There will be one tablet, the base model will cost $999 (around 64GB SSD), it will have a 10.1" LCD screen, it will run Mac OS X touch, it will replace the MacBook (later in the year Apple will revoke the use of "Pro" in the MacBook lineup altogether). It will be demoed at CES 2010 or at a March 2010 Apple event. It will be targeted squarely at the consumer electronics market, but it will have full-blown computer capabilities. It will run a touch based version of Snow Leopard. It will not have a physical keyboard. It will contain a built-in rest on the back of the device. It will change the computer industry forever.
Yeah I would go along with that. All perfectly logical. The kicker however; the 'Appleness' of it will likely be some new twist on services/connectivity.
I've been thinking the 10" diagonal screen size pretty nicely fits a half-sheet of Letter Size paper, at 5.5" x 8.5", and has a close enough ratio for a widescreen with controls at the bottom with slim letterboxing. The ratio for 5.5 x 8.5 = 1.55, versus 16:9, which is a 1.78.
The key points are a device as light (400 g or less would be great) and small (pocketable or so would rock) as possible. The MacBook Air is too heavy and too large, besides not having essential ports.
Add video-out and USB2 ports to the Apple Tablet and it will be awesome, as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
That alone will sell millions worldwide on the corporate, education and domestic markets, besides creating a tremendous halo effect for Apple to sell more stuff like Macs, iPhones and iPods.
We need thousands of such Apple Tablet for our University. Even at 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
I wonder how much of this is misdirection on Apple's part.
It would seem to be in their interest to keep the rumor mills churning and churning... to keep the interest up at a fever pitch. To this end, I think Apple has been leaking incorrect information. Else everyone (including AI) is totally full of crap. (a high probability)
Look at the wide range of estimates on just about every point (6" or 10"- one or two devices- OSX or iPhoneOS...) I think Apple is orchestrating all this (and probably does with each new release) and it also smoothers any real information that might actually leak out. Everyone knows something is coming, so keep the interest up by seeding the rumors with all kinds of (valid/invalid) information.
KRR
PS. The reality distortion field is on full power! Captain!
My all-time favorite Apple rumor was one that came out a few years ago on one of the more disreputable Apple rumor sites. It claimed that Apple was preparing to release a new type of mouse at the upcoming MacWorld NY convention. The mouse was supposedly shaped like a human foot and they even posted a very crude drawing of what the mouse was to look like. (It looked like one of those plaster casts of a Bigfoot footprint.) Compared to that nonsense today's rumors about the tablet are like gold.
The key points are a device as light (400 g or less would be great) and small (pocketable or so would rock) as possible. The MacBook Air is too heavy and too large, besides not having essential ports.
Add video-out and USB2 ports to the Apple Tablet and it will be awesome, as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
That alone will sell millions worldwide on the corporate, education and domestic markets, besides creating a tremendous halo effect for Apple to sell more stuff like Macs, iPhones and iPods.
We need thousands of such Apple Tablet for our University. Even at 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmcalpin
They could make an app for that.
Although running powerpoint might not be as difficult, in my experience with Keynote, that program is a resource hog (processor, graphics, and memory). Of course, not as much as other programs, but relative to the scale of a touchpad device. Even if the pad has VGA out, I would imagine supporting those apps fully would be too power hungry. Small reader apps seems more likely.
Also, regarding weight, I do want some battery life for the screen (which I hope is OLED, but if it makes the 2nd generation product, I would understand), so I would be happy with a 500-700 gram product. That's still in the weight of a hardcover book range, which is probably a good perceived weight standard.
... If the tablet runs the iPhone OS X, I don't think it would do too well since it would be a large device with no real keyboard. ... My hope is that it uses Snow Leopard. That would make sense to let us use the device as a regular computer. ...
You couldn't be more wrong here.
The whole point of the device is that it's going to redefine what a "regular computer" is. You are making the same argument here that all the old command line geezers did when computers with GUI's started making headlines. It's also the same argument people made when laptops came out and didn't have "proper" keyboards or mice.
