Sources: Apple Newton-tablet not ripe for Macworld - Page 3

A few years?

If it can't be priced to sell in good numbers now, Apple won't keep it around for years until it does.

Always remember the Cube. Apple could have waited it out, come out with a less expensive G3 model, etc. But they didn't. They simply cut it.

I don't think that Jobs, seeing Apple's increasing marketshare, will settle for a model that sells in small numbers, in the hope that at some future date, to be determined only when it arrives, prices will fall enough for the device to sell.

Not going to happen, not any more.

There's already a Mac Tablet, and no one cares: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Modbook

The iPhone is a Smartphone, they'll buy an iPhone nano. The Mac touch won't be a phone though, so very slim and 10" will actually be small for a real portable computer.

That's cause it's a piece of crap, and it doesn't have a multi-touch UI.

This product will be just as much about turning people onto Apple, as in mind-share as it will be about selling millions and millions of units of it. I still think it will sell millions, but every kid won't have one.

We'll see what happens, but I still want it to be around 10".

I see a huge market for a MacBook touch. I have a perfectly good 24" iMac at work for doing the things I need to do there, when I get home I don't really want to continue doing work, I just want to relax.

I would use a MacBook touch exactly as the next person would; surfing the web, checking email, video iChats, light iLife/iWork tasks, and controlling my 'digital life'; all from the comfort of my couch, and sometimes while sitting on the toilet… I would extend this to using the tablet as a remote for an AppleTV setup and to control a Mac mini w/X10 units for home automation. If Apple were to release a newer AppleTV that ups the specs to those of a Mac mini, so much the better…

Mac touch.

I don't see it coming out at all.

I think Charles Jade said it best in this article yesterday:

http://arstechnica.com/journals/appl...s-ad-infinitum

I'll take the line so you won't have to read the entire article if you don't want to.

Well, at least you're shrinking the size from 11 to 10. work on that some more, and come back.

As a teen I can tell you I would like that.

If it were a notebook.

I - like most of today's teens - write a lot. I need a real keyboard and a notebook just provides a better screen/keyboard solution than having a small device with a separate keyboard. Where do most teens really want to do their computing? In bed. That's why so many of us have notebooks (I'm the only one who does not in my circle of friends as I'm waiting on buying a MacBook/MacBook Nano, no I will not say Air). What you're describing just doesn't work in bed. It's basically a small iMac.

That said, I can see other uses. but not as a companion computer. I mean, it could work. Don't get me wrong. It's just that Tablet computers don't work so great for writing. It's about support. you usually have to hold it in some way, or rest it really low. A notebook just sits there.

Your idea's cool, but I still think Apple needs a small notebook. And I'd pay up to £1000 (Almost $2000) for a 32GB model.

You should pick up an Eee PC while you're waiting.

It's freaking amazing.

Hahahahaha

Nice

I have been saying 10 or 11 from the start. And I have constantly been adding that I would settle for 10, but I would prefer 11.

I think a sub-notebook is coming as well. It's coming tomorrow. I don't think the tablet is though.

mactouch ftw.

This is exactly right - People who have been saying "who wants a tablet?" are thinking of the PC tablets. I wouldn't want one of those either. Apple has known for a while that there's a market for a tablet done the right way. They needed to wait though for some of the hardware technology to catch up because this device will be thin, light, durable and have great battery life. If they can get the price where they need to, they will not use an LCD but will use newer display technology such as OLED. That will increase battery life and let you drop the thing without worrying about breaking it.

People who want a thin laptop can get a thin laptop if they want (Sometime after Tuesday) and type in bed all they want. But for many others, like myself, want a portable tablet that I can easily move from room to room (without opening and closing )- read the daily news on the web from the back porch, check e-mail, watch a movie, etc (all the things mentioned in many other posts). But the screen size will allow the full viewing of an 8 1/2" x 11" page size. Just about the size of a thin spiral notebook (a paper notebook) and just as easy to tuck into your backpack, briefcase or under your arm. (It would be great as an e-book, much more likeable than that thing from Amazon). Multi-touch on a screen this size would be great. The size may vary from that a bit - but if someone is looking for a new Newton larger than the size of an iphone or iPod touch, but smaller than a 10" or 11" screen device, I find that very unlikely. The iphone will increase in functionality to be more of a PDA (but better) - that's the new Newton.

