UPDATE: Apple still hasn’t dished up its MacBook nano, but web records show there could be an update to the MacBook Air on the way, oh and this gorgeous Apple Netbook concept has popped up too. Feast your eyes on its folding beauty!
Apple’s Macworld expo will kick off on Monday, with Mac fans eagerly waiting to see what Phil Schiller unveils the next day. Steve Jobs might not be present, but we reckon we know what the star of the show will be. Apple’s long-awaited ultra-portable. The MacBook nano.
Feast your eyes on these mock-ups and you’ll get a feel for what Apple could have in store. We’re talking about a Mac small enough to slip into any bag or purse, but with enough power to kick the Asus Eee, MSI Wind and even Sony’s Vaio netbook right where it hurts.
How will Apple manage it? By doing what its designers do best: stripping away the features that clog up other ultra-portables, leaving the MacBook nano with more space to cram in the kit that really matters.
We reckon an Apple-branded netbook would shun connectors for external monitors, wired network connections and even abandon hardware support for headphones and a microphone. After all, if you’re using an ultra-portable you’re unlikely to be near an external monitor, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can handle everything else.
What’s more, we reckon there’d only be one USB socket, alongside Apple’s trusty MagSafe power connector, and there’d be no worrying about whether your 3G dongle will fit, because Apple’s designers will also build in a SIM card slot, using everything they’ve learned from the creation of the iPhone to let the MacBook nano hop online through mobile phone networks.
Apple could even pair up with existing iPhone carriers to sell the laptop alongside the handset in their stores. All the software is already written, and proven on the iPhone, OS X Leopard quietly introduced stereo Bluetooth support, but has yet to put it to any serious use, and Steve Jobs has already stated his team has “interesting ideas” for a netbook.
It’s the perfect replacement for the 12 inch PowerBook, discontinued in May 2006, and could be cheap enough to stave off the effects of the credit crunch. Jobs and Co have been chanting that companies should “innovate out of a recession” for months. Could this be Apple putting that preaching into practice?
Take a look at our mock-ups below. We think you’ll agree it’s a tempting prospect. We’ll know for sure whether Apple can pull it off on Tuesday.
TBC | £TBC | Apple
If this is all that Apple has come up with for an ultraportable I would be extremely disappointed.
A small notebook…how revolutionary (sarcasm).
You obviously do not think like Apple
I actually think this is close to what a Apple netbook would be. The iPhone was all about software, and that screen. The rest of the features were missing or suck. This is like an Eee with the best bits left in and all the nastiness taken away: no fluff – just a small computer with (I’d bet) massive battery life and the option for 3G built in…. seriously, what more do you really want from a netbook?
Providing this is an actual mockup. What a joke. Paying more money for less hardware features and then trying to pass it off as elegantly simple.
I’d only applaud it if it has a massive battery (undoubtedly it won’t be removable) and an SDHC expansion slot. Good luck, Apple. I’d like to find out how you’ll persuade buyers that want a $360 netbook to pay $600 for a less featured device. Netbook purchasers just seem to have that mentality. Do it on the cheap.
I am amazed with it. It is a good thing for my research. Thanks
hmm im in two minds about this. the idea about netbooks is that there meant to be lightweight machines for doing little more than web browsing and word-processing and above all: cheep.
so i get skeptical about any attempt to make a netbook thats a extra compact notebook. and charge anything above 350 for it. as the makers have clearly missed the point
on the other hand the idea of stripping away any audio system or unnecessary connectors in exchange for bluetooth could be a great idea for saving space and batterylife.
I’m not sure whether having bluetooth powered on would save power against powering an audio headset.