The return of front-end thin clients & back-end heavy iron?!

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Okay, I am gonna start up a fresh thread, because this is a pair of products I would really like to see Apple produce at some point.



The ModBook is ugly & expensive, not to mention the total lack of multi-touch capabilities…



I want something like the MacBook touch concept I championed for a bit, but with some of the sleekness of the new Air. In retrospect, and with the Remote Disc capability now revealed, I no longer care for the keyboard docking station. As many head for the 'Reply' button, muttering about how they could never live with the on-screen touch keyboard; I suggest that Apple wise up and include stylus support, make some serious inroads in handwriting recognition (InkWell) and license the Dragon voice recognition engine. Options would be a BlueTooth headset & microphone that would better isolate the users voice. These tablets would be available in a variety of sizes…



And for something completely different, I would like to see an Apple home server. Utilizing Xgrid, this device could do some of the 'heavy lifting' for the low-powered CPUs in the families collection of Mac slate tablets. This box would also hold & stream all users music, photos, videos, etc. With Back To Mac, the same box would stream media to the users while they are out & about (and within a decent WiFi signal). This box would also handle all phone/cable/internet (which would actually be VOIP/iTunes tv & movie subscription & internet all served up by fiber optic connections to the Apple backbone) connections and serve up Applified home automation…



Flame away, losers!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacRonin View Post


    Okay, I am gonna start up a fresh thread, because this is a pair of products I would really like to see Apple produce at some point.



    The ModBook is ugly & expensive, not to mention the total lack of multi-touch capabilities?



    I want something like the MacBook touch concept I championed for a bit, but with some of the sleekness of the new Air.



    I suspect that any tablet that Apple delivers or could deliver will find greater acceptance than the Vacuum! More importantly though Apple needs a whole family of these sorts of devices. The iPhone and the Touch are a good start at the low end, but they need to move up gradually from there. Frankly though I suspect that at a certain point in size tablets just won't be accepted.

    Quote:



    In retrospect, and with the Remote Disc capability now revealed, I no longer care for the keyboard docking station. As many head for the 'Reply' button, muttering about how they could never live with the on-screen touch keyboard; I suggest that Apple wise up and include stylus support, make some serious inroads in handwriting recognition (InkWell) and license the Dragon voice recognition engine. Options would be a BlueTooth headset & microphone that would better isolate the users voice. These tablets would be available in a variety of sizes?



    Exactly! To be honest though I don't see the remote disk capability as being a requirement. It is nice to be sure but your desktop could function in the same way.

    Quote:



    And for something completely different, I would like to see an Apple home server. Utilizing Xgrid, this device could do some of the 'heavy lifting' for the low-powered CPUs in the families collection of Mac slate tablets. This box would also hold & stream all users music, photos, videos, etc.



    This can or could be done today on a desktop computer. No need to try to sell somebody a home server! In any event I think you mis a key element the devices don't have to have a "low powered CPU". Even if they did for many operations the extra network over head wouldn't be worth it.

    Quote:

    With Back To Mac, the same box would stream media to the users while they are out & about (and within a decent WiFi signal). This box would also handle all phone/cable/internet (which would actually be VOIP/iTunes tv & movie subscription & internet all served up by fiber optic connections to the Apple backbone) connections and serve up Applified home automation?



    While much of the above is possible with current technology, in one form or the other, you miss important elements of real life. One is the idea that you simply won't be in range of an RF connection all the time. This is why stuffing as much storage as possible in to the smallest of devices is all the rage. Your multimedia device won't do you any good if you can't get to your media. No matter how well things like WiFi. WiMax and cell technologies take off there will always be dead spots.



    The other issue is why expose your self ot all the RF radiation if you don't have to?

    Quote:

    Flame away, losers!



    I believe that much of what you describe is, will be or is already possible. I just don't see the wisdom in burning up the air ways to get to ones personal collection. Better to just have it with you as much as possible.



    Dave
  • Reply 2 of 11
    macroninmacronin Posts: 1,174member
    After reading more around the web about the Axiotron ModBook, seems Apple might be using Axiotron (an Apple Proprietary Solution Provider) as a test market for interest in & user experience of the Mac slate tablet platform. Only problem with the ModBook (aside from ugly) is the fat markup for the repackaging of the original MacBook components into the ModBook housing. New upper housing, Wacomified screen & GPS aside, Axiotron is charging US$650 over the same-speced MacBook from Apple. And I can't even get one in black…!



    Not to mention that the ModBook is missing the single thing that prevents it from being an actual Apple tablet, the multi-touch capabilities. If the ModBook had this (while also keeping the stylus input abilities) I would seriously consider it. As it is, I would REALLY like to see an Apple multi-touch/stylus stale tablet. Just make it Air thin & sexy, in assorted colors & PLEASE allow for a dedicated GPU solution!



