That may be the key to advertising this thing. Make "who should use it and how" the centerpiece. Challenge viewers to post their own uses on an Apple web page. By making it the must-have accessory for doctors, nurses and other professional and business people it will soon become the must-have for all us wannabes.
You hit the nail on the head with the 'wannabes' comment!
My business card says. 'Amateur Gynecologist, Warm Hands, Will Travel!'
I think a 10" tablet and a iPhone Nano is the way to go....
Could be, and it may well be for you. But you could argue that then you'd have an iphone which wasn't really an iphone (too small for web browsing etc) and a laptop that is too small and not powerful enough for 'power work'. In other words the worst of both worlds.
For me the perfect solution is an iPhone and a 13" mbp with a 24" Apple monitor at work.
... a flip out stand to prop it up?, all stuff done before, the flip out stand could double as a means of holding it if using the touchscreen cos you don't want to drop it. ...
I've always thought (idle speculation wise), that if the tablet is going to play movies and sync with your desktop that it doesn't make sense unless it overcomes the one flaw of the iPhone in that regard, (the fact that it *has* to be in portrait mode when it's in the cradle on your desktop) by having some sort of cradle that works for both orientations.
If it can sync and stream wirelessly, then a wireless charger cradle which is just a simple "L shape" that the tablet can be set in, in either orientation would seem to be the best solution.
I had to register today, after years of lurking to finally post this.
How did we not see a tablet coming far down the road ago?
Think about all the software tweaks apple has made to itunes, safari etc that are conducive to touch screen.
Safari now has the 'top sites' page, which turns your browsing history basically into the iphone OS right in safari.
iTunes adopted cover flow #1, and then switched to the so called marble interface. iTunes now represents artists like apps, easy to touch and also most likely conducive to the 'cocktail' we have been hearing about.
Apple hardly ever just 'springs' a new innovation into the public, if you follow the breadcrumbs its really not difficult.
Price matters. A $900 tablet will not touch the netbook market. But something better suited to the Internet than the current Touch would do well.
I do have a question. If the product Apple brings to market isn't suited to doing the sort of work, beyond surfing the net, that students are using their netbooks for, is that a problem? I suspect students are buying netbooks for more practical uses than simply surfing in their spare time.
Good question. It doesn't have a keyboard, and maybe a beefier CPU than the intel Atoms.
I do have a question. If the product Apple brings to market isn't suited to doing the sort of work, beyond surfing the net, that students are using their netbooks for, is that a problem? I suspect students are buying netbooks for more practical uses than simply surfing in their spare time.
Yes, it would be a problem. Whatever it is, it must provide the functionality of a small laptop. They need to use it to write papers, create Keynote/PowerPoint presentations, etc. I wonder if a Bluetooth or wired accessory keyboard would be a plus? I think it would, even though the idea of having to drag along external stuff to make your device functional rubs me the wrong way.
The iPhone is too big and heavy to be thought of as a futuristic phone [tried putting it in your pocket?] and an iPhone Nano with camera would be perfect.
I was in that boat once. One of the reasons I waited until the 3GS was the thought that the iPhone was too big to fit comfortably in a pocket. I had decided to wait until Apple released a smaller version, but after seeing many people keep iPhones in their pockets, I started to wonder if I was wrong. Turns out that it fits in my pocket nicer than my old "smaller" nokia phone. With pockets it seems that the thickness of the device is what contributes the most to comfort. Although I can't deny that a smaller iPhone would fit even better.
Price matters. A $900 tablet will not touch the netbook market. But something better suited to the Internet than the current Touch would do well.
I do have a question. If the product Apple brings to market isn't suited to doing the sort of work, beyond surfing the net, that students are using their netbooks for, is that a problem? I suspect students are buying netbooks for more practical uses than simply surfing in their spare time.
You mean like taking notes? You can take notes on a tablet far easier than a netbook, unless all your notes are text only. I'm not sure if students write reports and whatnot on their tablets, but of course that problem could be solved with an external keyboard and stand.
However, I see the tablet as a companion device much like many people who own netbooks got them as a secondary computer. The tablet won't be designed to replace the computer, but rather to supplement it. Why would Apple sell you one device when they can sell you two?
Huh? I've had the original iPhone and now a 3GS and I've never had it anywhere BUT in my pockets. Everything from cargo shorts to jeans to slacks. What's the problem?
