Apple confirms Jan. 27 media event to show off 'latest creation' - Page 2

Apple had a paint ball fight and didn't invite me?!

Wasn't he banned or something?

If it doesn't turn into a hover board at the multi-touch of a button I'm gonna be pissed.

personally, as much as i like this graphic, i would have rather seen a mess of fingerpainting with the apple logo cutting through that instead...maybe too literal?

Na na na na!
One more time now...

OK, if this is a Rorschach Test, I see increased shareholder value.

I've been wondering about this, too. I recently read The Perfect Thing, the history of the iPod development, and it made a pretty good case for Apple saving the music industry by implementing a new business model. It does seem that the newspaper and magazine industries are ready for the same kind of transformation, and Apple has proven they can do it.

I already have a laptop and don't see a need for a smaller "production" device, but if the iPod touch is a "consumption" device then I could see the value of a larger screen. It would be pretty cool if all the books and magazines I wanted to read were loaded onto that device, in the same way that my whole music collection is loaded onto my iPod.

The biggest problem I see is that I can't rip the books on my bookshelf, and I'm sure not going to buy them all again.

Careful, there's still an open bunk in the rubber room.

I thought the same. If the Apple logo is the same size as on notebooks, it looks about right for the rumoured sizes bounding about.

Creation implies that it isn't an update, so the invitation does imply a brand new product in the Apple lineup. Right now, the only rumored brand new product would be a tablet. Thus it does imply that the tablet announcement is coming. Of course, maybe they have created something else entirely that has had zero leaks thus far (although that seems unlikely).

There could be other announcements too (updated macbook pros?), but it looks like the focus will be on the tablet. I'm personally betting that Apple will be having another event in the relatively new future. One focussed on video: new 1080p apple tv (possibly with apps), 720p iPod/iPhone dock, updated iTunes Store (1080p, subscription/streaming?), possible blu-ray build to order options, etc. If that were actually to happen, I would expect your cinema displays there. We'll just have to wait until the 27th to see what they do introduce.

Its genius if they release this thing during tax season a.k.a tax return season...

With the creative theme of the invite, I'm hoping for a new release of Aperture with a companion mobile version for the tablet. Aperture is long overdue for an update, and a tablet would be the perfect field device for photographers to preview their images on. And there are already iPhone apps that can control your camera. A tablet version would be even better. No more taking my MBP along on trips just to back up and organize my photos.

Ok, maybe asking for an upgrade to Aperture as part of this release is a bit much to ask; but a multi-touch version of iPhoto would rock!

That's what it seems like to me. The image is quite child-like - when kids get their very first experience of art, it's finger painting and it often resembles the kind of image shown.

The color scheme does remind me of AMOLED adverts:



We'll have to see on that aspect but those displays are expensive so unless this is going to be some Macbook Air replacement, it'll most likely be standard LCD.

What I see is that if you examine the word "latest" you will it is almost an anagram for the word "slate". After forming the word "slate", you do have one letter remaining which is the letter "t". And as we all know, "T" is the first letter in the word "tablet"!

Come, see our slate (tablet) creation!

It's so simple, a caveman could understand it!

Everyone's staying its a tablet, what's Apple's really going to be releasing is the iDol. Its shaped like Steve jobs and determines how you should run your life for you while giving your thanks to the (co-)creator. The iDol will be priced $1999 plus a monthly fee that will be arbitrarily determined at the iDol's whim. Failure to pay said monthly fee will result in the user being known as cheap and being ridiculed by the community.

Or it could just be a Snow Leopard or iPhone OS-based tablet.

Oh jesus, they're going to make them a dozen different colors like the iPod Nano and first iBooks.

The teaser makes me think this is more geared toward the graphic design, photo and entertainment industry with probably mobile versions of Aperture or iPhoto and a painting program.

Indeed. However gdgt is much better than the above and I'd recommend you give them a shot.

Is it just me who would find it hilarious if Steve came on stage and just said something like, "we've re-designed our website" then wandered off!

I am sure that's exactly what it means. It's something totally new and different and has multiple uses. Imagine the number of apps that will be available a year from now on an 10" iPod Touch like device. It can't really be classified but it is a new creation. Some (specially around here) may even call it a piece of art ;-)

I am betting on a tablet and a new paint app to show off the features.

And here it is, folks.

Boom.

Maybe, I hope so. I just have this feeling that this is going to be a product that either everyone is going to completely blown away with or completely underwhelmed.

It's rare that Apple fails to make multiple annoouncements. With all that press there, why wouldn't Apple avail itself of free PR?

In the past Apple has used trade shows to launch new stuff but the company isn't going to do that any more.