There already are and have been for some time tablet computers that use regular "desktop" OS's in both Windows and OS-X varieties. They are not that popular and have a lot of problems associated with their use. A tablet running regular "desktop" OS-X would likely be a failure as well.
Why would Apple spend all this time developing a completely separate version of OS-X that is specifically designed to be used with finger actuated, capacitive based, touch-screens and then release a new tablet product that uses that same hardware, but the old "desktop" version of the OS? Why would they confuse things by putting out some kind of hybrid "middle" variant between the two?
There is nothing missing from the iPhone version of OS-X that would stand in the way of it being an excellent choice for a tablet. The only mystery to me is how they are going to handle the obvious desire for pen input, or if they will just leave it out.
AppleInsider has certainly nailed it's nuts to the post on this one!
I still think there will be a 5-7" screen size iPod Touch in October and then possibly a 10" MBP Tablet in Jan/Feb 2010, but like everyone else I'm just guessing.
The only mystery to me is how they are going to handle the obvious desire for pen input, or if they will just leave it out.
Virgil, I agree with the rest of your post, but if the screen is capacitive touch, the pen would need to be brass or conductive? Plus, won't the easiest solution, ala Jobs, is use your finger? No lost styli!
Virgil, I agree with the rest of your post, but if the screen is capacitive touch, the pen would need to be brass or conductive? Plus, won't the easiest solution, ala Jobs, is use your finger? No lost styli!
The accuracy of the finger leaves much to be desired. I don't think they would leave an obvious market for a tablet untapped, so I am also curious about what they are going to do.
The key points are a device as light (400 g or less would be great) and small (pocketable or so would rock) as possible. The MacBook Air is too heavy and too large, besides not having essential ports.
Add video-out and USB2 ports to the Apple Tablet and it will be awesome, as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
That alone will sell millions worldwide on the corporate, education and domestic markets, besides creating a tremendous halo effect for Apple to sell more stuff like Macs, iPhones and iPods.
We need thousands of such Apple Tablet for our University. Even at 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
You have no idea at all do you?
All you can think of for uses for a tablet is that if it had "video out" you could use it for PowerPoint? First off, of course it will have video out, the very presence of the iPod dock connector assures that. Secondly, if the thing is connecting to a projector, and you are walking around a room with a USB control, how is that any different from any computer invented since the early 90's? Third, if you are actually expecting the thing to have a VGA port or some such nonsense, please slap yourself in the face.
You talk about the MacBook Air as being "heavy"?? WTF?
By all accounts one of the most imaginative, interesting and new products in the last decade is about to come out, and this is the limit of your imagination for uses for it? To run a dumb-ass Powerpoint presentation? No one at my University is going to buy one for that, and Apple won't sell "millions" if that's the only use the thing has.
AppleInsider has certainly nailed it's nuts to the post on this one!
I still think there will be a 5-7" screen size iPod Touch in October and then possibly a 10" MBP Tablet in Jan/Feb 2010, but like everyone else I'm just guessing.
I personally feel that would be very un-Apple like. I don't think they are going to purposely confuse their customers with two tablets running different operating systems.
There will be one tablet, the base model will cost $999 (around 64GB SSD), it will have a 10.1" LCD screen, it will run Mac OS X touch, it will replace the MacBook (later in the year Apple will revoke the use of "Pro" in the MacBook lineup altogether). It will be demoed at CES 2010 or at a March 2010 Apple event. It will be targeted squarely at the consumer electronics market, but it will have full-blown computer capabilities. It will run a touch based version of Snow Leopard. It will not have a physical keyboard. It will contain a built-in rest on the back of the device. It will change the computer industry forever.
The iPhone/iPod touch already changed the computer industry forever, but I agree in that a tablet will again redefine computing. I believe this is especially true with regards to education . Some say the tablet will fail, I believe it will be a success on the same scale as the iPhone, with even greater potential. Not so sure about that built in rest though.. Not apple's style, but you never know.
That said, it will most likely have some sort of stylus.
