5 ms·

Apple ‘notebooks’ become ‘laptops’ in sweeping Mac branding change

21 points by obiefernandez 4y ago

resoluteteeth 4y ago
More like "Apple ‘notebooks’ become ‘laptops’ in completely trivial Mac branding change" I suppose it could be that they want to reserve the word "notebook" to use in reference to ipad-related products though.
erikig 4y ago
This leads be to believe that they'll be launching a writing tablet product ala Remarkable which will bear the notebook moniker.
- FeistySkink 4y ago
  Or a dual screen/foldable iPad.
filoleg 4y ago
When I initially moved to the US over a decade ago, there was an initial point of vocab confusion for me with everyone referring to those as "laptops". While everyone in my old country was referring to them as "notebooks" (not just Apple, but as an entire class of devices regardless of the manufacturer). "Laptop" wasn't a word anyone used, so I just assumed it was another weird case of using an adjacent borrowed word from English, instead of the canonically correct (as I assumed) "laptop". But now, turns out, Apple was calling them "notebook" and now switched to "laptop"z I feel like I am missing something important here. Under which context would one normally use laptop vs notebook? Is it regional? Or are there some device-specific nuances involved?
- tinus_hn 4y ago
  As far as I remember manufacturers stopped using the word laptop when some people burned their legs or privates as they were using their laptops on their laps. So they started calling them notebooks and put in the small print you can’t use it on your lap.
  - marssaxman 4y ago
    This matches my recollection. I have been calling this foldable, portable category of computers "laptops" for approximately thirty years. The term "notebook" came along later, and always felt like a somewhat artificial marketing term; I never adopted it.
thomassmith65 4y ago
The reason for the change is almost certainly because these machines now run at cool enough temperatures for a human to use on their lap without injury. Intel Macs could reach temperatures around boiling point, so if Apple had marketed them as "laptops" it would have been awkward: "I'm sorry, sir, technically we designed your laptop for use on a flat surface. If using our laptop on your lap is painfully hot, move it to a table"
hirvi74 4y ago
I seriously never even noticed Apple never used the term laptop. Then again, so many people use the terms interchangeably I feel like the difference is beyond pedantic. Besides, MacBook sounds better than Mactop.
- Lammy 4y ago
  “It’s not a notebook — it’s a PowerBook®!” https://youtu.be/jmzWcD9UQr4 https://youtu.be/jmzWcD9UQr4

21 points by obiefernandez 4y ago

More like "Apple ‘notebooks’ become ‘laptops’ in completely trivial Mac branding change" I suppose it could be that they want to reserve the word "notebook" to use in reference to ipad-related products though.

erikig 4y ago

This leads be to believe that they'll be launching a writing tablet product ala Remarkable which will bear the notebook moniker.

FeistySkink 4y ago
Or a dual screen/foldable iPad.

filoleg 4y ago

When I initially moved to the US over a decade ago, there was an initial point of vocab confusion for me with everyone referring to those as "laptops". While everyone in my old country was referring to them as "notebooks" (not just Apple, but as an entire class of devices regardless of the manufacturer). "Laptop" wasn't a word anyone used, so I just assumed it was another weird case of using an adjacent borrowed word from English, instead of the canonically correct (as I assumed) "laptop". But now, turns out, Apple was calling them "notebook" and now switched to "laptop"z I feel like I am missing something important here. Under which context would one normally use laptop vs notebook? Is it regional? Or are there some device-specific nuances involved?

tinus_hn 4y ago
As far as I remember manufacturers stopped using the word laptop when some people burned their legs or privates as they were using their laptops on their laps. So they started calling them notebooks and put in the small print you can’t use it on your lap.
- marssaxman 4y ago
  This matches my recollection. I have been calling this foldable, portable category of computers "laptops" for approximately thirty years. The term "notebook" came along later, and always felt like a somewhat artificial marketing term; I never adopted it.

thomassmith65 4y ago

The reason for the change is almost certainly because these machines now run at cool enough temperatures for a human to use on their lap without injury. Intel Macs could reach temperatures around boiling point, so if Apple had marketed them as "laptops" it would have been awkward: "I'm sorry, sir, technically we designed your laptop for use on a flat surface. If using our laptop on your lap is painfully hot, move it to a table"

hirvi74 4y ago

I seriously never even noticed Apple never used the term laptop. Then again, so many people use the terms interchangeably I feel like the difference is beyond pedantic. Besides, MacBook sounds better than Mactop.

Lammy 4y ago
“It’s not a notebook — it’s a PowerBook®!” https://youtu.be/jmzWcD9UQr4 https://youtu.be/jmzWcD9UQr4