Does Apple have a "Brick" up its sleeves?

Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:50PM EDT

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Is it a wireless USB hub? A new version of the Mac Mini? Or—even better—a tablet/PDA that wirelessly docks to a workstation? No one knows for sure, but the "Brick" buzz is quickly gaining momentum.

The scuttlebutt began earlier this month, when 9 to 5 Mac unleashed a hot tip: That an expected-but-unconfirmed Apple event (yes, another one—which now appears set for Oct. 14) would be "all about the Brick." Nothing else, no details or even hints, just ... The Brick.

Naturally, the rumor set off a firestorm of speculation, most of which has been neatly summarized by Gizmodo. Among the guesses: A wireless USB hub (yawn), a new power brick (double yawn), a "super-sized" Mac Mini (interesting, if not "stop the presses" interesting), and an EeePC-esque sub-notebook (a real sub-notebook, rather than a mere Air update).

So yes, interesting, but not all that exciting—that is, until now, thanks to a hot rumor from The Unofficial Apple Weblog:

Imagine a portable Mac reduced to the form factor of a modest tablet (the size of a Newton), with a solid-state drive, multitouch display, and wired/wireless docking capabilities to convert to a full workstation wherever you choose to park yourself.


I have to say—pretty cool. I've long believed that our cell phones could ultimately become our primary computing devices, which we'd carry everywhere and simply dock to our home/office workstations. Could "The Brick" be something in-between—say, the size of a paperback book, with (as TUAW suggests) wireless USB, video, and charging capabilities? (Or, in other words, what the Air should have been?)

Nothing's confirmed, of course—heck, Apple hasn't even confirmed a MacBook event yet—but still ... I love the idea, even if it's pure speculation. And if Apple doesn't make "The Brick," someone else should.

What do you think—like the idea of a "Brick" (Mac or otherwise) that docks wirelessly to a workstation? Have a better idea? Fire away.

Related:
Rumor: Is 'The Brick' a wireless hybrid handheld-slash-Mac? [TUAW]

Comments on Does Apple have a "Brick" up its sleeves?

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  • 1 Posted by barryo1994 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    What's the point? It'd have three similar products on the market: iPhone, iPod Touch and some brick thing. Pretty pointless if you ask me.

  • 2 Posted by magpagbst on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    this would be fabulous . . . picture something the size pf the hp 210 pda but with the os and interface of the iphone/itouch!! . . . this could easily house 60 to 100 gigs or more . . . it would be a world beater!!

  • 3 Posted by traineric on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    If it is a Mac OS X touch then expect it to be high priced

  • 4 Posted by richard_may@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    Whatever it is, it'll likely cost 4x as much as a similar product from any other company... Take an Eee PC, turn it milky white, emblazon an apple emblem on it, chip it so it works with OS X natively, get PR to write a commercial where either beatles music is blared over pictures of the rebadged Eee PC spins in circles, or some nonsensical commerical about touching people without wires with some guy talking about amazement and awe inspiration occurs when you no longer have to deal with wires, spinning harddrives, or etc.

  • 5 Posted by tyhensley on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think and hope it will be an apple netbook. Using either googles's docs or apples web apps coupled with a touch screen, industrial design, solid state drive, and the support of the apple store (if something isn't quite right just walk in to the store and hand it to a genus - no calling Bangladesh on an 800# and boxing it up and putting it out your front door in the rain for some UPS guy to sling it in the back of their truck!). Really the netbook is more becoming the computer that I need for everyday work. Hopefully it will still have a keyboard of decent size and of course a plug for a bigger monitor once I get to work, and a price of under $700, and a commercial that makes the MSFT folks mad.

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