think magnolias in winter
Okay, so let's look at where I was right:
1. Small, easily portable Mac computer. The screen is four inches larger than I said, although I was almost exactly spot-on to the thickness. It's not the device I was looking for, but it's one iteration off. I'm still expecting/hoping for the PaperMac at next MacWorld.
2. Multi-touch. It appears that the multi-touch is too expensive to include in such a large screen, so they worked it into the touchpad. Once again, almost what I predicted, but one version off.
3. Solid-state drive. A bigger drive than I expected (64 rather than 16/32) is an option in the more expensive machine, but the idea is still there. A smaller, solid-state drive is preferable to a large spindle-based.
4. No optical drive. Portable devices don't need optical drives most of the time, and I love their 'use a nearby optical drive' feature.
As for the FamilyMac:
They dropped the price of the AppleTV, and increased the 'I'm a computer' functionality of the device, and will soon be introducing a 'rent HD movies' feature. I still think that building the hardware into the screen is a good idea, but Apple may be waiting for HDTV technology to settle down before selling them. The new 'Time Capsule' has a lot of the same features as my FamilyMac. Again, next year...
All in all, a disappointing MacWorld keynote, but the new laptop is cool, and might be something I'd consider getting.
1. Small, easily portable Mac computer. The screen is four inches larger than I said, although I was almost exactly spot-on to the thickness. It's not the device I was looking for, but it's one iteration off. I'm still expecting/hoping for the PaperMac at next MacWorld.
2. Multi-touch. It appears that the multi-touch is too expensive to include in such a large screen, so they worked it into the touchpad. Once again, almost what I predicted, but one version off.
3. Solid-state drive. A bigger drive than I expected (64 rather than 16/32) is an option in the more expensive machine, but the idea is still there. A smaller, solid-state drive is preferable to a large spindle-based.
4. No optical drive. Portable devices don't need optical drives most of the time, and I love their 'use a nearby optical drive' feature.
As for the FamilyMac:
They dropped the price of the AppleTV, and increased the 'I'm a computer' functionality of the device, and will soon be introducing a 'rent HD movies' feature. I still think that building the hardware into the screen is a good idea, but Apple may be waiting for HDTV technology to settle down before selling them. The new 'Time Capsule' has a lot of the same features as my FamilyMac. Again, next year...
All in all, a disappointing MacWorld keynote, but the new laptop is cool, and might be something I'd consider getting.