|
Mighty Morphing eBook (8/3/98)
|
 
|
| | |
Remember when the Newton was officially bumped off Apple's product list? Apple promised that it would get back into the handheld computer market in 1999 with something completely different. A lot of us said "yeah, right," and recently that attitude seemed somewhat justified: whereas Apple had once promised a handheld device, they have recently been touting an upcoming "consumer portable" instead, which has sounded much more like a discount PowerBook than anything to compete with the Palm Pilot or Windows CE devices. Let's face it-- at four pounds, the eMate, while using Newton technology, wasn't really a handheld computer. Unless your definition of a handheld computer is "a computer you can hold in your hand." We were thinking of something a little more portable, ourselves.
But then Reality dug up rumors about a fascinating feature in next year's "eBook." Apparently some sources are claiming that the screen portion can rotate back a full 360 degrees away from the keyboard, snapping into what would be the bottom of a standard PowerBook, yielding what is essentially a closed laptop that is "inside-out." In this "tablet mode," the screen is on the top of the unit, and the deactivated keyboard is on the bottom. Voilà! A large, color, handwriting-recognizing tablet that works with a stylus instead of the keyboard. Think "color MessagePad that runs the MacOS-- and is about four or five times the size."
We at AtAT are trying really hard to get too excited about this possible feature. After all, at this stage, it's just a rumor. But if it turns out to be true, the eBook could well become a must-have item. Sure, it's yet another step away from the "smaller is better" mindset of handheld computing, and our ideal handheld is still a MessagePad 2100 but with the size and synchronization features of the Palm Pilot. But a translucent hybrid laptop/tablet with instant power-on that weighs under four pounds would be enough to convince us to carry one everywhere we go.
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (905)
|  |
 |
|
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
| | | |
|
| |
|
 | | The above scene was taken from the 8/3/98 episode: August 3, 1998: If you've been waiting for prices to come down on the Power Mac G3 line, now's the time to pull out the credit cards. Meanwhile, rumors about the split personality of next year's consumer portable device imply some interesting plot twists, and the DoJ sets its sights on a whole new line of business...
Other scenes from that episode: 904: Cut to the Bone (8/3/98) Okay, by now everybody's heard about the price drops on the Power Mac G3 line, which some Mac sites have been talking about for weeks. Unquestionably, this is a great time to buy a new box-- assuming, of course, that you're willing to forego the coolness factor of the iMac in favor of the expandibility of Apple's more pedestrian offerings... 906: King on the Stand (8/3/98) "Redmond Justice II" drags onward, as Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Justice edge ever closer to their courtroom showdown on September 8th. The latest development in the ongoing legal drama is the DoJ's request to depose Microsoft Big Guy Bill Gates for two days, instead of the one day that Microsoft intends...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
