I'm betting that they'll offer a non built in 3G model, with WiFi only, but it costs more. Also, I am betting that if Apple gives this to AT&T that apple uses it as leverage to make AT&T offer iPhone tethering sooner rather than later.
Otherwise I think you'll have an extremely large majority who don't want two 3G contracts with AT&T. Let's be honest here, the vast majority of people who are possibly going to buy this tablet are likely to have or eventually buy an iPhone. If Apple makes this thing so that people with iPhones are less likely to buy them, its destined to fail.
Another possible option I could see is not having a model that's WiFi only, but givng a very very large 3G plan discount to those with an existing iPhone data plan. Somethinig in the neighborhood of 5-10 more per month.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel B
Inside your dongle is a SIM card that you would simply push into the tablet.
I think built-in 3G is a given. The whole point of a tablet is instant on, always connected.
Best,
Daniel
I wish someone was in a position to step back and rethink this whole mobile access mess. I don't want multiple data plans, and I don't a device tied to a particular service provider because of the hardware. Imagine if you needed one home computer if Comcast was your home internet provide, but a different one if you switched to AT&T DSL service. Switching SIM cards around is silly because then I can only use one device at a time.
Why can't we have a cell phone with capabilities similar to the mi-fi devices you can get? You can get that with a seperate mi-fi card now, but that's one more thing to carry around and your phone is the one thing you will likely always have with you. Would you ever have your tablet and not have your phone? Not likely.
So why not have one device that acts as a router to provide a connection to the carrier that can be shared with your other devices, either Bluetooth tethering or wi-fi local wireless network. Then my iPod touch, Apple's rumored tablet, my MBP, etc, could all use that single data connection.
This would make my billing/account management easier and may even make it simpler for the cell network infrastructure by having fewer connections to maintain. Granted, they'd have the same amount of data, but fewer devices constantly pinging the network.
But the providers would probably not like this because they'd have fewer data plans to gouge us on price with. And it would be too easy for us to switch providers if all we had to do is replace the one "router" device instead of all of our devices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by christopher126
I will buy one...there is no doubt in this world of instant access, communication and always being 'available' to bosses or customers, laptops, smart phones and now tablets are the tools required. And Apple provides the 'tools' of choice.
But what good is instant access if the device is to large to carry around with me everywhere I go? I can see a 10" device having a niche market where "local portability" is beneficial (offices, hospitals, and such). But I'd still need a bag or a briefcase for longer range portability (taking it home, the gym, etc), at which point I could take a lightweight laptop and have full computer capabilities.
Price doesn't concern me as much as size. I'm sure it will be a great device, just having trouble understanding where it fits between an iPhone/touch and a small laptop. It seems 10" is a bit too big to be in the sweet spot in that range.
I wonder if it would have cell phone connectivity? I mean, I'm not going to place a 10" hunka hunka burning techno love to my ear, but I wonder if it would have a phone app that allows you to connect to say Bluetooth in your car and use your contact lists for one to use the tablet to call while on the road?
Just for interests sake, at 16:10 a 9.6 inch diagonal screen works out to 5.10 x 8.17 making the device roughly 5.5 x 8.5 (or maybe 6 x 9), so pretty much "steno pad" type of size.
While that size is good for a lot of things, I'm hoping this means it's a document centric kind of device with writing and drawing capabilities at least instead of just a big video pad.
Thanks for putting it in the context of an everyday object.
But now...pick up a steno pad and imagine how you'd type on an onscreen keyboard while holding the device in your hands.
If you hold it landscape, it's nearly impossible if you assume a similar keyboard as the iPhone has. Apple would need to create a new keyboard layout (perhaps a split keyboard) because most folks won't be able to reach the center of the screen with their thumbs.
Holding in in portrait orientation is better, but Apple will need to move the center of gravity down lower so it doesn't flip out of your hands.
Not insurmountable challenges, but could impact how we'd envision such a device being used.
