Macworld 2008 Prediction: Apple's MacBook Plus Tablet Laptop
In his biweekly trends column, PM's senior tech editor forecasts what he thinks Steve Jobs will show the computer world at this year's Apple developers conference: a touchscreen “MacBook Plus” to enter the growing tablet market.
Context & Ripple Effects
The Macworld 2008 rumor cycle has been building since AppleInsider's November report of an ultra-portable notebook debuting at the Expo, sharpened by Between the Lines' sourcing on an 11- to 13-inch screen and CrunchGear's claimed sighting of a new Apple notebook. Popular Mechanics' senior tech editor now pushes the speculation further than most: not just a slim MacBook, but a touchscreen 'MacBook Plus' tablet aimed at a growing tablet market.
Two confirmed Apple filings give the prediction some technical footing — a side-sliding dock patent read as fitting an ultra-light MacBook, and an OLED keyboard whose layouts software can rearrange — though the tablet itself remains unconfirmed, and no outlet has verified what Jobs will actually show.
First-order effects
- If Jobs unveils the device, Apple moves from rumored entrant to direct competitor in the tablet market overnight, giving Mac buyers a touchscreen option that currently doesn't exist in its lineup.
Second-order effects
- Existing tablet PC vendors would face Apple's integrated hardware-software model in a category they've owned by default, forcing them to answer on design and interface rather than price alone.
Third-order effects
- A shipping touchscreen Mac would mark the point where multi-touch stops being an iPhone-only feature and starts migrating across Apple's computer line — a structural bet that touch becomes a standard input for notebooks, not a niche accessory.
The trend: Multi-touch is expanding from the iPhone into notebook form factors, with Macworld keynotes serving as the stage where Apple turns accumulated patents into products.