Apple pitches tablet as e-reader to Australian media - report

***AppleInsider*** · 10-27-2009, 08:38 AM

Apple has allegedly gone global in its efforts to attract publications to provide content for its long-rumored tablet device, as a new report suggests the hardware maker has been in discussions with the Australian media.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Apple has provided specifications of its still-unconfirmed touchscreen device to Australian media companies. The Cupertino, Calif., company has been gauging interest around the country to see who is interested in providing their content on the forthcoming hardware.

"It is understood that Apple has been in direct talks with Australian media companies to launch a new app for the tablet that would allow them to distribute their content in digital form and charge for it," the report said.

It noted that executives did not give a warm reception to the Kindle in the past, because Amazon wanted to keep 70 percent of revenue. The report cited Apple's current iPhone App Store business model, where the hardware maker keeps only 30 percent, as a model that is "expected" to be offered to media companies.

The device was described as a larger iPhone, "small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket." The tablet will reportedly allow users to surf the Web, watch movies, and read books and newspapers.

The Herald also noted that Apple is "working with the major music studios to develop a new album format." First rumored as a project called "Cocktail" over the summer, iTunes LP already debuted in September.

Apple's tablet is expected to be a 10-inch, 3G connected device that will debut in the first quarter of 2010. Numerous reports in recent months have suggested that Apple has been reaching out to content publishers regarding the device.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

Intense · 10-27-2009, 08:44 AM

It's sound like tons of fun ... I truly would like it to be within the $500 to $600 price range in Canadian dollars and that would be for the fully optioned version

teckstud · 10-27-2009, 08:56 AM

Who knew Amazon was such an innovator?

teckstud · 10-27-2009, 08:59 AM

Man, I can't wait to buy a Tablet just so I can buy some Apple iTunes Cocktails-- NOT!!
I want a fully functional device or fugettaboudet!

zunx · 10-27-2009, 09:00 AM

That is great, but hopefully Apple will release also a second (better and more expensive) model:

- As light as possible (400 to 600 g would rock!). The MacBook Air is too heavy.
- As small as possible (5-inch screen would rock!). The MacBook Air is too large.
- Full Mac OS X (touch) inside to run NATIVE Keynote and NATIVE PowerPoint files.
- Video-out to connect to videoprojectors.
- USB 2 ports for USB-pendrive support and for presentations using USB-based remote controls.
- Ethernet port.
- Firewire port.

Hint: OQO, Sony Vaio P, etc.

Tomohr · 10-27-2009, 09:00 AM

as far as this 3g goes... its seems starting off with the kindle and now with the nook that 3g is just part of the deal. Wouldn't it be wise for apple to do the same? Having the beautiful touchscreen, multitouch, and full web browser + free 3g access would be quite a selling point!

Ireland · 10-27-2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teckstud

Who knew Amazon was such an inovator?

They aren't. Book Readers are nothing new, and Amazon didn't reinvent the wheel much. The nook is more innovative than the Kindle, and it looks much nicer too. It's a pity that screen down the bottom is so laggy. If the Kindle was colored capacitive touch-screen E-ink you may have a point. That said, I don't think this device will be e-ink at all, so if it innovates it will be a computer innovation, not a book reader one.

teckstud · 10-27-2009, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireland

They aren't. Book Readers are nothing new, and Amazon didn't reinvent the wheel much. The nook is more innovative than the Kindle, and it looks much nicer too. It's a pity that screen down the bottom is so laggy. If the Kindle was colored capacitive touch-screen E-ink you may have a point. That said, I don't think this device will be e-ink at all, so if it innovates it will be a computer innovation, not a book reader one.

I beg to differ but I believe the seamless integration of buying books for the reader and storing them on their server with the cost of the 3g paid by them was exclusively Amazon's idea.

Carniphage · 10-27-2009, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zunx

That is great, but hopefully Apple will release also a second (better and more expensive) model:

- As light as possible (400 to 600 g would rock!). The MacBook Air is too heavy.
- As small as possible (5-inch screen would rock!). The MacBook Air is too large.
- Full Mac OS X (touch) inside to run NATIVE Keynote and NATIVE PowerPoint files.
- Video-out to connect to videoprojectors.
- USB 2 ports for USB-pendrive support and for presentations using USB-based remote controls.
- Ethernet port.
- Firewire port.

It won't happen. Because such machines have no market.

Hint: OQO, Sony Vaio P, etc.