    When I referred to the Remote Disc capabilities, I was implying that the keyboard/optical drive docking station that had been pictured (along with the MacBook touch concept images I had been plastering on various threads prior to the keynote) was no longer needed…



    As for desktop vs. server for my proposed Apple Home Server, I was thinking more along the lines of a headless component tucked into a closet somewhere. This unit would serve as the brains of the house. Most media would be stored here, and users would stream when available. Of course they would have onboard storage in their tablets, but not enough to carry EVERYTHING. Hence the call for local streaming & remote (Back-To-Mac) streaming, when available… If out of signal area, better make sure you synced the proper playlists and such to your tablets SSD before you left the house!



    Addressing the Xgrid connection, I can tell when my Core 2 Duo 24" iMac (last of the white models) is getting sluggish in Pages, and if Apple can come up with a method to 'remote boost' performance for lower powered handheld tablets, why not?



    I see Apple moving away from all-in-ones & laptops. Various tablets will replace these items. Various accessories will convert said tablets back into all-in-ones & laptops, for those who truly need them… Power-users will still have Mac Pro towers for the real desktop heavy lifting. For the majority of the masses though, the bigger the Apple tablet you have, the better the specs.



    That is what I see for the future of computing, the majority using tablets with integrated handwriting & voice recognition for alternative inputs to supplement the multi-touch touchscreen interface. Central repositories of data, whether they be home servers, business servers or regional online servers available by subscription. Integrated voice & video communications, and the already standard email & messaging communications. Goodbye standard telephone business models! Someday, goodbye USPS; the delivery companies will cover the package end of things, thanks…



    The new digital world; always connected, always communicating, always with you. Just don't forget to use the power button every now and again…



    ;^p
  • Reply 3 of 11
    ajpriceajprice Posts: 320member
    Modbook Air. Bet they are working on it already .
  • Reply 4 of 11
    macroninmacronin Posts: 1,174member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ajprice View Post


    Modbook Air. Bet they are working on it already .



    ModBook not destined to become light as Air…



    And for those to lazy to follow the link:



    The Axiotron ModBook has been called a lot of things since we first saw it at Macworld 2007, from an amazing product that Apple should have made to vaporware. Why the latter? Because an entire year later, customers who preordered the third-party Mac tablet are still waiting for their orders to arrive. The device's ship date has been pushed back multiple times without much explanation, but on December 31, the company announced that it would finally ship the darn thing, and with new specs.



    Now that the MacBook Air is out, some wonder whether the ModBook is once again behind on its technology. We took the opportunity to catch up with Axiotron CEO Andreas Haas at Macworld 2008 to see what the holdup was really about, and whether the company plans to turn the MacBook Air into a ModBook Air.



    Haas told us that, contrary to some reports of parts shortages, the company's first setback came when it signed an agreement with Apple in April of last year. Why in the world would a third-party hardware modding company sign an agreement with Apple, you ask? "Apple turned us into an Apple Proprietary Solutions provider, which gave us a whole new set of rules to work with," Haas said. "Before, we were just doing whatever we wanted. Then after the agreement, we had a lot more possibilities since we were then going to work within the Apple dealership (not Apple itself), but had so many more guidelines to follow."



    The second setback came when Apple released the Santa Rosa-based MacBook update in the fall. Since Axiotron wants to make sure it ships current hardware, the update meant modifying the ModBook once again.



    Now, the machine is finally shipping, and users couldn't be happier. Well, they could—they'd love to get their orders a little sooner. Axiotron currently has a four-week lead time for new orders made at Macworld, which Haas says is due to all of the delays last year. "We want to make sure we fill the entire backlog of orders from 2007 through our US and Canadian distributors before fulfilling new orders," Haas told us. "Those people have been waiting long enough."



    But now that the MacBook Air is out and rumors about the possibility of an Apple iTablet refuse to die, how much longer does Axiotron think it can milk the ModBook? "The iTablet is not gonna come," Haas said firmly. "We are shipping in the hundreds of thousands, and Apple ships in the millions" he added, noting that Apple typically kills products when they ship in such "low" volume as the ModBook currently does.



    Haas would know—he spent many years killing products at Apple for that exact reason. In fact, Haas says that he was the last Apple product manager to turn off the lights at the Newton division back in the day (a decision that he says he wished was never made, but happened nonetheless). "Apple just isn't interested in this type of thing, and that's why we're fulfilling that need. We're thrilled about it, and we are not going anywhere."



