Jan-07 MacWorld Predictions

I think:

Small MacBook - at a hefty 5+lbs, the current MacBooks are not really portable. Whether Apple overdoes it with a functionally crippled ultralight MacBook or just a thinner, small screen version of the current line - I'm not sure.

Regardless, either would be a welcome move by MacKenchi's standards. (Less than this is not acceptable for us folks in Japan!)

Speed Bump MacBooks - could be the whole current line up, and maybe upgrade the screens of the 17" Pro to backlit.

Monitor Refresh - new versions of the current crop with built in iSight and more ports (USB/FW).

16GB GSM iPhone - no 3G yet.

MacTV 2.0 - BluRay whatever.... Yawn

iPhone/Touch SDK Kit - Announced, but not shipping until at least Feb.

iPhone/Touch firmware 1.1.3 - Watch out modders!

iPhone/Touch Games - Way late, but hey.

iTunes ≥v.7.6 - Vid rental, whatever.

OSX 10.5.2 - Make things like Back to your Mac and Spaces actually useful.

Mac Mini - no change in configuration, but decreased price.

Some of the product upgrades won't be announced at the Keynote, but be discovered as new products on the Apple Store - like before.

FWIW...

YAMBR - Yet Another MacBook Rumor

This is getting tiring...

Go here, and lose all hope.

YASNR - Yet Another Sub Notebook Rumor

This one has more oomph, because it came from Apple Insider. 

Apparently Apple is working on something small and delightful, but like Apple Recon claimed - it won't come out until June. Dohh!

Apple Insider also says it's gonna be really small and use NAND flash and NO internal optical drive (ala the PowerBook 2400 and 100). They also echo what I have been saying here - that this is just what Japan needs, and may pick up sagging sales here.

My take: Much too late! There's no need to put new tech into a subnotebook, when there are plenty of Windoze laptops at ideal size/weight ranges already. One wonders if Apple can recover the sales it's lost in Japan. (And when my 12" G4 dies, which could be anyday, I'll freaking go Windoze if there's nothing.) Also - though I look forward to Apple innovating in a subnote book, it's totally unecessary at this time. Plenty of Windoze Core 2 Duo notebooks that are 1.5 kg and under on the market now with existing tech.

I guess I won't hold my breath for this thing....

MacBook Mini Rumors Again?

A blog called "Apple Recon" has some supposed info on Apple's supposed ultraportable - called the "MacBook Mini" by some. The stats look pretty good. 3.5lbs weight, 2GHz CoreDuo, 12" Widescreen (1280x800), 1Gb RAM standard, ATI Radeon X1900, some kinda flash assist storage feature, and all the other MacBook standard features. 

The price is supposed to be around $1800 - not bad, IMHO. There were actually people complaining about this price. I guess they forget that the 12" PowerBooks were around $2100. 

Lamers.

The bad news - June '07 at WWDC is when they will be released. That deserves a WTF. 

Really Apple, you are behind all other major (and some minor) PC manufacturers in this regard. 

Thanks to PowerPage for picking up this story from Apple Recon.