Besides Apple has always referenced just one item in invitations. It's not like telling the media that a particular item will be the focus of a presser means Apple isn't allowed to talk about other items. We're talking a captive audience. If in the process of unveiling a particular product, Apple reveals details about product updates, etc., no one would protest. It would be like being invited over to someone's house for a beer and protesting because you're offered chips and dip to with the brew.

The MacBook Pros, the Mac Pros, the cinema displays, are all due for some updating. Apple could announce the product updates simply by updating the Apple Store on line but why would they do that alone if they are planning a media event for the unveiling of their latest creation? The timing of the event also suggests updates to go with the tablet unveiling. After all, if this were strictly about the tablet, which apparently will not be available for sale until March, why wait until the end of January? They could have stolen some of CES's thunder by holding their presser a lot closer to that event. On the other hand, if this is also about product updates, those would come when Apple is ready to offer the revised products for sale. Once you announce that a better, usually cheaper version of a product is about to come to market, nobody wants to buy your existing stock.

The main reason why, I think, Apple has abandoned trade shows is that those shows force the company to make announcements on the date of a given event, which for obvious reasons, has to be set well in advance. Instead, Apple didn't formally announce the Jan. 27 event until nine days before. If there had been a last-minute hiccup, Apple could easily have altered the date internally and no one would have known outside of Apple's inner circle. Apple holds events for the media when it knows that it's ready to make a good presenation. Products are subsequently not rushed into production, announced earlier than Apple would like, etc.

There is little likelihood that Apple will gather the media on the 27th and only make one announcement. Other items are going to be updated and it's a logical venue for such announcements.

Hmmmm..... someone already reference the iPod socks, but those colors come from the iPods.....so....

Here's the current Nano pallet, also using the paint motif:



And here's the product announcement colors, again:



Could be just colors Apple likes, or the art director talks to Ives, but.... that's an exact match.

Several people have taken shots to see if something would stick on the wall and all they achieved was drippy misses.


Either it is subtle neurolinguistic hinting or Paul is dead.

where can we watch live ?

My guess is that the more sane individuals will see the potential of the device, yet realize that it will take months for developers to learn how to fully exploit the device's full capabilities.

Also, it is likely that a couple of iterations of the device will be necessary to hone the design and features, as well as bring the cost down to a more appealing range.

Looking at the invitation:

We see a mosaic of fresh paint. Some of it even dripping down.

Where do we see such paint? From an artist.

And what does an artist work on? A Canvas.


Behold: Apple's latest creation is called the Apple Canvas.

Wow! Nice catch!

We have gone over this before.

Apple does not stream video from its live events.

You can follow the event via third-party livebloggers (Cnet, Gizmodo, Engadget, etc.). At some point in the future (maybe a day or two later), Apple will upload video to their own website.

If it's the tablet, this will be HUGE. On January 28th people will be acting as if tablets had never existed before. That's how big this will be.

Lets assume it is tablet / slate in which case it is an entirely new platform. The app developers will flock to it and in no time there will be a huge amount of apps. Hopefully also hardware add-ons like keyboards etc. will be plentiful in no time. With all that the thing can be pretty much anything and so it will come down to a) form factor - will it physically work as a portable device, will it be to heavy etc, b) price and c) computing power. This could just become the coolest little laptop you ever owned. Here's hoping.

I'm not sure they will broadcast video of the event live. However, the sites like AppleInsider.com, Engadget.com etc. used to publish somewhat "live" transcripts of keynotes with pictures.

merçi !

y'a pas de quoi

You are correct!

Which might imply that Apple see this creation as part of their iPod product line - and not part of their Mac product line.

Or perhaps we are reading far too much into the technicolor vomit?

C.

To quote my favorite scholar, Bugs Bunny, you guys are a bunch of maroons! It is obvious that Apple is introducing the iVandal. Environmentally friendly paints that will allow vandals to be more creative and brighten up our gloomy inner city neighborhoods. And with new compression algorithms Apple will be able to fit the equivalent of one gallon of paint in a "can" the size and shape of an iPod Nano.

As I've said previously, I believe (from what I've seen/read) that there'll be no stand-alone 'Tablet', there'll be a new iPhone hardware version with a super-fast multicore chip spawned from their PA Semi IP. There will then be an iPhone accessory which is essentially a large, multi-touch display which will house the iPhone.

The display will be OLED or PixelQI, suitable for multimedia, optimised for reading. That way, they can continue to sell iPhones, users still have one data subscription, they can still carry around one device when they need to, but have the large display of the accessory ready for reading, or whatever a large multi-touch display will be used for (judging by the advert, artisty stuff).

The accessory will also have its own battery due to the size of the screen.

Plus... it'll wash the dishes.

My 2p.

It is just you.

I just saw the official invitation...hmmm, a rectangular shaped object with colors all inside of it, an Apple Logo, and the phrase "come see our creation". If this isn't a big enough hint of a Tablet, Apple has a wicked sense of humor....lol.