Same here. iPhone ALWAYS in my pocket. I am a dude afterall, and so that means I don't carry a purse, or a fanny-pack, or a european carry-all. It's pocket or nothing, and it fits very well. Sometimes I have panic attacks because I suddenly cannot feel it in my pocket and I think I lost it. Luckily, it is still there....usually.
If you want to talk fat phones, I recall my first cell phone, a motorola fli phone circa 1995. Man that thing was fat, and not very phat. I could squeeze it into my pocket, but it was uncomfortable and bulged obscenely. A few months later they came out with a high capacity NiMH battery for it that was actually a slim line version. Although this slim battery by itself was the same size as the entire iphone. It still didn't fit well in ym pocket.
...I could see it 'taking over' the medical field. As a realtor I would love to have it for presentations and ease of use.
This could be the holy grail in medicine and the laboratory, applications where using a netbook would be awkward (at least in part because one is often standing) but an iPhone/Touch doesn't have enough screen real estate. But, that alone wouldn't be enough to make it successful, even if there were similar uses in other fields. So, Apple must have ideas about what this is other than an electronic clipboard. (Or "just" a media player, for that matter.)
Other random thoughts, not necessarily original:
1. Six inches seems to me the maximum size at which the iPhone OS UI would be useful. Beyond that, in it's current form, I think it would start to become counterproductive vs. size. Many existing iPhone apps might "feel weird" at larger sizes.
2. Anything much larger than an iPhone is too big to fit comfortably in a pocket (Although, the iPhone fits quite well in a pocket.) and, I imagine, larger than many women would want in a purse -- i.e., 6 inches is already too large for one's pocket.
3. A completely touch screen interface would be awkward for full Mac OS X, although, it might not be that hard to modify it with some clever tweaks to overcome that, yet, typing could still be an issue.
4. It might not be all that difficult for Apple to support a 3rd UI, but it might be difficult to get developers to adopt a 3rd SDK.
5. Six inches might be about the maximum size that is comfortable to type on with a touch keyboard while holding it.
6. Ten inches might be an optimal size for a device that supports handwriting recognition.
7. Exactly what type of screens has Apple been buying? Does anyone know?
Price matters. A $900 tablet will not touch the netbook market.
There is no "netbook market".
In a market, people make profits by selling goods for more than they cost to manufacture.
In the fantasy land of netbooks... HP, Acer and MSI are all selling little computers at a few dollars more than it costs to manufacture them. No one is making any money. And Apple would be nuts to want anything to do with that messed up model.
Acer is the world number 2 laptop maker. Apple is number 5
Apple does stuff differently.
1st Quarter Profit from Acer $60M
1st Quarter Profit from Apple $1.61B
Apple Annual Turnover 5th Avenue Store $355M (one shop)
Yes, it would be a problem. Whatever it is, it must provide the functionality of a small laptop. They need to use it to write papers, create Keynote/PowerPoint presentations, etc. I wonder if a Bluetooth or wired accessory keyboard would be a plus? I think it would, even though the idea of having to drag along external stuff to make your device functional rubs me the wrong way.
I have my doubts that Apple can put a dent in the netbook market at least for some of the target customers for these machines. I bought one, even though I'm a long-time Apple supporter, because it was the cheapest way to support my HD camcorder while on vacation. My camera uses 16gig SDHC cards for 48 minutes of video in HD. Last time I vacationed in Europe I shot seven hours of footage. The netbook was cheaper than buying 120gigis worth of SDHC cards and for traveling it's handy. How would a $900 tablet compete with that?
Likewise, I'm skeptical regarding Apple's ability to compete for students on a budget looking for a fully functional computer. A pricey tablet is not the mass-market device that the netbooks have become and for obvious reasons.
That said, I'm sure some netbook sales are to people who could be enticed to consider what Mr. Jobs and the gang appear to be conjuring up. I could imagine myself buying such a device even if there is no obvious practical reason to if the thing is typically Apple. But that's a weak argument for moving forward with such a device.
The more I consider this whole tablet thing the more I can relate to why Jobs has been so reluctant to green-light the project. I also suspect that Jobs being Jobs, this thing is drawing his attention if only because it represents a challenge.