Like many mentioned earlier. The new tablet will have a pretty useable onscreen keyboard, but if you need a real keyboard- pull the bluetooth keyboard out of the bag.
But I think people will get pretty quick with typing onscreen - It would be great for taking notes without the noise of clicking keys on a keyboard.

Anyway - as much as Apple would like it - We won't see this device on Tuesday. Hopefully this summer though. And give Apple a break - they've been working very hard.

Two points: size and price.

Size: 10"-11", too big to be mobile. This would cut out the potential business market for such a device.

I think most people would also like to carry this device with them, and not necessarily in a 'backpack', or bag of any kind.

To target a device mainly for mainly home use would kinda defeat the purpose of mobile. It would probably also get swallowed up by the coming 'tweener' devices from other manufacturers that are all targeting the 5-7" size.

Price: Over $1,000 would most likely not sell to millions of users. This has been one of the main problems of the UMPC market, way to expensive. The thought is why buy that when a subnotebook is available with much better functionality, at a better price point.
And, with rumour of a "macbook air" circulating, I think that this thin macbook would canabalize a large slate's sales.

How about...Mac-n-touch?


....what?

You mght have mentioned it, but all of youconversation I've seen is for the 11" one you drew.

Come down below 8, and more people here will begin to smile.

The device they will always carry with them is the iPhone. This tablet isn't meant as a replacement for that. This tablet will be taken to college classes, to work or use around the house. It doesn't cut out the business market - it adds to it. Going into meetings where people would not necessarily have brought a laptop or be typing into an iPhone. a thin tablet would no more out of place than a yellow tablet of paper. They could wirelessly search for any document they would need for the meeting. They could be used where Macs have not been before - a tablet taken on rounds in a hospital, for example. Have you tried walking around with a laptop? People walk around with clipboards though. This tablet could replace that.

I agree that the price needs to be below $1000 for sure. I think a thin MacBook and a slate / tablet device could both exist without too much canabalization. The attractiveness of the tablet is the multi-touch. Moving things around the screen with just your finger (or fingers). Easily flip from portrait to landscape, etc. Multi-touch on the screen of the current laptop designs, even a thin one, would be awkward. (Adding some of this function to a large trackpad on a laptop, as some have discussed, would be cool though)

With the iPhone and iPod touch, much of the features of OSX were shrunk down to a small device. A Mac tablet would bring the cool multi-touch features of Phone and iPod touch back up to a fully functioning Mac in tablet form.

I don't see Apple seeing any value in something around a 7" size.

Maybe an Apple-style convertable solves the notebook/tablet problem. Maybe the MacBook Air is a new Apple engineered ultra slim, ultra light notebook/tablet convertable! (With WiMax too)! No kludgy swivel hinges ala PC tablets, just super simple, sleek and solid folding system.

In Notebook mode, the device and OS functions as in a typical MacBook. With a slim keyboard like the new wireless model. If you then fold this keyboard completely back, the device converts to a multi-touch tablet mode with a new super iPhone-like multi-touch interface. Picture the screen being maybe 10" diag. and made of glass like the iPhone and the rest of the body being black aluminum. Pretty cool!

A convertable laptop is possible - but I totally agree that Apple would only do it if was very elegant and simple.

Well, in those MacBook Air photos (the ones that have popped up on 9to5mac), the screen and keyboard aren't connected (I mean, I assume they are mock ups or fake but just go with me on this)...what if you open it up, pop a support out of the back, and have a disconnected screen and keyboard with a bluetooth connection. If you turn the keyboard off, you can take just the screen section and BAM! Tablet! ...yeah, OK, its stupid, Apple ain't that crazy.

Maybe if they did this...but also sold the top part separate from the bottom. I mean, I would prefer what I described earlier, especially as I see it as something less than $1000 and, like I said, not a replacement computer but an extension of what I already have.

iDock?

Done with magnets!

Yeah still want 11", just feel (one reason or another, but I hope I'm wrong) Apple might deliver 10. I don't want 9", let alone 8.

FTW yes, but not tomorrow. I highly doubt it will materialize tomorrow, I hope I'm wrong though.

It think it's kind of obvious where Apple stands with business at this stage. They are aiming at the mass consumer. Besides, an 11" very thin slate would be perfect for business.

Totally agree.