I cannot for the life of me remember who it was from Apple if it was Mr. Jobs himself or another guy. But, Apple did admit that recently if not before they started throwing out false information about upcoming new devices, releases of OS etc. the reason was because of the fact that too many leaks about the real stuff they were about to go public with was happening.
My understanding was that some of the media got the bogus information to help Apple prevent the public and or competitors from really knowing what they were going to bring out next until they were ready. Too many times in the past leaks were getting out that stole the fun from Apple introducing us to something new rather if were exciting or not. Typically, Apple will provide release information well enough in advance to generate enough interests or buzz to help sell their product. However, due to the leaks and before Apple was ready to release a few companies may get a head start on something that Apple is working on... It is Apple's way to weed out the leakers.
Virgil, I agree with the rest of your post, but if the screen is capacitive touch, the pen would need to be brass or conductive? Plus, won't the easiest solution, ala Jobs, is use your finger? No lost styli!
There is an absolutely wild patent that Apple has where they use infrared sensors together with the capacitance sensors to detect "hand shapes" as your hands hover over the screen. In this scenario to switch to pen input, you put your hand like you are holding an "air pen" and the computer detects that and switches modes.
This would be brilliant of course, but to me it's so "science-fictiony" that I have trouble believing that it will actually work or that the patent isn't just some speculative thing like the one where they use a regular LCD as a camera.
Steve Jobs hates styluses, (but then he hates a lot of things), so maybe this will happen, but I'm not really certain at all and will be interested to see what they do. It seems to me that all other solutions are going to require some kind of stylus which will inevitably get lost.
If it works, this could be revolutionary. Moving around documents with your fingers, and then "writing" on them with either an air pen or any chopstick, french-fry, or pocky that's handy (if you have trouble making the gesture) would be the "Jesus interface" IMO. I've just had my Apple-dreams shattered so many times before that I refuse to get too involved with the idea until it seems more likely.
The iPhone/iPod touch already changed the computer industry forever, but I agree in that a tablet will again redefine computing. I believe this is especially true with regards to education . Some say the tablet will fail, I believe it will be a sucess on the same scale as the iPhone, with even greater potential. Not so sure about that built in rest though.. Not apple's style, but you never know.
I will have to agree here. Apple is in no way perfect and has had its share of failures in the past and maybe some in the future. What I like about Apple comes from Steve himself. Like when he mentioned his thoughts on the Netbook industry. He himself though Apple should wait as it didn't really see a market for it yet. Some of the greatest things from Apple wasn't when they were the first to market with a product. Unlike some companies that play the me too game Apple with the iPod join a losing market in the MP3 player market. When I would look for one before Apple came out with the iPod. I hated what was available. Apple didn't invent the MP3 player they did it right from their start.
Sometimes waiting to see what the next guy brings out is good because then you can show off what Apple can bring to the table. The Tablet, and Netbook are two computers that Apple hasn't made it to market yet. But the wait an see approach like with the music player may do for those markets what the iPod did. In all honesty, i myself a devoted Mac person hated the iPod when it came out. It wasn't until the iPhone came out that I actually liked it. And now I own my 2nd iPhone. When the first iMac's rolled out I thought they were butt ugly that green (Bondi Blue) was the ugliest thing I have seen Apple every release. I got hooked on the iMac when Apple released them in multicolor... When the iMac G4 came out another one I thought what the hell are they thinking... It took while before I began to like it.... then just when I was ready to dip in and by one they Switched to he G5 iMac. Another one I didn't like. I finally, got a new iMac when Apple released the Aluminum iMac's.
I like the idea behind the MacBook Air. I just wished Apple gave us better drives and speed. (in good time I am sure) and match the display with the other MacBook Pros. bring it down to the size of 12" Powebook G4 and thin as the Air is today and I am buying it! the hell with Rent LOL
Comments
There will be one tablet, the base model will cost $999 (around 64GB SSD), it will have a 10.1" LCD screen, it will run Mac OS X touch, it will replace the MacBook (later in the year Apple will revoke the use of "Pro" in the MacBook lineup altogether). It will be demoed at CES 2010 or at a March 2010 Apple event. It will be targeted squarely at the consumer electronics market, but it will have full-blown computer capabilities. It will run a touch based version of Snow Leopard. It will not have a physical keyboard. It will contain a built-in rest on the back of the device. It will change the computer industry forever.