    As for a MacBook Air-based ModBook, Axiotron doesn't believe there's a demand for it yet. "We plan to take a couple apart to see what we can do with it, sure," Haas said. "But when we ask our customers what they want, they tell us that they want a bigger screen and a faster graphics card. A MacBook Air isn't going to give us either of those things over a traditional MacBook. I had an entire crowd of people here at the booth yesterday and asked around, and only one guy said he would prefer a lighter ModBook to a more powerful one."




    Sounds like Axiotron might be considering modding the MacBook Pro next…?!?



    If I can get a 17" hi-rez MacBook Pro made into a ModBook, with multi-touch and stylus capabilities, and throw in a carrying case/cover like the ones they use on Stargate Atlantis…



    Of course, with the Axiotron markup for the mod, you are looking at a tablet that will set you back about US$5000…!
  • Reply 5 of 11
    You're not going to get a multitouch ModBook anytime soon.



    First, they are just NOW getting ModBooks out to consumers for the first time. They need to get caught up with all their order fulfillment before they consider NEW MacBook mods... LOL



    Second, multitouch defeats the whole purpose. The ModBook isn't meant to be a big iPhone. It's meant to be a powerful enough laptop to run graphics apps so you can draw and design on it, hence the reason for the Wacom touch-sensitive technology under the hood. The ModBook is reportedly the ONLY Tablet on the market (yes, amongst all those PC Tablets) with 512 levels of pressure-sensitivity... most only have half that.



    The technology goes further and also provides 20 times the resolution when you're using the pen. That means that drawing is precise.



    Multitouch technology would interfere with the pen. Think of when you write or draw... your hand needs to rest on the screen. Any device that uses both would be frustrating to use, and even if you could turn off the multitouch at will (like automatically when the pen is detected), in the real world it would probably present flaky behavior at times.... as an example, I rest my hand down first, before the pen, even if only by a fraction of a second, and I accidentally activate zoom or scroll, or worse, the context menu and some sub command. Seems like nothing, but that kind of stuff could get annoying fast.



    The ModBook is aimed at artists, designers, engineers... people who want to draw and sketch... that's why the Wacom penabled technology is used. You say it's expensive, but maybe you should look at how expensive a Cintiq is... and THAT'S not even a computer... just a screen you can draw on with high precision.



    Talk about timing... MacBook Air commercial on TV now... LOL



    ANY touch-screen Tablet that Apple does, if they do, IMO, is going to be like a big iTouch and it'll be aimed at the masses... the ModBook, on the other hand, is aimed at a niche audience... that's why it's an Apple-authorized modification, but not an actual Apple product.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    Well, if you use an active digitizer that, when you bring the pen within a certain closeness to the screen (less than 1/4 of an inch) multitouch turns off. That is what most touchscreen tablets do.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    Apple dont like the idea of stylus, remember iPhone keynote?
  • Reply 8 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogzilla View Post


    Well, if you use an active digitizer that, when you bring the pen within a certain closeness to the screen (less than 1/4 of an inch) multitouch turns off. That is what most touchscreen tablets do.



    That still doesn't solve the issues in the real world. When you sit and draw you take little mini-breaks, holding you pen up while you wrist is still down on the writing service. Is there a way to overcome the issue? Probably, but it's not going to happen anytime soon. Apple wants to focus on multitouch alone... they don't want a pen device. But a pen device is necessary for drawing.



    MacTouch will not kill the ModBook nor vice-versa. They are two different products.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wheelhot View Post


    Apple dont like the idea of stylus, remember iPhone keynote?



    People seem to confuse the concept of an active digitizer with a stylus. Steve Jobs doesn't like a stylus because it is required for input on a touch screen (you can use your fingernail of course, but that is a pain). Multitouch removes the NEED for a stylus for input. An active digitizer is very different. I mean, compare the HP TX1000 to the HP TX2000. The first one only offers a touchscreen, using a pen like stylus. The latter, uses both a touch screen and an active digitizer that does exactly what I described above. Hell, MacRumors lists research into pen like input...well here, read.



    Quote:

    - Have to write or draw something? Just pretend you hold a stylus or pen in your hand and start writing/drawing.

    - If that is still not good enough, pick up the real stylus and start writing with it.



    So there wouldn't even NEED to be a pen to draw. But I am sure Apple would make a fortune selling special drawing or writing pens to go with this device. Of course, before I found this article, I didn't think there would be ANY hope for handwriting or drawing. Adding this to the fact that InkWell is still included in Mac OSX, there there is SOME hope for this device. I will say, though, I don't think we will see it on the first release.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iRabbit View Post


    That still doesn't solve the issues in the real world. When you sit and draw you take little mini-breaks, holding you pen up while you wrist is still down on the writing service. Is there a way to overcome the issue? Probably, but it's not going to happen anytime soon. Apple wants to focus on multitouch alone... they don't want a pen device. But a pen device is necessary for drawing.



