I don't agree. Back in may, I posted a prediction to answer your doubts concerning the new form factor. And I think it still just fits in what we might have learned from today's rumors:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and - most importantly - it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacBook Touch
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronize with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
What do you think?
I would add:
--some sort of interface to RFID and Home Power Line
--comes with GPS
--WiFi Synching
I can see variations of this all over the house:
--Intercom, monitoring camera in the baby's room
--home theater control on the couch/coffee table
--on the wall in the kitchen as a "sous chef" recipe/cooking instructions/food inventory/shopping list
-- Personal augmented reality video: education, travelogue, trip planning, personal TV
-- Personal School Buddy: textbooks, videos, lesson plans, homework, learning aids, drill & practice
-- on the wall as security monitor & home control (lights, HVAC, etc.)
Then for trips in the car (over and above navigation), plane, train:
let's say you're going somewhere and you're not a woman with a purse or don't want to carry a bag for anything. This device is not suited as an "all-in-one" device because of hit's size. I would never want this as a phone. you would still be required to have a phone, so why not just tether. I just don't see how you are thinking "outside" the box here. What you're describing sounds a lot like many other devices, like a large-format iPhone.
I could see this device 'bundled' with an iPhone, and both under one contract including having the same telephone number so as to address portability concerns. The two devices would sync with each other wirelessly (i.e., even when not side-by-side). As others have noted, it could be docked, could have a pico projector, could accommodate external USB inputs, and will be subsidized by the carrier in post-paid contracts. And, in order to prevent Verizon from getting it and to maintain exclusivity with Apple, ATT will agree to an aggressive pricing plan that includes unlimited tethering/MMS/texting/voice.... (OK, the last one might be a stretch).
What a game-changer that will be!
(And I might add, in their desperate attempt to compete and stay relevant, Nokia - which by then will have bought Palm - will merge with Microsoft and Dell, and they will all collectively bite the dust).
i'm sure this announcment makes all the trekkers (trekkies) all moist! Like ME!
*sigh*.....ok lemme try to forget the foxconn debacle for a moment and try to stir some excitement within me about the tablet.
Do any of you remember that scene in Iron Man where Gwyneth Paltrow was taking notes from whatever Robert Downey Jr. was telling her? She was using some sort of fancy tablet device which to me looked incredible.
I'm REALLY hoping that Apple's device is like that.
I'm an engineer, so I guess I overlooked the fact that some people wouldn't be able to visualize this. You can thumb type on the iphone because your fingers extend beyond the iphones center of mass. As you scale up to a device with an 10" screen, this may not be the case anymore.....
Good points. I'm not an engineer but I do have a background in industrial design.
I think I was perhaps overly "haughty" in some parts of my response also, so apologies for that.
I think that if the aspect ratio is roughly the same as the iPhone however, and that the "narrow" dimension is something approaching the *height* of the current iPhone, and if it also has a "chin" or dead area at the bottom (where the home button is on the iPhone), then it would fit rather perfectly in my hands. Try turning the current iPhone sideways and imagining the tablet with a thumb typing area a little taller than the current iPhones width and you'll see what I mean.
What I'd like to see Apple do for this device as well as for the iPhone is make it truly ergonomic by manufacturing multiple sizes of each. Different people have wildly differing hand sizes and a small/medium/large option on a device that's intended to be held in your hands would be an obvious boon to users. Possibly because the thing is so expensive and precious at this point it would cause problems with people choosing the wrong size and wanting to return them etc. but I hope they do something like that eventually.
I think they should have called it the iPad, but I think HP has already used that name for their devices in the past. How about the MacPad?
MacPad? I don't think so. "Pad" used to be part of the word "touchpad", but the new device is so much more. Since it will be located between the small, pocketable devices iPod and iPhone and the bigger laptops MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, this should be reflected by the name. If it is gonna be a real OSX Snow Leopard device, it should bear the name Mac. Since it won't have a keyboard and will rely on its touchscreen, it should bear "touch" in the name.
Therefore, the one probable name scheme for the near future of Apple's portable products seems to be:
iPod shuffle
iPod nano
iPod touch
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
MacBook Touch
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro
You see the pattern? The first word defines the product category. The second one defines the sub-category. We don't have "one word" products anymore. That's why I would suggest, that the white MacBook will eventually be replaced by the MacBook Pro 13" as the entry model for the keyboard equipped laptop line.