C.

solipsism · 10-27-2009, 09:13 AM

Just yesterday, I was talking about how I’m surprised that not one publication has leaked any talks with Apple if the rumors were true. I have a post making that prediction from awhile back when that rumour first hit. It’s about fricken time! This is looking more and more viable as a product.

If true, do you think it will have an SDK at launch for developers or will Apple just work out the kinks with the default apps?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomohr

Having the beautiful touchscreen, multitouch, and full web browser + free 3g access would be quite a selling point!

The Nook and Kindle have 3G access to carriers for books and updates. They aren’t doing the complex web access the iPhone is. If that device with a relatively slow CPU and 3.5” display is sucking up so much data usage then you have to wonder how much data usage a potentially more powerful* 10” device would use. I don’t think anything outside of a special iTunes Store access for books and maybe other media would be free to access. Some even say subsidized by a carrier, so that means a monthly fee for, likely, 24 months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireland

That said, I don't think this device will be e-ink at all.

If it’ll play movies like the rumour says then it can’t be.

jaytr · 10-27-2009, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carniphage

It won't happen. Because such machines have no market.

Hint: OQO, Sony Vaio P, etc.

C.

I agree. While I am an advocate of Apple design, I think that consumers have no widespread experience or acceptance of this class of device. I don't think an Apple tablet would be popular or very profitable for several years--I suspect that it would be akin to the Apple TV or the Newton, which was ahead of its time.

RCO3 · 10-27-2009, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zunx

That is great, but hopefully Apple will release also a second (better and more expensive) model:

- As light as possible (400 to 600 g would rock!). The MacBook Air is too heavy.
- As small as possible (5-inch screen would rock!). The MacBook Air is too large.
- Full Mac OS X (touch) inside to run NATIVE Keynote and NATIVE PowerPoint files.
- Video-out to connect to videoprojectors.
- USB 2 ports for USB-pendrive support and for presentations using USB-based remote controls.
- Ethernet port.
- Firewire port.

Hint: OQO, Sony Vaio P, etc.

I have to ask: have you EVER commented on this site without telling us that you really want to run PowerPoint and Keynote presentations from your phone? Even once?

I mean, we get it. We really do. You want Keynote in your pocket. (NATIVE!) We get it. WE'RE NOT STEVE JOBS. Tell him. Please. We already know.

Roc Ingersol · 10-27-2009, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zunx

- As light as possible (400 to 600 g would rock!). The MacBook Air is too heavy.
- As small as possible (5-inch screen would rock!). The MacBook Air is too large.
- Full Mac OS X (touch) inside to run NATIVE Keynote and NATIVE PowerPoint files.
- Video-out to connect to videoprojectors.
- USB 2 ports for USB-pendrive support and for presentations using USB-based remote controls.
- Ethernet port.
- Firewire port.

Of all of those, only the weight strikes me as plausible.

spliff monkey · 10-27-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zunx

That is great, but hopefully Apple will release also a second (better and more expensive) model:

- As light as possible (400 to 600 g would rock!). The MacBook Air is too heavy.
- As small as possible (5-inch screen would rock!). The MacBook Air is too large.
- Full Mac OS X (touch) inside to run NATIVE Keynote and NATIVE PowerPoint files.
- Video-out to connect to videoprojectors.
- USB 2 ports for USB-pendrive support and for presentations using USB-based remote controls.
- Ethernet port.
- Firewire port.

Hint: OQO, Sony Vaio P, etc.

sounds like you want an iphone and a macbook.

Carmissimo · 10-27-2009, 09:48 AM

I'm not convinced that the screen will be 10 inches diagonally. Seems to me that's overkill in light of the intention for this device, if in fact it is to serve as a good web browser, movie displayer, reader, gaming platform, etc. Screen real estate is more important for working with multiple windows and this small a device, even in the 10-inch range, would not make a good device for working with multiple windows. I have a netbook that is so useless in that regard that I don't even try doing anything that involves working with multiple windows. I switch to my Mac desktop for those activities.

Besides, the bigger the screen, the higher the cost. A bigger screen itself costs more. It uses more power, meaning to meet a given battery-life target, you need a beefier battery. Storage? Ditto. Cost is huge because it's the difference between this being a low-volume niche product catering to a dedicated Apple fan base vs. a popular device that advances Apple into yet another market, i.e. bringing print media into the digital age. For publishing companies to buy in, they need a ton of these tablets in the hands of consumers. What's the point of offering content to a handful of Mac faithful? Even hackers ignore that demographic.

