The MacBook Mini?
rzwitserloot posted in apple on June 8th, 2006
upfront note: This is pure conjecture.
This new macbook is bigger than the iBook. It’s also sufficiently powerful to act as your only computer with ease.
Which makes this macbook overpowered, really, for a lot of notebook target audience: Those who only use their notebook as a quick way to check email, take presentations and some files on the road, and possibly to use for watching a movie or 2 while on the road.
The macbook is ridiculously cheap for what it packs - apparently, apple either wants market share, or they have their suppliers and construction process very streamlined. Either way, it opens the door to a new notebook. A Macbook mini.
It would cost around the same price, and similar hardware, as a Ordinary Mac Mini - about 600 bucks. From iBook experience, I know OS X will run just fine on a 40GB slow (4200 rpm) harddrive, with 512MB soldered right onto the mainboard, with a core solo 1.5Ghz processor. Combine this with a much smaller, cheap 10 or 9″ screen, and voila. A macbook mini.
To make sure everything fits, it might be possible to ditch the CD/DVD drive. Apple’s original eMac was the first mainstream computer to forego the floppy drive entirely. iTunes Music Store’s video sales would help market it - get your videos that way instead of using DVDs. Any software that can put movies on a video iPod can put movies on this notebook.
Marketing would then heavily rely on the iPod. Perhaps this thing will be called ‘iBook’ to try and keep the link to the iPod.
I wouldn’t buy it myself (I’m quite happy with my macbook), but I know plenty of people who need a notebook not as main PC but for certain relatively simple things. The handheld revolution isn’t happening, probably because it just isn’t possible to reasonably type and read on such a small device, so a very portable and cheap notebook would be the better alternative then.
That particular market is also wide open. Very few notebook hardware makers make cheap, tiny notebooks.
June 17th, 2006 at 18:40
Hey, I agree, I’ve wanted a cute little notebook for ages, just like the UMPC’s from Sony.
September 26th, 2006 at 16:15
[…] Remember my prediction of the macbook mini? […]
January 27th, 2007 at 5:10
Are you stupid… why would they call it an ibook? they JUST GOT RID OF THE NAME. Second, why not just stick with an ibook if you want something that small? You think an apple notebook that small is going to cost 600$ are you f’n insane? at least 1200, especialy with a “..cheap 10 or 9″ screen..”. And the reason why “Very few notebook hardware makers make cheap, tiny notebooks” is because it COSTS MORE MONEY, you have to make everything extremely small, thats why you can get a refurbished 17inch laptop for 1399 on apples web site. You dont seem to knwo much of anything about computers.
January 27th, 2007 at 5:13
I too think they will be comming out with a “ultra portable” but i think it will be around the price of the macbooks, possibly the price of the first gens, i think you can get them on apples website for 899 now.