Apple's Macworld Expo: MacBook Air announced

[Crispy]

I think his tongue might have been somewhat inserted in his cheek

 

[editor]

I think his tongue might have been somewhat inserted in his cheek

Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. Really.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I thought it was funny but yeah this thread isn't about the iBacklash or iHype.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Heaven knows I love me some mac, but this is a bit bloody vague for me. "There's something in the air"... yeah, my fucking middle finger, Jobs, just tell me what you're bloody releasing you smug bastard.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I got it! There's something in the air is the line from that cartoon the Snowman!

In 2008, Jobs and co will give us: iSnowman!

The Snowman that doesn't need snow!!!

 

[Sunray]

Anyway, now the usual suspects have got their latent issues out of the way (in so many ways anti-Apple people are like people with repressed sexual desires, unable to just let people get on with it while denying their own feelings of 'temptation'), let's look at the likely announcements:

1. Tiny thin ultramobile Macs? I think this is possible, but I've heard a whisper of production problems.

2. 'Something in the air': Right - WiMax for Macs? Possibly, that kind of wide area wireless technology could be good, but I don't see that in people's personal base stations, so how this will emerge eludes me. But certainly key partner Intel really wants to push WiMax, now it has been tested.

3. 'Something in the air' part 2: equally, this hint could be something else, so there's even some capital in the notion Apple has bought a network supplier, though I've not heard anything on an Apple takeover of AT&T. But that would fit the 'in the air' notion.

4. iTunes for mobile?

5. A subscription-based music service? It's inevitable to an extent that music sales will cease to be about the product, as the product has such declining value now, thanks to the file-sharers who claim to love music, who would probably refuse to give a busker fifty pence.

6. Could just be film rental services.

'Something in the air'? It has to be wireless, could be connected to an iPhone, beyond that I have no fecking idea.

3 cannot happen in secret because you'd have people buying all the shares and buying all the shares of a large telco gets noticed by the entire world.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

At least snowmen are (vaguely) shiny and white.

Boringly and rationally enough, Macrumors are saying it's going to be an ultrathin Macbook Air, which is quite possibly true. But it won't be two hundred quid like my Eee, I can tell you that now.

 

[editor]

Perhaps Jobsie boy is about to unleash an almighty iFart and he wanted the Mac community to share his excitement?

 

[editor]

Boringly and rationally enough, Macrumors are saying it's going to be an ultrathin Macbook Air, which is quite possibly true. But it won't be two hundred quid like my Eee, I can tell you that now.

If Apple come out with an instant-on, ultrathin laptop for £200, I'll be very, very interested in buying one. Oh yes indeedy!

Mind you, it would be a tad ironic if they do come out with a Foleo-like thing.

 

[Crispy]

At least snowmen are (vaguely) shiny and white.

Boringly and rationally enough, Macrumors are saying it's going to be an ultrathin Macbook Air, which is quite possibly true. But it won't be two hundred quid like my Eee, I can tell you that now.

Yeah, it'll have some sort of roaming data deal - 3G, EDGE, WiMax (and an announcement of network building by a major network). "Take your computer anywhere" sort of thing.

And it will not be cheap at all

 

[Crispy]

If Apple come out with an instant-on, ultrathin laptop for £200, I'll be very, very interested in buying one. Oh yes indeedy!

Mind you, it would be a tad ironic if they do come out with a Foleo-like thing.

I think the iphone comes too close to the foleo for a sensible differentiation between them. There would be some market overlap there, I think. Judging by the large orders of 13" screens and flash ram, I reckon proper laptop, with flash drive, with wireless data.

 

[editor]

Oh, I dunno. I've no interest in an iPhone but an instant on, 8" screen, flash memory, wi-fi, full keyboard, bluetooth, light and slim £200 Mac would go down a treat with me

 

[FridgeMagnet]

There was some discussion iirc about rumours that they were going to put out an ultrathin machine without an optical drive.