I have used my Palm and my Touch to read and found them acceptable. A bigger screen would be welcome but bigger as in paperback size would do the trick and hit an attractive price point. I suspect that the 10-inch rumor arose out of thinking that is distinctly not Applesque. The reasoning likely is that since netbooks are gravitating towards 10-inch displays, the tablet is supposedly Apple's response to the netbook, ergo the new tablet is bound to have a 10-inch display.

The flaw in that reasoning is that the tablet, in my view, is not a response to the netbook. Let's face it, the reason so many netbooks have been sold is that a lot of people were hoping that they could get away with spending very little to wind up with a computer. Netbooks have their place but as a proper replacement for a legit laptop or desktop for a fraction of the cost? Total failure. If I had bought my netbook to use as my main machine, the thing would have been hurled against an immovable object months ago. It did what I needed to do - copy massive video files from a hybrid camera while I was on vacation - and it's not a bad browser. As long as I use it for what it's suited, no problem.

The tablet, in my view, will be a natural progression evolving out of the iPod line. Seems to me that if you want a device that does everything the Touch does only with the advantages of doing it on a larger screen, the rumored tablet gets it done. If, however, this device is set up to tackle a task that can't be tackled, namely offering full computer functionality for less money and in a more compact form, Apple will wind up with a ton of disappointed customers, just as many netbook manufacturers have.

I'm sure that if this tablet does come with a 10-inch screen, it will be nicely executed. Apple does industrial design like no other company. But I suspect the device will not debut with such a screen. I see a case for the device instead coming in somewhere between 10 inches and the current Touch. Keep the price below $700 Cdn., and I'm lining up for the thing.

One more thing. Here in Canada, the problem is that carriers gouge us. I own a Touch instead of an iPhone for that reason. But the Touch is quite useful, if limited, because I'm not connected all the time. Hopefully there will be a version of the tablet that will not require me handing over a limb or two to the likes of Bell or Rogers. Afterall, with a Wifi connection, one could download connect and take on the road, including magazines, books. etc. There's no need for anywhere connectivity, at least not considering the insane cost of such connectivity in this country.

Carmissimo · 10-27-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teckstud

Man, I can't wait to buy a Tablet just so I can buy some Apple iTunes Cocktails-- NOT!!
I want a fully functional device or fugettaboudet!

There is such a device. It's called the MacBook.

Olternaut · 10-27-2009, 09:51 AM

Y'all remember that joke picture Phil Schiller put up on the big screen at the September event?
He was trying to make a joke that netbooks are clumsy and can't fit into a back pocket of a pants. Well, unless this new apple product has a very unique design or feature we're not expecting then Apple is going to look dumb when they come out with a mobile device that can't fit in a back pocket either.

I was hoping in the back of my mind that Apple was going to surprise us somehow. Something tells me they are going to underwhelm come Q1 2010.

utsava · 10-27-2009, 09:54 AM

If this thing is really all about being an e-reader, I'm prepared for a big letdown. I just don't see a big iPhone that you can read books on (but can't put in your pocket) being a huge seller (especially if its expensive). E-readers are a niche market. One that everyone seems to be scrambling to cater to lately, even though only a small minority of people are asking for it.

If this thing really does run a new version of the iPhone OS, instead of full OS X, I suppose they will make a new category of apps in the app store for it and allow it to run the iPhone apps in some sort of capacity. For this thing to sell like gangbusters, I think it needs to have more than an e-reader as it's killer app. In other-words, I think it needs to be more than a big iPhone with an e-reader to be compelling to the mainstream market. Maybe way more advanced apps (iLife suite or something)? I also don't see how to convince the mainstream market to pay for yet ANOTHER 3G data plan for a device that would require a bag to bring along with you.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see what they have in store.

Ireland · 10-27-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olternaut

Y'all remember that joke picture Phil Schiller put up on the big screen at the September event?
He was trying to make a joke that netbooks are clumsy and can't fit into a back pocket of a pants. Well, unless this new apple product has a very unique design or feature we're not expecting then Apple is going to look dumb when they come out with a mobile device that can't fit in a back pocket either.

He was referring to the iPhone. It fits.

Maestro64 · 10-27-2009, 10:02 AM

Considering the whole paper media eco-system is shirking year over year, just this week the whole publishing industry announce their subscription rates dropped by almost 10% from last year tells me either Apple is on to something to provide a product that allows interactive media which will might breath new life into the publishing industry, or they are making a product which is going after an industry which will not survey and people have found that reading is no longer enjoyable past time or they get their information from other sources like TV with its 24 hours of news and entertainment.