For the record- my post was in response to his Zune trashing which by the way (not to defend it) has been in exitence for over 3 years now and not showing any signs of dying especially with today's release of the ZuneHD.
damn man can you be any more gutless? You said something, stick to what you said. A few minutes down the line and you start the back stepping? It's one thing to make foolish predictions, but to not stand by them a few minutes down the line? ...tstsststst....
Somehow you got this fixation that since apple included a camera in the nano they are catering to the flip crowd and kids, and somehow they should release a kids tablet, or a kids priced tablets to compete with netbooks (although the ipod touch serves that purpose excellently, being also a gaming device which the netbooks are not), or an apple netbook, or kids apple netbook -or whatever you mean- and somehow make it apple class yet dirt cheap too (much like sony say with their $1200 netbooks yet at $300 from apple), and how the table will be a failure, and all this nonsensical crap is ringing in you head and getting poured out in these forums, but at least stand by this crap!!!
And because you seem to be patently obtuse or patently misconstruing what others are saying, where the heck did I trash the zune? I made an ironic remark in terms of it being a belated clone, which was my whole case, how apple will again innovate and others will follow.
AI has been good at tamping down the wild Apple Tablet rumors. Early 2010 makes sense, as they've been saying for quite some time now. Most of the technical specs - screen size, CPU, etc -sound doable.
The big question now is operating system - will it run an expanded version of the iPhone OS or something closer to 10.6? If it's a slimmed-down 10.6 then that means many standard desktop apps might run on the thing (Office, iLife, Firefox, etc.) But if it's iPhone OS based, then it'll only run apps from the apps store. So, will it be like a really big iPod Touch or a shrunken down MacBook Air? Hmmm...
Two comments relative to this thread. One is that I was at Mobilize last week, a conference focused on mobile computing, and one of the panels was focused on the Netbook/Tablet market.
Of note is that in terms of utilization environments, this is the device that you take with you to Class/School; when you are Traveling; Lying on the Couch; it?s the Extra Computing Device for your kids. It serves Verticals like Hospitals and Field Workers. In other words, it doesn't replace the notebook but it targets segments where the notebook is less convenient, too bulky, too hot or too expensive.
What remains to be seen is whether such a device cannibalizes or complements that general computing market (notebook or otherwise), but the data suggests that this is a 'dog that will hunt.'
The second point is that I agree wholeheartedly that this is the device that forces the "what's the platform question." Is it MacOS, iPhone OS, a hybrid of the two? App Store, Download Anything Anywhere, Both? My guess is that some unannounced element of Snow Leopard was designed to specifically reconcile these questions.
If interested, here are my notes on the Mobilize event:
iPhone, the 'Personal' Computer, Mobilize, Future of the Mobile Web
iPhone OS? Why bother- one App open at a time? I don't think so.
Besides- you need to print directly from it or it's a no-go for me.
Teckstud, you troll enough of these forums to know that iPhone OS can multitask if Apple decides to allow it. I don't see why shared printers would be a problem either, the iPhone doesn't have much reason to print anything, hence why you can't print directly from the iPhone.
Thanks for putting it in the context of an everyday object.
But now...pick up a steno pad and imagine how you'd type on an onscreen keyboard while holding the device in your hands.
If you hold it landscape, it's nearly impossible if you assume a similar keyboard as the iPhone has. Apple would need to create a new keyboard layout (perhaps a split keyboard) because most folks won't be able to reach the center of the screen with their thumbs.
Holding in in portrait orientation is better, but Apple will need to move the center of gravity down lower so it doesn't flip out of your hands.
Not insurmountable challenges, but could impact how we'd envision such a device being used.
Was thinking the same thing while using the iphone to type last night, how they would implement this, it's an interesting problem, that I am sure has got a lot of engineering insight having gone into it. One obvious solution is to just put it on a flat surface and just type much like we write and type nowadays. But that of course doesn't answer almost anything. I 'd be interesting to see how this is handle.
My money is on holding it with one hand and typing in portrait with the other but I 've thought this out.
And when it comes out everyone will say "Apple blew it on the price, it's way too expensive, and only meets a small niche of early adopters," and then it will sell 10 million units in the first two years and redefine the market and people will say, "Oh, we knew apple would do that."
