Report: Hon Hai to build Apple tablets as soon as September - Page 4

Well, there are "purses" for men. For a while in the late '90's, I had a tummy pack, because I needed some medicine for a couple of years (strangely enough, for my tummy), and I could carry film and stuff without needing something off my shoulder.

I suppose a few inches taller and wider, and It would have worked as well.

If this device will have 3G/4G access, the speculation that Verizon might be the carrier for this device makes no sense. Does Apple really think people who own an iPhone with a 2-year contract are going to want to sign up for another multi-year contract with a different provider for this device? That seems nuts. No way would I go for that no matter how fabulous the device is.

Perhaps Apple will be announcing that the iPhone and iTablet (or whatever it will be called) will be available from both AT&T and Verizon by then. Then it would make sense. Get your iPhone and iTablet service from one company or the other.

He's saying he never forgets.

Tethering?

Given that tethering is free for me with Rogers/Fido that is what I would want. I know AT&T plans to charge for tethering, but if they even offered that, you could still have a tablet with internet on AT&T. Maybe they would provide a lower cost, unsubsidized version without the 3G/4G chip like the iPod touch.

Giving the tablet to Verizon would open up Apple products to even more of the US market.

I don't think Apple is very happy with AT&T anymore, and I don't think they would want to give them even more exclusive business.

I would be quite happy if Apple were able to introduce another world-beating device that would sell like hotcakes. IMO, it's too early to introduce something like the rumored tablet. There is no pent-up consumer demand for it... yet. As usual, Apple waits for a market to become firmly established, with a clear demand from consumers before they swoop in with a superior technology and system for information delivery and commerce. The Kindle and all of the other e-ink based displays are in their infancy, just like AppleTV is still in it's infancy. The AppleTV was also a product ahead of its time and has languished thanks to that timing. The iPhone arrived at exactly the right time.

Yes, Quartz is part of the SDK. Graphics play a large part in app development. PNG is a flexible, but resolution dependent format. If one is creating non-3D character animation, animated PNG files are likely involved. I'm probably more disappointed than most that they haven't found a way to take advantage of SVG or Adobe Illustrator-style vector graphics in a way that makes sense for the iPhone.

The Apple TV has languished due to its relatively high buy in cost/limited (less than expected) functionality. An Apple announcement of a tablet would create all the demand it needed, provided they have overcome the problems that have plagued other tablets.

Not in the Human Interface guidelines that Apple provides.


There would be a lot that would have to be changed to port an iPhone app to a larger device.

BTW, you used to do some programming, right? Have you gotten a copy of the SDK? It's interesting stuff. I never realized what a trial it is to create an app. \ For those new to X-Code, it is a real brain-melter.

Yes, timing is everything. The demand for recordable TV/computer hybrid products is much smaller than the demand for simple TV recorders/DVD players. The digital programming delivery model is still nascent.


I just don't agree with this assessment. Demand does not yet exist. Kindle is breaking the ground for future products from Apple and others. iTunes has established a method of delivering digital content that already had huge demand, even though it was "illegal" trade. Competition for the Kindle is the iPhone, magazines, newspapers, and portable computers.

= My vote for the dumbest -- and most overused -- business cliche.

So I'd have to attach my iPhone to my iTablet to get Inernet access? Sounds kludgey to me and defeats the purpose of having 3G/WiFi build into the tablet.

Hopefully it means that Apple is taking away exclusivity from AT&T and adding Verizon to the mix. That would make more sense being that AT&T has dropped the ball with their inability to provide MMS and tethering services since 3.0 was released. AT&T has become like IBM with the PowerPC chip - Apple got sick of waiting for them to improve it and moved on to Intel.

Any chance that this will NOT be a big iphone/ipod touch and instead be a small (footless) iMac?

Maybe not officially.


It's not necessarily that different. Just the graphical part. And it could be rezzed up with the same graphic elements that were used before, just at higher rez, and sized a bit differently, according to the new guidelines Apple would have for the device. If the aspect ratio is the same, I see no problem at all.

I used to program in Fortran and Forth.

I keep meaning to get on the developer program, But I don't have the time to do much playing around with it, though my wife says I should take a shot at it. I would have to start from scratch almost, as I've never worked with "c".

Tethering can be done through bluetooth, so your iPhone can stay in your pocket. If you have two separate 3G devices, they will be required to have two separate 3G plans, even if they are both from AT&T. Tethering would allow for you to use multiple devices on one plan, although if companies are like AT&T they will still charge you for it (although perhaps at a lesser cost than an entire new plan).

As I said before, I get free tethering with Rogers/Fido. Why would I want to pay $60 a month for internet on 2 devices if I could pay $30 instead, and have the option of sharing the internet with my laptop too?

