Official Apple Multi-touch 'Mac tablet' discussion, poll and mock-up thread.

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  • Reply 81 of 179
    I think we should be thinking about the possibility that Apple will revolutionize the portable computing market with the introduction of an ultra-compact Tablet Mac. Sure they could make the best laptop/tablet hybrid, and we may very well see multi-touch screens trickle up the model line over the coming years (BTW: I hate when people touch my laptop screen, so I'm not sure how multi-touch on a laptop will effect this pet peeve).



    In the short term, I expect Apple to carve out a new niche in the user-interface world when they introduce an ultra-portable Mac. The iPhone is a wonderful proof-of-concept for multi-touch, but it doesn't quite round out my computing environment. Imagine something completely different that compliments your existing systems by providing a computing platform for all the in-between times when you don't bring your laptop and your iPhone isn't robust enough.



    The Tablet Mac could be a portable work surface that compliments the full-featured systems already in Apple's lineup. It could have just enough juice to serve as a Mac Mini replacement, while introducing a whole new interface paradigm through multi-touch.



    Essentially this device is a small portable Mac which shares the iPhone design aesthetic. Having only one capacitance-actuated hard button for power/sleep, the Mac Tablet would rely on gesturing on the multi-touch screen for its primary interface.



    Here's how I would spec it out:

    Low power, fully featured processor with integrated graphics (or low power GPU)

    10-13" 16:10 multi-touch screen, LED backlight

    Wacom-compatible digitizer for inking, drawing and painting; iStylus sold separately

    80gb 1.8" Hard drive (to be replaced by flash/hybrids when price allows)

    2gb RAM, one SO-DIMM

    802.11s Mesh wireless (with backward 802.11n/g compatibility for legacy hotspots)

    Bluetooth for keyboard, mouse, headset, etc

    Magsafe Dock connector (next gen iPod connector)

    USB 2.0 port (Two are probably overkill)

    SD/Express card slot for camera card interface/storage expansion

    Easel-type docking stand with adjustable viewing angle (iPhone/iMac stand hybrid)



    The main functionality will be interacting with locally stored and networked media (iTunes content) and the web. Email is enabled through a soft keyboard on-screen (like iPhone for touch typists), or a separate bluetooth device for those who need the tactile feedback of "real" keys. Same with mousing (Mini Multi-touch Mouse sold separately). Including a digitizer enables note-taking, drawing, and retouching. The Newton's handwriting recognition finally makes it to prime-time.



    The iPod/iPhone model relies on the idea that everyone has a desktop computer which enables all manner of revolutionary functionality from their portable devices (TV shows in my pocket!). The Tablet Mac (iTab?) will be no different.



    How do you get your computing environment and content onto the Tablet Mac? The same way you sync your iPod except with the wireless adaptive streaming of Apple TV thrown in.



    The Mac Tablet will function brilliantly as a standalone device for accessing the iTunes Store and using various internet applications (web, email, etc). Where it truly shines is as an accessory to the yet-to-be-unveiled new iMac.



    What if you could rely on your desktop (or full-sized laptop) for all of its inherent features (full size keyboard, mouse, big hard drives (eSata), and BlueRay when you needed them? What if the Tablet functioned as a natural extension of your desktop Mac both in the room and on the train?



    Imagine this: I set my Tablet on its cradle next to my iMac, and it starts charging. It also has been communicating since the moment it came within range of the iMac's 802.11s Mesh network. The iMac has synced email, bookmarks, browser history, voicemail (from the iPhone web portal), files, playlists, new iTunes content information and metadata (into the iMac's master library), and version history (time machine).



    As soon as the USB 2.0 dock connector finds its mate on the Tablet, the file transfer can take advantage of that wired connection and dump huge amounts of data between the iMac and Tablet. All the digital photos I shot that day can be automatically archived on my desktop machine, for example.



    Syncing works over wireless as well, but not quite as fast. Much like Apple TV, content streams from my master library to the portable Tablet. I can watch a tv show during dinner on a moment's notice (using my Griffin iEase portable iTablet stand). The Tablet will continue to stream content to and from the iMac adaptively according to whatever it is I'm watching (ie: the next episode of a TV series streams while I watch the current one and my next Netflix movie is there waiting when I want it). If I forget to add some files to the sync que, I can fix it with Go To My Mac over the net.



