Comments on: Apple should not release a subnotebook

Rumors have been swirling about an Apple subnotebook. But as Don Reisinger points out, Apple will not ignore these rumors, it won't release one of these devices.

[simplelifer]

A mini-MacBook pro is a great idea for business oriented users.

I don't play games on my PowerBook and I don't mind paying $1,000 ~ $1,500 for an Apple subnotebook that's able to run the OS and all those cool applications, iChat for instance, and the battery can last more than five hours after full charged.

If it's on the market next year, I'll buy it!

[Sprocket999]

No, I think the 12" PowerBook CAN be categorized as a well-endowed sub-notebook. When I read bunk like: "Those of us hanging on to our 12" Powerbooks would love an updated version. It was and remains a great form factor, but is getting long in the tooth." I gotta wonder -- what is your problem? I have 3 of these things (1.5ghz) and am running along just fine. Jeez -- OK, maybe you have the 867ghz model and NEED to run Leopard and haven't figured out how to do it yet, well, consider a used 1.5ghz one. How easy can that be? Sheesh!

Oh yes, I STILL use my Newton MessagePad 2000 every day in my business AND have a brand new 2100 waiting in the wings for this 10 year old PDA to die. Newton 2x000 series? Bloody brilliant!

[ncbill]

12" is not a subnotebook, BUT

1. moving to 12" screen
2. switching from plastic to aluminum case
3. dropping the optical drive

saves a couple of pounds (gets you to around 3 lb. total, vs. 5,2 lb. Macbook)

Plenty of travelers would love a lighter Macbook.

[TheDudeandHis360]

Largely I would agree. The 13 Inch is more than portable enough. Unless Apple goes really radical and does a tablet design with a 12" touch screen and no keyboard. But, outside of the cool novelity factor, who would want that?

[typefighter]

Count me in for an 11" MacBook. I'd pay a premium for a machine only half an inch thick with the other dimensions of the 12" PowerBook. The 11" screen would save room at the top for an iSight. I'd pay even more for copious amounts of solid state memory.

[Dave543]

Actually, most of the rumors I've read about refer to a much thinner, lighter MacBook or MacBook Pro; not a sub notebook. Who wouldn't want that, for around $1500? Personally I"d have no use for a portable Mac with a tiny 10" screen and mini keyboard but I haven't heard any serious rumors that one is coming, either.

[mozrob2]

I'd love to get a smaller laptop... at 1500$ it sounds great already. Word processing and internet would definetly be doable with this sub-notebook. battery life would be lengthy with a small screen. I hope its really thin. I hope its under 1 Lb. heheheeh

[fakerob]

"If we've learned anything from Apple over the past few years" <snip>
Well, Don, it seems like you haven't learned anything about Apple over the last few years. The typical attributes that you quote as reasons they won't make a sub notebook are the *EXACT* reasons that there is an opening in the market that they could exploit, especially the one about sub notebooks generally being ugly. Your logic is completely flawed; most sub notebooks are ugly, therefore Apple will release an ugly sub notebook that will fail.
Look at what a 'failure' the iPhone has been because it doesn't have 3G or a pyhsical keyboard....
You'd think tech writers would learn to stop predicting the failure of Apple products but it never seems to happen. Look at the comments you've got - they're overwhelmingly positive. I look forward to seeing you proved wrong next year.

[Sprocket999]

@'ncbill':
Yes -- the 12" PowerBook CAN be categorized as a "well-endowed" sub-notebook. "Well-endowed" means this thing sports more than what is expected in the usual sub notebook.

[mobile-worker]

Mr. Reisinger,

This is not the kind of post I'd expect from such a key technology journalist. Here's why:

First off - the term "subnotebook" was used in only one or two rumors, out of about a dozen. The general expectation from the speculators is a long-due Ultra-Portable. A machine that is better designed, space and material wise, but still offers good performance and durability. (ex. Sony SZ and Dell M1330), which are generally 12" or 13". Both are 25% lighter than the 13" MacBook but carry the EXACT SAME SPECS.

Now, if god-forbid, Apple will release something "in-between" a Subnotebook and an Ultra-Portable (example: Sony TZ, Toshiba R500, Dell D430) then GET THIS:

I own a hacintosh (a non-apple laptop on which is an OSX Leopard running natively)
The machine is a Sony TZ and it runs beautifully. I carry that machine in my small and stylish bag where I put my phone, wallet and keys. I take my bag to business meetings, coffee shops, and friends, and can ALWAYS pull it out, exit Stand-By mode, the check my emails, browse the web, work on Office documents, run any application I want (except for intensive games). I do not render artist graphics even though I can, I do however do as many Photoshop Edits as I want, they run beautifully.

Although I am a mobile-knowledge worker, you can count me in as a Student for that matter: Do you have any Idea how many students own a Macbook? Do you know how many modern wars can be virtually fought, simultaneously, on a super-computer built solely from un-used processing power from all MacBooks used by Students and Businessmen? My guess is: PLENTY.


I'll tell you what else - there isn't a day that goes by, without me getting atleast 3-requests from people I meet or people who sit next to me in a coffe shop, to help them get a hacintosh like mine. One they could carry around without considering its weight, and also finally switch to Mac-OS. (I have used Windows for 15-years and only switched to Mac-OS 4-months ago, when I got my Sony-TZ. Lately upgraded to Leopard (licensed. and yes I know its illegal, but I have a feeling I won't sued)

Apple needs an UltraPortable for several reasons:

1. Their current MacBook is way behind competition (even from Taiwan Based ASUS corp) in terms of size and weight, in the same form factor.
2. Prestige - CEOs, BusinessMen, Travellers/Mobile-Workers, are all into UltraPortables, and are all Windows Users. Whatsmore, they are walking-salesmen of Apple once you give them an UltraPortable.
3. Snap out of it, Mac is not only for Artists. Mac for many users is just a more intuitive operating system, easier, more stable, and more fun to use than Windows. Students will all tell you that.