Of course, an alternative could be a whole "new" fourth category starting (just as it happened with all the other categories) with a one-word-product:
MacTouch.
On logical reason would be that the product won't have the clamshell design of a book since there is nothing to open. Later on this could be differentiated by a second word in the naming.
The latter scheme would also nicely fit into Apple's strategy of giving customers good reasons to by one product from every category, avoiding the impression of having two products from the same category.
And this is exactely what Apple wants us to do: Buy the iPod shuffle or nano for doing sports with music, the iPod touch or even better the iPhone for all we know those two are great at, the new thing for being able to surf, present, read and do some basic editing while on the go and eventually a MacBook or a desktop iMac, Mac mini or Mac Pro for all the serious stuff we want to do including hosting all our precious data we synchronize with one of the other products.
And not to forget: The new MacBook Touch will lure Windows Users into the world of OSX, away from their Windows Notebooks oder Desktops.
*sigh*.....ok lemme try to forget the foxconn debacle for a moment and try to stir some excitement within me about the tablet.
Do any of you remember that scene in Iron Man where Gwyneth Paltrow was taking notes from whatever Robert Downey Jr. was telling her? She was using some sort of fancy tablet device which to me looked incredible.
I'm REALLY hoping that Apple's device is like that.
I've been all over the internet looking for a pic of that device in the movie but I can't find it anywhere. Can someone help me look for it?
*Anyone* could easily "outdo" the Kindle on a hardware basis, and the Amazon "ebook" store could be completely destroyed by a device that can easily read PDF's and not be stuck with purchasing proprietary format junk from entrenched publishers. Apple's app store is also easily the equal of amazon's eBook store if it simply starts selling ebooks. If you add into the mix, the fact that an Apple tablet has tools to *author* books built in, then it has an even greater advantage.
My main concern is whether Apple would be able to get enough book publishers to back its own ebook store. Maybe if book publishers realize that selling on an Apple 'tablet' would mean much higher sales than in sticking with Amazon and the Kindle. Apple will depend on book publishers (which was not the case with the iPod, which could be filled by everyone with the help of any publisher.
Maybe this problem will be solved if a common eBook standard evolves, meaning buying eBooks will not tie you to one single device (or family of devices).
what about a stylo? haven't seen no one talk about the need for a stylo until now! for me the only attractive to a tablet pc is the ability to use it as a writing paper. the "virtual keyboar is no substitute to the actual ability to write, draw and do math with a stylo/pen!
i don't see no use for this intermediate device if it doesn't provide anything else much different from an iphone/ipod touch on one side and the macbook on the other. i wnat a "drawing book", a math book, a lecture with graph note taking book, and also the ability of bein connectec, mail, music bla bla bla of the iphone. if it doesn't give me that i'll either stay with an iphone/ipodtouch and do the basics or take the macbook for serious work.
but by the way, does this new has any actual truth/real source ???...
Apple has an absolutely fantastic idea for pen or "stylo" input on a tablet that could potentially both be the "killer application" of the device, as well as leave all competitors in the dust unable to even respond. The only question is whether they have been able to actually make it work as it's sort of sci-fi.
The idea is that in addition to capacitance detection, the device would detect through infrared sensors the presence, size, orientation and pattern of the fingers and hands hovering over it *before* they touch it. This means that (theoretically), one could merely make the *gesture* of having a stylus in one's hands and that the device would detect that, switch to "ink mode" and draw a line as if one was holding a pen. This would be sort of like an "air pen" in the same way as an "air guitar." Heck, they could even have a music application that displays virtual guitar strings and allow you to make the "pick gesture" to play it.
I'll believe this when I see it but it would be super cool to say the least. The main drawback of stylus based devices is the need to have the stylus, store the stylus, and not lose the stylus. This would solve all of that if it's actually been engineered to the point that it works.