    Of course all of my subscribed content automatically updates on the iMac (Podcasts, Serial TV show subscriptions, RSS Photo Feeds, etc). Basically the Tablet is a mini window on my computing environment which I can access anywhere I bring it. iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes? Full versions on the Tablet have synced libraries to match the iMac. Adobe CS3? Why not? With a stylus, I can retouch my latest photos on the bus.



    The portability and synchronization is pretty obviously cool, but what happens when both machines are on my desk? If all this syncing is happening in realtime, couldn't I work on either screen and see the results show up on both systems?



    I suggest we take this a step further. Why not turn the Tablet (iScreen?) into an extension of the desktop when it is within a certain customizable range (say 15 feet? Depends how long your legs are when you kick your feet up on your desk). Essentially the tablet becomes a virtual peripheral of the desktop machine providing expanded screen real estate and alternate input devices (multi-touch navigation, pen-controlled tablet, soft keyboard) that work seamlessly with the good ol' BT keyboard and mouse sitting in front of the iMac. If I get tired of reading a blog entry on the iMac screen, simply drag the window over to the iTablet like it was a second monitor, grab the iTablet off its cradle, and sit back while holding the device in either portrait or landscape orientation.



    Captain Picard never had to manually interface his desktop screen with his handheld devices, and neither should we.



    With a new, slimmer, black-framed iMac, these two devices would appear to be a seamless part of one complete and growing system. Add in your iPhone (similar syncing protocols, etc) as a WiFi remote-control for Front Row, and you are operating in a Mesh Computing wonderland with easy access to DRM free content in all your common postures (ie: Sitting on the couch in front of AppleTV, at your home desk with the iMac, at work with your Tablet bringing your calendar and pictures of wife and kids to your Mac Pro, and commuting by train/carpool with GPS enabled maps relayed to your tablet via iPhone 2.0's GPS capability). Throw in 802.11s modules for your printer, stereo, clock radio, etc and you can experience your digital life, your iLife, through any interface device (iPhone, iTab, iMac) at any time.



    How much should all this cost, you ask?



    A 17" iMac is $1200. With screen prices coming down, and 20" being the new 17, I'd expect the new 20" iMac to hit the $1200 to $1300 range (extra for BlueRay burning?).



    The basic MacBook costs just $1099. The Tablet (with BT keyboard) is going to be roughly as useful as the MacBook, so I'd price it at $999 with powered cradle included (hinged BT keyboard and stylus extra).



    So for roughly the price of the 15" MacBook Pro, you get a fully integrated home and portable computing solution. Throw in an iPhone and bring the package to $3000. Upgrade every 3 years, and your computing costs are about $100 per month with Applecare and a few extras.
  • Reply 82 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    The title post does say "ultra-portable". You should have read it twice it seems.



    "Official Apple Multi-touch 'Mac tablet' discussion, poll and mock-up thread."



    I can read pretty well, Ultra-Portable is NOT in the title. And the pole say's "Will Apple make a multi-touch (keyboard-free) Mac tablet before the end of 2008?" I can't find Ultra-Portable anywhere there.



    You sir, need an optician.
  • Reply 83 of 179
    vineavinea Posts: 5,585member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by StephenLevinson View Post


    "Official Apple Multi-touch 'Mac tablet' discussion, poll and mock-up thread."



    I can read pretty well, Ultra-Portable is NOT in the title. And the pole say's "Will Apple make a multi-touch (keyboard-free) Mac tablet before the end of 2008?" I can't find Ultra-Portable anywhere there.



    You sir, need an optician.



    Right. Says the guy that continues to misspell poll as pole even though he's been corrected AND he quotes the word in the title...and continues to ignore the second line in the very FIRST post (aka title post).



    You sir, need to buy a clue because despite your claims to the contrary you aren't reading anything so who the heck cares what you think if you won't bother to read anyone else's posts?



    Vinea
  • Reply 84 of 179
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vinea View Post


    Right. Says the guy that continues to misspell poll as pole even though he's been corrected AND he quotes the word in the title...and continues to ignore the second line in the very FIRST post (aka title post).



    You sir, need to buy a clue because despite your claims to the contrary you aren't reading anything so who the heck cares what you think if you won't bother to read anyone else's posts?