Come on now, that implies that Apple can do no wrong when there is plenty of instance of Apple screwing up a product. As much as I like Apple and it's products we all know better.
Quote:
Killer app: total sync with home computer and mobile me every time it's within range of its "home" wifi LAN.
This I can agree with though. Syncing is extremely important on portable devices. I do believe though that you need more than just good syncing to be successful.
To support the unit software wise it will need an app store however the apps will need more freedom. Here I mean access to the local file system (read / write) so that e-Mail and Safari can save, and read locally stored files. Especially attachments in e-mail docs and PDFs via Safari.
All of this being said the item being described here is to big in my opinion.
the iphone was a loser phone until the price was cut, exchange was added along with an sdk
i remember when it first came out everyone was saying how cool it was that you could finally pay full retail price for a phone without a contract and only the fanboys bought it. and not all of them either. for the first year it was just an overpriced phone that couldn't do things cheapo phones could
ipod and iphone were hits because they were priced at the price everyone else was charging. maybe a little more. Apple's computers are still niche devices because no one wants to pay the ridiculous price
The iphone was a "loser" phone? What? Is that even a complete thought? and then you contradict yourself in the next paragraph? UGH
First of all the price was not "cut" AT&T subsidized it. Further, the 2 or 3 features missing from the iphone when it first launched (that other "cheapo" phones had) were either poorly implemented or completely overshadowed by all of the other great features no other phone in the world had and to this day no one has implemented as well as Apple has. Please be more specific so that we can actually have a fruitful discussion regarding comparable features vs. cost and usability. .
Also i don't think you can really fault Apple for filling a "niche" since every product inherently fills some niche (large or small) what does it matter how big a market is? It doesn't! The only measure of a successful business is profit and Apple profits more than just about any other company. Your logic is faulty at best.
> has access to an "app store" so it doesn't get stale
> has NO need for keyboards
> would benefit from low speed, moderate latency internet
> would need to play well with an iPhone
> doesn't need a camera
> benefits from Apple's newly demonstrated radio
> has a large focus on iPod function
is an in-car navigation/stereo system.
And the killer application:
The ability to route around traffic in REAL TIME using Google and live traffic data.
The speculated price for the tablet is also less than what auto companies charge for those back-of-the-seat video systems people buy for their SUVs to sedate their children. Plenty of parents will buy one or two for that purpose alone.
You really think it's going to need to be synced? I agree- that's not good - especially at that price.
I don't think it needs syncing but I do think it will be a large companion only PC which limits its potential.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmf2
You have a computer now right? Wireless sync when the device is at home sitting idle/charging, problem solved? One of the biggest potential markets for a tablet is the education market. One of the biggest markets for the 13" MB/MBP's is also the education market. It doesn't make sense from a business perspective to spend years of development on a product that will simply transfer sales of the MB to the tablet. At under $1000 I strongly believe that it will be a companion device, perhaps a more expensive pro tablet will come out at some point as well, but the device rumored in this article isn't it.
Not everyone wants a Tablet so the laptop market is pretty safe and as far as I see, an Iphone and an Ipod Touch are pocketable companion devices already so this is an odd move by Apple. Almost like they are doing something different for the sake of doing something different. Well we'll see.
Not everyone wants a Tablet so the laptop market is pretty safe and as far as I see, an Iphone and an Ipod Touch are pocketable companion devices already so this is an odd move by Apple. Almost like they are doing something different for the sake of doing something different. Well we'll see.
Hopefully we do see a tablet in the new year so we can put this speculation to rest. Somehow we will all be wrong too.
iPhone OS? Why bother- one App open at a time? I don't think so.
Besides- you need to print directly from it or it's a no-go for me.
The iPhone multitasks just fine thank you. Generally I does have multiple apps runnning, the SDK for user apps doesn't support this though. All apple needs to do is flip a bit somewhere and users could have as many apps as the wanted open.
