What would be nice on the virtualization side is to have that technology also embedded, with a standard API, so any OS could be set up to work with it seamlessly.

Apple should develop a device that is exactly like the iphone in appearance, only slightly larger. It should basically act as a macbook. None of the apps should be slimmed down. Give us a fully functional itunes, safari, and microsoft office, as well as allowing other apps to be downloaded. They should also develop an external bluetooth keyboard which can be used when you are at home and need to write a lot of information. Apple already has a bluetooth keyboard so it would not be hard to make it function with this device. The iphone already has the phone and safari. The itunes should be changed so it has all the capabilities of the computer itunes, allowing users to edit their music library and other features that were excluded in the iphone. Microsoft office and other programs would not be difficult to add. They would have to be slightly changed to fit the smaller screen but they should have the exact same capabilities. Basically, we need a macbook that can fit in our pocket. The only difference would be a smaller screen and it would not be large enough to insert CDs into. The iphone is so restricted with its current software. Apple needs to set it free and allow an open osx.

The problem with the iphone is the reliance on a computer. Most people want a handheld computer that does everything and does not need to be synced with another computer. This device I have described above should be usable out of the box and should be able to update itself, no need to activate it through a computer. You can still have your current computer information transferred to it when you buy it, just like buying any new macbook.

All I am asking for is a much smaller macbook, so small that you can carry it with you. It will probably be pretty hard to slim down a macbook into a pocket-sized device, but at the rate apple is moving, I don’t think it is that much of a stretch.

Interestingly, all the features described here are found in the EOL HandheldPC platform found in devices such as the HP Jornada 720, NEC MobilePro 790.

These HandheldPCs has the OS embedded with a lite version of the OS built-in. The only downside is that they ran crippled WindowsCE instead of Windows Embedded.

Microsoft, or Apple for that matter, has the capabilities to create such a platform/product. They need to have the will, ie financial motivation to do so. Here I mean the impact of such a platform on existing product lines. Although Microsoft had a prior strategy of replacing/killing its flagship products with its own newer ones, apparently they have not figured how to correctly engineer or position an embedded device effectively to replace their current Windows-Office combo product lines. Till they figure it out, I doubt we will get anything like that.

http://benkepes.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/the-apple-handheld-computer/

No but I read the original on Apple Insider. I’m writing up something about it now.

Have you read this?
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/09/26/apple-planning-tablet-computer/

Thanks tnkgrl. I was using ROM generically and you’re correct there are newer methods used today. I was also ignoring the xbox since it’s not the same type of device, although if they ever made that xbox portable….

Great article! I agree with you…

A couple of corrections:
- Most devices don’t use ROMs to store firmware anymore, but EEPROMs or NAND flash memory (which can be altered)
- Microsoft does design some hardware beyond mice and keyboards, like the Xbox 360 (the Zune was designed by Toshiba)

Apple won’t do it. After Jory Bell left Apple to start OQO, he asked Steve Jobs personally:

http://www.macrumors.com/2002/06/06/jobs-and-oqo/