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Apple, please give us a shrunken laptop like dell!
- Thread starter princealfie
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The new Dell Mini 9 has an internal open slot labeled "WWAN" that would allow future expansion to different cellular networks and WiMax. There's some speculation that you will be able to buy these things from different wireless companies, so they could be subsidized like a cell phone when you agree to a wireless plan.
So, they may be showing up in a lot more venues at even cheaper prices.
I would like to see Apple compete here too, because I think it would help with MobileMe adoption, and their "Switch to Mac" campaign. If people start with one of these as a "companion", the chances of buying an iMac or a larger notebook are greater. "Back to My Mac" and other Apple products becomes more compelling too.
No thanks. If i need quick internet on the go I'll use an iphone (or ipod touch). If I'm going to carry more than that, I might as well carry a real laptop, not these little 9" toys.
I have to admit that Dell did do a good job at making a small light notebook with just enough power to get light work done. I don't know if I'd be able to work effectively in any capacity on a 9" screen but it's a nice size. Give it to me in a 12" widescreen or at least an 11" one and I'd be happy. Leave everything else the same, and make it a lot thinner.
Skip the power, those missing the point should read up on what a netbook is please.
Skip the power, those missing the point should read up on what a netbook is please.
advice from an expert
hi, welcome to macrumors.com. thanks for using macrumors.com, and i hope we can be of help!
my advice is to not buy apple products over craigslist. the experts among us tend to agree that you're prone to getting ripped off - in short, always get your apple from an apple store. they sell plenty of refurbished products.
hi, welcome to macrumors.com. thanks for using macrumors.com, and i hope we can be of help!
my advice is to not buy apple products over craigslist. the experts among us tend to agree that you're prone to getting ripped off - in short, always get your apple from an apple store. they sell plenty of refurbished products.
And how often do you go look at the bottom of a laptop?
A lot of the nitpicking I find around here is simply because the other product is a Dell, HP, MS, etc. etc.
You assume to much.
I guess to appease you I should have said "top half looks OK but the bottom half looks crap". I'm afraid the top and the bottom halves of my MB both look good - this Dell is only half way there.
I hope the time hasn't come where someone gives an opinion on something but has to also write a disclaimer saying that the opinion was not biased in any way because the product happens to be a Dell, HP or a Sony etc.
I don't know why anyone wouldn't want the bottom to be designed as well as the top. I care about all aspects of my products, down to the top, bottom, sides; where it's made, how it's shipped, and where I need to take it for service.
This is why I did swear off of most of Dell's products.
I think the idea that the original OP trying to make is for Apple to make SMALL netbook with their well-known elegance and beauty of their design. NOT copying Dell's design or make a netbook with that kind of design.
Maybe Macbook Air with 10" screen or regular Macbook with 10" screen?
Maybe Macbook Air with 10" screen or regular Macbook with 10" screen?
I think the idea that the original OP trying to make is for Apple to make SMALL netbook with their well-known elegance and beauty of their design. NOT copying Dell's design or make a netbook with that kind of design.
Maybe Macbook Air with 10" screen or regular Macbook with 10" screen?
I did go slightly off topic however the OP did say
"http://www.dell.com/content/topics/t...us&l=en&s=dhsn looks awesome and I want something smaller than my Powerbook 12"!"
saying it looks awesome is inviting comparison - so I gave my opinion - I should have also said that think Apple would struggle to make a reasonably powered laptop much smaller than they do because of the heat problems they would face trying to keep it very slim and cool looking.
Powerbook 12" is nowhere slim like the air. Hence my point of making a reduced size Macbook.. (10")... doesn't need to be superslim like the air but small enough as a netbook
I would admit the dell one looks very ugly but look at this 10" lenovo S10...
http://tinyurl.com/6fqxv8
looks fairly good I say... fairly similar to Macbook shrunken to 10" (if it ever happened). Slim is good but Small is better in my opinion.
Make it small and the same thickness as Macbook, voila
I would admit the dell one looks very ugly but look at this 10" lenovo S10...
http://tinyurl.com/6fqxv8
looks fairly good I say... fairly similar to Macbook shrunken to 10" (if it ever happened). Slim is good but Small is better in my opinion.
Make it small and the same thickness as Macbook, voila
Same here. Although I will say this (in regards to a 'marketing niche')...
This 'fad' has happened before. All these 'netbooks' are is a reincarnation of the old (and some are still being made) email machines that all they did was surf the web and do emails. It was a failure niche. Many companies made them including Apple, Microsoft, Motorola, and a ton of nobodies. The difference now is they are now portable and have better graphics. THATS what's making the comeback of these email machines more popular.