I could see this device 'bundled' with an iPhone, and both under one contract including having the same telephone number so as to address portability concerns. The two devices would sync with each other wirelessly (i.e., even when not side-by-side). As others have noted, it could be docked, could have a pico projector, could accommodate external USB inputs, and will be subsidized by the carrier in post-paid contracts. And, in order to prevent Verizon from getting it and to maintain exclusivity with Apple, ATT will agree to an aggressive pricing plan that includes unlimited tethering/MMS/texting/voice.... (OK, the last one might be a stretch).
What a game-changer that will be!
(And I might add, in their desperate attempt to compete and stay relevant, Nokia - which by then will have bought Palm - will merge with Microsoft and Dell, and they will all collectively bite the dust).
I don't see how tethering could be a service ATT could charge you for. My impression of tethering would be similar to using your cell phone to get internet access on your computer. Apple's ATT plan already included unlimited access to internet so how COULD they charge for tether? Seems to me just like USB sync.
Apple has an absolutely fantastic idea for pen or "stylo" input on a tablet that could potentially both be the "killer application" of the device, as well as leave all competitors in the dust unable to even respond. The only question is whether they have been able to actually make it work as it's sort of sci-fi.
The idea is that in addition to capacitance detection, the device would detect through infrared sensors the presence, size, orientation and pattern of the fingers and hands hovering over it *before* they touch it. This means that (theoretically), one could merely make the *gesture* of having a stylus in one's hands and that the device would detect that, switch to "ink mode" and draw a line as if one was holding a pen. This would be sort of like an "air pen" in the same way as an "air guitar." Heck, they could even have a music application that displays virtual guitar strings and allow you to make the "pick gesture" to play it.
I'll believe this when I see it but it would be super cool to say the least. The main drawback of stylus based devices is the need to have the stylus, store the stylus, and not lose the stylus. This would solve all of that if it's actually been engineered to the point that it works.
I think drawing would be difficult without the feedback you get from the contact between whatever you're drawing with and whatever you're drawing on.
I don't see how tethering could be a service ATT could charge you for. My impression of tethering would be similar to using your cell phone to get internet access on your computer. Apple's ATT plan already included unlimited access to internet so how COULD they charge for tether? Seems to me just like USB sync.
No, thats incorrect. Tethering, when it arrives for real will carry an extra charge. The reason they charge more is because the amount of data consumed by a computer running several apps at once can consume alot more data than the phone typically would.
That's right, AI forced me to register since I can't resist tablet speculation. Since I consider it a given that Steve wants us to have an iPhone, Macbook Pro, AND a tablet, I think the tablet will be geared specifically to tether with iPhone. In fact, maybe the tethering delay on ATT's part is to wait for this new toy.
Specifically: "sign a 2 year iPhone tethering plan for $30 a month and get $300 off your tablet"
Has anyone thought that the product might be tied to Verison's nextgen network upgrade? I don't remember when that launch is scheduled to come online, but with a very fast Verison network and Apple/PA Semi chipset what ever the final design it will be a killer product (and maybe the iPhine replacement as using Verison means it will be primarily a phone).
That's right, AI forced me to register since I can't resist tablet speculation. Since I consider it a given that Steve wants us to have an iPhone, Macbook Pro, AND a tablet, I think the tablet will be geared specifically to tether with iPhone. In fact, maybe the tethering delay on ATT's part is to wait for this new toy.
Specifically: "sign a 2 year iPhone tethering plan for $30 a month and get $300 off your tablet"
Nope. I don't see that happening. The device will have it's own data plan built into the price of the device renewable every year. You'll have to buy chunks of pre-paid time....probably from Verizon. Watch, it's gonna happen.
There might also be a similar deal for AT&T for tethering.....maybe.
Nope, I call it the MacPad or iPad (sorry ladies).
This device is not a "Book" so calling it MacBook is disingenuous. At least the MacBook opens like a book, and the marketing world calls these "notebook" computers. Touch works, but then by going with your logic, it would be the MacTouch. But all of Apples notebooks now have some kind of "touch" feature, which would further complicate the naming of such a device.
It's really between the iPod and the MacBook, and it's like the Newton MessagePad. Hence the reason for my naming. iTablet/MacTablet could be another possible name, putting it into a category of it's own.
try again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iJeep
MacPad? I don't think so. "Pad" used to be part of the word "touchpad", but the new device is so much more. Since it will be located between the small, pocketable devices iPod and iPhone and the bigger laptops MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, this should be reflected by the name. If it is gonna be a real OSX Snow Leopard device, it should bear the name Mac. Since it won't have a keyboard and will rely on its touchscreen, it should bear "touch" in the name.