Great art is never created by committee. Even if others (artisans, engineers) are involved to bring the vision to reality, there must be the artist at the core who has the power and authority to steer the project according to his/her lights. This is what separates Apple from its competitors. It's a company making electronic devices that acts like a studio creating art. Think great film directors, think Henry Ford, think Thomas Edison, think Louis Comfort Tiffany. The sad thing is that such corporate models are time limited. Once the creative genius is gone, the company becomes a rumor of its former revolutionary self. Again, think Ford, Edison, Tiffany. I hope Steve outlives me because I can't bear to see that day.
Trust me, boys and girls. We won't be getting a Tablet any time soon.
Be prepared to eat those words! There have already been lots of leaks about the tablet in other publications. Unlikely that it's all pure rumor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Not Jobs "alone". Without Jobs they likely wouldn't exists, but not alone. He's good, but he's not that good. His knack is for getting the best work out of the talent at Apple, and his taste sets that direction. But the talent at Apple do the majority of the work, and I'm sure they are very gifted in different ways.
Yes, but, without good leadership, all you have to do is look at what nearly happened to Apple during Steve's absence (in the 90s). I remember seeing countless articles about how Apple will probably be bankrupt and out of business soon. Then Jobs came back, the first iMacs were born, and since then Apple's success skyrocketed. Without him, Apple would almost certainly have been history by now. Don't underestimate the power of an individual to change the course of history.
That would be killer, but not sustainable since Verizon doesn't have proprietary rights to 4G
No, but aren't they ahead of the competition on building out the network? They probably want to get in on the iphone party but clearly can't yet. A 4g non-phone tablet really would not raise noncompete issues. And if verizon has an exclusive deal (which they absolutely would), they would be able to charge a premium for a the apple experience. Verizon is very closed, though, I agree.
I really hope the tablet will work closely with Apple TV as a kind of remote and keyboard that will also allow you to surf the Internet from your comfy chair. That would definitely encourage me to buy one.
Comments
That may be the key to advertising this thing. Make "who should use it and how" the centerpiece. Challenge viewers to post their own uses on an Apple web page. By making it the must-have accessory for doctors, nurses and other professional and business people it will soon become the must-have for all us wannabes.
You hit the nail on the head with the 'wannabes' comment!
My business card says. 'Amateur Gynecologist, Warm Hands, Will Travel!'
I think a 10" tablet and a iPhone Nano is the way to go....
Could be, and it may well be for you. But you could argue that then you'd have an iphone which wasn't really an iphone (too small for web browsing etc) and a laptop that is too small and not powerful enough for 'power work'. In other words the worst of both worlds.
For me the perfect solution is an iPhone and a 13" mbp with a 24" Apple monitor at work.
... a flip out stand to prop it up?, all stuff done before, the flip out stand could double as a means of holding it if using the touchscreen cos you don't want to drop it. ...
I've always thought (idle speculation wise), that if the tablet is going to play movies and sync with your desktop that it doesn't make sense unless it overcomes the one flaw of the iPhone in that regard, (the fact that it *has* to be in portrait mode when it's in the cradle on your desktop) by having some sort of cradle that works for both orientations.
If it can sync and stream wirelessly, then a wireless charger cradle which is just a simple "L shape" that the tablet can be set in, in either orientation would seem to be the best solution.
I had to register today, after years of lurking to finally post this.
How did we not see a tablet coming far down the road ago?
Think about all the software tweaks apple has made to itunes, safari etc that are conducive to touch screen.
Safari now has the 'top sites' page, which turns your browsing history basically into the iphone OS right in safari.
iTunes adopted cover flow #1, and then switched to the so called marble interface. iTunes now represents artists like apps, easy to touch and also most likely conducive to the 'cocktail' we have been hearing about.
Apple hardly ever just 'springs' a new innovation into the public, if you follow the breadcrumbs its really not difficult.
Good points and welcome!
Price matters. A $900 tablet will not touch the netbook market. But something better suited to the Internet than the current Touch would do well.
I do have a question. If the product Apple brings to market isn't suited to doing the sort of work, beyond surfing the net, that students are using their netbooks for, is that a problem? I suspect students are buying netbooks for more practical uses than simply surfing in their spare time.
Good question. It doesn't have a keyboard, and maybe a beefier CPU than the intel Atoms.
Better portability than Macbooks?
Or it could be the "Wii" of laptops.
