Apple May Be Re-Entering the Sub-Notebook Market 281
An anonymous reader writes "AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has plans to reenter the sub-notebook market this year. The project, the article states, should be unveiled around the time of WWDC (summer). Drawing parallels to the legendary PowerBook 2400, the sub-notebook will offer some of the best elements of old and new. With a small footprint, light weight, and manageable screen it will fill a niche not currently occupied by any Apple hardware. At the same time, it will offer some new technologies that the current crop of computers do not: 'The new MacBook model is expected to introduce some features not yet available with Apple's existing notebook offerings, such as onboard NAND flash. Plans reportedly call for the notebook to be the first of the company's MacBook offerings to utilize the solid-state memory in order to improve power efficiency and facilitate near instantaneous boot times. This feature, however, had not been frozen upon last check.' Apple hopes this micro-notebook will capture interest both here in the states and in Japan, where the appeal of small consumer electronics may offset the current weak computer market."
Re:Mac Tablets (Score:5, Informative)
It's not ultraportable, but this should meet the "for nearly any price" requirement: Axiotron ModBook [macsales.com].
Re:I'd be interested if... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Mac Tablets (Score:3, Informative)
Not that I'm in the market for the ModBook myself, but it does come with a SuperDrive (your last point) and BlueTooth/AirPort should solve issues with keyboard/mouse, network, and printing (why tether to a docking station for such?) ... that leaves the tablet (which it somewhat already is) and the external display, two peripherals that can still be connected to the ModBook, no?
I don't see the ModBook missing out on any of the above [axiotron.com].
Re:I'd be interested if... (Score:3, Informative)
I mis-described that, sorry. You can't right+left click and drag from a left click state. In other words, here I am dragging out an ellipse with the left button. I want to release the anchor, which is done in this particular application by pressing the right button without releasing the left button. On the Mac, this action (dropping the second finger) locks the trackpad's position sensing, which means that there is no way to move the anchor. With a mouse, going from left press (sizing the ellipse) to left+right press (re-position anchor) and back is a matter of pressing and releasing the right button while holding the left down, which is just how it is supposed to work. This type of control over area selections is much, much faster and more flexible than not having the facility available - you get the area selection correct sooner than you do if you have to go back and edit it, etc. Consequently, I use this feature constantly, except if I am limited to the single button, I cannot.
Right. Well, I was trying to describe the issues I faced, not the ones you faced, so... :-)
Re:hdd size and speed (Score:3, Informative)
--jeffk++