Like wise Apple uses Cups for printing and that can be added to iPhone OS in minutes. Remember iPhone OS is nothing more than Mac OS/X trimed a bit and a different user API. When people say they want iPhone OS on the machine it is them saying they want the interaction and usage to mirror how iPhone is used. That includes Touch, app store and everything else that makes iPhone handy.
... what Apple has failed to see is the need to enter the economical netbook market (yes and it's educational) which has been in existence for 3 or more years now.=
Wow Glad to know we have a board member on the forum. How do you know what they have failed to see? I'm sure there have been may discussions about making headway into "lower end" products. The ipod did very well with making headway into this market and adding expensive features to less expensive products.
Apple doesn't historically make a product with a bad user experience. Perhaps now some of the less expensive tech will allow them to bring an "Apple" experience previously reserved for expensive and bulky hardware. The EDU and MED markets have been after Apple to make things cheap and feature rich for a while not to mention to make a tablet that has both of those attributes.
I truly believe that Apple has been waiting for the tech to catch up so that we all enjoy the products we use. A philosophy in direct contrast with MSFT who rushes things to market and frustrates their clients with a crappy user experience. It may take Apple longer to get there but I think I'd rather wait for something good as well. I don't think I have to mention the old adage, but I do think you have to listen to what our stories and history have told us.
Teckstud, you troll enough of these forums to know that iPhone OS can multitask if Apple decides to allow it. I don't see why shared printers would be a problem either, the iPhone doesn't have much reason to print anything, hence why you can't print directly from the iPhone.
Dude it needs a fullfledged OS - iPhones can only run like 3 particluar apps at once and you certainly know it - stop spinning fanbot nonsense. Not good enough. A crap netbook can even handle that. And not just Apps that Apple approves- it needs to be open. And yes it needs to print and not be synced.
I truly believe that Apple has been waiting for the tech to catch up so that we all enjoy the products we use. A philosophy in direct contrast with MSFT who rushes things to market and frustrates their clients with a crappy user experience. It may take Apple longer to get there but I think I'd rather wait for something good as well. I don't think I have to mention the old adage, but I do think you have to listen to what our stories and history have told us.
Since when did Microsoft sell netbooks? Stick to the discussion no matter how delusional your hatred is towards MSFT.
The touch interface is extremely intuitive and user friendly but it is not nearly as fast to type on as a dedicated keyboard.
How do you know that?
I doubt that very many people have a full-size touch keyboard at their disposal-- especially for a long enough period time to become accustomed to the differences.
Also, the virtual keyboard [driver] software could be written in such a way that it could outperform a physical keyboard in speed in comfort:
1) rest the palms and fingertips on the surface
2) the home row is wherever your hands are
3) type by slightly pressing a finger (or slightly lifting, or wiggling a finger)
4) reach non-home-row keys by lifting and moving finger, slightly, towards the desired key
5) the driver would learn by your hand movements and corrections and customize the keyboard [interpretation] to your hands, fingers and the way you type.
That is only one way that a touch surface could outperform a physical keyboard,
There are specialty physical keyboards such as stenotype, braille, chording, etc. that can outperform their QWERTY equivalents. These could easily be implemented as virtual touch keyboards.
So, if the QWERTY kb is uncomfortable, or holding back your speed, you have choices. If the claims are true, with a little training and practice, you could significantly improve your typing skills.
Teckstud, you troll enough of these forums to know that iPhone OS can multitask if Apple decides to allow it. I don't see why shared printers would be a problem either, the iPhone doesn't have much reason to print anything, hence why you can't print directly from the iPhone.
Also, the virtual keyboard [driver] software could be written in such a way that it could outperform a physical keyboard in speed in comfort.
Apple doesn't need to do any marketing with people like you around.
You won't beat a physical keyboard, but the good news is if you really need a physical keyboard you can buy a MacBook, as they will continue to be sold. At least the Pro will anyhow. This tablet will be handy for doing bits and pieces in school and so forth, and great for couch-computing / couch-surfing. It will fit in with a lot of our modern lives very nicely.
Comments
If it runs iPhone OS, it will need to be synced. I would almost expect wireless sync though.
iPhone OS? Why bother- one App open at a time? I don't think so.
