World of Apple

David Sieger has written a detailed insight into what he calls “Apple’s rival product to the Intel Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) initiative.”

He explains that while the project remains highly secretive a few details have emerged through talks with people close to the project.

The device described as a little larger than an iPhone features a touch-screen and is best suited to be held with two hands.

Sieger has also been tipped with a key piece of information about the touch-screen panels used. Apple is supposedly using a German company called Balda who are supplying 5.2-inch touch screen displays. Balda specialises in the design and manufacture of high scratch and shatter resistant, multi-touch capable displays for mobile handsets.

Sieger goes onto make some predictions about recent decisions Apple has made about the iPod touch/iPhone platform and how this could be affecting the secretive ultra-portable project;

According to my sources, the new device is more than likely based on Apple’s current portable platform ( ie. iPhone/Touch ) and once the SDK is released, a little digging inside the platform interface should reveal the extent of the platform’s capabilities and Apple’s plans for the portable multi-touch lineup. Moreover, 3G is part of the device specs with WiFi included as well.

David Sieger concludes with what he knows to date added with some presumptions; the device in question is more of a giant iPhone rather than an ultra-portable Mac.

The device is likely to make use of Intel’s Mobile Internet Device platform which was demoed at CES this year.

Sieger finishes with;

it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple introduced a device that lets users pull media content from their computers and play on a thin portable client and even run small native apps using the device’s limited resources. Such a device is likely a year from introduction although, due to its 3G capability, may be introduced a full six months before being shipped ( similar to iPhone ) to clear the FCC hurdle.

MacBook Air?

One commentor on World of Apple has pointed us to a page which purports to have screenshot of the MacBook Air specifications page on Apple.com

The blog posting reads:

With MacWorld just a few days away… we were watching the Apple Store website, and our vigilance paid off.

Having “been there done that” we quickly took a screenshot. SNAP. And good thinking too. All gone 23 minutes later.

MacDailyNews points out that the WHOIS records of ‘macbookair.org’ and the ‘.net’ show the following address:

Admin Street1: 303 Second Street
Admin Street2: Suite 800N
Admin City: San Francisco
Admin State/Province: CA

‘macbookair.com’ is currently showing as a private WHOIS record so is not showing any address but ‘macbookair.us’, ‘macbookair.biz’, and ‘macbookair.info’ all show the above address as well as:

Billing Street1: 1 Infinite Loop
Billing Street2: Mail Stop 3-TM
Billing City: Cupertino
Billing State/Province: CA
Domain Registration Date: Fri Jan 11 22:49:59 GMT 2008

Following MacRumors’s post introducing the possibility of a product by the name of MacBook Air, 9to5Mac has now posted an excellent breakdown of mulitple rumours over the months that all seem to point at the same product.

MacBook Air?

One particular commentor on 9to5Mac points at a Google cache record of a computer named “MacBookAir” documented in Adium’s usage logs.

MacRumors has posted a selection of tidibits from several sources which they believe are credible.

• A slim notebook, but not a “sub notebook”
• 13.3″ screen
• Not a “Pro” machine
• External Optical Drive

MacRumors rightfully notes that so close to Macworld, Apple has often fed sources with false information to throw rumour sites off the scent.

Earlier in the day newly registered MacRumors user ‘greenrabbit‘ posted a picture to the ongoing discussion about the heavily rumoured ultra-portable Mac thread.

Is this the ultra-portable Mac, or the MacBook revision?

To throw down to personal opinion, I personally avoided writing about this picture mainly due to the fact that so many fakes go around prior to events like Macworld, and although it is fun to ponder over them it is important that we don’t condone them. Fakes are a big spanner in the works sometimes.

At first impressions this mockup looks impressive, it is void of any obvious cloning and adjustment defects. But logic prevails in this case.

The majority of mainstream news sites are posting this picture purporting it to be a potential leak of the rumoured ultra-portable Mac. Whatever it is, it doesn’t look ultra-portable.

If this picture was genuine then I believe this is the MacBook revision that has been spoke of a few times, in particular by MacRumors yesterday. The MacBook revision is said to be aluminium, thinner and with a ’strange’ trackpad.

For those who claim that having a trackpad that size would causing a typing problem, I do agree; but it is not unfeasible.

MacRumors is reporting that it has heard from reliable sources about the heavily rumoured ultra-portable Mac/sub-notebook.

The site which is historically accurate notes that the ultra-portable Mac is due at this months Macworld Expo which kicks off on Tuesday 15th.

MacRumors sources stated that Apple has significantly reduced the size of the ultra-portable by removing the optical media drive, a drive will instead be supplied for use externally.

Although unable to confirm whether this is referring to the ultra-portable or another notebook revision which is also expected at Macworld, the rumour site notes of a so-called multi-touch trackpad.

In September 2007, 9to5Mac reported on a slim aluminium MacBook which had “something strange about the touchpad.”

AppleInsider writes that Apple will build a stronger relationship with Intel in 2008 by adopting its upcoming ‘Menlow’ Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform.

The sources who reported to AppleInsider that Apple would adopt ‘Menlow’ also noted that Apple was specifically interested in Intel’s upcoming 45-nanometer ‘Silverthorne’ processor, reportedly agreeing to use it in multiple products in 2008.

‘Silverthorne’ is a particularly good processor for mobile uses due to its small power usage, which can be anywhere between half a watt and 2 watts. The ‘Menlow’ platform also incorporates technologies such as 3G, WiFi and WiMAX.

‘Silverthorne’ is expected to be delivered in the first half of 2008.

Intel shows off iPhone-like device running future Moorestown processor

AppleInsider sources are unable to pinpoint which Apple products will take advantage of the new Intel processor but two fairly apparent products would be the 3G iPhone and long-rumoured ultra-portable Mac.

AppleInsider also briefly reports on ‘Moorestown’ an Intel mobile platform that is expected to be the successor to ‘Menlow’ with an estimated release date of 2009/2010.

During the Fall Intel Developers Forum, Intel executives showed off an unnamed ‘Moorestown’ processor, describing it as the ‘chip the iPhone would have wanted.’

During the processor demonstration Intel executives flaunted a device which was an apparent tribute to Apple’s iPhone saying that the Moorestown-based device could run constantly for 24 hours between charges.

AppleInsider is reporting that sources have spotted sightings of an unfamiliar MacBook model around Apple’s main campus in Cupertino.

The source described the colour as “dark grey” or “gunmetal” with the notebook being slender proportions making the rounds in an area where Apple traditionally conducts stress tests.

The unit is said to be similar to that of the 13-inch MacBook but appeared to have a metallic casing.

The sightings fit in with the hottest rumour surrounding the upcoming Macworld Expo. A thin ultra-portable Mac.

After a key meeting with suppliers and manufacturers in Asia, Goldman Sachs analysts reported this week that Apple will most likely introduce two revisions to the iPhone in 2008 and an Apple TV overhaul.

David Bailey wrote in a research note that his Far Eastern contacts had led him to believe that, “Apple has several important new products lined up for 2008.”

Among those products is a second-generation iPhone which is said to the in the “final design phase” and is expected to “have a similar form factor as the current version although it could have a different look and will probably include 3G capability.”

The analyst estimates that the second-generation iPhone will launch sometime during the second half of the year, but also believes the company will tie over consumers with “a smaller upgrade with more flash memory earlier in the year.”

The analyst also writes on the potential of a significant Apple TV update in the second half of 2008. No details were offered other than it “could include an LCD display.”

“Apple will refresh its entire Mac line-up throughout 2008, but information about the potential launch of a subnotebook was scarce, with one supplier saying that the product may be pushed out, citing possible design issues,” he added.