The fact that the old failed niche device is seeing a comeback with the advent of newer portability technology and better graphics might justify the need for more computer manufacturers to start making them.
I would venture to say Apple has done the market research on this and who knows they probably have a device (their tablet pc anyone?) they're debating on releasing but the problem I see is Apple's price point. Yes they tend to be on the pricey side.
My wife and I looked at the Asus EEEEEEEEE pc (I can't even see how this thing can justify the 'pc' in the name) and she being very hardware/software illiterate AND the fact that all she uses her MB for is surf and email even said "What's the point of this thing again?" She would be a 'market' person for these things and she won't even buy one.
Still, I personally can see a growing trend but is it growing enough in the overall market to justify making more. Everyone has opinions on the niche's that need to be filled but even those people are a fraction of a percentage when it comes to the overall market.
Just to prove chewietobbacca wrong - I like the look of that Lenovo - I think Apple would want to make it smaller/thinner and try and keep it reasonably powerful but that is just speculation.
So far the only benefit I see to the any of these netbooks is their ability to run Ubuntu. I really wouldn't want to run anything above XP on them.
As far as Apple's speculated design, remember that you can't have your cake and eat it to. You have to choose at least two of these: power/slim size/price. There won't be a 10" Macbook Air that costs under $1000, that's just wishful thinking. The same thing goes for an Apple netbook that is just as powerful as the MacBook.
As far as Apple's speculated design, remember that you can't have your cake and eat it to. You have to choose at least two of these: power/slim size/price. There won't be a 10" Macbook Air that costs under $1000, that's just wishful thinking. The same thing goes for an Apple netbook that is just as powerful as the MacBook.
lol, work out? That's mean!
Mine never leaves my studio, because I don't have the masculine strength advantage of most posters here (implied by your statement), and I don't want more back problems from toting that lug of a bit-biter around with me.
So now I ssh in with my iPhone ... it just works!
17" MBP haters need to wise up. The weight difference is exactly 1.4lbs. from the 15" and 2.8lbs from the MacBook.
Ya'll acting like it's a brick. Not to mention most people can still use it anywhere, even on a plane, train, or automobile.
Ya'll acting like it's a brick. Not to mention most people can still use it anywhere, even on a plane, train, or automobile.
No it isn't. MBPs are thicker once you put on the obligatory sleeve, hard shell whatever, which you have to because these things dent if so much as the sun shines on them.
And as for your "some people need to work out" jibe, that lame comment has been done to death here and it still sucks. Some people wish they could work out, but since they have limited mobility in their arms they find these light machines a godsend.
You know, it wasn't all that long ago that people were running Quark, Photoshop and databases on less powerful equipment. All of these netbooks come with VGA out. Once you slap on a screen then you will be hard pressed to tell the difference in terms of speed between these and the first generation Mac minis, which I and many others still use today.
Mac Book Pros don't dent, and PC don't just get spyware and virii.
Users are careless. Plain and simple. PEBKAC situations are always the cause.
Users are careless. Plain and simple. PEBKAC situations are always the cause.
I've got an Acer Aspire One (running Linspire Linux, 8Gb SSD plus another 8Gb SD card in the storage expansion slot, 512mb RAM). So far (and the big test is from this Thursday onwards) it is working fine - primary reason for buying it is that I am going on a 3.5 week motorcycle trip, so want something to store the photos on (as Apple haven't upgraded the old camera connector to be able to store them on my iPod Touch...) and check emails, forums, stuff like that.
I bought the Acer as it is the only netbook that takes xD cards (I have an Olympus camera) in the card reader.
It has a decent 8.9" 1024x600 screen, running F-Spot photo management software, VLC for movies (and the image quality of movies is pretty good). It also has an in-built messenger program that works with MSN, Yahoo, GoogleTalk and AIM - and even does video calls to Windows machines (so why can't Messenger for Mac??)
I would've bought a Mac version if there had been one, but for the price I can change it if Apple do come out with one.
I bought the Acer as it is the only netbook that takes xD cards (I have an Olympus camera) in the card reader.
It has a decent 8.9" 1024x600 screen, running F-Spot photo management software, VLC for movies (and the image quality of movies is pretty good). It also has an in-built messenger program that works with MSN, Yahoo, GoogleTalk and AIM - and even does video calls to Windows machines (so why can't Messenger for Mac??)
I would've bought a Mac version if there had been one, but for the price I can change it if Apple do come out with one.