However, if publishing industry is hurting this much they will be hard pressed to hold out against Apple since make their own online stores for you to subscribe too may not help. You know a few publisher will sign on with apple and see success and the others will come running since they are hurting already and they will do anything at that point to try and survey.

vinea · 10-27-2009, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utsava

If this thing is really all about being an e-reader, I'm prepared for a big letdown. I just don't see a big iPhone that you can read books on (but can't put in your pocket) being a huge seller (especially if its expensive). E-readers are a niche market. One that everyone seems to be scrambling to cater to lately, even though only a small minority of people are asking for it.

eReaders are another segment where no one has quite gotten it right yet. Granted, whatever tablet must be more than an eReader but the current readers simply suck on anything but power usage because it only does one thing semi-well.

And worst of all, the ebooks cost too much from Amazon.

Futuristic · 10-27-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carniphage

It won't happen. Because such machines have no market.

Hint: OQO, Sony Vaio P, etc.

C.

I disagree with those who say there's no market for a tablet. And I mean a tablet, not a "tablet PC" with a swivel screen. I always felt that those were accidents waiting to happen -- the hinge/pivot point is a glaring weak point. An actual tablet on the other hand could be of great use to those who have a 1/2 hour or more daily commute on a public transit system. Laptops are fine for cross-country or international flights, but I would never risk opening my laptop on a local bus or train. Nor would I want to read an e-book on a tiny iPhone screen for an hour. iPhones are great for chatting or e-mail, or browsing a few web pages, but I wouldn't want to spend an hour reading on an iPhone. On the other hand a tablet would be perfectly suited for a daily commute. The hour could be spent reading the local paper downloaded in the morning, reading an e-book, watching part of a movie, composing or reading e-mails, working on a spreadsheet or report for work, etc.

Sorry, I was a little repetitive, but I'm too lazy to go back and revise.

charlituna · 10-27-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teckstud

Man, I can't wait to buy a Tablet just so I can buy some Apple iTunes Cocktails-- NOT!!
I want a fully functional device or fugettaboudet!

if by fully functional you mean you can run things like office on it, then what you want is a Macbook.

i feel pretty confidant that this is not going to be just the Apple Kindle. but it will not be a full laptop either. The whole "giant ipod touch" model seems the one that makes the most sense. this will likely be Apple's answer to the netbook and as a real netbook, not a full notebook shoved into a 10 inch package.

however, if Apple is going to go out and risk leaks by courting all these companies they should just go ahead and announce that yes they are making it.

Futuristic · 10-27-2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maestro64

Considering the whole paper media eco-system is shirking year over year, just this week the who publishing industry announce their subscription rates dropped by almost 10% from last year tells me either Apple is on to something to provide an product that allows interactive media which might breath new life into the publishing industry, or the making a product which going after an industry which will not survey and people have found that reading is no longer enjoyable past time or they get their information from other sources like TV with it 24hours of news and entertainment.

However, if publishing industry is hurting this much they will be hard pressed to hold out against Apple since and make their own online stores for you to subscribe too. You know a few publisher will sign on with apple and see success and the others will come running since they are hurting already and they will do anything at that point to try and survey.

I think you're onto something there Maestro.

Carmissimo · 10-27-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utsava

If this thing is really all about being an e-reader, I'm prepared for a big letdown. I just don't see a big iPhone that you can read books on (but can't put in your pocket) being a huge seller (especially if its expensive). E-readers are a niche market. One that everyone seems to be scrambling to cater to lately, even though only a small minority of people are asking for it.

If this thing really does run a new version of the iPhone OS, instead of full OS X, I suppose they will make a new category of apps in the app store for it and allow it to run the iPhone apps in some sort of capacity. For this thing to sell like gangbusters, I think it needs to have more than an e-reader as it's killer app. In other-words, I think it needs to be more than a big iPhone with an e-reader to be compelling to the mainstream market. Maybe way more advanced apps (iLife suite or something)? I also don't see how to convince the mainstream market to pay for yet ANOTHER 3G data plan for a device that would require a bag to bring along with you.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see what they have in store.

iMovie on a device like this?

Good luck with that.

Carmissimo · 10-27-2009, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlituna

if by fully functional you mean you can run things like office on it, then what you want is a Macbook.

i feel pretty confidant that this is not going to be just the Apple Kindle. but it will not be a full laptop either. The whole "giant ipod touch" model seems the one that makes the most sense. this will likely be Apple's answer to the netbook and as a real netbook, not a full notebook shoved into a 10 inch package.

however, if Apple is going to go out and risk leaks by courting all these companies they should just go ahead and announce that yes they are making it.

