14 DAY TRIAL // "Apple Computer Inc, buoyed by the iPod effect and its new range of stylish, light notebook models, is set to take control of that market", Jason Tan writes for the Taipei Times. "Apple is projected to ship 3.27 million notebook computers worldwide next year, an increase of 42 percent compared to 2.29 million units this year, according to study results released by the Topology Research Institute".
It would seem that, according to Simon Yang, a Topology analyst, the public will become more aware of Apple's laptops in the next year, due to the fact that the new models will be lightweight and stylish, being aimed at female users.
Yang goes on to call the current models "bulky and older". He also said that the new lineup will include 12-inch notebooks weighing in at 1.5kg as well as 14-inch models below 2kg.
Strangely enough, Apple already makes and sells a 17-inch Powerbook, which is just 1 inch thick. It is unclear what is meant by bulky, the Powerbook is as thin as can be considering what's inside, yes, it is large, but one can hardly expect to fit a 17 inch Powerbook inside a 12 inch case. As for the 12 inch Powerbook curently sold by Apple, it is 1.18 inches thick and weighs 2 kg. Although the new, supposed, model being only three quarters of the weight of the old one is a significant improvement, calling the current models bulky is quite a stretch.
Nevertheless, if Apple is going to try and attract the female users, they already have a head start on the competition due to their design prowess as well as the reliability and ease of use of the machines.