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CNBC jumps on Mac ultraportable bandwagon
We're a little more than a month away from the Macworld Expo, and the expectations are starting to get a little clearer for arguably Apple's biggest show of the year.
CNBC reported Thursday that Apple plans at Macworld to introduce a 12-inch Mac laptop with flash memory in place of a hard drive. Apple followers have long anticipated such a product, and several other reports have come out this year predicting a similar type of announcement was nigh.
Apple could add 12-inch notebook alongside these 13.3-inch MacBooks in January.
(Credit: Apple)The ultraportable Mac is said to be 50 percent thinner and lighter than a current MacBook Pro, the largest notebook in Apple's lineup. And CNBC is also saying it expects the price to be about $1,500, the same price as the 13.3-inch black MacBook that's currently available on Apple's site.
I'm a little skeptical of the price, especially since the notebook would reportedly use flash memory instead of a hard drive. My colleague Michael Kanellos noted last month that Dell charges a $950 premium for a 64GB flash memory drive in place of a 160GB hard drive on one of its XPS notebooks. Perhaps Apple is using a smaller drive, or the notebook will use a less expensive processor and smaller amounts of memory to offset the cost, but flash memory drives aren't expected to be practical for a few years.
Still, it's not hard to imagine Apple coming out with that style of notebook, especially since Intel is expected to have new notebook chips out around the same time, perhaps unveiling them during CEO Paul Otellini's keynote address at CES on January 7. Ultraportable notebooks--which generally weigh in around 3 pounds or less--aren't a very big segment of the notebook market but tend to be showcases for design flair, and Apple's been known to show an interest in that sort of thing here and there.
CNBC also reported that Apple could have more to say about a 3G version of the iPhone early next year, and that demand for the iPod Touch has caused Apple to up its production estimates.
Tom Krazit, a staff writer for CNET News, focuses on all things Apple. He has covered traditional PC companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, chip companies such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, and mobile computers ranging from Research In Motion's to Palm's. E-mail Tom.
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Has Steve Jobs been smoking something funny again? How can he expect to sell a $1500 laptop in a market that can only afford a $100 or $180 laptop?
OTOH, it may use a combination of, say, 8GB of flash storage for its boot disk (for the OS and the built-in apps, with perhaps a bit of room left over for commonly-used 3rd-party apps) and an iPod-sized disk drive (up to 80GB) for data storage. Such a combo wouldn't need to invoke the power drain of the spinning HDD full time (saves power), and yet could withstand quite a bit of abuse.
It would make sense for someone who travels a whole hell of a lot, and it would still be hefty enough to do pretty much what a traveler needs it to.
/P
G4, which was a perfect form factor for the traveling executive.
Who really uses a 17" laptop on a transpacific flight? Hopefully it
will be configurable to suit various needs and pricing. $1500 will
probably be a Flash/HDD hybrid. $2500 for all flash and
transreflective screen. Wireless docking station for optical, backup
drives and high power graphics card- sweet! It will be exciting to
see what they really come up with after all this waiting.