It sounds like Apple is exploring how this could work before deciding if they in fact will make the device. Also, they have to firm up details before they can announce anything. You can't announce you're working on something but declare that you can't give out any details. Perhaps in January we'll get an announcement, even if the product isn't ready to ship at that point.

anonymouse · 10-27-2009, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Futuristic

... but I wouldn't want to spend an hour reading on an iPhone.

I do this on a regular basis, using the Stanza iPhone app, and it's really not bad at all. Once you get involved in your reading, you don't even notice the size of the page. That being said, a larger screen would probably provide a better experience.

I could be wrong, but I don't think an Apple tablet will be marketed as just an e-reader/media player. There's some market for that, sure, but I think most people want to be able to do more with their computing devices than watch movies and read books, and the iPhone and App Store have set a bar for Apple that a larger device needs to surpass in functionality, especially since it loses the advantage of portability.

I think it's also obvious that iPhone apps, in their current form, won't work well on a relatively large tablet device. Nor, probably would Mac OS X apps (although, I think there are things, transparent to the developer, that could be done to make them work better), and, as someone pointed out previously, it's not going to be a big enough screen that it would be all that useful to have multiple apps open at the same time, except to facilitate better task switching.

All that being said, I think it adds up to the tablet running a separate OS with a separate SDK (there could be significant overlap in SDKs) and that what we know about what it may do is very fragmentary, at best. It will probably support e-reading, various media, news (as now rumored), etc. It may even support telephony via a BT headset and Voice Control. It will certainly provide a better Web experience than the iPhone. Large battery with good battery life (since most of the other components won't be much bigger than in the iPhone, there will be plenty of room for battery).

But, I still don't think that adds up to a very compelling experience, and it has to offer something distinct from MB(P) + iPhone, otherwise, why would you carry this around with compromised functionality and protability when so many people already have notebooks and smartphones? What I think it does add up to is that, if Apple brings this to market, and it looks more and more like they will, there will be something about it that is still utterly unknown that makes it something that people have to have.

Gazoobee · 10-27-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intense

It's sound like tons of fun ... I truly would like it to be within the $500 to $600 price range in Canadian dollars and that would be for the fully optioned version

I want it to be waterproof, indestructible and light as a feather.

Gwydion · 10-27-2009, 10:43 AM

If it doesn't have an eink screen it isn't an ebook reader, you can read on it but it isn't an ereader.

And I don't think a tablet has so much potential market, they're the opposite of ergonomy.

Edit: dislèxia digital

teckstud · 10-27-2009, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anonymouse

I do this on a regular basis, using the Stanza iPhone app, and it's really not bad at all. Once you get involved in your reading, you don't even notice the size of the page. That being said, a larger screen would probably provide a better experience.

I use the BEAM IT DOWN app, which has the Obama teleprompter which scrolls by tilt motion detection- very helpful. Currently re-reading Dracula.

Gwydion · 10-27-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anonymouse

I do this on a regular basis, using the Stanza iPhone app, and it's really not bad at all. Once you get involved in your reading, you don't even notice the size of the page. That being said, a larger screen would probably provide a better experience.

Afeter using an eink reader I can't read in the iPhone.

digitalclips · 10-27-2009, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaytr

I agree. While I am an advocate of Apple design, I think that consumers have no widespread experience or acceptance of this class of device. I don't think an Apple tablet would be popular or very profitable for several years--I suspect that it would be akin to the Apple TV or the Newton, which was ahead of its time.

Note the date and time you said this

I suspect this is not ahead of its time simply because the iPhone has already doe the paradigm shifting. I think the consumers will eat this up.

digitalclips · 10-27-2009, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazoobee

I want it to be waterproof, indestructible and light as a feather.

I hear if you turn it upside down and shake the screen clears ...

Gwydion · 10-27-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalclips

Note the date and time you said this

I suspect this is not ahead of its time simply because the iPhone has already doe the paradigm shifting. I think the consumers will eat this up.

Nop, a 3,5" touch screen is totally different than a 10" touch screen.

Olternaut · 10-27-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireland

He was referring to the iPhone. It fits.

I realize that. But it doesn't matter. Does Phil think the planet is stupid and we're actually NOT expecting the Apple tablet? Because that is what we will be comparing that dell netbook to.

digitalclips · 10-27-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwydion

Nop, a 3,5" touch screen is totally different than a 10" touch screen.

yep, it's bigger

PG4G · 10-27-2009, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solipsism

If true, do you think it will have an SDK at launch for developers or will Apple just work out the kinks with the default apps?

iPhone OS itself supports resizing from the ground up. Apple may produce an SDK addition with options for restricting an app's distribution (much like being able to force a user to have a microphone, or bluetooth, or other hardware traits is already done on the App Store) but the fact is that 99% of support required for apps that size running iPhone OS is already included in the SDK.