Yeah I would go along with that. All perfectly logical. The kicker however; the 'Appleness' of it will likely be some new twist on services/connectivity.
Add video-out and USB2 ports to the Apple Tablet and it will be awesome, as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
That alone will sell millions worldwide on the corporate, education and domestic markets, besides creating a tremendous halo effect for Apple to sell more stuff like Macs, iPhones and iPods.
We need thousands of such Apple Tablet for our University. Even at 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
There will be one tablet, ..... It will run a touch based version of Snow Leopard. ....
Huh!? Snow Leopard certainly seems more on-topic than kiwi fruit.
Talk about irony.....
as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
They could make an app for that.
Huh!? Snow Leopard certainly seems more on-topic than kiwi fruit.
Talk about irony.....
I get your sarcasm, you missed mine.
I wonder how much of this is misdirection on Apple's part.
It would seem to be in their interest to keep the rumor mills churning and churning... to keep the interest up at a fever pitch. To this end, I think Apple has been leaking incorrect information. Else everyone (including AI) is totally full of crap. (a high probability)
Look at the wide range of estimates on just about every point (6" or 10"- one or two devices- OSX or iPhoneOS...) I think Apple is orchestrating all this (and probably does with each new release) and it also smoothers any real information that might actually leak out. Everyone knows something is coming, so keep the interest up by seeding the rumors with all kinds of (valid/invalid) information.
KRR
PS. The reality distortion field is on full power! Captain!
My all-time favorite Apple rumor was one that came out a few years ago on one of the more disreputable Apple rumor sites. It claimed that Apple was preparing to release a new type of mouse at the upcoming MacWorld NY convention. The mouse was supposedly shaped like a human foot and they even posted a very crude drawing of what the mouse was to look like. (It looked like one of those plaster casts of a Bigfoot footprint.) Compared to that nonsense today's rumors about the tablet are like gold.
The key points are a device as light (400 g or less would be great) and small (pocketable or so would rock) as possible. The MacBook Air is too heavy and too large, besides not having essential ports.
Add video-out and USB2 ports to the Apple Tablet and it will be awesome, as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
That alone will sell millions worldwide on the corporate, education and domestic markets, besides creating a tremendous halo effect for Apple to sell more stuff like Macs, iPhones and iPods.
We need thousands of such Apple Tablet for our University. Even at 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
They could make an app for that.
Although running powerpoint might not be as difficult, in my experience with Keynote, that program is a resource hog (processor, graphics, and memory). Of course, not as much as other programs, but relative to the scale of a touchpad device. Even if the pad has VGA out, I would imagine supporting those apps fully would be too power hungry. Small reader apps seems more likely.
Also, regarding weight, I do want some battery life for the screen (which I hope is OLED, but if it makes the 2nd generation product, I would understand), so I would be happy with a 500-700 gram product. That's still in the weight of a hardcover book range, which is probably a good perceived weight standard.
I've finally figured out what Apple should call this new category/game changer:
Handy
Don't laugh, it grows on you!
OK. Anyone seen the cartoon episode of the Tick, where he fights Handy the hand puppet and the giant (spoof of Juggernaut)?
BTW, no disrespect to Pens fans, but honestly, the name...
... If the tablet runs the iPhone OS X, I don't think it would do too well since it would be a large device with no real keyboard. ... My hope is that it uses Snow Leopard. That would make sense to let us use the device as a regular computer. ...
You couldn't be more wrong here.
The whole point of the device is that it's going to redefine what a "regular computer" is. You are making the same argument here that all the old command line geezers did when computers with GUI's started making headlines. It's also the same argument people made when laptops came out and didn't have "proper" keyboards or mice.