Therefore, the one probable name scheme for the near future of Apple's portable products seems to be:
iPod shuffle
iPod nano
iPod touch
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
MacBook Touch
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro
You see the pattern? The first word defines the product category. The second one defines the sub-category. We don't have "one word" products anymore. That's why I would suggest, that the white MacBook will eventually be replaced by the MacBook Pro 13" as the entry model for the keyboard equipped laptop line.
Of course, an alternative could be a whole "new" fourth category starting (just as it happened with all the other categories) with a one-word-product:
MacTouch.
On logical reason would be that the product won't have the clamshell design of a book since there is nothing to open. Later on this could be differentiated by a second word in the naming.
The latter scheme would also nicely fit into Apple's strategy of giving customers good reasons to by one product from every category, avoiding the impression of having two products from the same category.
And this is exactely what Apple wants us to do: Buy the iPod shuffle or nano for doing sports with music, the iPod touch or even better the iPhone for all we know those two are great at, the new thing for being able to surf, present, read and do some basic editing while on the go and eventually a MacBook or a desktop iMac, Mac mini or Mac Pro for all the serious stuff we want to do including hosting all our precious data we synchronize with one of the other products.
And not to forget: The new MacBook Touch will lure Windows Users into the world of OSX, away from their Windows Notebooks oder Desktops.
While I am bummed that this is (supposedly) a Q1-2010 release versus a Q4-2009 release, this is good news, and as I have stated it's a real complex undertaking, as this is no mere iPod with a bigger screen.
Most fundamentally, it forces the company to define its "matrix" thinking between hardware form factors and software forking decisions (e.g., iPhone OS, Mac OS, hybrid OS, download anything anywhere, exclusively limit to App Store), not to mention the service layer and developer tool interconects between same, a topic that I blogged about in:
Comments
I don't agree. Back in may, I posted a prediction to answer your doubts concerning the new form factor. And I think it still just fits in what we might have learned from today's rumors:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and - most importantly - it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacBook Touch
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronize with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
What do you think?
I would add:
--some sort of interface to RFID and Home Power Line
--comes with GPS
--WiFi Synching
I can see variations of this all over the house:
--Intercom, monitoring camera in the baby's room
--home theater control on the couch/coffee table
--on the wall in the kitchen as a "sous chef" recipe/cooking instructions/food inventory/shopping list
-- Personal augmented reality video: education, travelogue, trip planning, personal TV
-- Personal School Buddy: textbooks, videos, lesson plans, homework, learning aids, drill & practice
-- on the wall as security monitor & home control (lights, HVAC, etc.)
Then for trips in the car (over and above navigation), plane, train:
-- personal TV for each kid
-- mutiplayer games among the kids
-- trip progress & points of interest
let's say you're going somewhere and you're not a woman with a purse or don't want to carry a bag for anything. This device is not suited as an "all-in-one" device because of hit's size. I would never want this as a phone. you would still be required to have a phone, so why not just tether. I just don't see how you are thinking "outside" the box here. What you're describing sounds a lot like many other devices, like a large-format iPhone.
I could see this device 'bundled' with an iPhone, and both under one contract including having the same telephone number so as to address portability concerns. The two devices would sync with each other wirelessly (i.e., even when not side-by-side). As others have noted, it could be docked, could have a pico projector, could accommodate external USB inputs, and will be subsidized by the carrier in post-paid contracts. And, in order to prevent Verizon from getting it and to maintain exclusivity with Apple, ATT will agree to an aggressive pricing plan that includes unlimited tethering/MMS/texting/voice.... (OK, the last one might be a stretch).
What a game-changer that will be!
(And I might add, in their desperate attempt to compete and stay relevant, Nokia - which by then will have bought Palm - will merge with Microsoft and Dell, and they will all collectively bite the dust).
Why do so many people think this? The Kindle is $299 and has lifetime free network access. Do they think Apple will match those?
There are/were cheaper mp3 players, but that hasn't stopped the iPod from dominating the market.
i'm sure this announcment makes all the trekkers (trekkies) all moist! Like ME!