People believe that iPhone OS is very limited, but structurally the SDK is quite strong and just as capable as Mac OS X. It just hasn't been pushed to it's limits due to the underpowered devices it's installed on.

Apple will probably release a new SDK for the device with iPhone OS, and people can opt into "tablet only, iPhone and iPod Touch only, or both" with apps built on earlier SDK's forced to iPhone and iPod Touch only due to compatibilities that will require testing by developers.

Btw, I'm a developer with 3 years on Mac OS X and almost 2 years of iPhone OS development under my belt. Just letting you know my experiences of Apple introducing new hardware for iPhone OS and how the SDKs are designed to handle it.

macdarren · 10-27-2009, 11:14 AM

I have to come down on the side of the "fully functional" group.....

An iphone / ipod touch ebook reader with a bigger screen is just not worth it. I can do most of what I need a phone to do on my phone and I can carry that in my pocket. Yes a bigger screen would be nice but that would limit portability. I want a device that is more for vertical markets. Something that I and others can use as a tool. I am thinking a small clipboard type device, sure it can do all those other things but it can also run 'real' applications. Something a doctor could use for charting, a foreman could use for tracking progress, an artist could use for sketching etc. Sure if they want to do two devices so there will be one that is cheap and one that is more functional I could live with that, but that is seldom Apples way. A device that does what a low power laptop with cell modem does but without the keyboard and track pad so it can be used while standing and moving around. That is the biggest problem of the current full function devices, that and the related lack of a touch screen. the device needs to be instant on, let me make a note or check some boxes and then be back in standby as I move on with life.

I admit this sort of thing might be hard to do without a stylus type input model, and Apple has poo-pooed that before too but I don't see it as a problem. Refine your touch tech so for many things a finger will do the job, include a clever way to hide and carry the stylus for when it is needed and get do the best you can with either hand writing recognition or just store it graphically and deal with it later as needed on a more powerful machine.

This market is smaller in some sense than the general public, but it is probably more profitable than a giant, bulky iphone book reader, movie watcher, but the same form factor and basic tech would probably suffice for both.

Dick Applebaum · 10-27-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwydion

Afeter using an eink reader I can't read in the iPhone.

Then don't!

Dr Millmoss · 10-27-2009, 11:21 AM

What I want to know is, who exactly is describing the Apple tablet as a "larger iPhone" -- the rumor mongers, or someone who has actually seen/touched/used one? Does anyone seriously believe that Apple would have taken this long to develop and release this product if it was simply a scaled-up version of the iPhone? They could have done that last year. Get real! Apple is obviously sweating bullets over this product and Steve has probably crushed dozens of prototypes under his heal. If it isn't a lot of things that nobody ever expected, it will be a big disappointment.

10-27-2009, 08:38 AM	#1
*AppleInsider* Kasper's Automated Slave Join Date: Nov 1997 Posts: 6,151	Apple pitches tablet as e-reader to Australian media - report Apple has allegedly gone global in its efforts to attract publications to provide content for its long-rumored tablet device, as a new report suggests the hardware maker has been in discussions with the Australian media. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Apple has provided specifications of its still-unconfirmed touchscreen device to Australian media companies. The Cupertino, Calif., company has been gauging interest around the country to see who is interested in providing their content on the forthcoming hardware. "It is understood that Apple has been in direct talks with Australian media companies to launch a new app for the tablet that would allow them to distribute their content in digital form and charge for it," the report said. It noted that executives did not give a warm reception to the Kindle in the past, because Amazon wanted to keep 70 percent of revenue. The report cited Apple's current iPhone App Store business model, where the hardware maker keeps only 30 percent, as a model that is "expected" to be offered to media companies. The device was described as a larger iPhone, "small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket." The tablet will reportedly allow users to surf the Web, watch movies, and read books and newspapers. The Herald also noted that Apple is "working with the major music studios to develop a new album format." First rumored as a project called "Cocktail" over the summer, iTunes LP already debuted in September. Apple's tablet is expected to be a 10-inch, 3G connected device that will debut in the first quarter of 2010. Numerous reports in recent months have suggested that Apple has been reaching out to content publishers regarding the device. [ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

10-27-2009, 08:56 AM	#3
teckstud Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 6,115	Who knew Amazon was such an innovator? Once you go Mac, you never go back! Last edited by teckstud; 10-27-2009 at 09:04 AM..