There's a huge gap in the product line at the moment where the 12" Powerbook used to be, and that's something that Apple types have been really demanding, so I think they will be trying to fill that - but not with a straight 12" Macbook Pro, otherwise, well, they wouldn't be trying to make it out that this is going to be some sort of life-changing experience.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I'm still betting on the $500 price mark. It needs to be dramatic as is the Apple way and a small lappy for that price would be pretty dramatic.

 

[editor]

There's a huge gap in the product line at the moment where the 12" Powerbook used to be, and that's something that Apple types have been really demanding, so I think they will be trying to fill that - but not with a straight 12" Macbook Pro, otherwise, well, they wouldn't be trying to make it out that this is going to be some sort of life-changing experience.

I thought every Mac update - no matter how minor and trivial - had to be heralded as a life changing experience?

Least, that's how Engadget sees it.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I thought every Mac update - no matter how minor and trivial - had to be heralded as a life changing experience?

Least, that's how Engadget sees it.

Well, obviously. But there's your standard life-changing experience and then, erm, one which changes all of your lives even after you've been reincarnated. Or something.

Engadget, of course, cream their jeans over random things so regularly that their mums must have gone past the stage of shouting at them and hired an industrial laundry company

 

[Crispy]

Mp3 player in a toothbrush OMG! the future is here!
unboxing videos below the fold.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

I thought every Mac update - no matter how minor and trivial - had to be heralded as a life changing experience?

Least, that's how Engadget sees it.

Yeah but they're wankers.

Macs are nice, they just do the job with no bullshit or hassle or money given to the already massively overflowing wallet of Bill Gates (yes Jobs also has a large wallet, but not as disgustingly large and as far as I know he hasn't given money to the Republicans yet)

As long as you don't get worried about that 25 year old BSD network code that nobody (except some very scary haxors) understands anymore.

 

[ExtraRefined]

Oh, I dunno. I've no interest in an iPhone but an instant on, 8" screen, flash memory, wi-fi, full keyboard, bluetooth, light and slim £200 Mac would go down a treat with me

£200 is the price of the ipod touch - were apple to release something similar to what you describe, it would be substantially more.

 

[jæd]

Oh, I dunno. I've no interest in an iPhone but an instant on, 8" screen, flash memory, wi-fi, full keyboard, bluetooth, light and slim £200 Mac would go down a treat with me

Based on the way Apple is going, you're unlikely to get a full, physical keyboard...

 

[jæd]

I thought every Mac update - no matter how minor and trivial - had to be heralded as a life changing experience?

Least, that's how Engadget sees it.

And since when did anyone give a shit what the Engadget people think...? Newsflash: You're allowed to have your own opinions on things these days...

 

[Structaural]

I think the iphone comes too close to the foleo for a sensible differentiation between them. There would be some market overlap there, I think. Judging by the large orders of 13" screens and flash ram, I reckon proper laptop, with flash drive, with wireless data.

Sounds plausible - with a forced .Mac subscription or nothing works... Isn't the HD the heaviest part of a laptop?

 

[Structaural]

Oh, I dunno. I've no interest in an iPhone but an instant on, 8" screen, flash memory, wi-fi, full keyboard, bluetooth, light and slim £200 Mac would go down a treat with me

Did I read that right?

 

[Crispy]

Battery, I'd guess.

 

[untethered]

The new Apple "product" is in fact a publicity stunt to promote anti-consumerism. The "air" is the free air around you - enjoy it and don't waste half your life speculating about future consumerist opportunities.

 

[dweller]

Oh, I dunno. I've no interest in an iPhone but an instant on, 8" screen, flash memory, wi-fi, full keyboard, bluetooth, light and slim £200 Mac would go down a treat with me

If they did make something like this, it wouldn't be that cheap.
Apple love to put premium prices on their products.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Well just under 24 hours to go until this big secret is revealed...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

http://www.apple.com/​

 

[editor]

Oh great! Another huge, page-stretching, hype-tastic Apple advert that says precisely nothing new!

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Yup, I emailed them asking if they'd pay me to virally post it up on every Apple thread in the run up to the show...