*sigh*.....ok lemme try to forget the foxconn debacle for a moment and try to stir some excitement within me about the tablet.
Do any of you remember that scene in Iron Man where Gwyneth Paltrow was taking notes from whatever Robert Downey Jr. was telling her? She was using some sort of fancy tablet device which to me looked incredible.
I'm REALLY hoping that Apple's device is like that.
I'm an engineer, so I guess I overlooked the fact that some people wouldn't be able to visualize this. You can thumb type on the iphone because your fingers extend beyond the iphones center of mass. As you scale up to a device with an 10" screen, this may not be the case anymore.....
Good points. I'm not an engineer but I do have a background in industrial design.
I think I was perhaps overly "haughty" in some parts of my response also, so apologies for that.
I think that if the aspect ratio is roughly the same as the iPhone however, and that the "narrow" dimension is something approaching the *height* of the current iPhone, and if it also has a "chin" or dead area at the bottom (where the home button is on the iPhone), then it would fit rather perfectly in my hands. Try turning the current iPhone sideways and imagining the tablet with a thumb typing area a little taller than the current iPhones width and you'll see what I mean.
What I'd like to see Apple do for this device as well as for the iPhone is make it truly ergonomic by manufacturing multiple sizes of each. Different people have wildly differing hand sizes and a small/medium/large option on a device that's intended to be held in your hands would be an obvious boon to users. Possibly because the thing is so expensive and precious at this point it would cause problems with people choosing the wrong size and wanting to return them etc. but I hope they do something like that eventually.
I think they should have called it the iPad, but I think HP has already used that name for their devices in the past. How about the MacPad?
MacPad? I don't think so. "Pad" used to be part of the word "touchpad", but the new device is so much more. Since it will be located between the small, pocketable devices iPod and iPhone and the bigger laptops MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, this should be reflected by the name. If it is gonna be a real OSX Snow Leopard device, it should bear the name Mac. Since it won't have a keyboard and will rely on its touchscreen, it should bear "touch" in the name.
Therefore, the one probable name scheme for the near future of Apple's portable products seems to be:
iPod shuffle
iPod nano
iPod touch
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
MacBook Touch
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro
You see the pattern? The first word defines the product category. The second one defines the sub-category. We don't have "one word" products anymore. That's why I would suggest, that the white MacBook will eventually be replaced by the MacBook Pro 13" as the entry model for the keyboard equipped laptop line.
Of course, an alternative could be a whole "new" fourth category starting (just as it happened with all the other categories) with a one-word-product:
MacTouch.
On logical reason would be that the product won't have the clamshell design of a book since there is nothing to open. Later on this could be differentiated by a second word in the naming.
The latter scheme would also nicely fit into Apple's strategy of giving customers good reasons to by one product from every category, avoiding the impression of having two products from the same category.
And this is exactely what Apple wants us to do: Buy the iPod shuffle or nano for doing sports with music, the iPod touch or even better the iPhone for all we know those two are great at, the new thing for being able to surf, present, read and do some basic editing while on the go and eventually a MacBook or a desktop iMac, Mac mini or Mac Pro for all the serious stuff we want to do including hosting all our precious data we synchronize with one of the other products.
And not to forget: The new MacBook Touch will lure Windows Users into the world of OSX, away from their Windows Notebooks oder Desktops.
what about a stylo? haven't seen no one talk about the need for a stylo until now!
Jobs really dislikes them.
Would a matte touch screen even be possible without being too susceptible to scratching or whatever?
If it's matte, it's not going to be (completely) smooth and you would simply be forcing dirt & oils into it.
Hmm...good point. I think it's possible to have a durable matte part of the tempered glass...
*sigh*.....ok lemme try to forget the foxconn debacle for a moment and try to stir some excitement within me about the tablet.
Do any of you remember that scene in Iron Man where Gwyneth Paltrow was taking notes from whatever Robert Downey Jr. was telling her? She was using some sort of fancy tablet device which to me looked incredible.
I'm REALLY hoping that Apple's device is like that.
I've been all over the internet looking for a pic of that device in the movie but I can't find it anywhere. Can someone help me look for it?