10-27-2009, 08:59 AM	#4
teckstud Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 6,115	Man, I can't wait to buy a Tablet just so I can buy some Apple iTunes Cocktails-- NOT!! I want a fully functional device or fugettaboudet! Once you go Mac, you never go back! Last edited by teckstud; 10-27-2009 at 09:05 AM..

10-27-2009, 09:00 AM	#6
Tomohr Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: School Posts: 51	as far as this 3g goes... its seems starting off with the kindle and now with the nook that 3g is just part of the deal. Wouldn't it be wise for apple to do the same? Having the beautiful touchscreen, multitouch, and full web browser + free 3g access would be quite a selling point! gl

10-27-2009, 10:02 AM	#20
Maestro64 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 264	Considering the whole paper media eco-system is shirking year over year, just this week the whole publishing industry announce their subscription rates dropped by almost 10% from last year tells me either Apple is on to something to provide a product that allows interactive media which will might breath new life into the publishing industry, or they are making a product which is going after an industry which will not survey and people have found that reading is no longer enjoyable past time or they get their information from other sources like TV with its 24 hours of news and entertainment. However, if publishing industry is hurting this much they will be hard pressed to hold out against Apple since make their own online stores for you to subscribe too may not help. You know a few publisher will sign on with apple and see success and the others will come running since they are hurting already and they will do anything at that point to try and survey. Last edited by Maestro64; 10-27-2009 at 12:15 PM..

10-27-2009, 08:44 AM	#2
Intense Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 60	It's sound like tons of fun ... I truly would like it to be within the $500 to $600 price range in Canadian dollars and that would be for the fully optioned version

10-27-2009, 09:00 AM	#5
zunx Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 373	That is great, but hopefully Apple will release also a second (better and more expensive) model: - As light as possible (400 to 600 g would rock!). The MacBook Air is too heavy. - As small as possible (5-inch screen would rock!). The MacBook Air is too large. - Full Mac OS X (touch) inside to run NATIVE Keynote and NATIVE PowerPoint files. - Video-out to connect to videoprojectors. - USB 2 ports for USB-pendrive support and for presentations using USB-based remote controls. - Ethernet port. - Firewire port. Hint: OQO, Sony Vaio P, etc.

10-27-2009, 09:48 AM	#15
Carmissimo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 164	I'm not convinced that the screen will be 10 inches diagonally. Seems to me that's overkill in light of the intention for this device, if in fact it is to serve as a good web browser, movie displayer, reader, gaming platform, etc. Screen real estate is more important for working with multiple windows and this small a device, even in the 10-inch range, would not make a good device for working with multiple windows. I have a netbook that is so useless in that regard that I don't even try doing anything that involves working with multiple windows. I switch to my Mac desktop for those activities. Besides, the bigger the screen, the higher the cost. A bigger screen itself costs more. It uses more power, meaning to meet a given battery-life target, you need a beefier battery. Storage? Ditto. Cost is huge because it's the difference between this being a low-volume niche product catering to a dedicated Apple fan base vs. a popular device that advances Apple into yet another market, i.e. bringing print media into the digital age. For publishing companies to buy in, they need a ton of these tablets in the hands of consumers. What's the point of offering content to a handful of Mac faithful? Even hackers ignore that demographic. I have used my Palm and my Touch to read and found them acceptable. A bigger screen would be welcome but bigger as in paperback size would do the trick and hit an attractive price point. I suspect that the 10-inch rumor arose out of thinking that is distinctly not Applesque. The reasoning likely is that since netbooks are gravitating towards 10-inch displays, the tablet is supposedly Apple's response to the netbook, ergo the new tablet is bound to have a 10-inch display. The flaw in that reasoning is that the tablet, in my view, is not a response to the netbook. Let's face it, the reason so many netbooks have been sold is that a lot of people were hoping that they could get away with spending very little to wind up with a computer. Netbooks have their place but as a proper replacement for a legit laptop or desktop for a fraction of the cost? Total failure. If I had bought my netbook to use as my main machine, the thing would have been hurled against an immovable object months ago. It did what I needed to do - copy massive video files from a hybrid camera while I was on vacation - and it's not a bad browser. As long as I use it for what it's suited, no problem. The tablet, in my view, will be a natural progression evolving out of the iPod line. Seems to me that if you want a device that does everything the Touch does only with the advantages of doing it on a larger screen, the rumored tablet gets it done. If, however, this device is set up to tackle a task that can't be tackled, namely offering full computer functionality for less money and in a more compact form, Apple will wind up with a ton of disappointed customers, just as many netbook manufacturers have. I'm sure that if this tablet does come with a 10-inch screen, it will be nicely executed. Apple does industrial design like no other company. But I suspect the device will not debut with such a screen. I see a case for the device instead coming in somewhere between 10 inches and the current Touch. Keep the price below $700 Cdn., and I'm lining up for the thing. One more thing. Here in Canada, the problem is that carriers gouge us. I own a Touch instead of an iPhone for that reason. But the Touch is quite useful, if limited, because I'm not connected all the time. Hopefully there will be a version of the tablet that will not require me handing over a limb or two to the likes of Bell or Rogers. Afterall, with a Wifi connection, one could download connect and take on the road, including magazines, books. etc. There's no need for anywhere connectivity, at least not considering the insane cost of such connectivity in this country.