There already are and have been for some time tablet computers that use regular "desktop" OS's in both Windows and OS-X varieties. They are not that popular and have a lot of problems associated with their use. A tablet running regular "desktop" OS-X would likely be a failure as well.
Why would Apple spend all this time developing a completely separate version of OS-X that is specifically designed to be used with finger actuated, capacitive based, touch-screens and then release a new tablet product that uses that same hardware, but the old "desktop" version of the OS? Why would they confuse things by putting out some kind of hybrid "middle" variant between the two?
There is nothing missing from the iPhone version of OS-X that would stand in the way of it being an excellent choice for a tablet. The only mystery to me is how they are going to handle the obvious desire for pen input, or if they will just leave it out.
I still think there will be a 5-7" screen size iPod Touch in October and then possibly a 10" MBP Tablet in Jan/Feb 2010, but like everyone else I'm just guessing.
The only mystery to me is how they are going to handle the obvious desire for pen input, or if they will just leave it out.
Virgil, I agree with the rest of your post, but if the screen is capacitive touch, the pen would need to be brass or conductive? Plus, won't the easiest solution, ala Jobs, is use your finger? No lost styli!
I know there were speculations about an Apple phone. And rumors of an internet device. I just don't remember anybody nailing it back then.
Anyone predict iPhone accurately, or was everyone as surprised as I was?
Virgil, I agree with the rest of your post, but if the screen is capacitive touch, the pen would need to be brass or conductive? Plus, won't the easiest solution, ala Jobs, is use your finger? No lost styli!
The accuracy of the finger leaves much to be desired. I don't think they would leave an obvious market for a tablet untapped, so I am also curious about what they are going to do.
The key points are a device as light (400 g or less would be great) and small (pocketable or so would rock) as possible. The MacBook Air is too heavy and too large, besides not having essential ports.
Add video-out and USB2 ports to the Apple Tablet and it will be awesome, as long as it runs Mac OS X (not the OS X of the iPhone/iPod touch) for full blown Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on videoprojectors via the video-out port, using USB-based remote control for the presentation.
That alone will sell millions worldwide on the corporate, education and domestic markets, besides creating a tremendous halo effect for Apple to sell more stuff like Macs, iPhones and iPods.
We need thousands of such Apple Tablet for our University. Even at 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
You have no idea at all do you?
All you can think of for uses for a tablet is that if it had "video out" you could use it for PowerPoint? First off, of course it will have video out, the very presence of the iPod dock connector assures that. Secondly, if the thing is connecting to a projector, and you are walking around a room with a USB control, how is that any different from any computer invented since the early 90's? Third, if you are actually expecting the thing to have a VGA port or some such nonsense, please slap yourself in the face.
You talk about the MacBook Air as being "heavy"?? WTF?
By all accounts one of the most imaginative, interesting and new products in the last decade is about to come out, and this is the limit of your imagination for uses for it? To run a dumb-ass Powerpoint presentation? No one at my University is going to buy one for that, and Apple won't sell "millions" if that's the only use the thing has.
AppleInsider has certainly nailed it's nuts to the post on this one!
I still think there will be a 5-7" screen size iPod Touch in October and then possibly a 10" MBP Tablet in Jan/Feb 2010, but like everyone else I'm just guessing.
I personally feel that would be very un-Apple like. I don't think they are going to purposely confuse their customers with two tablets running different operating systems.
There will be one tablet, the base model will cost $999 (around 64GB SSD), it will have a 10.1" LCD screen, it will run Mac OS X touch, it will replace the MacBook (later in the year Apple will revoke the use of "Pro" in the MacBook lineup altogether). It will be demoed at CES 2010 or at a March 2010 Apple event. It will be targeted squarely at the consumer electronics market, but it will have full-blown computer capabilities. It will run a touch based version of Snow Leopard. It will not have a physical keyboard. It will contain a built-in rest on the back of the device. It will change the computer industry forever.