*Anyone* could easily "outdo" the Kindle on a hardware basis, and the Amazon "ebook" store could be completely destroyed by a device that can easily read PDF's and not be stuck with purchasing proprietary format junk from entrenched publishers. Apple's app store is also easily the equal of amazon's eBook store if it simply starts selling ebooks. If you add into the mix, the fact that an Apple tablet has tools to *author* books built in, then it has an even greater advantage.
My main concern is whether Apple would be able to get enough book publishers to back its own ebook store. Maybe if book publishers realize that selling on an Apple 'tablet' would mean much higher sales than in sticking with Amazon and the Kindle. Apple will depend on book publishers (which was not the case with the iPod, which could be filled by everyone with the help of any publisher.
Maybe this problem will be solved if a common eBook standard evolves, meaning buying eBooks will not tie you to one single device (or family of devices).
I agree. And it looks like you guys are moving the stock today (Nasdaq down 0.7%, Apple up 1.3%)!
Thats an interesting comment, you think it's the 'rumor' that caused that 1.3% move and not the articles from the analysts pushing apple?
Personally I think the article is 1/2 right. A tablet, as has been pointed out in this thread, is very cumbersome to use in that size and form factor.
what about a stylo? haven't seen no one talk about the need for a stylo until now! for me the only attractive to a tablet pc is the ability to use it as a writing paper. the "virtual keyboar is no substitute to the actual ability to write, draw and do math with a stylo/pen!
i don't see no use for this intermediate device if it doesn't provide anything else much different from an iphone/ipod touch on one side and the macbook on the other. i wnat a "drawing book", a math book, a lecture with graph note taking book, and also the ability of bein connectec, mail, music bla bla bla of the iphone. if it doesn't give me that i'll either stay with an iphone/ipodtouch and do the basics or take the macbook for serious work.
but by the way, does this new has any actual truth/real source ???...
Apple has an absolutely fantastic idea for pen or "stylo" input on a tablet that could potentially both be the "killer application" of the device, as well as leave all competitors in the dust unable to even respond. The only question is whether they have been able to actually make it work as it's sort of sci-fi.
The idea is that in addition to capacitance detection, the device would detect through infrared sensors the presence, size, orientation and pattern of the fingers and hands hovering over it *before* they touch it. This means that (theoretically), one could merely make the *gesture* of having a stylus in one's hands and that the device would detect that, switch to "ink mode" and draw a line as if one was holding a pen. This would be sort of like an "air pen" in the same way as an "air guitar." Heck, they could even have a music application that displays virtual guitar strings and allow you to make the "pick gesture" to play it.
I'll believe this when I see it but it would be super cool to say the least. The main drawback of stylus based devices is the need to have the stylus, store the stylus, and not lose the stylus. This would solve all of that if it's actually been engineered to the point that it works.
I could see this device 'bundled' with an iPhone, and both under one contract including having the same telephone number so as to address portability concerns. The two devices would sync with each other wirelessly (i.e., even when not side-by-side). As others have noted, it could be docked, could have a pico projector, could accommodate external USB inputs, and will be subsidized by the carrier in post-paid contracts. And, in order to prevent Verizon from getting it and to maintain exclusivity with Apple, ATT will agree to an aggressive pricing plan that includes unlimited tethering/MMS/texting/voice.... (OK, the last one might be a stretch).
What a game-changer that will be!
(And I might add, in their desperate attempt to compete and stay relevant, Nokia - which by then will have bought Palm - will merge with Microsoft and Dell, and they will all collectively bite the dust).
I don't see how tethering could be a service ATT could charge you for. My impression of tethering would be similar to using your cell phone to get internet access on your computer. Apple's ATT plan already included unlimited access to internet so how COULD they charge for tether? Seems to me just like USB sync.
Apple has an absolutely fantastic idea for pen or "stylo" input on a tablet that could potentially both be the "killer application" of the device, as well as leave all competitors in the dust unable to even respond. The only question is whether they have been able to actually make it work as it's sort of sci-fi.
The idea is that in addition to capacitance detection, the device would detect through infrared sensors the presence, size, orientation and pattern of the fingers and hands hovering over it *before* they touch it. This means that (theoretically), one could merely make the *gesture* of having a stylus in one's hands and that the device would detect that, switch to "ink mode" and draw a line as if one was holding a pen. This would be sort of like an "air pen" in the same way as an "air guitar." Heck, they could even have a music application that displays virtual guitar strings and allow you to make the "pick gesture" to play it.