    Vinea



    You Sir don't need glasses
  • Reply 85 of 179
    g17ukg17uk Posts: 3member
    Hi all-



    I'm an occasional lurker, but have been reading this thread with interest. It seems to me (as a Mac user who doesn't know much about the tech but can certainly see the benefits and flaws as an 'average' consumer) that a tablet would be very limiting. Obviously if it was used only in a business environment, commuting, etc. the tablet format works well for emails, handwriting and the like.



    However, if you want to sit and type on the thing for an hour, it's going to cause problems. If you lie it down flat, you can't see the screen (that may be alright for a touch typist who wants to stare into space, but most people want to see what they're working on without craning their necks). If it has some mechanism to prop it up at an angle, your wrists are going to get very sore very quickly. It's just not practical.



    Then take the tablet off a desk, and sit on your sofa watching telly. Where do you position it to type with both hands? You certainly can't sit with it on your knees, keep one eye on the screen and another on your dvd, as I often do.



    It seems to me that a hybrid would be much more practical. Greater ease of use for a greater number of people.



    Just my two cents...



    Edit - Just wanted to add that I would love a subnotebook, whether it flips into a tablet or not. I don't want to be forced to make a choice between a 13" MacBook or a small tablet with limited functionality. It doesn't have to be as robust as a MacBook, rather serve as a portable *but practical* extension of my desktop.
  • Reply 86 of 179
    vineavinea Posts: 5,585member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by g17uk View Post


    However, if you want to sit and type on the thing for an hour, it's going to cause problems. If you lie it down flat, you can't see the screen (that may be alright for a touch typist who wants to stare into space, but most people want to see what they're working on without craning their necks). If it has some mechanism to prop it up at an angle, your wrists are going to get very sore very quickly. It's just not practical.



    Yes, this is why folks argue against a pure slate offering...although a slight angle isn't too bad. If you need the tablet to be a desktop/laptop replacement then a real keyboard is very desirable until voice recognition comes a little further. Of course voice recognition has been "almost there" for the last 20 years or so...



    Quote:

    Then take the tablet off a desk, and sit on your sofa watching telly. Where do you position it to type with both hands? You certainly can't sit with it on your knees, keep one eye on the screen and another on your dvd, as I often do.



    However, if you're writing notes that will eventually get turned into text via handwriting recognition this isn't a horrid scenario. Especially given the tablet is a nice form factor for AV control.



    Quote:

    It seems to me that a hybrid would be much more practical. Greater ease of use for a greater number of people.



    My primary disagreement with addabox is that current convertibles really are laptops in the end and typically sacrifice more portability in favor of more features...a tablet is IMHO best when as slim and paper pad like as possible.



    Quote:

    Just my two cents...



    Edit - Just wanted to add that I would love a subnotebook, whether it flips into a tablet or not. I don't want to be forced to make a choice between a 13" MacBook or a small tablet with limited functionality. It doesn't have to be as robust as a MacBook, rather serve as a portable *but practical* extension of my desktop.



    I dunno...if you have two computers then the second being a tablet is more useful than a notebook given many folks have a notebook as the primary computer. But I would agree that a well designed ultraportable would be better for Apple's notebook lineup than a tablet for more users.



    Vinea
  • Reply 87 of 179
    hujibhujib Posts: 117member
  • Reply 88 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vinea View Post


    Right. Says the guy that continues to misspell poll as pole even though he's been corrected AND he quotes the word in the title...and continues to ignore the second line in the very FIRST post (aka title post).



    You sir, need to buy a clue because despite your claims to the contrary you aren't reading anything so who the heck cares what you think if you won't bother to read anyone else's posts?



    Vinea



    Great so I didn't read the first post and I guess I magically knew that someone suggested 10'' as being a perfect size for the tablet. I did see the post's. I didn't correct myself because I didn't realize. I don't quote people in every single post of mine but that isn't hard evidence that I'm not reading any other posts.
  • Reply 89 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hujib View Post






    That looks pretty sweet. The home button seems a little big though lol.
  • Reply 90 of 179
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by StephenLevinson View Post


    Great so I didn't read the first post and I guess I magically knew that someone suggested 10'' as being a perfect size for the tablet. I did see the post's. I didn't correct myself because I didn't realize. I don't quote people in every single post of mine but that isn't hard evidence that I'm not reading any other posts.



