Tablet PC coming from Apple?
OK, I'm going to take a stab at predicting that we are on the cusp of a Tablet Mac from Apple.
Do I have inside info? No, I do not.
However, there are one or two bits of intelligence that may add up to a tablet-based Laptop form from Apple.
The first is a Macrumors report that Apple appears to be patenting a method for rotating a high resolution screen display.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...18&postcount=2
Add to that the fact that most of the "known issues" in the most recent Mac OS X developer's seed (10.3.4) are graphics related (resolution, display issues) and you have Apple hard at work on a pen-based tablet Mac with a rotating orientation.
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/macosx1034.html
This intelligence, combined with the recent PowerBook updates and price realignments, means the possibility of same tips over into "more possible than not".
There you have it.
Do I have inside info? No, I do not.
However, there are one or two bits of intelligence that may add up to a tablet-based Laptop form from Apple.
The first is a Macrumors report that Apple appears to be patenting a method for rotating a high resolution screen display.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...18&postcount=2
Add to that the fact that most of the "known issues" in the most recent Mac OS X developer's seed (10.3.4) are graphics related (resolution, display issues) and you have Apple hard at work on a pen-based tablet Mac with a rotating orientation.
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/macosx1034.html
This intelligence, combined with the recent PowerBook updates and price realignments, means the possibility of same tips over into "more possible than not".
There you have it.
Comments
Originally posted by Tomb of the Unknown
OK, I'm going to take a stab at predicting that we are on the cusp of a Tablet Mac from Apple.
Do I have inside info? No, I do not.
However, there are one or two bits of intelligence that may add up to a tablet-based Laptop form from Apple.
The first is a Macrumors report that Apple appears to be patenting a method for rotating a high resolution screen display.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...18&postcount=2
Add to that the fact that most of the "known issues" in the most recent Mac OS X developer's seed (10.3.4) are graphics related (resolution, display issues) and you have Apple hard at work on a pen-based tablet Mac with a rotating orientation.
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/macosx1034.html
This intelligence, combined with the recent PowerBook updates and price realignments, means the possibility of same tips over into "more possible than not".
There you have it.
The graphics issues have been issues for a while, as for the patent, was it not said that this could have been an older newton patent finally being issued?
Originally posted by oldmacfan
The graphics issues have been issues for a while, as for the patent, was it not said that this could have been an older newton patent finally being issued?
The Newton suppostion was just because the patent application talked about it's utility in pen-based applications. if you actually read it, you'd see that there's not much application there for the Newton. (Not to mention Apple's not about to *file* a Newton patent this late in the game.)
The graphics issues have not been issues for a while, they are known issues in the beta of 10.3.4 -- not in the OS in general, in the developer preview. As in "we broke some stuff 'cause we changed some things." And where are most of the issues going to be when you start implementing the ability to rotate screens? Oh yah, that would be routines that depend on your graphics subsystems, and Quartz Extreme wouldn't it?
Patent offices are notoriously slow in processing stuff. I can't believe that anything popping up in March was actually filed recently. It's more likely that it's been filed many years ago. Therefore I really think that this patent was Newton related.
Having had a Newton 2000, I can confirm that it had a very nifty rotating ability.
And its resolution of 320x480 was definitely considered a "high resolution screen display" in those days. Heck, most PocketPCs and Palms today don't even have that resolution yet...
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't think it'll happen.
--
Apart from a Tablet Mac I'd much rather like to see a 'Pocket Mac', the size of the OQO. No watered-down 'Pocket OSX' but the real deal in a pocketable device.
So perhaps the patent is for a Pocket Mac?
Did someone actually look at the LexisNexis site and check out the patent? This patent should have an application date, what is it? I'm not a subscriber so I can't check it.
/me marvels at my shiny Newton 2100
So where's the Tablet?
The re-release of Ink (aka Rosetta on the Newton) is a bit of a conundrum, I have to admit. Why release it? For those few Wacom users? Not worth it IMHO. So why? And why 1 1/2 years ago? Did Apple plan to release a Tablet Mac then only to change its mind in the last minute? There were rumors about this at some point.
But the strange thing is that it doesn't support cursive handwriting, as the Newton did. And that was the crown jewel IMHO. Print handwriting recognition is boring. And slower to write too. And the cursive one worked really well on the Newton 2100.
Can't remember, but didn't Ink support cursive handwriting in OS X 10.2? Was this reduced to print only in 10.3? Hmmm...
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...7&postcount=62
It seems it was filed in Dec 2000 as an extension or revision of a 1998 patent.
So much for a tablet MAC,
OK, folks, show's over. Move along now, there's nothing to see here.
Originally posted by oldmacfan
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The graphics issues have been issues for a while, as for the patent, was it not said that this could have been an older newton patent finally being issued?