I'll believe this when I see it but it would be super cool to say the least. The main drawback of stylus based devices is the need to have the stylus, store the stylus, and not lose the stylus. This would solve all of that if it's actually been engineered to the point that it works.
I think drawing would be difficult without the feedback you get from the contact between whatever you're drawing with and whatever you're drawing on.
I don't see how tethering could be a service ATT could charge you for. My impression of tethering would be similar to using your cell phone to get internet access on your computer. Apple's ATT plan already included unlimited access to internet so how COULD they charge for tether? Seems to me just like USB sync.
No, thats incorrect. Tethering, when it arrives for real will carry an extra charge. The reason they charge more is because the amount of data consumed by a computer running several apps at once can consume alot more data than the phone typically would.
Specifically: "sign a 2 year iPhone tethering plan for $30 a month and get $300 off your tablet"
That's right, AI forced me to register since I can't resist tablet speculation. Since I consider it a given that Steve wants us to have an iPhone, Macbook Pro, AND a tablet, I think the tablet will be geared specifically to tether with iPhone. In fact, maybe the tethering delay on ATT's part is to wait for this new toy.
Specifically: "sign a 2 year iPhone tethering plan for $30 a month and get $300 off your tablet"
Nope. I don't see that happening. The device will have it's own data plan built into the price of the device renewable every year. You'll have to buy chunks of pre-paid time....probably from Verizon. Watch, it's gonna happen.
There might also be a similar deal for AT&T for tethering.....maybe.
This device is not a "Book" so calling it MacBook is disingenuous. At least the MacBook opens like a book, and the marketing world calls these "notebook" computers. Touch works, but then by going with your logic, it would be the MacTouch. But all of Apples notebooks now have some kind of "touch" feature, which would further complicate the naming of such a device.
It's really between the iPod and the MacBook, and it's like the Newton MessagePad. Hence the reason for my naming. iTablet/MacTablet could be another possible name, putting it into a category of it's own.
try again.
MacPad? I don't think so. "Pad" used to be part of the word "touchpad", but the new device is so much more. Since it will be located between the small, pocketable devices iPod and iPhone and the bigger laptops MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, this should be reflected by the name. If it is gonna be a real OSX Snow Leopard device, it should bear the name Mac. Since it won't have a keyboard and will rely on its touchscreen, it should bear "touch" in the name.
Therefore, the one probable name scheme for the near future of Apple's portable products seems to be:
iPod shuffle
iPod nano
iPod touch
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
MacBook Touch
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro
You see the pattern? The first word defines the product category. The second one defines the sub-category. We don't have "one word" products anymore. That's why I would suggest, that the white MacBook will eventually be replaced by the MacBook Pro 13" as the entry model for the keyboard equipped laptop line.
Of course, an alternative could be a whole "new" fourth category starting (just as it happened with all the other categories) with a one-word-product:
MacTouch.
On logical reason would be that the product won't have the clamshell design of a book since there is nothing to open. Later on this could be differentiated by a second word in the naming.
The latter scheme would also nicely fit into Apple's strategy of giving customers good reasons to by one product from every category, avoiding the impression of having two products from the same category.
And this is exactely what Apple wants us to do: Buy the iPod shuffle or nano for doing sports with music, the iPod touch or even better the iPhone for all we know those two are great at, the new thing for being able to surf, present, read and do some basic editing while on the go and eventually a MacBook or a desktop iMac, Mac mini or Mac Pro for all the serious stuff we want to do including hosting all our precious data we synchronize with one of the other products.
And not to forget: The new MacBook Touch will lure Windows Users into the world of OSX, away from their Windows Notebooks oder Desktops.
Most fundamentally, it forces the company to define its "matrix" thinking between hardware form factors and software forking decisions (e.g., iPhone OS, Mac OS, hybrid OS, download anything anywhere, exclusively limit to App Store), not to mention the service layer and developer tool interconects between same, a topic that I blogged about in:
Apple, the ?Boomer? Tablet and the Matrix
http://bit.ly/DwziS
Check it out, if interested.
Mark