The iPhone/iPod touch already changed the computer industry forever, but I agree in that a tablet will again redefine computing. I believe this is especially true with regards to education . Some say the tablet will fail, I believe it will be a success on the same scale as the iPhone, with even greater potential. Not so sure about that built in rest though.. Not apple's style, but you never know.
That said, it will most likely have some sort of stylus.
I cannot for the life of me remember who it was from Apple if it was Mr. Jobs himself or another guy. But, Apple did admit that recently if not before they started throwing out false information about upcoming new devices, releases of OS etc. the reason was because of the fact that too many leaks about the real stuff they were about to go public with was happening.
My understanding was that some of the media got the bogus information to help Apple prevent the public and or competitors from really knowing what they were going to bring out next until they were ready. Too many times in the past leaks were getting out that stole the fun from Apple introducing us to something new rather if were exciting or not. Typically, Apple will provide release information well enough in advance to generate enough interests or buzz to help sell their product. However, due to the leaks and before Apple was ready to release a few companies may get a head start on something that Apple is working on... It is Apple's way to weed out the leakers.
Virgil, I agree with the rest of your post, but if the screen is capacitive touch, the pen would need to be brass or conductive? Plus, won't the easiest solution, ala Jobs, is use your finger? No lost styli!
There is an absolutely wild patent that Apple has where they use infrared sensors together with the capacitance sensors to detect "hand shapes" as your hands hover over the screen. In this scenario to switch to pen input, you put your hand like you are holding an "air pen" and the computer detects that and switches modes.
This would be brilliant of course, but to me it's so "science-fictiony" that I have trouble believing that it will actually work or that the patent isn't just some speculative thing like the one where they use a regular LCD as a camera.
Steve Jobs hates styluses, (but then he hates a lot of things), so maybe this will happen, but I'm not really certain at all and will be interested to see what they do. It seems to me that all other solutions are going to require some kind of stylus which will inevitably get lost.
If it works, this could be revolutionary. Moving around documents with your fingers, and then "writing" on them with either an air pen or any chopstick, french-fry, or pocky that's handy (if you have trouble making the gesture) would be the "Jesus interface" IMO. I've just had my Apple-dreams shattered so many times before that I refuse to get too involved with the idea until it seems more likely.
The iPhone/iPod touch already changed the computer industry forever, but I agree in that a tablet will again redefine computing. I believe this is especially true with regards to education . Some say the tablet will fail, I believe it will be a sucess on the same scale as the iPhone, with even greater potential. Not so sure about that built in rest though.. Not apple's style, but you never know.
I will have to agree here. Apple is in no way perfect and has had its share of failures in the past and maybe some in the future. What I like about Apple comes from Steve himself. Like when he mentioned his thoughts on the Netbook industry. He himself though Apple should wait as it didn't really see a market for it yet. Some of the greatest things from Apple wasn't when they were the first to market with a product. Unlike some companies that play the me too game Apple with the iPod join a losing market in the MP3 player market. When I would look for one before Apple came out with the iPod. I hated what was available. Apple didn't invent the MP3 player they did it right from their start.
Sometimes waiting to see what the next guy brings out is good because then you can show off what Apple can bring to the table. The Tablet, and Netbook are two computers that Apple hasn't made it to market yet. But the wait an see approach like with the music player may do for those markets what the iPod did. In all honesty, i myself a devoted Mac person hated the iPod when it came out. It wasn't until the iPhone came out that I actually liked it. And now I own my 2nd iPhone. When the first iMac's rolled out I thought they were butt ugly that green (Bondi Blue) was the ugliest thing I have seen Apple every release. I got hooked on the iMac when Apple released them in multicolor... When the iMac G4 came out another one I thought what the hell are they thinking... It took while before I began to like it.... then just when I was ready to dip in and by one they Switched to he G5 iMac. Another one I didn't like. I finally, got a new iMac when Apple released the Aluminum iMac's.
I like the idea behind the MacBook Air. I just wished Apple gave us better drives and speed. (in good time I am sure) and match the display with the other MacBook Pros. bring it down to the size of 12" Powebook G4 and thin as the Air is today and I am buying it! the hell with Rent LOL
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