Early Macworld bets: Notebooks, Blu-ray, and iPhones?
After a holiday spent freezing in the wilds of Connecticut and pondering the mysteries of the chip industry, I felt it was time to take stock of the latest Macworld Expo rumors.
The craziness is just 12 days away and undisturbed this year by that big gathering in the desert taking place the prior week. The predictions are starting to come in, and the early bets have mobility in mind.
For months, the betting odds have favored the introduction of new MacBooks at Macworld. It's been awhile since Apple tweaked the basic hardware design of the MacBook, and with new mobile processors expected from Intel this quarter, it seems like a natural fit. But what kind of notebook are we talking about?
The most persistent rumor is that Apple will release an ultraportable notebook, or a sub-notebook, or whatever you want to call it. Think small and thin, a 12-inch or smaller screen and a weight of less than 3 pounds. This is a small segment of the overall notebook market, but it's one of prestige, and it's not hard at all to imagine Apple wanting to put its stamp on the thinnest and lightest category of notebook computing.
The latest item to point in that direction? A patent filing for a docking station that would incorporate such a device surfaced this week, lending some credibility, if not confirmation, to the ultraportable rumor.
If you want to watch high-definition movies on your notebook, American Technology Research's Shaw Wu thinks you'll have a better idea of Apple's HD video plans following Macworld. Wu put out a research note Thursday predicting that Apple will confirm its support for Blu-ray drives, and could use the occasion to announce plans to ship notebooks with new optical drives. Apple is already a member of the Blu-Ray Disc Association, so this isn't much of a stretch, although it has held off releasing Blu-ray-equipped products to this point.
There's also some sentiment that Apple could use the Macworld stage to announce its take on the Tablet PC, revealing some sort of slate-like MacBook based entirely on flash memory, and perhaps incorporating many of the touch-screen features found on the iPhone. We've also heard this discussion center on a Apple-ish UMPC, which would ostensibly use Intel's upcoming Silverthorne chip.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is unlikely to miss a chance to talk about the iPhone as well, as we approach the first anniversary of its first public unveiling. The software development kit for the iPhone is due in February, and some analysts think that Jobs will use the occasion to unveil a 3G iPhone.
The biggest news to emerge from Jobs' January 15 keynote might just be an iTunes movie rental service, as was reported over the holiday break. But I'd advise holding off for a few weeks if you were thinking about buying a notebook from Apple.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
rental predictions, it only leads me to one prediction: The 2nd
Generation Apple TV at Macworld....
update the software to be able to do rental movies. They could
include a larger HD, but that's not really a redesign.
a DVD player. Oh and bluetooth.
On the software side at least add Safari to it if anything new.
Break the wedge!
www.breakthewedge.com
hesitant to upgrade to a MacBook Pro because I like the light form
factor. Since I rarely use it without hooking it up to an external
monitor the screen size isn't a huge issue for me. Being able to
carry it to conferences, home from work, and the like does matter
to me and the weight difference is significant to me.
I was looking around reviews and this is what I noted from many places
1) Add a drive. Be it DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.
2) Make it cooler (runs temp of low hundred, 115's)
3) Larger drive (seemed to be quieted after the 160Gb upgrade)
4) Make it possible to expand storage externally
5) RCA output. Why made a Hi-Def output device when no hi-def content is available on iTunes?? At least give the older connection a chance!
I seem to keep making that mistake.
with 2 fingers, instead of only one, there is your right-click (maybe
you just have to check your system's preferences). Why in earth
would we need another reiteration for the same functionality?
fingers on the trackpad and click. this is more efficient then
conventional 2-button track pads, because you don't have to
move your whole hand to reach the 2nd click.
u can also scroll pages by dragging 2 fingers on the trackpad.
(or do this while holding down CTRL and the screen zooms in or
out)
see Keyboard & Mouse settings within System Preferences.
Go grab a Mac notebook and a PC notebook. Make sure two finger scrolling and two finger tapping are enabled on the Mac.
Now on the Mac when you use two fingers anywhere on the pad, you can scroll horizontally and vertically. Using two fingers instead of one on the pad will result in a right-click.
This couldn't be more elegantly simple. They're with the program.
- predictions
- by daedbird January 14, 2008 11:01 AM PST
- expanded Airport Express.....Now allowing video streaming.
- Reply to this comment
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(19 Comments)Won't this compete with Apple TV? No, because.....
Apple TV DVR.....adds the capability we always wanted, plus
allow for rentals. Original Apple TV adopters will need software
update, plus $40 full-fledged remote, with buttons
Airbook - The subnotebook everyone has been clamoring for.
Combination of flash and 1.8 HDD. External optical drive, built-
in in wifi. Multi touch scrollpad
Airbook Tablet - Not ready for sale, just yet, but will be
displayed, like the iPhone. Released in Spring, will incorporate
touch screen capabilities. Will have a pull-out QWERTY
touchpad. Completely flash-based memory
Aiport Xtremely big - Incorporates hard drive to be storage base
for Airbook and Tablet
Airtunes X - Will allow any ipod to connect to bonjour-enabled
Mac to stream music, video, and choose from catalog
Macbook processor upgrades
Office 2008 intro w/ Bill Gates making an appearance