In my previous post, I specifically mentioned a 3G free tablet. They did it with the iPod touch, why not with the tablet too? Some people will not want to pay a monthly plan, and iPhone users shouldn't want to pay two monthly plans. It makes a lot of sense to make such a tablet, and to allow tethering.

Now I don't like carrier exclusivity, however it wouldn't be the end of the world for iPhone users on AT&T if Verizon got exclusivity on a 3G/4G tablet if tethering was permitted, and you could buy a lower cost 3Gless version.

Unless Amazon does something special with the Kindle in later models, and Plastic Logic does the same,

http://plasticlogic.com/

I see these as technological dead ends.

I completely agree with this, and I've been saying it from the beginning (about the Kindle):


http://seekingalpha.com/article/1511...agship-product

You may be better suited to app development than me... I last programmed in Apple Pascal! ...and not very well, either!

Whatever app ideas you have though, you should give it a try. I'm working with a small team of 3 and it is sheer hell trying to get through the manuals and coordinate things... and 2 of the other team members are already programmers!

I have program ideas. I'm just not sure I want to get down and play in the dirt anymore.

I think AI wants the tablet more than anyone because it keeps making up rumors about it. Did I say "making up", I mean fabricate!

I don't really consider the kindle to be Apples competition, nor do I expect a lot of demand for the tablet to come from the ebook reader area. It could kill the kindle, but you are right there is no significant market to gain there yet. Adding an ebook store to itunes could help maintain demand for this device further down the road though.

Love them or hate them, netbooks are selling, and I would expect people to pick this device up as an alternative. If Apple does get these things subsidized through a carrier, they could have very similar price to unsubsidized netbooks. Since most people only look at the initial purchase price, that shouldn't be a problem, this tablet will be viewed by the population as cheap as a netbook, but with much more to offer.

The other major source would be the personal media player market, which is very well established, and Apple dominates there. Some people would get it just to have video on a larger screen.

If this has decent note taking capabilities it could be a hit with students too. Which was where tablets should have taken off if they were done right in the first place.

Personally, I see variety of sources for Apple to draw from and I do think an announcement will be enough to drum up demand for the device, just look at how many pages of comments this rumor is generating (high, even for an Apple centric site).

If Apple does this right, in a few years Apple haters will be saying that Apple didn't invent the tablet, just like now they are saying that Apple didn't invent the mp3 player. Apple has spent years on this, and they've been able to analyze countless examples of why previous tablets have failed. I think the time is right for them to reinvent the tablet.

I'm sure they could totally put a full version of Snow Leopard on it, only slightly modified to have bigger objects since one's finger is bigger than the virtual mouse pointers of today.

So the WSJ, Routers, and the other reliable news services that reported on this as much as two months ago, and that seem to have more specific support from others as time goes by are all in this "fabrication" business together? They ALL want an Apple tablet that much?

Yes, they technically "pulled off" typing on a multitouch screen. But typing anything more than 5 or 6 sentences at once gets old real fast. And most users depend heavily on auto correct. They hardly made keyboards on phones obsolete.

Yup. 10" is too big for a handheld device not only because it's too awkward and heavy to hold, but also because it won't fit in any pocket or purse.

I'm sticking with my prediction that any super-sized iPod touch will have a 7.5" widescreen (16:9 ratio). Anything smaller is going to be a tough sell against the existing iPhone/touch and anything larger is simply too big.

Then what is Apple planning to do with all those 9.7" screens it bought?

Netbooks are selling because they're cheap and run the same software as their larger cousins. Although their keyboards are cramped they are infinitely more usable than a virtual keyboard that forces you watch every keystroke. I simply cannot see how an iPod touch style tablet will ever be efficient for note taking, document editing or the like.

I still believe the driving force for a larger touch is the fact that most web content doesn't fit on an iPhone size display. The personal video player market is a second reason to make a larger touch and is a good reason to make it 16:9 in shape. The other reason to make it 16:9 is the simple fact that anything over 4" wide will not fit comfortably in one hand, a pocket or a purse. In order to be significantly larger than the iPhone without being too wide, it must get taller.

The Air is extremely successful as a niche product. How many other prototype style devices can you think of that bring in hefty profits and don't cannibalize sales of other models?

By note taking, I meant pen/finger input. Not everyone is in arts classes. A keyboard isn't really good for taking notes if they are filled with diagrams and equations. A touch keypad is fine for document editing, obviously a physical keyboard is better for serious word processing, but then again I doubt many people use a netbook for that. In general people get netbooks because they are cheap, small, lightweight computers and they are primarily used as web appliances. A tablet can be close to as cheap, smaller, lighter, and a better web appliance. It's all in the implementation, previous tablets were not designed around touch from the ground up, Apples will be. If done right, it should provide a superior user experience to most netbooks.