Besides- you need to print directly from it or it's a no-go for me.
I'm betting that they'll offer a non built in 3G model, with WiFi only, but it costs more. Also, I am betting that if Apple gives this to AT&T that apple uses it as leverage to make AT&T offer iPhone tethering sooner rather than later.
Otherwise I think you'll have an extremely large majority who don't want two 3G contracts with AT&T. Let's be honest here, the vast majority of people who are possibly going to buy this tablet are likely to have or eventually buy an iPhone. If Apple makes this thing so that people with iPhones are less likely to buy them, its destined to fail.
Another possible option I could see is not having a model that's WiFi only, but givng a very very large 3G plan discount to those with an existing iPhone data plan. Somethinig in the neighborhood of 5-10 more per month.
Inside your dongle is a SIM card that you would simply push into the tablet.
I think built-in 3G is a given. The whole point of a tablet is instant on, always connected.
Best,
Daniel
I wish someone was in a position to step back and rethink this whole mobile access mess. I don't want multiple data plans, and I don't a device tied to a particular service provider because of the hardware. Imagine if you needed one home computer if Comcast was your home internet provide, but a different one if you switched to AT&T DSL service. Switching SIM cards around is silly because then I can only use one device at a time.
Why can't we have a cell phone with capabilities similar to the mi-fi devices you can get? You can get that with a seperate mi-fi card now, but that's one more thing to carry around and your phone is the one thing you will likely always have with you. Would you ever have your tablet and not have your phone? Not likely.
So why not have one device that acts as a router to provide a connection to the carrier that can be shared with your other devices, either Bluetooth tethering or wi-fi local wireless network. Then my iPod touch, Apple's rumored tablet, my MBP, etc, could all use that single data connection.
This would make my billing/account management easier and may even make it simpler for the cell network infrastructure by having fewer connections to maintain. Granted, they'd have the same amount of data, but fewer devices constantly pinging the network.
But the providers would probably not like this because they'd have fewer data plans to gouge us on price with. And it would be too easy for us to switch providers if all we had to do is replace the one "router" device instead of all of our devices.
I will buy one...there is no doubt in this world of instant access, communication and always being 'available' to bosses or customers, laptops, smart phones and now tablets are the tools required. And Apple provides the 'tools' of choice.
But what good is instant access if the device is to large to carry around with me everywhere I go? I can see a 10" device having a niche market where "local portability" is beneficial (offices, hospitals, and such). But I'd still need a bag or a briefcase for longer range portability (taking it home, the gym, etc), at which point I could take a lightweight laptop and have full computer capabilities.
Price doesn't concern me as much as size. I'm sure it will be a great device, just having trouble understanding where it fits between an iPhone/touch and a small laptop. It seems 10" is a bit too big to be in the sweet spot in that range.
Just for interests sake, at 16:10 a 9.6 inch diagonal screen works out to 5.10 x 8.17 making the device roughly 5.5 x 8.5 (or maybe 6 x 9), so pretty much "steno pad" type of size.
While that size is good for a lot of things, I'm hoping this means it's a document centric kind of device with writing and drawing capabilities at least instead of just a big video pad.
Thanks for putting it in the context of an everyday object.
But now...pick up a steno pad and imagine how you'd type on an onscreen keyboard while holding the device in your hands.
If you hold it landscape, it's nearly impossible if you assume a similar keyboard as the iPhone has. Apple would need to create a new keyboard layout (perhaps a split keyboard) because most folks won't be able to reach the center of the screen with their thumbs.
Holding in in portrait orientation is better, but Apple will need to move the center of gravity down lower so it doesn't flip out of your hands.
Not insurmountable challenges, but could impact how we'd envision such a device being used.
For the record- my post was in response to his Zune trashing which by the way (not to defend it) has been in exitence for over 3 years now and not showing any signs of dying especially with today's release of the ZuneHD.
damn man can you be any more gutless? You said something, stick to what you said. A few minutes down the line and you start the back stepping? It's one thing to make foolish predictions, but to not stand by them a few minutes down the line? ...tstsststst....