Exactly. "Slim" does not improve portability. Reducing a laptop thickness by 0.1" or 0.2" isn't going to make any difference. However, reducing the length and width is progress.
I think that if I had a netbook, I'd also get a 17" MBP so that the systems are well differentiated. The 17" would be my workhorse, which is only possible because I'd have a portable netbook. If I don't get a netbook, I'd just get a 15" MBP as my next computer, as it's flexible and a good balance between size/weight and functionality. What I purchase next depends a lot on this netbook market, and the next iteration. Battery life is my main concern, because without battery life, I don't see the point of these netbooks.
I like the Lenovo, but I also like the Dell (even the appearance). The HP is also quite good, but the Via CPU, although faster than Atom in many ways, isn't something I'd trust over an Intel. Don't know why.
It's not the weight. It's the physical size that's the issue. Weight isn't an issue (for me) with regards to portability. Neither is "thin-ness", even if Apple wanted to create a market where this really was an issue. It's not, which is why an MBA isn't much better than buying a regular MacBook.
My MacBook is much smaller than a 17" laptop, and that's the point. Nobody ever said anything about weight, so I don't see why you and Consultant would say "we're acting like....." when nobody but you two have mentioned it.
And when I'm flying in economy, my 13" is the biggest laptop I'd want to sit on those trays in front of the seat. Even my 12" PB wasn't so great for that. My MacBook is actually better for airplanes. The height of the system (with the LCD up) is more important than anything else, because a shorter system allows the screen to be tilted farther back.
That's funny. Aluminium dents, and plastic cracks. Choose your poison.
Anandtech has a pretty comprehensive review of it.
In general, I like the design. And the build quality looks very good.
However, this thing has the same systemboard chipset and IGPU as the Mac Mini and to listen to the pundits on this forum, the Mini is a PoS that should have been taken out behind the woodshed and had a bullet put through it years ago. And the Core2 Duo on the Mini will wipe the floor with the Atom.
Not to mention OS X would need to be paired down a bit to fit on even the 16GB HDD to allow any hope of applications. Unless Apple wants to try and succeed where Palm failed (spectacularly, I might add) and use the iPhone OS and applications.
While the Poulsbo chipset is itself a monster (since it was designed in a 130nm process), it is smaller then the 945G in the Dell and Asus. It will also support HD video which the 950 can't (at least effectively) and it will draw less power.
So if Apple waits and uses dual-core Atoms, Poulsbo, 2-4GB of RAM and a larger SSD, this could be something to behold, even if it does end up costing $999.
In general, I like the design. And the build quality looks very good.
However, this thing has the same systemboard chipset and IGPU as the Mac Mini and to listen to the pundits on this forum, the Mini is a PoS that should have been taken out behind the woodshed and had a bullet put through it years ago. And the Core2 Duo on the Mini will wipe the floor with the Atom.
Not to mention OS X would need to be paired down a bit to fit on even the 16GB HDD to allow any hope of applications. Unless Apple wants to try and succeed where Palm failed (spectacularly, I might add) and use the iPhone OS and applications.
While the Poulsbo chipset is itself a monster (since it was designed in a 130nm process), it is smaller then the 945G in the Dell and Asus. It will also support HD video which the 950 can't (at least effectively) and it will draw less power.
So if Apple waits and uses dual-core Atoms, Poulsbo, 2-4GB of RAM and a larger SSD, this could be something to behold, even if it does end up costing $999.
This line of computers is not meant to be your main computer, its more of an expendable road warrior machine.
Both, but from what I get handed from time to time it's the user that does the denting and cracking, thinking their PCs or Macs are tough books.
I agree about the size bit with the 17." That was my concern when I got the 15" MBP. When I got a new job, and asked me which book I wanted, it was 17" all the way since most people's impression of it were way off. It's quite a nice book, and having those fully clocked parts makes it fly.
And I also agree about the use of a net book. Having the 17" and a netbook would be ideal. I could leave the 17" at home merely for the sake of security and take the $400 netbook with me. I'd love to have Mac OS X, but it won't matter since I won't be using much in terms of productivity, and Ubuntu/OpenOffice/Mobile Me/FireFox would do just fine.
Much like Samwise is doing, I'd use it for those trips where video editing and pro work isn't needed, and for when I just need a machine to do the dumb stuff that isn't processor intensive. And Sam, thanks for the idea of sticking in an SD expansion card to increase HD space.
One of my work friends bought one of these, used it for a week then promptly send it back and replaced it for the ASUS version...
Honestly it was junk and butt fugly, if anyone wants Apple to copy this please feel free to book yourself into a shrink also...