A 16:9 10" screen would still be close to 5" wide, ignoring any possible bezel. I don't think they will be changing the aspect ratio if they are truly basing this off of the touch, but either way, it wouldn't fit in a pocket.

My thoughts anyway.

For those here who are so in love with the thought that netbooks are selling well, you should know that they have one of the highest rates of return of any product category. Some estimates are 40%

People are very disappointed with netbooks. And with the cheapest laptops dropping to the $350 point for units that aren't on sale, I wonder how long the netbook fad will last.

I have to agree that the 10" diagonal is the minimum need for book reading, and educational purposes. The challenge will be in the ergonomics in holding the device. However, with rubbery shell - even aftermarket - it may be feasible to hold with one hand. Better not have any shaky hands. The good part is the virtual keyboard will be easier to use.

Again, Apple must have studied this issue of ergonomics in multiple combinations. I can only imagine what the engineers must have gone through to satisfy SJ.

From an investor point of view, with desktop and laptop sales mature, they need another category to maintain the growth. This thing will have to be a Kindle and Laptop killer all in one.

I would have to say that most of the time, people will be sitting when they use it.

I've tried "tablets" before while resting them on my forearm while typing. Very uncomfortable. After a very short time, my arm begins to shake.

but then, these things aren't really tablets at all. They're laptops with a screen that can swivel and let you use a stylus. Not the same thing, and calling them tablets has damaged the reputation of the category before real one come out. There is one company that takes MB's and turns them into proper tablets, but I've never seen one.

This device will be small, and pounds lighter than the monsters that are out now. With multitouch, just a light touch is needed.

You obviously didn't notice any of my previous comments where I said 4" is the maximum width including bezel making the maximum screen size 7.5".

I completely dismiss a 9.7" or 10" screen for anything that's going to be a "go everywhere" device. Not that such a device doesn't have its uses. Mel highlights some of advantages of a multi-touch tablet over a netbook that's only input is a keyboard and single touch trackpad. For some things a tablet is definitely better.

However, a 10" device won't be something people take with them everywhere because it's too big for a pocket and many purses. That means another bag to carry it around. It'll get left behind as often as it's taken and that's a recipe for low customer satisfaction and sales that fall rapidly after the initial euphoria wears off.

Finally I'll concede that Apple may consider the iPhone and iPod touch their only "go everywhere" devices and see the tablet as a smaller, lighter notebook with the advantage of a multitouch display. In that case a 10" tablet may be on its way.

Thats weird I have an orginal NES, SNES, Atari 2600, and Sega Saturn all hooked up to my 58" Panasonic Plasma and they all work fine.

It's actually about 250,000 results.

Hasn't anyone given thought to the possibility that Apple will reveal a secondary input device? Something like a Wacom Cintiq, except Multi-Touch enabled? This would be great for artists in many fields. It might be wireless-enabled so that it can run Apple's Remote Desktop. And it would let developers get their applications for a real MacTablet ready.

I would be pretty surprised if Apple released a MacTablet with zero third-party applications. They haven't even dropped a hint to their ADC members. (Of course, why would they when so many of them shamelessly post everything they know on rumor sites).

...And doesn't Apple have a patent on typing on the bottom of a device that shows the location of your fingers on the top of the device? Perhaps you should... Think different.

Hmmm... Something else I just noticed. The keyboard on my MacBook Pro is approximately 10". What if they intend to do some kind of multi-touch thing with the entire keyboard area! The Apple USB keyboards already don't have too much travel. Maybe they can get away with a 10" touch screen as a replacement keyboard. All multi-touch. Language independence. Maybe you would never need to move your hands from the keyboard to the touchpad/mouse. It COULD be really awesome. Imagine if they've figured out a way to provide tactile feedback!

Not when I looked. Earlier it was 589,000+. What, you think I can't read numbers?

LOL, haha.

AWESOME!!!
Thats exactly How it will happen whenever it does. Except, cmon it wont be called macbook wave. Apple just doesn't use word like that for it products. They keep it simple.
It'll probably be called macbook touch. My Best bet.
Ipad is a possibility too, though its been done to death by people by now.
mac touch.. also possible.

i just got 239,000 results!

Was Hoping it would be full mac OS X with iPhone keyboard.. USB slots, no optical drive (but use MacBook air's) but can't really see apple doing this for $800 and I swear to god if they release it in the USA only I'm gonna scream :o :o