Somehow you got this fixation that since apple included a camera in the nano they are catering to the flip crowd and kids, and somehow they should release a kids tablet, or a kids priced tablets to compete with netbooks (although the ipod touch serves that purpose excellently, being also a gaming device which the netbooks are not), or an apple netbook, or kids apple netbook -or whatever you mean- and somehow make it apple class yet dirt cheap too (much like sony say with their $1200 netbooks yet at $300 from apple), and how the table will be a failure, and all this nonsensical crap is ringing in you head and getting poured out in these forums, but at least stand by this crap!!!
And because you seem to be patently obtuse or patently misconstruing what others are saying, where the heck did I trash the zune? I made an ironic remark in terms of it being a belated clone, which was my whole case, how apple will again innovate and others will follow.
AI has been good at tamping down the wild Apple Tablet rumors. Early 2010 makes sense, as they've been saying for quite some time now. Most of the technical specs - screen size, CPU, etc -sound doable.
The big question now is operating system - will it run an expanded version of the iPhone OS or something closer to 10.6? If it's a slimmed-down 10.6 then that means many standard desktop apps might run on the thing (Office, iLife, Firefox, etc.) But if it's iPhone OS based, then it'll only run apps from the apps store. So, will it be like a really big iPod Touch or a shrunken down MacBook Air? Hmmm...
Two comments relative to this thread. One is that I was at Mobilize last week, a conference focused on mobile computing, and one of the panels was focused on the Netbook/Tablet market.
Of note is that in terms of utilization environments, this is the device that you take with you to Class/School; when you are Traveling; Lying on the Couch; it?s the Extra Computing Device for your kids. It serves Verticals like Hospitals and Field Workers. In other words, it doesn't replace the notebook but it targets segments where the notebook is less convenient, too bulky, too hot or too expensive.
What remains to be seen is whether such a device cannibalizes or complements that general computing market (notebook or otherwise), but the data suggests that this is a 'dog that will hunt.'
The second point is that I agree wholeheartedly that this is the device that forces the "what's the platform question." Is it MacOS, iPhone OS, a hybrid of the two? App Store, Download Anything Anywhere, Both? My guess is that some unannounced element of Snow Leopard was designed to specifically reconcile these questions.
If interested, here are my notes on the Mobilize event:
iPhone, the 'Personal' Computer, Mobilize, Future of the Mobile Web
http://bit.ly/1rjuF
Here's my analysis on the iPad Tablet Device:
Apple, the ?Boomer? Tablet and the Matrix
http://bit.ly/DwziS
Cheers,
Mark
iPhone OS? Why bother- one App open at a time? I don't think so.
Besides- you need to print directly from it or it's a no-go for me.
Teckstud, you troll enough of these forums to know that iPhone OS can multitask if Apple decides to allow it. I don't see why shared printers would be a problem either, the iPhone doesn't have much reason to print anything, hence why you can't print directly from the iPhone.
Thanks for putting it in the context of an everyday object.
But now...pick up a steno pad and imagine how you'd type on an onscreen keyboard while holding the device in your hands.
If you hold it landscape, it's nearly impossible if you assume a similar keyboard as the iPhone has. Apple would need to create a new keyboard layout (perhaps a split keyboard) because most folks won't be able to reach the center of the screen with their thumbs.
Holding in in portrait orientation is better, but Apple will need to move the center of gravity down lower so it doesn't flip out of your hands.
Not insurmountable challenges, but could impact how we'd envision such a device being used.
Was thinking the same thing while using the iphone to type last night, how they would implement this, it's an interesting problem, that I am sure has got a lot of engineering insight having gone into it. One obvious solution is to just put it on a flat surface and just type much like we write and type nowadays. But that of course doesn't answer almost anything. I 'd be interesting to see how this is handle.
My money is on holding it with one hand and typing in portrait with the other but I 've thought this out.
And when it comes out everyone will say "Apple blew it on the price, it's way too expensive, and only meets a small niche of early adopters," and then it will sell 10 million units in the first two years and redefine the market and people will say, "Oh, we knew apple would do that."