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Originally posted by Tomb of the Unknown
The Newton suppostion was just because the patent application talked about it's utility in pen-based applications. if you actually read it, you'd see that there's not much application there for the Newton. (Not to mention Apple's not about to *file* a Newton patent this late in the game.)
The graphics issues have not been issues for a while, they are known issues in the beta of 10.3.4 -- not in the OS in general, in the developer preview. As in "we broke some stuff 'cause we changed some things." And where are most of the issues going to be when you start implementing the ability to rotate screens? Oh yah, that would be routines that depend on your graphics subsystems, and Quartz Extreme wouldn't it?
Your forgiven...
What's the average wait time on a patent? 3 years? It can be as much as a decade for drugs..
At least we can rest assured that all PPC 440 based Apple product rumors can immediately be discounted. Yea.
I can tell you, this is a killer app for artists, Apple's traditional market. Ive got a Toshiba, and Im not stunningly impressed with it, the size of an ibook, and no optical drive???
But drawing directly on the screen is soooo much better than using a passive tablet. I expect to see an Apple tablet marketed as a peripheral for artists. I think it would have the ibooks hinge, but with double hinge points, allowing the screen to fold all the way around ( disabling the keyboard ).
The key to creating a successful tablet is recognising that it is a niche product, and then marketing it to that niche. Artists, teachers, doctors. They need the hardware, and the software to support their field.
Originally posted by Phong
That patent for rotating a display is for the iMac. It's just now finally being approved.
What? iMac? First, the iMac arm wasn't developed by Apple, but by a third party (mentioned recently in these forums). Second, this patent is about the actual *screen* contents. It's a software patent.
Originally posted by mmmpie
But drawing directly on the screen is soooo much better than using a passive tablet.
That's why Wacom is more than happy to sell you a tablet with a built-in LCD screen.
The prices just came down nicely, too.
No, it's not a full-on tablet, but it addresses the need in the part of the post I quoted (and, obviously, not in the part that I trimmed).
a) it is tethered, and not just a little cable, but a video cable, and a usb cable, and there has to be a power cable in there to. Thats a lot of cable. I found even having the tablet pc hooked up to power was a pita.
b) price, at 1499 for a 15" it is as expensive as a low end tablet pc ( but it does have a bigger screen, and probably a better quality one ).
It make complete sense to me to add the technology to an ibook for a couple of hundred dollars, and get a complete, untethered solution.
Originally posted by mmmpie
I was aware of the wacom tablet/display, and I think that for a desktop it is a good solution, but it has a couple of downsides....
a) it is tethered, and not just a little cable, but a video cable, and a usb cable, and there has to be a power cable in there to. Thats a lot of cable. I found even having the tablet pc hooked up to power was a pita.
b) price, at 1499 for a 15" it is as expensive as a low end tablet pc ( but it does have a bigger screen, and probably a better quality one ).
It make complete sense to me to add the technology to an ibook for a couple of hundred dollars, and get a complete, untethered solution.
A tablet that offered Wacom quality pen based input would be expensive, and would require a special stylus. You would not have a touch sensative screen for pointing with your finger, that is a different technology. If they could make it touch sensative as well as pressure sensative then that would mean even more cost. I personally do not think that a tablet without a touch sensative screen would sell in the broader market so that technology would win out over a Wacom style pressure sensative screen, which would make it less "Ideal" for use in the graphics field.
The pen is a radio transmitter, and you have exactly the quality of control you get from a wacom tablet.
The screen is not touch sensitive, you have to use the stylus. If you lose it you'll need to buy a new one.
I dont envisage a tablet pc as a particularly good primary machine. People do prefer keyboards. But keyboards arent convenient in all situations, making tablets a niche market. It is ripe for a vertical integrator to get great sales. I listed some vertical markets that were obvious to me previously. Apple couldnt just sell a tablet, its needs to be integrated with a normal machine, and have supporting software for specific roles.
Id like to see something like this: you have a desktop ( or laptop ) which is your primary machine. Your tablet sits next to it ( in its charging station, or on an inductive charging pad ). They are wirelessly connected, using wifi, or preferable, wireless firewire. In this mode the tablet is a peripheral of the primary machine. You use it as a tablet for drawing, and aware software can use it as a second display ( eg: your ical calendar ). When you interact with the tablet you are directly manipulating data on the primary machine ( its sort of like target disk mode, say, target tablet mode ). iSync has some list of data that needs to be synced to the tablet, and it keeps it up to date.
When you get up from your desk you grab the tablet, it has all your required files, and once out of range of the primary machine is a full blown OS X computer. It doesnt need to be super fast, ibook speed. You can run all your apps, and ink is the mechanism you use to type and operate the machine. Return to your desk and the tablet automatically syncs to your desktop. You can operate on all your changes in a comfortable environment, and use the tablet as a tablet again.
This isnt a home machine. Its for people whose work would benefit from a tablet form factor. Tablet PC's dont even come close to providing this sort of integration with a primary machine.