Apple- build a really small notebook and they will come
Yesterday I made a stop in my local Starbucks to finish my review of the HTC Shift. I sat down at the group computer table as I often do and got ready to work. There were two guys there already working away, one on a MacBook and the other on a MacBook Pro. I pulled the Fujitsu P1620 out of my bag and opened it up on the table in notebook configuration to get some writing done. The first Mac guy looked over and exclaimed excitedly that the Fuji was "the smallest laptop I’ve ever seen". I told him no, this one is and pulled out the HTC Shift from my bag. As soon as he saw the keyboard was too small for touch typing he turned his attention back to the Fuji. I showed him how it worked and how the screen swiveled around to slate mode and he gushed for ten minutes about it. He instantly scoped in on the keyboard and how it was small enough to keep the size of the device down yet still allow touch typing.
The second guy was watching this with great interest and started asking questions about it. Neither guy was put off by the $2,000+ price of the Fuji, I guess Apple’s higher prices have them conditioned to expect to pay for what you get. I started writing using the Fuji as both guys went back to work but noticed they kept glancing at the Fuji with a sparkle in their eyes. Both guys eventually chimed in that if Apple built something in that size they would buy it no questions asked. Apple, you listening?
They just need to develop a taste for Fuji apples.
While I agree that an ultra portable Mac would be great, and enthusiasts have been clamoring for one, I have to think Apple knows something that we don’t.
They stopped selling the 12″ Powerbook for a reason. Maybe it wasn’t as big of a seller as we think.
There is a huge difference between a notebook the size of the Fuji and a 12″ Powerbook. I believe that Apple has a hard time dealing with issues like heat on the smaller MacBook Pros and why they haven’t produced one.
Of course, there’s a large size difference between the two. I only bring up the 12″ Powerbook because it’s really the only thing that Apple has made that’s even close, size-wise. So, that’s the jumping off point.
From Apple’s standpoint, if a 12″ model didn’t sell well, they may feel an even smaller model has an even worse shot.
I don’t know what their numbers were on the 12″ Powerbook, though. For all I know the thing sold like hotcakes, and it comes down to something like heat, as you’ve suggested. It was just a thought.
They may also be getting ready to produce a slate bigger than the iPhone, at least we keep hearing those rumors.
Apple has targeted mass-market consumer electronics segments over the past few years. Sub-notebooks are niche markets. Tablets are niche markets. Its unlikely that Apple would move into this space unless it thought small tablets could be a huge market. Even so, there are significant challenges for a relatively small company to dedicate the resources needed to develop a new platform with limited commonality to its other products, and tailor a proprietary OS at the same time. It’s possible, but it’s a big challenge with risk.
I thought I wanted a 9″-12″ Mac, but I’ve gotten totally accustomed to carrying around my 15″ MBP – which, incidentally, is my primary computer and contains the vast majority of my stuff. My ultra-portable days (and Dynamism) are behind me. Though the HTC Advantage refresh looks nice…
I agree with your sentiments entirely. I think Apple could blow the market wide open with a 10″ or smaller notebook! I have a 15″ MBpro as my primary computer, but after my accident I find that it is a tad too heavy to keep in my backpack while I am on crutches. I would love an MB air, but the size is too large, not to mention the non user changeable battery, limited ports, and the price.
So, my solution is ro look for a 1.5Ghz 12″Powerbook to use for the next few months until I am back up to speed…
Boy, how I would love a small Apple notebook with great battery life!
Couple of thoughts on this…
1) I agree that if Apple release something similar to the P1620 it would sell like hotcakes…
2) Perhaps Apple is quietly watching how much interest there is in the recently shipped (finally…) ModBook and then will make decision on something like this???
3) Agree with other comments that Apple probably sees this as relatively small niched market…and has focused on larger market items since His Steveness returned to Apple…
As for 12″ PB, I think it was quite popular but did have some issues, but size wasn’t one of them…
Just my 2 cents…
Simply put, Apple tells us what we need and doesn’t listen to what we want. Their arrogance is amazing. They would capture more market share if they listened to the consumers a bit more.
Apple, wake up! Lots of consumers want an ultraportable Mac. Many Windows users would consider switching to a Mac if they had one that was smaller like the many Dell, Toshiba, Sony, IBM/Lenovo, Fujitsu, etc.
I like my iMac at home. I’d love a 10″ screen with a good sized touch-type keyboard that was a Mac. But likely I’ll get a Windows UMPC and convert it with X86.
Pretty nice, but I’d put OSX86 on it the instant I got it. Bloated Windows is just not well-suited for a low-powered device like this. This is nice for people who want to keep size down to an absolute minimum, but I still like the MacBook Air better. To each his own, I guess.