    The say more you, the sense less you make.
  • Reply 91 of 179
    vineavinea Posts: 5,585member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by StephenLevinson View Post


    Great so I didn't read the first post and I guess I magically knew that someone suggested 10'' as being a perfect size for the tablet. I did see the post's. I didn't correct myself because I didn't realize. I don't quote people in every single post of mine but that isn't hard evidence that I'm not reading any other posts.



    So essentially we have 8 posts (including one where you say you read pretty well) where a simple "My Bad" would have sufficed?



    Geez, the hard evidence that "you aren't reading pretty well" (e.g. at all) is the part where you didn't see ultraportable even though its scattered throughout the thread even if some folks (like me) wandered a bit afield into a general slate vs convertible discussion.



    Vinea
  • Reply 92 of 179
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Anyone else fancy taking a stab at this mock-up? Joel? Anyone?
  • Reply 93 of 179
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Could someone take these images and give them a iPhone-like facelift?



  • Reply 94 of 179
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    But it doesn't really look like anything other than a screen?



    I was looking at tablets yesterday, and then I decided I needed to search for one. IUf there was a best of both worlds tablet this design is it.



    http://www.motioncomputing.com/produ...et_pc_le17.asp



    It comes with Optional Accessories that make it the Tablet for everyone.



    Optional:: Convertible Keyboard,



    Optional:: FlexDock = Use as a desktop.



    Optional:: Ahhhhh.. just check the link and take a look at it. If it were a Mac it would be golden.
  • Reply 95 of 179
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by onlooker View Post


    But it doesn't really look like anything other than a screen?



    That's the whole idea, it's new.
  • Reply 96 of 179
    The name "iTablet" is too generic. Needs to be called the iNewton.
  • Reply 97 of 179
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by killerapp View Post


    The name "iTablet" is too generic. Needs to be called the iNewton.



    It's a Mac.



    Mac mini, MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro etc. etc.



    It Apple are thinking of making it, and are calling it a tablet. It will be Mac tablet, no question.
  • Reply 98 of 179
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by onlooker View Post


    But it doesn't really look like anything other than a screen?



    I was looking at tablets yesterday, and then I decided I needed to search for one. IUf there was a best of both worlds tablet this design is it.



    http://www.motioncomputing.com/produ...et_pc_le17.asp



    It comes with Optional Accessories that make it the Tablet for everyone.



    Optional:: Convertible Keyboard,



    Optional:: FlexDock = Use as a desktop.



    Optional:: Ahhhhh.. just check the link and take a look at it. If it were a Mac it would be golden.



    Yeah, that option looks good to me though I think the design, especially concerning the keyboard attachment would have to be nicer. I'm not too keen on the external optical drive because I could see where people might need to pop a DVD in while walking about. But in the interests of size and battery life, I guess it would be ok.



    I really just think a cheaper version of the modbook would be fine.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by killerapp


    Needs to be called the iNewton.



    I think they need to call something that again. I had hoped the iphone would be called that but the tablet is the next best thing.



    Newton
  • Reply 99 of 179
    crentistcrentist Posts: 204member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    Yeah, that option looks good to me though I think the design, especially concerning the keyboard attachment would have to be nicer. I'm not too keen on the external optical drive because I could see where people might need to pop a DVD in while walking about. But in the interests of size and battery life, I guess it would be ok.



    I really just think a cheaper version of the modbook would be fine.







    I think they need to call something that again. I had hoped the iphone would be called that but the tablet is the next best thing.



    Newton





    I agree. I feel that detachable keyboards of this type are not practical. We were required to buy tablets for school and it was the most expensive and worst computer that I have ever purchased. The whole idea of balancing a top-heavy computer on a slim little keyboard on top of your lap just makes these type of things impractical for potable keyboard use.
  • Reply 100 of 179
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by crentist View Post


    I agree. I feel that detachable keyboards of this type are not practical. We were required to buy tablets for school and it was the most expensive and worst computer that I have ever purchased. The whole idea of balancing a top-heavy computer on a slim little keyboard on top of your lap just makes these type of things impractical for potable keyboard use.



    I'm disappointed as well with tablets. What's your biggest gripe, the hardware or the software?
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