enough. Frankly, I think whoever made this mockup should probably sell the design to someone because it's brilliant.
I'd definitely buy it.
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Current Apple Stuff: 24" iMac, iPhone 4, AppleTV (original), 4gb Shuffle, 64gb iPad 2.
??? Design ??? This is an iPod touch under a 2x microscope with a webcam. Yeah, it's cool since the touch is too small to be of much use in the netbook space, but some kind of ingenious design this is not. At least IMO.
My worry with this design concept is the screen. I don't see how the glass front could work on a display that big. Simple physics would seem to make this impractical. At a small size, they work because they can't easily be bent or torqued. And they are light enough such that a short drop won't crack the screen. At this size (and for the use that this would be intended, i.e., throw in a bag and lug), I just don't see how glass could be a viable option. Thus, this would likely need to be hard plastic, with all of the negative attributes associated therewith.
That said, Apple has a way of making the seemingly impossible work, so I'll hope to be proven wrong. The idea of an 8", steroid laden iPod Touch is intriguing.
I know everyone is salivating for Apple to release a tablet, but I wonder if they'll really do it until there's been a huge breakthrough in battery technology. Apple doesn't tend to blaze the trail - they tend to wait until the technology has matured to the point where they can package it and market it like no one else.
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I know everyone is salivating for Apple to release a tablet, but I wonder if they'll really do it until there's been a huge breakthrough in battery technology. Apple doesn't tend to blaze the trail - they tend to wait until the technology has matured to the point where they can package it and market it like no one else.
Meh. As long as it has at least 2 hrs battery time it will be fine.
My worry with this design concept is the screen. I don't see how the glass front could work on a display that big. Simple physics would seem to make this impractical. At a small size, they work because they can't easily be bent or torqued. And they are light enough such that a short drop won't crack the screen. At this size (and for the use that this would be intended, i.e., throw in a bag and lug), I just don't see how glass could be a viable option. Thus, this would likely need to be hard plastic, with all of the negative attributes associated therewith.
I see your concern with a more portable device. The iPhone is one of the few devices people throw in their pocket without worry. One of my co-workers was teased because he put a screen protector on his iPhone. Apple made the 17" MBP work with a glass screen though. I suspect the durability could be improved by thickening the glass. Of course that increases the weight and thickness, so it'd likely be a balancing act.
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That said, Apple has a way of making the seemingly impossible work, so I'll hope to be proven wrong. The idea of an 8", steroid laden iPod Touch is intriguing.
Supposedly Apple bought up a bunch of 10" touch screens a few months back. Speculation is that would be the basis for this device.
I'm definitely interested in such a device as well. What I suspect is they'd have it run iPhone OS 3.0. With a low power ARM or Atom CPU and their PowerVR 3D chip the battery they could cram into such a device should provide reasonable life. If it runs a resolution close to 1280x960 (2x the iPhone's 640x480) then they maintain iPhone app compatibility. iPhone Safari is already considered (at least one of) the best mobile browser(s). With some more apps (iWork, iDisk, iLife versions) this could be a nice compromise between the functionality of a WinXP or Linux Netbook with Apple's usual flair.
Would you guys still be so interested if this is a "monster iPod Touch" rather than a "Macbook Mini"?
MacFormat Shows Off Coronary Inducing Mockup of Mac Netbook / Tablet
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