I apologize if this comment is a bit disorganized, and I hope something got through:

WE WANT TO SWITCH TO MAC, BUT NEED AN LIGHTER NOTEBOOK FIRST. WE PROMISE NOT TO TRY AND PRODUCE THE NEXT PIXAR-WALT-DISNEY MOVIE WITH IT (WE KNOW IT WON'T WORK)

by the way- if you ask me, I think Apple should just partner with 3rd-parties like Sony or Panasonic for a White-Label, OEM contract manufacutring of Ultra-Portables, branded as MacBooks. You'd me amazed how many consumers would pay the price, and Apple can waste less time on laptop design and more time on Software design.

[akieiwasaki]

It's Windows that has the problem of differentiation. If Apple introduces a sub-notebook it will fit perfectly into the Apple product line. Personally I can hardly wait, I will be one of the first customers.

I am also hoping for a more PDA like product, dubbed by some as Newton 2. This would fill out the product line with clearly defined markets.

[rlewisnewman]

I think that Apple could have a real coup here. I am very pleased with my iPhone. It works beautifully, and with a little larger size (like my Newton) and USB support, 3G and wireless it would be the Orgami/UMPC that Microsoft was going to come out with. If apple could get closer to the target price that was originally proposed for the UMPC i.e. around $1000, I would buy one in a heartbeat. Even if it was $1200 I would find a way to afford it. More than that it would just be another device for CEO's, etc. Aside from being able to connect USB and able to put files on my iPhone, the iPhone is all that I need to access the things that I need. With a larger screen and the touch capabilities . . . . Oh, well, I can always hope .

[linuxamp]

After reading your article I'd swear you were "new to the subnotebook game". First of all, there is a large and growing market for subnotebooks. Those who feel that mobile connectivity is the next big thing are already late to the game. But you on the other hand have totally missed the boat.

Many current mobile users use Palms, Windows Mobiles, Blackberries, iPhones etc but these devices have two major flaws. First, they do not run full versions of the big three operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux) so application compatibility is restricted to ported applications of which there are far fewer than for full OSs. The second major drawback is the screen size. Sure mobile screens are growing and higher pixel density produces higher resolutions on smaller sizes but web browsing on anything smaller than 7 inches is extremely irritating.

Then there's the opposite spectrum. Notebook users who lug around their "normal" notebooks weighing in from 5-8 lbs. The problem there is obvious.

The answer is a compromise between a full notebook and mobile device, subnotebook.

Now to address your statements.
"...are extremely underpowered..." What do you consider underpowered? Subnotebooks models are offered in dual core, 2GB models. That's more powerful than many workstations from just a few years ago. Don't forget, these are not desktop replacements. Nobody said they were.

"In order to keep their prices down, they usually lack many of the ports you would expect from a regular laptop..." If you consider what ports are on a "regular" laptop, the only port missing would be a cardbus/express card slot which is technically not a port but a bus slot. However if your argument is the lack of a DVI port then I'd say that DVI is not typical on "regular" laptops and in fact some subnotebooks do feature DVI capabilities with the use of an included dongle which converts a miniaturized port to a full size port. Which brings me to my next point, ports on subnotebooks are usually limited by physical surface area real estate and not by cost. The included chipsets probably support most port types, just a matter of adding a connector somewhere.

"...an optical drive is a blessing and not the norm." How often do you use your optical drive? Why add extra weight and size for something you hardly use? Sure one could argue that you'd want to load an application, watch a DVD or listen to a CD but so many applications are now distributed via Web, DVDs can and probably should be ripped to your HDD as well as CDs to MP3. Why rip you ask? It saves batteries big time.

"...subnotebooks generally come in at a nicely affordable price, but rarely sell well on the open market."
Subnotebooks actually come at a premium. Packing so much technology into such a tight space is a luxury. OQO, Sony and Dell subnotebooks/UMPCs are always more expensive than a full sized notebook of the same specs. Oh wait, these never make it to the open market...

"To make matters worse, most of these computers are downright ugly." Now that's just a matter of preference and points out how biased you are.

[savioni]

As a 24-in. iMac user with legal classes that allow using notes in class, I am looking for a subnotebook both to take notes in class, since writing them down and then inputing them is a waste of time, and once the notes are in, I can do a quick Command F and find information to answer questions. I had a 7lb. Sony Vaio for years, but it was too heavy to take around with me. Law books are heavy enough. Also, as a reviewer of art, movies, and books, the facility of ultra portability is necessary given the timeline of posting reviews in a timely manner. And as a graphic designer, all I need to show my client are JPEGs embedded in an HTML-based website. In general, I don't always want to be sitting at my desk at home generating necessary databases, often I need to get out and go to a cafe. I am completely sick of and no longer trust Microsoft-based PCs. Even they are in the $2000 range and for what? A strap-on imperfect virus and ad protection software running in RAM that slows the computer down to a snail's pace and eventually requires a legion of updates to the point that every time you turn the damn thing on it takes 15 minutes just to use it? The last straw that broke the camel's back was Sony's repair for a bad drive that ended up loosening a 256MB Chip making the total RAM only 256MBs or that they reconfigured the C-Drive so all it could hold was Windows XP and so it ran like a wounded animal until the motherboard will allow startup once or twice, if I am lucky just so it can freeze up a few seconds in. Give me Apple and make the next one small. I firmly believe in two computers, both Apples, one with a huge screen and lots of power and flawless operation thus far and a small portable one that is no more than 2 pounds that you might actually keep with you at all times.