As someone on this forum suggested before (can't remember who), if a hardware keyboard was attachable to the tablet screen via magnets there's no denying that would be cool. One could snap it off and on as desired. Although the magnet-power needed to keep the thing together could cause certain interferences.

I still see the slim MacBook coming tomorrow, and a tablet (not convertible) coming during the year.

I think everyone needs to separate out the two ideas here

1. A truly mobile device with a form factor 1.5 times the size of the I-Phone (as rumored).

2. A thin tablet device with a 10-13 inch screen.

The markets for these devices are very different, but I think we can all agree on what they should have in common rather the squabble over why one over the other.

1. Touch Screen

2. Full OS to run full off the shelf applications - no specialty mini apps required

3. Wifi and even cellular broadband communication

I believe on device #1 (the 7 inch screen), the price has to be held to $499-$699 tops. If it comes up at $1500, it will be no different than the Sony UMPC - overpriced gadget.

The larger device priced at anything below the $1500 will do nothing but scavenge keyboard equipped lap top sales since this larger device will just be a touch screen full blown computer with a standard screen size.

Personally, I have no use for the larger device, but I can see some applications for it. The question I have is what has been the interest and order levels of the Modbook?

The smaller 7 inch device I see personal application for replacing blackberry's and other PDA's in the business market. In looking at the features of the New MS Office 2008, it now has support for MS Exchange. A 7 inch screen with MS office being able to access an MS Exchange Server... Apple may have found a means to make a large thrust into the corporate market, not replacing the Windows boxes on people's desk, but serving corporate people on the move.

What you're asking for in the larger size won't happen. First of all, your pricing is way off base for something that size. double the price, and you're closer. You can't come up with prices that are nice for the consumer without taking into account how much is actually costs to build it, market it, guarantee it, and all the rest. Small UMPC's that have been reviewed as being much too slow cost $600 to $750. The ones that are deemed to have enough speed cost $1,000.

These are much smaller devices than this one.

There's no purpose for it either. There is nothing useful for a student that an ultralight wouldn't do much better, at possibly, less cost.

A poor substitute.

I agree with the reports that it's un;ike;y they will deliver either right now. But, the reports are also betting on the smaller one for sometime this year.

You might have noticed that most people on this forum, with the exception of a small number of vocal people supporting it, don't want the big model. Those who favor a new touch model mostly want the smaller device.

I have a feeling that the general population will be even more inclined to think this way.

You say it would be perfect for business. Just how would it be perfect? Other than some minor things that it could do, which a keyboarded device could do as well if the screen was touch sensitive (as has been available as add-ons for decades for stationary machines).

You have to have some "killer app" forpeope to want to move to something like ths. Nothing that business people use is written for a tablet, it all depends on keyboarded use.

While I think that these touch keyboards might play a big role in the future, I don't think that time is now.

I also don't agree that a 0.6" thick model can have enough cpu or gpu power to serve, and still have enough batter life, and remain cool enough. An inch thick, or maybe .75 inch at the least, which means more weight.

I'm seriously considering it. It really appeals to me.

I agree, I expect both, I just think the notebook is likely to come first. Simply because if Apple offers both a sub-notebook and a revolutionary tablet, they've cornered pretty much all the super portable market needs.

EXACTLY!!!!!!

I don't think we'll see a tablet.

Seth Weintraub of Computerworld, has an interesting Macworld prediction article in his new column. He starts out with the most likely, and moves to the least likely, then to some wilder guesses (though some make a lot of sense).

Number 8 is this:


The second sentence says it all. A new Newton sized device later this year, maybe. Otherwise? I doubt it very much.

His article is fun reading. It's here:

http://blogs.computerworld.com/macwo...LT_MAC&nlid=62

You know, a lot of people say there isn't a market for tablets...but was there REALLY a market for MP3 players? Apple took a big risk with the iPod but it has been one of the best things for the company! I can see them taking that same risk, which is part of business. If companies only did what was safe...well, we wouldn't have a lot of technology that we do have now. We wouldn't have either of Nintendo's current systems. We wouldn't have Personal Computers. We wouldn't have freaking CARS! Imagine when Henry Ford first said "Hey, I got an idea for this internal combustion engine, we are going to put it on wheels and it will help people get around!" "But Henry, people can walk, and for long trips, they have horses! There is no demand for such a product!"