    MacTouch will not kill the ModBook nor vice-versa. They are two different products.



    Sure. If HP found someway to deal with it, then Apple will. How about it recognizes when that big fat pad on the outside of your palm is resting on the screen? If they can program it to recognize multiple points of input, I bet they can program it to recognize that.



    Yes they will be different products. Even if it has pen-style input, or the multitouch variation described above, on the first release, I just don't see the MacTouch as a full computer the way the ModBook is. The ModBook could be your only computer (at that price point, it would almost have to be) but the MacTouch (or to borrow a term popping up on some blogs, my own included, the iPod air) would be an extension of your current system, be it Mac or PC. I suspect this device will be like the iPod touch and so much more than a music player and further, more than a PDA. That is just my suspicion and I base that on virtually nothing.



    And why does everyone think that because I say why it COULD have one, that I think it will. I hope it will, of course, but I am not expecting it nor will the lack of said functionality keep me from buying the device. Besides, if it only have a 5.25" screen, it would be too small for most people to write on anyways.
  • Reply 10 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogzilla View Post


    Sure. If HP found someway to deal with it, then Apple will. How about it recognizes when that big fat pad on the outside of your palm is resting on the screen? If they can program it to recognize multiple points of input, I bet they can program it to recognize that.



    And if you talk to people who have used the HP, they'll tell you it isn't at ALL aimed at artists. It's considered more a mass-market entertainment tablet. It's not a matter of just tackling the problem, it's a matter of tackling it so that it does both REALLY well (if you're going to use it for art purposes). It can't just be okay at doing both.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogzilla View Post


    Yes they will be different products. Even if it has pen-style input, or the multitouch variation described above, on the first release, I just don't see the MacTouch as a full computer the way the ModBook is. The ModBook could be your only computer (at that price point, it would almost have to be) but the MacTouch (or to borrow a term popping up on some blogs, my own included, the iPod air) would be an extension of your current system, be it Mac or PC. I suspect this device will be like the iPod touch and so much more than a music player and further, more than a PDA. That is just my suspicion and I base that on virtually nothing.



    On this we do agree... for the most part. I see the MacTouch or iTouch Sr. being an UMPC similar in size to the LS800 from Motion Computing. Whether it will have a full OS or a mini one like the iTouch, I'm not sure.... I DO think, either way, Apple will make it easy to sync with your home machine.



    But unlike the ModBook, it won't be aimed at the design/art/engineering community. It'll be aimed at the masses and will do what the masses need it to do well.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iRabbit View Post


    And if you talk to people who have used the HP, they'll tell you it isn't at ALL aimed at artists. It's considered more a mass-market entertainment tablet. It's not a matter of just tackling the problem, it's a matter of tackling it so that it does both REALLY well (if you're going to use it for art purposes). It can't just be okay at doing both.



    Yes, they are consumer tablets, but the introduction of the digitizer pen will open it up to more artists. Not aimed at them, but it suddenly opens it up to that category, which will increase their sales.



    Quote:

    On this we do agree... for the most part. I see the MacTouch or iTouch Sr. being an UMPC similar in size to the LS800 from Motion Computing. Whether it will have a full OS or a mini one like the iTouch, I'm not sure.... I DO think, either way, Apple will make it easy to sync with your home machine.



    But unlike the ModBook, it won't be aimed at the design/art/engineering community. It'll be aimed at the masses and will do what the masses need it to do well.



    I think we will see an embedded version of OSX like the touch, but it will be a slightly new version (similar to the difference between iPod 5.5 OS and iPod classics OS but perhaps not to have the same extent).



    I agree that it will be aimed at the mass consumer. That is the largest market. However, much like how the MacBook air gave people the option of buying an external Super Drive, there is the possibility of Apple offering a similar option. I mean, to make a tablet but to cut out the market that already exists for it would be silly. I mean, why didn't Apple release the iPod for the PC right away? Because the existing market was in Mac users. After it picked up there, they released it for the mass market. However, the mindset has changed and they want to appeal to the larger market now. But at the expense of the established market? That would be like releasing the iPod ONLY for the PC. A bit extreme but an example.



    For $100 more, you can get their special pen and a program that gives you a blank page to write or draw in. It wouldn't be powerful enough to run photoshop but Apple would probably produce something pretty awesome. Like how we don't need Adobe Reader anymore for .pdf, there will be a program that will make simple .psds...like Alias Sketchbook Pro. Again, not likely, but it is possible.
Sign In or Register to comment.