Imagine the iphone v6.0 as the center point of the personal computing environment.

This is where the iphone is the hub and peripherals (keyboard, mouse, large & small screens, mass storage,etc) are connected seamlessly.

This processor will be fully software compatible for PC, MACS, etc.

For travel all that I would need to do is lift the iphone and go with whatever peripherals that I need or attach to what's available on my route while connecting at high speeds with the cloud.

That's where we are heading with this and I want to be there.

You need to get past the idea of detachable. That is not going to happen and I would expect someone who blogs about Apple to know that.

They can be great for the traveler, especially when small enough to be carried in hand, like a book.

To date the run time is not all that spectacular, but when that is solved, these things could take off.

The Kindle is the precursor. Watch that area.

As for Apple, they will dis the netbook till 6 months before they release one. Then they will add a feature (multi touch or something) and claim its totally new and "years ahead" of the competition.

I just dont see the need for a netbook. Though having said that... A smaller version of the macbook Air? Yeah. i'd go for that.

1 - external bluetooth keyboard support

2 - ms office for iphone ok, i guess docs to go or quickoffice can do the trick

A netbook isn't anything different from a regular laptop. It has a screen, a keyboard, a pointing device, and a network adapter. They are simply affordable, and as small as manufacturers can make them and still have them be functional for touch-typing on.

A UMPC on the other hand was an attempt at a 'new' genre, a micro-tablet with no keyboard that had a touch-able screen (as opposed to the RF pen digitizers on tablet PCs.) Since you couldn't type on them, and they were expensive, I think that segment kind of pooped out.

The reason I find my iPhone so useful is that, since it's my cellular phone, I always have it with me everywhere I go. As a result, if I need to use the internet for something or need access to another program, my phone's right there and it's perfectly usable for most of the things I use the internet for. A UMPC-sized tablet wouldn't be so useful, because even though it is smaller than even a netbook, it's still another big thing I would have to carry around.

I think Craig Hockenberry has said that he thinks some kind of media extender ala Apple TV would be the real device Apple is going to sell. Instead of something that competes with the iPhone (by having persistent network access like a 3G-enabled netbook) or something that competes with the MacBook (by being a regular laptop, just mini-sized), Apple would release something which fits into life in a different manner.

Unfortunately, I don't see how having Front Row on a keyboard-less tablet is anything different than an iPod Touch. However, the iPod Touch is really an iPhone without a phone, not an iPod with Touch.

I am amazed how much I use my iPhone for now while out and about. I rarely take my laptop with me now unless I am going to be going some where for a few days.

Plus isn't the MacBook Air pretty much a netbook (although a very expensive one)? You pretty much can only go online with that and run some office/iwork programs. Anyone try to game on it?

Agreed. My iPhone and my Macbook (and my laptop PC) are more than enough for me.

I think Apple will release a full screen mobile OS X device of some sort. It would have some iPhone-esque features like how you copy and paste on 3.0. I think they are probably trying to figure out where to put the keyboard. It would look like the iPhone/iPod Touch too.

They're probably gonna release it when they design something that they think will be better than what's already out. What Time said is in fact a clue IMO.