Come on now, that implies that Apple can do no wrong when there is plenty of instance of Apple screwing up a product. As much as I like Apple and it's products we all know better.
Killer app: total sync with home computer and mobile me every time it's within range of its "home" wifi LAN.
This I can agree with though. Syncing is extremely important on portable devices. I do believe though that you need more than just good syncing to be successful.
To support the unit software wise it will need an app store however the apps will need more freedom. Here I mean access to the local file system (read / write) so that e-Mail and Safari can save, and read locally stored files. Especially attachments in e-mail docs and PDFs via Safari.
All of this being said the item being described here is to big in my opinion.
Dave
the iphone was a loser phone until the price was cut, exchange was added along with an sdk
i remember when it first came out everyone was saying how cool it was that you could finally pay full retail price for a phone without a contract and only the fanboys bought it. and not all of them either. for the first year it was just an overpriced phone that couldn't do things cheapo phones could
ipod and iphone were hits because they were priced at the price everyone else was charging. maybe a little more. Apple's computers are still niche devices because no one wants to pay the ridiculous price
The iphone was a "loser" phone? What? Is that even a complete thought? and then you contradict yourself in the next paragraph? UGH
First of all the price was not "cut" AT&T subsidized it. Further, the 2 or 3 features missing from the iphone when it first launched (that other "cheapo" phones had) were either poorly implemented or completely overshadowed by all of the other great features no other phone in the world had and to this day no one has implemented as well as Apple has. Please be more specific so that we can actually have a fruitful discussion regarding comparable features vs. cost and usability. .
Also i don't think you can really fault Apple for filling a "niche" since every product inherently fills some niche (large or small) what does it matter how big a market is? It doesn't! The only measure of a successful business is profit and Apple profits more than just about any other company. Your logic is faulty at best.
I know Apple would never do this, but...
The only market for a device that
> has 10" touch screen
> has access to an "app store" so it doesn't get stale
> has NO need for keyboards
> would benefit from low speed, moderate latency internet
> would need to play well with an iPhone
> doesn't need a camera
> benefits from Apple's newly demonstrated radio
> has a large focus on iPod function
is an in-car navigation/stereo system.
And the killer application:
The ability to route around traffic in REAL TIME using Google and live traffic data.
The speculated price for the tablet is also less than what auto companies charge for those back-of-the-seat video systems people buy for their SUVs to sedate their children. Plenty of parents will buy one or two for that purpose alone.
You really think it's going to need to be synced? I agree- that's not good - especially at that price.
I don't think it needs syncing but I do think it will be a large companion only PC which limits its potential.
You have a computer now right? Wireless sync when the device is at home sitting idle/charging, problem solved? One of the biggest potential markets for a tablet is the education market. One of the biggest markets for the 13" MB/MBP's is also the education market. It doesn't make sense from a business perspective to spend years of development on a product that will simply transfer sales of the MB to the tablet. At under $1000 I strongly believe that it will be a companion device, perhaps a more expensive pro tablet will come out at some point as well, but the device rumored in this article isn't it.
Not everyone wants a Tablet so the laptop market is pretty safe and as far as I see, an Iphone and an Ipod Touch are pocketable companion devices already so this is an odd move by Apple. Almost like they are doing something different for the sake of doing something different. Well we'll see.
Not everyone wants a Tablet so the laptop market is pretty safe and as far as I see, an Iphone and an Ipod Touch are pocketable companion devices already so this is an odd move by Apple. Almost like they are doing something different for the sake of doing something different. Well we'll see.
Hopefully we do see a tablet in the new year so we can put this speculation to rest. Somehow we will all be wrong too.
iPhone OS? Why bother- one App open at a time? I don't think so.
Besides- you need to print directly from it or it's a no-go for me.
The iPhone multitasks just fine thank you. Generally I does have multiple apps runnning, the SDK for user apps doesn't support this though. All apple needs to do is flip a bit somewhere and users could have as many apps as the wanted open.
