Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/17/via_based_mac_netbook_spied/
Hong Kong supplier punts Mac-alike netbook
VIA Nano inside
Posted in Hardware, 17th March 2009 14:58 GMT
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If Apple won't make a Mac-style netbook, someone else will. And if you can't face waiting for the Asus Eee PC 1008HA [1], how about this fine piece of trademark infringement from Hong Kong?
Yu Guan's 'Apple' netbook: chip off the old unibody?
Excitingly dubbed the WF188 - we'd suggest renaming it WTF188 - it's a 10in MacBook Air-style netbook based on VIA's 1.3GHz Nano processor and new HD-capable VX855 chipset [2].
The unit has the Air's trademark curves, inlaid ports, notch at the front for lifting the lid and there's even an Apple logo - in a lawyer-beating 'flip horizontal' mode. We're not sure if it's clad in aluminium or simply sprayed glossy Macbook white - the latter, we suspect.
An IP lawyer's dream
Supplier Yu Guan says the unit contains up to 2GB of 533, 667 or 800MHz DDR 2 memory, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 10/100Mb/s Ethernet, three USB ports and a multi-format card reader.
There's a choice of storage units: 40-160GB of 2.5in SATA HDD space, or 16-64GB of SSD goodness.
Yu Guan's website [3] isn't limited to Mac-like knock-offs. There's a range of phones and other devices that will have intellectual property protection officers at HTC, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and others rolling in the aisles. ®
Review
iPhoney nano found, tested in Asia [4]