The netbook Apple would never make
I am apparently one of the few people on the planet who couldn’t care less if Apple were to release a netbook, but because you guys seem to care about such things, take a look at these 3D concepts of what designer Isamu Sanada thinks it might look like.
I don’t know… This looks like something Toshiba might make, Leopard wallpaper not withstanding. I just can’t see Apple building anything with two hinges. Anything more than one hinge feels like unfolding a road map to me. Also, wouldn’t that second touch pad hinge kind of flop up on you a bit when used on a lap? I also think Apple would keep the iSight camera centered, they seem to favor symmetry where possible.
To me the most interesting idea would be if they drop the physical keyboard entirely and made the area with the touchpad a context-aware touch screen, like the iPhone screen, so it would be a regular trackpad for navigation, but then turn into a touchscreen keyboard when it sensed you clicked on a text field or word processing app.
But whatever. I still think Apple will never build such a device. Sure, their notebooks will get steadily thinner and lighter, but I don’t see them creating a 4th laptop division anytime soon. The allure of a netbook (which escapes me) is the size and price, and this thing still looks big, and it looks expensive.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader iconeater for the link!
[via DVICE]
🙂 cool, i just agree with the title “would never make”
I agree as well; I think the rumors of a new “Newton” – or something between a larger iPhone and a Macbook are more likely at some point.
Nice work on the designer’s part though. I’ve seen so many fan-made concepts that are just lame and implausible, but this one is pretty nice.
Fatal flaw 1: How do you use this on an uneven surface? (Such as, IDK, your lap!?)
Also, Apple would never put a card reader in ANY of its products, if what that little black strip on the right is.
Fail.
I’m with ya – Netbooks interest me in the least. Although I’m sure if Apple does enter the market, I will start to care.
No way. An Apple “netbook” will have no folding action, let alone two folds. 7-9″ iPod Touch.
i don’t see why they’d do it from a business perspective. why? to cannibalize sales from the macbook air? no way.
but doc, i’m right there with ya. i could care less if apple makes a netbook or not. i try not to think about it.
Tend to agree with you – a netbook is just an underpowered portable. A lot of stuff that you would want to do from such a device you can do from an iPhone, I have a Mac Pro and an Air – can’t imagine what a netbook would give me but do understand that the Air has a high price point
Apple already has a netbook. It’s called the MacBook Air. If they drop the price in half, it will be the best netbook on the planet. When OLED displays are priced low enough to use in laptops, Laptop computers are going to get even thinner.
Agreed, i don’t see a need for a netbook, iPhone or Touch takes up that part for Apple, can you get any smaller??!! Netbook from Apple would be suicide for the MBA.
My fingers are too stubby to use a netbook.
It just looks like a unibody Sony P with a fold out trackpad.
nice looking but not to piratic … very small screen ….
“Agreed, i don’t see a need for a netbook, iPhone or Touch takes up that part for Apple, can you get any smaller??!! ”
Can you translate that to English, please?
This ‘thing’ looks exactly like the new and eXpensive Sony Vaio P.
SD Card slot on a Mac Notebook ? Not so much…
And this display hinge… does also NOT look like an Apple, again Sony’s current Notebook Gen features hinges like that…
So let me call this a ‘fail’
I highly suspect that within the next two years you will see laptops with the keyboard replaced with an OLED keyboard now that touchscreen is becoming commonplace in the Apple repertoire.
They already have the patent, companies already make OLED keyboards and the two are a natural combination. In fact, if the next major OS they put out after this one doesn’t support it, I’d eat my pants.
Xeno, if they are cotton pants, you can add a little hydrochloric acid and hydrolyze them into sugar water, just in case the whole OLED thing doesn’t work out 🙂
Well this OLED Keyboard has been available for the last couple years…
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/
But that has an OLED screen for each key. In development is their other keyboard which is an entire OLED screen…
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus-tactus/
And of course lets not forget that Apple already has started pantents to compete with these guys…
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/01/apples-oled-keyboard-patent-optimus-maximus-watch-out.ars
So I doubt I’ll be eating many pants. All signs point to me next laptop having no keyboard but dual touch screens. 🙂
Whow, atouchpad on each side of the flap, how conveniant :p