Like wise Apple uses Cups for printing and that can be added to iPhone OS in minutes. Remember iPhone OS is nothing more than Mac OS/X trimed a bit and a different user API. When people say they want iPhone OS on the machine it is them saying they want the interaction and usage to mirror how iPhone is used. That includes Touch, app store and everything else that makes iPhone handy.
Dave
... what Apple has failed to see is the need to enter the economical netbook market (yes and it's educational) which has been in existence for 3 or more years now.=
Wow Glad to know we have a board member on the forum. How do you know what they have failed to see? I'm sure there have been may discussions about making headway into "lower end" products. The ipod did very well with making headway into this market and adding expensive features to less expensive products.
Apple doesn't historically make a product with a bad user experience. Perhaps now some of the less expensive tech will allow them to bring an "Apple" experience previously reserved for expensive and bulky hardware. The EDU and MED markets have been after Apple to make things cheap and feature rich for a while not to mention to make a tablet that has both of those attributes.
I truly believe that Apple has been waiting for the tech to catch up so that we all enjoy the products we use. A philosophy in direct contrast with MSFT who rushes things to market and frustrates their clients with a crappy user experience. It may take Apple longer to get there but I think I'd rather wait for something good as well. I don't think I have to mention the old adage, but I do think you have to listen to what our stories and history have told us.
Teckstud, you troll enough of these forums to know that iPhone OS can multitask if Apple decides to allow it. I don't see why shared printers would be a problem either, the iPhone doesn't have much reason to print anything, hence why you can't print directly from the iPhone.
Dude it needs a fullfledged OS - iPhones can only run like 3 particluar apps at once and you certainly know it - stop spinning fanbot nonsense. Not good enough. A crap netbook can even handle that. And not just Apps that Apple approves- it needs to be open. And yes it needs to print and not be synced.
I truly believe that Apple has been waiting for the tech to catch up so that we all enjoy the products we use. A philosophy in direct contrast with MSFT who rushes things to market and frustrates their clients with a crappy user experience. It may take Apple longer to get there but I think I'd rather wait for something good as well. I don't think I have to mention the old adage, but I do think you have to listen to what our stories and history have told us.
Since when did Microsoft sell netbooks? Stick to the discussion no matter how delusional your hatred is towards MSFT.
The touch interface is extremely intuitive and user friendly but it is not nearly as fast to type on as a dedicated keyboard.
How do you know that?
I doubt that very many people have a full-size touch keyboard at their disposal-- especially for a long enough period time to become accustomed to the differences.
Also, the virtual keyboard [driver] software could be written in such a way that it could outperform a physical keyboard in speed in comfort:
1) rest the palms and fingertips on the surface
2) the home row is wherever your hands are
3) type by slightly pressing a finger (or slightly lifting, or wiggling a finger)
4) reach non-home-row keys by lifting and moving finger, slightly, towards the desired key
5) the driver would learn by your hand movements and corrections and customize the keyboard [interpretation] to your hands, fingers and the way you type.
That is only one way that a touch surface could outperform a physical keyboard,
There are specialty physical keyboards such as stenotype, braille, chording, etc. that can outperform their QWERTY equivalents. These could easily be implemented as virtual touch keyboards.
So, if the QWERTY kb is uncomfortable, or holding back your speed, you have choices. If the claims are true, with a little training and practice, you could significantly improve your typing skills.
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Teckstud, you troll enough of these forums to know that iPhone OS can multitask if Apple decides to allow it. I don't see why shared printers would be a problem either, the iPhone doesn't have much reason to print anything, hence why you can't print directly from the iPhone.
There's an app for that: HP iPrint
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Also, the virtual keyboard [driver] software could be written in such a way that it could outperform a physical keyboard in speed in comfort.
Apple doesn't need to do any marketing with people like you around.
You won't beat a physical keyboard, but the good news is if you really need a physical keyboard you can buy a MacBook, as they will continue to be sold. At least the Pro will anyhow. This tablet will be handy for doing bits and pieces in school and so forth, and great for couch-computing / couch-surfing. It will fit in with a lot of our modern lives very nicely.