Apple to announce sub-notebook and other laptop revisions at MacWorld
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Sometimes one can wonder if Apple actually comes up with its own ideas or if the rumors become so rampant that the company develops a product from them. Either way, it’s almost certain that Steve Jobs will announce an ultraportable Apple laptop but that’s not all that’s in store.
The Apple sub-notebook/ultraportable is said to lack an optical drive but the company will have a slim external optical drive available as an option or could be included with the notebook itself. Additionally, other rumors point to a multitouch trackpad across all laptops.
However, the multitouch trackpad is only suggested in a rumor at Macrumors and has not been confirmed or mentioned by Apple in any way.
The other announcements that Steve Jobs is planning besides the ultraportable and possibly the multitouch trackpad are scarce at this time but there is said to be an entire revision of the company’s current line of laptops, and we won’t know what form(s) that will take for roughly another two weeks.
Hopefully it will be an exciting MacWorld and maybe Apple will finally have fixed the display issues with its laptops. Here’s hoping the MacBook line gets the aluminum cases and at least the option of dedicated graphics.
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January 2nd, 2008
Upgrading MacBook graphics would be a good thing, aluminum enclosure would be a bummer. I switched from a Titanium G4 & an Aluminum P’Book G4 to the MacBook this past year, and gained almost 120′ of AirPort signal. I would not like to be forced to return to aluminum.
Turns out metal does make a good signal shield!
January 2nd, 2008
I also confirm plastic has MUCH better reception than metal.
January 3rd, 2008
Ditto… moved from 15″ Al PowerBook G4 to a black MacBook and gained 132 feet on my home Airport network. I can sit in my neighbor’s back yard! Great signal strength. If they made MacBook Pros with a 12″ or 13″ LCD and a plastic case, I would’ve purchased that one!
January 3rd, 2008
No kidding. The WiFi signal strength limitations of the aluminum enclosure do not justify it’s “high end” classification or it’s price. When I moved to a MacBook, I was stunned at how weak my Pro was.
Additionally, the whole aluminum thing is getting a bit long in the tooth and the design needs a serious refresh.
If you look at the fit and finish, the MacBook and iBook lines are superior to the aluminum enclosure laptop designs. The seams meet squarely, the distance between edges remains the same, whereas on the aluminum laptops a seam can be larger at one end than the other.
Apple needs to deliver a new, classy, high impact plastic enclosure for their Pro lineup that brings good looks and extended AirPort ranges to the line.