she's a dæmon that follows me around
Posted on 2007.12.18 at 22:59
Coming quickly upon us is MacWorld Expo 2008, where once again Steve Jobs will introduce a product which will blow the mind of everyone in the audience. He did it in 2007 with the iPhone, and now he's poised for something even bigger. Predictions have been flying as to what the mystery product(s) could be, most centering on the idea of a sub-notebook, a reincarnation of the (oddly) beloved 12" Powerbook, introduced in 2003, and discontinued last year with the introduction of the MacBooks. My first prediction is similar, and, I should note, heavily influenced by a recent MacBreak Weekly. The second is, to my knowledge, wholly original.
Prediction #1: A paperback-sized touchscreen Mac - the PaperMac
This device will be small enough to fit in a jacket pocket (just as I'm currently carrying around in my beloved corduroy, 8"x5"x.6"), and uses a screen packed densely with pixels, just like my 3nd gen nano. At 210ppi, the device has an impressive 1680x1050 display, very well-suited to watching even HD video files on the fly.
The PaperMac will have 16 or 32 GB of internal flash storage, and will run the full version of OSX Leopard, with some modifications to make navigation with a finger rather than mouse easier. An onscreen keyboard, larger than the iPhone's, will make typing, if not suitable for novel-writing, still comfortable.
Your PaperMac will hold all your music, a few TV shows and movies (using iTunes' new HD video renting system). The included Wi-Fi card (802.11b/g) will allow you to surf the web, access your home computer (via Leopard's Back To My Mac feature), and download iTunes Media Store files on the fly. Using the included iPhone-like headphones/microphone combo, you can place VOIP calls when in any Wi-Fi hotspot.
It will replace your iPod, portable DVD player, Sony eBook reader, and most importantly: your laptop and possibly (given the increasing ubiquity of Wi-Fi hotspots) your cell phone. The PaperMac could easily include a slot in which could be placed an EVDO card for increased wireless connectivity.
The battery life will be a concern, but due to the larger size (and comfortable heft) of the device, a powerful (and possibly hot-swappable) battery will give 4 hours of heavy use (HD video playback, screen on full-brightness), 8 hours of soft use (little use of backlight, internet surfing, and typing), and up to 16 hours of feather use (music playback with screen turned off). You'll want to plug it in whenever possible, but extragrid use should be little discouraged.
Now, onto price. I expect two PaperMac models, each powerful enough for daily use by any other than professionals. These are introductory price points, which I think with equalize $150 lower within two years.
Price:
$799
16GB PaperMac
1.66 Ghz Intel Core Duo
1 GB memory
$999
32GB PaperMac
2.0 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 GB memory
Prediction #2: An HDTV-sized living room Mac - the FamilyMac
This is the device I've heard no one talk about. I may be off my rocker, but I think it solves a lot of problems with a family's computing solution.
Currently, a typical household has: a standard def TV (fuzzy picture, able to get content only via DVDs or ad-supported linear streaming), and a desktop computer (great picture, can easily grab content, even more than simply video, from anywhere on the Web, but usually placed in an office, making it not a good solution for relaxed enjoyment). TV in the living room is the passive content-receiving ten-foot solution, and a PC in the office is the active content-finding twenty-inch solution. The two are unable to talk to each other, and both suffer for it.
Apple's current solution is the Apple TV, which snatches media from your office Mac, and places it onto your living room TV. This is good, but the next logical step is to combine the three devices I just mentioned. The FamilyMac comes in three flavors: 34", 47", and 60". The first two run at the standard 1080p resolution (1920x1080), and the big one runs at what's called 4K: 4096x2160. Inside will be the guts of a Mac capable of doing anything short of high-powered gaming or video editing, although of course those capabilities can be added when you order online.
This machine will be the center of your house's computing. The large included hard drive holds everyone's Content, and is where everyone's PaperMac syncs wirelessly when you plug it into any nearby power outlet, or directly to a USB plug. If your PaperMac ever hiccups on the road, your FamilyMac will feed it a recent backup of all your files.
The FamilyMac will always be working to keep you connected: the easy-to-use RSS reader gives you the morning headlines, iTunes automatically downloads new podcast, TV shows, music, movies, and more. With the included TV tuner, which can pick up HDTV signals from your local cable or satellite provider, your FamilyMac can even record TV (replacing your TiVo), placing them on your PaperMac or just staying on the computer for watching from your couch.
This is how you'll most often interact with your FamilyMac: from the couch. Using the included wireless mouse, keyboard, and an updated Apple Remote, you'll have the whole world at your fingertips. Watching an episode of CSI and wonder where you've seen that actor before? With a click of a button, you're surfing IMDB. Once you find it, a click of the same button sends you back.
Watch streaming HDTV, iTunes downloaded files (HD movie rentals, HD TV shows, or even video podcasts), and, using the slot-loading drive, DVDs, or Hi Def DVDs (hopefully an HD-DVD/Blu-Ray combo drive).
When every member of your family has a PaperMac for their personal computing, and you have a FamilyMac at home for communal enjoyment, you have all the computer you'll ever need.
This device is also pricey, but as it replaces so many devices (HDTV, office computer, TiVo, DVD player), it will be a justifiable purchase when a family chooses to upgrade their computing solution. The three price points allow a family to start cheaply, and then step up to a bigger screen when the price comes down, putting the first device in the bonus room.