10-27-2009, 09:51 AM	#17
Olternaut Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,125	Y'all remember that joke picture Phil Schiller put up on the big screen at the September event? He was trying to make a joke that netbooks are clumsy and can't fit into a back pocket of a pants. Well, unless this new apple product has a very unique design or feature we're not expecting then Apple is going to look dumb when they come out with a mobile device that can't fit in a back pocket either. I was hoping in the back of my mind that Apple was going to surprise us somehow. Something tells me they are going to underwhelm come Q1 2010.

10-27-2009, 09:54 AM	#18
utsava Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Long Island Posts: 23	If this thing is really all about being an e-reader, I'm prepared for a big letdown. I just don't see a big iPhone that you can read books on (but can't put in your pocket) being a huge seller (especially if its expensive). E-readers are a niche market. One that everyone seems to be scrambling to cater to lately, even though only a small minority of people are asking for it. If this thing really does run a new version of the iPhone OS, instead of full OS X, I suppose they will make a new category of apps in the app store for it and allow it to run the iPhone apps in some sort of capacity. For this thing to sell like gangbusters, I think it needs to have more than an e-reader as it's killer app. In other-words, I think it needs to be more than a big iPhone with an e-reader to be compelling to the mainstream market. Maybe way more advanced apps (iLife suite or something)? I also don't see how to convince the mainstream market to pay for yet ANOTHER 3G data plan for a device that would require a bag to bring along with you. At any rate, it will be interesting to see what they have in store.

10-27-2009, 10:43 AM	#29
Gwydion Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Premià de Mar Posts: 133	If it doesn't have an eink screen it isn't an ebook reader, you can read on it but it isn't an ereader. And I don't think a tablet has so much potential market, they're the opposite of ergonomy. Edit: dislèxia digital

10-27-2009, 11:14 AM	#38
macdarren Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 3	I have to come down on the side of the "fully functional" group..... An iphone / ipod touch ebook reader with a bigger screen is just not worth it. I can do most of what I need a phone to do on my phone and I can carry that in my pocket. Yes a bigger screen would be nice but that would limit portability. I want a device that is more for vertical markets. Something that I and others can use as a tool. I am thinking a small clipboard type device, sure it can do all those other things but it can also run 'real' applications. Something a doctor could use for charting, a foreman could use for tracking progress, an artist could use for sketching etc. Sure if they want to do two devices so there will be one that is cheap and one that is more functional I could live with that, but that is seldom Apples way. A device that does what a low power laptop with cell modem does but without the keyboard and track pad so it can be used while standing and moving around. That is the biggest problem of the current full function devices, that and the related lack of a touch screen. the device needs to be instant on, let me make a note or check some boxes and then be back in standby as I move on with life. I admit this sort of thing might be hard to do without a stylus type input model, and Apple has poo-pooed that before too but I don't see it as a problem. Refine your touch tech so for many things a finger will do the job, include a clever way to hide and carry the stylus for when it is needed and get do the best you can with either hand writing recognition or just store it graphically and deal with it later as needed on a more powerful machine. This market is smaller in some sense than the general public, but it is probably more profitable than a giant, bulky iphone book reader, movie watcher, but the same form factor and basic tech would probably suffice for both.

10-27-2009, 11:21 AM	#40
Dr Millmoss Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,243	What I want to know is, who exactly is describing the Apple tablet as a "larger iPhone" -- the rumor mongers, or someone who has actually seen/touched/used one? Does anyone seriously believe that Apple would have taken this long to develop and release this product if it was simply a scaled-up version of the iPhone? They could have done that last year. Get real! Apple is obviously sweating bullets over this product and Steve has probably crushed dozens of prototypes under his heal. If it isn't a lot of things that nobody ever expected, it will be a big disappointment. What have you done with...

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