I do have a question. If the product Apple brings to market isn't suited to doing the sort of work, beyond surfing the net, that students are using their netbooks for, is that a problem? I suspect students are buying netbooks for more practical uses than simply surfing in their spare time.
Yes, it would be a problem. Whatever it is, it must provide the functionality of a small laptop. They need to use it to write papers, create Keynote/PowerPoint presentations, etc. I wonder if a Bluetooth or wired accessory keyboard would be a plus? I think it would, even though the idea of having to drag along external stuff to make your device functional rubs me the wrong way.
The iPhone is too big and heavy to be thought of as a futuristic phone [tried putting it in your pocket?] and an iPhone Nano with camera would be perfect.
I was in that boat once. One of the reasons I waited until the 3GS was the thought that the iPhone was too big to fit comfortably in a pocket. I had decided to wait until Apple released a smaller version, but after seeing many people keep iPhones in their pockets, I started to wonder if I was wrong. Turns out that it fits in my pocket nicer than my old "smaller" nokia phone. With pockets it seems that the thickness of the device is what contributes the most to comfort. Although I can't deny that a smaller iPhone would fit even better.
Price matters. A $900 tablet will not touch the netbook market. But something better suited to the Internet than the current Touch would do well.
I do have a question. If the product Apple brings to market isn't suited to doing the sort of work, beyond surfing the net, that students are using their netbooks for, is that a problem? I suspect students are buying netbooks for more practical uses than simply surfing in their spare time.
You mean like taking notes? You can take notes on a tablet far easier than a netbook, unless all your notes are text only. I'm not sure if students write reports and whatnot on their tablets, but of course that problem could be solved with an external keyboard and stand.
However, I see the tablet as a companion device much like many people who own netbooks got them as a secondary computer. The tablet won't be designed to replace the computer, but rather to supplement it. Why would Apple sell you one device when they can sell you two?
Huh? I've had the original iPhone and now a 3GS and I've never had it anywhere BUT in my pockets. Everything from cargo shorts to jeans to slacks. What's the problem?
Same here. iPhone ALWAYS in my pocket. I am a dude afterall, and so that means I don't carry a purse, or a fanny-pack, or a european carry-all. It's pocket or nothing, and it fits very well. Sometimes I have panic attacks because I suddenly cannot feel it in my pocket and I think I lost it. Luckily, it is still there....usually.
If you want to talk fat phones, I recall my first cell phone, a motorola fli phone circa 1995. Man that thing was fat, and not very phat. I could squeeze it into my pocket, but it was uncomfortable and bulged obscenely. A few months later they came out with a high capacity NiMH battery for it that was actually a slim line version. Although this slim battery by itself was the same size as the entire iphone. It still didn't fit well in ym pocket.
...I could see it 'taking over' the medical field. As a realtor I would love to have it for presentations and ease of use.
This could be the holy grail in medicine and the laboratory, applications where using a netbook would be awkward (at least in part because one is often standing) but an iPhone/Touch doesn't have enough screen real estate. But, that alone wouldn't be enough to make it successful, even if there were similar uses in other fields. So, Apple must have ideas about what this is other than an electronic clipboard. (Or "just" a media player, for that matter.)
Other random thoughts, not necessarily original:
1. Six inches seems to me the maximum size at which the iPhone OS UI would be useful. Beyond that, in it's current form, I think it would start to become counterproductive vs. size. Many existing iPhone apps might "feel weird" at larger sizes.
2. Anything much larger than an iPhone is too big to fit comfortably in a pocket (Although, the iPhone fits quite well in a pocket.) and, I imagine, larger than many women would want in a purse -- i.e., 6 inches is already too large for one's pocket.
3. A completely touch screen interface would be awkward for full Mac OS X, although, it might not be that hard to modify it with some clever tweaks to overcome that, yet, typing could still be an issue.
4. It might not be all that difficult for Apple to support a 3rd UI, but it might be difficult to get developers to adopt a 3rd SDK.
5. Six inches might be about the maximum size that is comfortable to type on with a touch keyboard while holding it.
6. Ten inches might be an optimal size for a device that supports handwriting recognition.
7. Exactly what type of screens has Apple been buying? Does anyone know?
Price matters. A $900 tablet will not touch the netbook market.
There is no "netbook market".
