What I Want From the Next-Gen MacBook

1 Sep 2008
Rumor has it Apple is set to announce their next generation MacBook sometime this month, during or separate from the rumored iPod event next week.

I've been considering moving over to the Mac platform more and more in the past six months, and with this next MacBook, I might find myself selling off my 3-year old trusty Dell Inspiron laptop and my 1.5-year old Dell desktop and throwing down the money for a single new laptop.
So, let's look at the features I'd like for the upcoming MacBook refresh:
  1. HDMI Output
    Face it: the world is moving to HDTV. While Apple insisted for a while on adapting component HD cables with Apple TV, many PC makers were making the move to full-HDMI output. Why not have a HDMI output with an included/optional DVI adapter so you can hook up your MacBook to your new HDTV as well as your flatscreen monitor? Not only would that negate the need for a Apple TV (Apple would recoup the loss of that sale with more MacBook sales), but it'd allow you for a very tasty iTunes movie rental/Plex experience.

  2. 2-Way iPhone/iPod Remote Control
    I'm not talking about "I want my iPhone/iPod to change the songs on my computer's iTunes or move forward or backward in my Keynote presentation... I'm talking about a full 2-way remote process. Use your iPhone as a wireless music player feeding tunes to the stereo in the living room and control it from the couch or in the next room. Or turn your laptop off from the balcony because you don't need it anymore, or turning it on via a secure Magic Packet wakeup command. I'm sure there are many other options out there for remote control, but those are a few that haven't been done yet with any apps on the App Store. (I can't confirm this with any apps on Installer.app.) Not to mention, it'd be great to see a quick heads-up display (think Sideshow on Vista) of any unread messages, application alerts like IMs or even battery life.

  3. Psuedo-Tablet Display
    I understand Apple taking on the tablet industry would result in a completely different device, but for now, I'd take a simple flippable display to handle the simple movie watching or monitoring of specific items. No multi-touch needed, no fancy input controls, just a flippable display to cover the keyboard and reduce the form factor for limited activities.

  4. A Fully-Native Docking Station
    Call me a PC user, but there's something to be said about simply placing your laptop on a base with all your desk peripherals already plugged in and moving to a more productive pace immediately. Docks don't have to be big, bulky and unsightly. Apple's proven they can fit a lot of functionality in a small package. Why not give us power users a nice, native full dock?

  5. Backlit Keys
    I, as well as many other users out there, can understand why MacBooks still don't have backlit keys. The MacBook Pro does. The MacBook Air does. Why not unify the entire product line of laptops and have backlit keys on the base model? It's not that much of a feature where they'll lose sales of the higher-level products, but not small enough to omit either. C'mon Apple, give all your MacBooks backlit keys!

  6. Native iPhone Tethering
    Apple pulled an application from the App Store that allowed users to tether their iPhone to their computer and use it as a wireless modem. AT&T, of course, most likely complained to Apple asking them to remove it as it most certainly violates some term or condition in AT&T Wireless' service plans. Of course, nothing is stopping them from approving the tethering of a single iPhone to its "host" MacBook either. While they may have concerns that "everyone" will be using it... given the vast difference in speeds between 3G/Edge and WiFi, I'm willing to bet most users will always opt for WiFi when available.
So there's my list. What do you think? What features would you love to see in the next MacBook?

Posted by Chris Fullman on Monday, September 1, 2008 at 10:27 PM | 0 TrackBacks

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