O’Grady’s PowerPage has “some details of a secret development team planning specifications for the release of a new mini laptop.” According to a PowerPage’s Editor’s note, “It goes well with their current mini theme.”
These mystery units are described as “slim little mini pocketops” that run “a stripped-down flavor of Mac OS X.”
PowerPage reports, “We’re told that it will finally utilize Apple’s Inkwell technology to ‘write anywhere’ and neatly fold into your pocket – rather like an enlarged Motorola RAZR V3 mobile phone with a keyboard.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Rumor, grain of salt and all that… iBook mini?
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple looking to add wireless connectivity to iPod, rumored Tablet Mac? – August 25, 2004
RUMOR: Apple handheld device on the way? – February 16, 2004
Apple hints at ‘handheld tablet computer’ with European design trademark filing – August 13, 2004
Apple readying secret iTablet for Macworld unveiling? – January 03, 2003
Tablet Mac watch begins – November 17, 2002
DAMMIT O’GRADY!!!!! YOU’LL BE SUED!!!!
I’ll buy one if they EVER ship one, but since this rumor is coming from O’Gradys’ Power Page, I don’t believe it.
interesting idea, but with the decline in PDA’s as the lack of interest in tablet pcs, is there much of a demand for this type of product? any ideas?
Sincw when has Lily Savage been a Mac expert?
I’ve seen Paul O’Grady in a lot of fruity outfits but never Apples!
This again? It’s the iWalk/TabletMac G4/Pooper-scooper G4/whatever.
Gah!
bla bla Wishfull thinking: a Mac Midi G5 …
I agree with king_alvarez…where’s the demand?
However, some might have said that about hard drive based mp3 players vs. cd players a while back before the ipod. Mp3 players were sort of a niche product with only techno geeks using them (myself included). The same goes for high end PDA’s and smart phones these days, though on a larger scale (usually used by business execs). The interface issue with a smart phone/PDA has always been the biggest roadblock, as having to learn a certain way of entering information deters most people. Many times a PDA is purchased and then not used to near it’s full capacity precisely because a keyboard and mouse far surpasses a tiny stylus and thumbpad for data input.
I would be interested in a small “tablet-like” offering from apple, even up to 6″x8″ for notes and stuff like that, especially when I was in school. For portability it would have to be smaller, but even then, I’d enjoy having something that worked really well and sync’d up with my mac well too. I don’t want a phone combined into it though, that would be stupid (same with making it an ipod spinoff).
Magic Word: Soon…does that mean this is coming soon??? lol
forgot to mention, I have an ibook G4 and a DP 1.25 G4 powermac…one for portability, one for performance. I would consider a decent tablet from apple as an ibook replacement, but only if it didn’t cut too many features, and if it has to run OS X Lite, then maybe it wouldn’t be a complete replacement.
If this rumor is true and accurate, Powerpage should be good a Apple fan and keep it a secret instead of telling the world. How do these people consider themselves Mac enthusiasts when all they do is cause headaches for Apple, and spread possible unfounded rumors? They cause more problems for Apple than Microsoft does.
The “flaming datum” on this story for me is the “stripped down OS X” bit. Why should Apple populate two versions of their OS out there when the problems that having multiple flavors of Windows out there is an obvious lesson?
One of the advantes of OS X is that there is not a “home” and “pro” version. Why go down that road?
Return of the
” rel=”nofollow”>eMate?
minis, ipods…ack! ack!
I waiting for the rumor that says there is dual-4Ghz Power mac coming REAL soon!
Oh oh..
Bring on Apple Legal !
Magic word=Truth…
it fits
A mac that fits in your pocket. Play dvd’s, pick up your mail when you travel…
Actually, I like this rumour. But I see it as nothing but that, …a rumour.
Fer cryin’ out loud, stop talking about a mac “midi”. That means something else entirely. If your pipe dreams keep you warm at night, fine, but call it something else.
I think its inevitable that Apple comes out with some type of Tablet.
I really need one for my work. I literally carry around a notepad because at time its too cumbersome to pull out a lap top and have to use a keyboard and track mouse. At times its convinent and faster to just write something down longhand.
I want somethng that’s more 11.5 x 9.5 and can display a full sheet of paper.
I tried a Palm for awhile but its just not functional enough. Plus having to learn a new language and not be able to just write in my own handwriting.
If Apple does do this I don’t want a stripped down OS X, which I take with a grain of salt from a rumor site. I want full functionality, I want to be able to run my full apps that I use for my work.
Just because Microsoft hasn’t been able to make it work doesn’t mean the Tablet is not a viable product. I imagine Apple is in development with something like this and trying to figure out how to make it more functional and easier to use than everything else.
Can anyone say Newton?
It might take Apple to bring back the PDA. Strip Aqua and all the server services, multi-lanugage and driver support and OS X could be quite small in today’s OS terms.
Linux geeks would love such a PDA. Next you’ll hear about Apple PDA grid computing using mini Cell processors. A beowolf cluster!!! WOOt!
My 12″ PowerBook is a nice little PDA. My cell phone carries my address book. What more do I need? More bling of course.
Since when have rumors been illegal you fsckin twat.. the illegal part is when you have evidence, which pertains to an NDA
How many rumors over the years have included the “stripped down version of Mac OS”? Lots. How many stripped down versions of Mac OS have we seen? None.
Next will be a new set-top box rumor.
I want one, though! I’ve always wanted a pocket Mac!
Apple will never do a video iPod.
But people want Movies, would this not be the perfect mobile movie player? At the moment the best mobile movie players are… laptops. Now make ‘m small.
One more thing… The iMovie Video Store.
I hope it’s true. The Newton really does kick ass and the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on a 2000/2100 is the fact that it doesn’t have native support for OS X. This would be a giant leap forward for the PDA world.
So much for that ‘chilling effect’ that was supposed to come from Apple suing the rumor sites.
Either that, or O’Grady is in love with someone at Apple Legal, and meeting in court is the only way to continue their illicit and expensive affair…
The reason PDA’s failed was becausethey were small with not enough features. You couldn’t really use them as a notebook(paper), So all they could really do was be an electronic organizer, which wasn’t easy to hookup to your pc.
Tablet’s are failing not due to the OS, and software which aren’t bad, but size, weight, battery life, etc.
An Apple based tablet should weigh in at 2-3 lbs, and lasts for 8-12 hours (less with wireless networking) Of course this rumour site isn’t reliable, though it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple doesn’t have someone trying to work it out though.