Price:
$1899
34" FamilyMac
1920x1080 LCD display
2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
250 GB
1 GB memory
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
8x double-layer SuperDrive (with upgrade to Hi-Def playback for $150)
$2299
47" FamilyMac
1920x1080 LCD display
2.8 Ghz Intel Core 2 Extreme
320 GB
2 GB memory
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
8x double-layer SuperDrive (with upgrade to Hi-Def playback for $150)
$2899
60" FamilyMac Pro
4096x2160 plasma display
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
500 GB
4 GB memory
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB
8x double-layer ÜberDrive (with Hi Def playback)
Prediction #1: A paperback-sized touchscreen Mac - the PaperMac
This device will be small enough to fit in a jacket pocket (just as I'm currently carrying around in my beloved corduroy, 8"x5"x.6"), and uses a screen packed densely with pixels, just like my 3nd gen nano. At 210ppi, the device has an impressive 1680x1050 display, very well-suited to watching even HD video files on the fly.
The PaperMac will have 16 or 32 GB of internal flash storage, and will run the full version of OSX Leopard, with some modifications to make navigation with a finger rather than mouse easier. An onscreen keyboard, larger than the iPhone's, will make typing, if not suitable for novel-writing, still comfortable.
Your PaperMac will hold all your music, a few TV shows and movies (using iTunes' new HD video renting system). The included Wi-Fi card (802.11b/g) will allow you to surf the web, access your home computer (via Leopard's Back To My Mac feature), and download iTunes Media Store files on the fly. Using the included iPhone-like headphones/microphone combo, you can place VOIP calls when in any Wi-Fi hotspot.
It will replace your iPod, portable DVD player, Sony eBook reader, and most importantly: your laptop and possibly (given the increasing ubiquity of Wi-Fi hotspots) your cell phone. The PaperMac could easily include a slot in which could be placed an EVDO card for increased wireless connectivity.
The battery life will be a concern, but due to the larger size (and comfortable heft) of the device, a powerful (and possibly hot-swappable) battery will give 4 hours of heavy use (HD video playback, screen on full-brightness), 8 hours of soft use (little use of backlight, internet surfing, and typing), and up to 16 hours of feather use (music playback with screen turned off). You'll want to plug it in whenever possible, but extragrid use should be little discouraged.
Now, onto price. I expect two PaperMac models, each powerful enough for daily use by any other than professionals. These are introductory price points, which I think with equalize $150 lower within two years.
Price:
$799
16GB PaperMac
1.66 Ghz Intel Core Duo
1 GB memory
$999
32GB PaperMac
2.0 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 GB memory
Prediction #2: An HDTV-sized living room Mac - the FamilyMac
This is the device I've heard no one talk about. I may be off my rocker, but I think it solves a lot of problems with a family's computing solution.
Currently, a typical household has: a standard def TV (fuzzy picture, able to get content only via DVDs or ad-supported linear streaming), and a desktop computer (great picture, can easily grab content, even more than simply video, from anywhere on the Web, but usually placed in an office, making it not a good solution for relaxed enjoyment). TV in the living room is the passive content-receiving ten-foot solution, and a PC in the office is the active content-finding twenty-inch solution. The two are unable to talk to each other, and both suffer for it.
Apple's current solution is the Apple TV, which snatches media from your office Mac, and places it onto your living room TV. This is good, but the next logical step is to combine the three devices I just mentioned. The FamilyMac comes in three flavors: 34", 47", and 60". The first two run at the standard 1080p resolution (1920x1080), and the big one runs at what's called 4K: 4096x2160. Inside will be the guts of a Mac capable of doing anything short of high-powered gaming or video editing, although of course those capabilities can be added when you order online.
This machine will be the center of your house's computing. The large included hard drive holds everyone's Content, and is where everyone's PaperMac syncs wirelessly when you plug it into any nearby power outlet, or directly to a USB plug. If your PaperMac ever hiccups on the road, your FamilyMac will feed it a recent backup of all your files.
The FamilyMac will always be working to keep you connected: the easy-to-use RSS reader gives you the morning headlines, iTunes automatically downloads new podcast, TV shows, music, movies, and more. With the included TV tuner, which can pick up HDTV signals from your local cable or satellite provider, your FamilyMac can even record TV (replacing your TiVo), placing them on your PaperMac or just staying on the computer for watching from your couch.
This is how you'll most often interact with your FamilyMac: from the couch. Using the included wireless mouse, keyboard, and an updated Apple Remote, you'll have the whole world at your fingertips. Watching an episode of CSI and wonder where you've seen that actor before? With a click of a button, you're surfing IMDB. Once you find it, a click of the same button sends you back.
Watch streaming HDTV, iTunes downloaded files (HD movie rentals, HD TV shows, or even video podcasts), and, using the slot-loading drive, DVDs, or Hi Def DVDs (hopefully an HD-DVD/Blu-Ray combo drive).
When every member of your family has a PaperMac for their personal computing, and you have a FamilyMac at home for communal enjoyment, you have all the computer you'll ever need.
This device is also pricey, but as it replaces so many devices (HDTV, office computer, TiVo, DVD player), it will be a justifiable purchase when a family chooses to upgrade their computing solution. The three price points allow a family to start cheaply, and then step up to a bigger screen when the price comes down, putting the first device in the bonus room.
Price:
$1899
34" FamilyMac
1920x1080 LCD display
2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
250 GB
1 GB memory
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
8x double-layer SuperDrive (with upgrade to Hi-Def playback for $150)
$2299
47" FamilyMac
1920x1080 LCD display
2.8 Ghz Intel Core 2 Extreme
320 GB
2 GB memory
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
8x double-layer SuperDrive (with upgrade to Hi-Def playback for $150)
$2899
60" FamilyMac Pro
4096x2160 plasma display
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
500 GB
4 GB memory
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB
8x double-layer ÜberDrive (with Hi Def playback)