thomas fitzgerald.net

When enthusiastic snappers managed to get the first pictures of the banners being erected at sanfrancisco’s moscone centre the text of the banner “2008:There’s something in the air” promptly led to rampant speculation. MacRumors quickly put foreword the most likely theory/rumor that the much rumoured sub notebook from Apple will be called the “macbook air”. I think this is quite likely, because it is a typically Apple-esque name for an ultra thin laptop, and certainly better than some of the alternatives (macbook thin, macbook nano, macbook anaemic ?)

What’s even more attractive about this rumour is the tag-line that will supposedly go with it: “Cables not included”. The technology certainly exists to have a device that is completely wireless. Wireless USB is now entering the mainstream, networking is a no-brainer with wifi. Technology even exists to send video signals wirelessly to a monitor (wireless hdmi) and Apple has patents on a wireless charging system. Apple has supposedly balked at the idea of a sub-notebook before, and generally don’t take on new markets unless they can do it in a uniquely apple way (e.g., the iPhone, AppleTV), and this would certainly be a unique approach. It could also solve the problem of having an external optical drive. If that too was completely wireless and didn’t even require a power cable, that would certainly overcome allot of the problems of having a drive attached to your laptop via a cable. Coupled with the already leaked patent on an iMac style docking station, this could be one impressive product offering from cupertino.

Luckily there is not long to wait to find out but for mac geeks everywhere the next two days are the longest of the year.