A New Apple Subnotebook

Nearly ten years have passed since the PowerBook 2400 first saw the light. It was perhaps the most appreciated portable computer ever designed by Apple, though it lasted very little on the market (it was also overpriced) and no successors followed.

Well, to the joy of many, Apple is launching a new subnotebook that we've been waiting for. Sources say it should be ready just around this year's WWDC. Do I hear a 'Hurrah!!!'? It will have to compete with Sony Vaio, of course, but sources say it stands a good chance. It's supposed to feature an onboard NAND flash, for more power efficiency and near instantaneous boot times (boy, I should love to see that...).

Another completely new feature for this laptop is the absence of an optical disk drive. "Reports are that the daunting ergonomics have recently driven company engineers to make a concession, forming yet another parallel between the new notebook and the defunct PowerBook 2400", says AppleInsider regarding the matter.

It seems that Japan is on Apple's subnotebook launch 'hidden agenda'. "The market in Japan is among the weakest in the world" says Tin Cook at Apple. Sales for Macs were down and going lower for quite some time now. The passion that the Japanese show when it comes to cutting-edge technology (especially when really tiny) is well known. The 'Get a Mac' ad campaign was well received in Japan and the company hopes the launch of a high-performance subnotebook will do wonders for Mac sales.

I'm sure all you Mac lovers, Japanese or not, can't wait to see exactly what's Apple cooking, so I'll keep you posted; you'll be the first to know the news about the Apple subnotebook.