New Apple Patent Hints At Sub-Notebook

Many of Apple's recent patents point towards a new sub-notebook as they deal with reducing the size of hardware through various ingenious means. The latest one is no different, describing a method of placing memory modules that greatly reduces the space they need.

Titled "Method and apparatus for linear insertion and removal of a memory module in a computer system," the patent describes a low profile memory that would allow for inserting memory using a lot less space than traditional methods. Through the use of an "access door," users would be able to insert new memory modules by sliding them lengthwise, rather than inserting them in the traditional top-down manner. The application of this patent would greatly ease the process of upgrading memory in very small, compact computers.

Much like the patent for retractable notebook ports, which include all of the laptop's connectivity options including RJ45 (Ethernet networking) and FireWire, from mid-August, this patent looks like it was thought for a very compact portable. While it could in theory be applied to any and all of Apple's current models, it would be most beneficial in an even smaller sub-notebook.

Rumors of such a machine from Apple have been floating around for a while now, and all these patents do nothing but enforce them. Despite the hints, Apple has still not offered any tangible evidence that it will be coming out with a sub-notebook. Apple abandoned this market back in early 1997 when the company retired its wildly popular PowerBook Duo. Despite later offering small full-sized notebooks like its iBook G3 models and 12-inch PowerBooks, it has not released an actual sub-notebook for more than 10 years.
In early March, analyst Shaw Wu predicted that Apple would introduce a sub-notebook in the second half of the year. According to him, the device would utilize NAND flash memory as primary storage in order to reduce size and improve responsiveness as well as battery life. Also believed to be part of the design are the new tubular Apple keyboard as well as LED display backlighting.