In a market, people make profits by selling goods for more than they cost to manufacture.
In the fantasy land of netbooks... HP, Acer and MSI are all selling little computers at a few dollars more than it costs to manufacture them. No one is making any money. And Apple would be nuts to want anything to do with that messed up model.
Acer is the world number 2 laptop maker. Apple is number 5
Apple does stuff differently.
1st Quarter Profit from Acer $60M
1st Quarter Profit from Apple $1.61B
Apple Annual Turnover 5th Avenue Store $355M (one shop)
As you say price matters.
C.
Yes, it would be a problem. Whatever it is, it must provide the functionality of a small laptop. They need to use it to write papers, create Keynote/PowerPoint presentations, etc. I wonder if a Bluetooth or wired accessory keyboard would be a plus? I think it would, even though the idea of having to drag along external stuff to make your device functional rubs me the wrong way.
I have my doubts that Apple can put a dent in the netbook market at least for some of the target customers for these machines. I bought one, even though I'm a long-time Apple supporter, because it was the cheapest way to support my HD camcorder while on vacation. My camera uses 16gig SDHC cards for 48 minutes of video in HD. Last time I vacationed in Europe I shot seven hours of footage. The netbook was cheaper than buying 120gigis worth of SDHC cards and for traveling it's handy. How would a $900 tablet compete with that?
Likewise, I'm skeptical regarding Apple's ability to compete for students on a budget looking for a fully functional computer. A pricey tablet is not the mass-market device that the netbooks have become and for obvious reasons.
That said, I'm sure some netbook sales are to people who could be enticed to consider what Mr. Jobs and the gang appear to be conjuring up. I could imagine myself buying such a device even if there is no obvious practical reason to if the thing is typically Apple. But that's a weak argument for moving forward with such a device.
The more I consider this whole tablet thing the more I can relate to why Jobs has been so reluctant to green-light the project. I also suspect that Jobs being Jobs, this thing is drawing his attention if only because it represents a challenge.
*ahem* *clears throat*
Owned!! MACTOUCH FTW!
Mac OS X inside. That is.
I had no idea that Mac OS X could magically re-write desktop applications so that they work flawlessly on a multi-touchscreen.
Which new Mac OS X technology does that exactly?
Core Tana?
Core Blimy?
Core Nucopia?
Core IgamiProject?
C.
Great art is never created by committee. Even if others (artisans, engineers) are involved to bring the vision to reality, there must be the artist at the core who has the power and authority to steer the project according to his/her lights. This is what separates Apple from its competitors. It's a company making electronic devices that acts like a studio creating art. Think great film directors, think Henry Ford, think Thomas Edison, think Louis Comfort Tiffany. The sad thing is that such corporate models are time limited. Once the creative genius is gone, the company becomes a rumor of its former revolutionary self. Again, think Ford, Edison, Tiffany. I hope Steve outlives me because I can't bear to see that day.
Google "conway's law"
Trust me, boys and girls. We won't be getting a Tablet any time soon.
Be prepared to eat those words! There have already been lots of leaks about the tablet in other publications. Unlikely that it's all pure rumor.
Not Jobs "alone". Without Jobs they likely wouldn't exists, but not alone. He's good, but he's not that good. His knack is for getting the best work out of the talent at Apple, and his taste sets that direction. But the talent at Apple do the majority of the work, and I'm sure they are very gifted in different ways.
Yes, but, without good leadership, all you have to do is look at what nearly happened to Apple during Steve's absence (in the 90s). I remember seeing countless articles about how Apple will probably be bankrupt and out of business soon. Then Jobs came back, the first iMacs were born, and since then Apple's success skyrocketed. Without him, Apple would almost certainly have been history by now. Don't underestimate the power of an individual to change the course of history.
I take you point....but I could see it 'taking over' the medical field. As a realtor I would love to have it for presentations and ease of use.
Just the right size for a hip pocket on a lab coat. No keyboard would be a problem.
Dr. Ben
That would be killer, but not sustainable since Verizon doesn't have proprietary rights to 4G
No, but aren't they ahead of the competition on building out the network? They probably want to get in on the iphone party but clearly can't yet. A 4g non-phone tablet really would not raise noncompete issues. And if verizon has an exclusive deal (which they absolutely would), they would be able to charge a premium for a the apple experience. Verizon is very closed, though, I agree.