by Laser Quasar Absolutely

(How many times do I have to tell you -- it's not my real name!)

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF MOBILE COMPUTER USERS.

One kind (but not me!) uses the laptop as a desktop replacement. That kind of user needs something really powerful, with built-in speakers and DVD-RAM, gobs of storage, hours of battery life, and two grand worth of software. The whole combo weighs in at something like six tons, or at least that's what it feels like when lugging it; but it's the only computer these people have, so they put up and shut up.

The other kind of user (me? you?) already has a desktop. Such people (we?) use the laptop only on the odd occasion when you, I or they have to go somewhere: to a client, on a trip, or to school. Rest of the time, we'd much rather use the far more convenient 105-key keyboard and programmable three- or four-button mouse, along with the gorgeous 17-inch or 21-inch screen. Not to mention the hi-fi speakers with sub-woofer under the desk, which makes sound come alive.

So am I the only Mac addict who thinks that these two very different types of mobile Mac users need two very different types of mobile Macs?

The first kind of user is a shoe-in for the present PowerBook G3. It's fast, it's powerful, and can do anything a desktop Mac can do, and many things a desktop PC can't. But what does Apple have for "the rest of us"? Nix, nada, nothing.

Come on, Cupertino. Give us what we really need. 

What folks like us would love to have is the stripped-down, featherweight and paper-thin -- not to mention cost-effective -- version of the PowerBook, capable of enabling us to work on the file when we're away from home, or showing a presentation or slide show to a client; but not necessarily the "all-in-all and everything" computer the present PowerBook G3 has come to be, despite its very, very reasonable price.

Think different now, Apple. Ask not what such a machine should have, but what it can do without. 

First of all, it can do without all the extra weight and thickness. How does two pounds max, and half-inch thick or very little more, sound? Realistic enough for you?

Large (14-inch?) TFT screen, yes. G3 or G4 processor, of course. And as many keys as you can cram into the space. But do we really need that built-in CD-ROM? Not to mention floppy drive?

Give it a PC card slot, of course. And an IrDA port to transfer files wireless. Not to mention USB. Fast Ethernet and FireWire might not be out of place either, so you can hook it up to your desktop when at home, and keep your files synchronised on both machines. (Let the MacOS do that automatically, of course.)

But this kind of hardware doesn't weigh much. Drives and batteries, on the other hand, do.

So we don't need gobs of storage: a smallish (1-gig max?) hard disk is plenty big enough. But come to think of it, why have a hard disk at all? Why not solid-state storage? After all, every $25-Nintendo game has that! It can't be too difficult, surely, or for that matter too expensive either. Would be a lot lighter, and increase battery life, too.

And give it a lightweight battery with built-in AC adapter. If you're going to be in a place where you can plug it in anyway -- which is like ninety per cent of the time -- why waste battery life? Just use the battery for those times when the plug is pulled accidentally, so you can save your stuff; or at most for a lecture at two at the alma mater. (And make an adapter for the car's cigarette-lighter available for those camping trips!)

And of course, skip the built-in speakers. If you really need sound for all to hear, make external speakers available. They'll sound better anyway. Rest of the time, if you absolutely must have audio, use headphones. They too will sound better anyway.

A carrying handle or two wouldn't be amiss. (Hey: all Macs have 'em now, don't they?) Maybe even a shoulder strap. And as an option, a very simple waterproof carrying case, so rain or snow won't hurt it. But very little else. Except maybe a lid capable of folding back 360 degrees, so you can lay the screen flat on your lap and work on the Photoshop image you're editing with a touch-screen stylus that hot-plugs into the USB port.

And last but by no means least, make it look ultra-sexy and super-cool. Give it that micro-light-weight slim-line super-model feminine appearance, not the WCW macho-man black-slab look. How about dove-blue? Or even pure white, adorned with a single tiny rainbow-coloured apple in one corner? Anyway, go to your designers and say "I want a computer that looks like a feather".

And of course, make it all available for as little as $500. Well, maybe that is unrealistic. But make it as inexpensive as you can, so lots of people will buy one. (Wouldn't you?)

Trust me, Cupertino. If you build it, they will come.  

Most people say to him "You can't be serious" -- and they're right, he can't. (But then, who can be serious about the future, seeing as how anything can happen in it, and usually does ... er, will?)

His best book -- indeed his only book -- is entitled The Seventh Generation, and its shareware version in Adobe Acrobatformat is available for download from his alter-ego's web site (under construction right now) at http://cpu2308.adsl.bellglobal.com. It's all about the next 150 years or so, and where technology might take us in that amount of time. (Just $5.00 -- cheap! And well worth it, though he says so himself). Check it out.

And send him e-mail: he loves feedback!

Have a comment on this article? Head the MacReviewZone Community Bulletin Board and share it with your fellow Mac users!

| Top |

Future of the Mac Column Index