Anything from Apple won't be "shockingly inexpensive"
I just hope they don't tide it to the carriers like the iPhone to make it "shockingly inexpensive". I just don't want to get a $$$ data plan from one of the 3 carriers in Canada. WiFi is good enough for me thank you very much.
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Originally Posted by dagamer34
We must remember that "shockingly inexpensive" from a person who drives an Audi is not the same as what us common folk think of.
It depends on which Audi he is driving (A3 or R8?) and if he got it new or used (I once drove an old Audi I paid $2000 for )
I don't imagine that the only option will be carrier subsidized. If anything, I'd expect something like the iPhone/Touch duo, basically the same device differentiated by a radio. Leave it to the customer if they want subsidized buy-in plus monthly data fees in exchange for ubiquitous connectivity.
That doesn't mean that Apple would be obliged to sell a WiFi only tablet at close to a subsidized price ala the Touch, however.
I would think that on a larger, more capable device, the difference between, say, a $200 subsidized price with monthly fees and a $500, non-cell connected device would be clear to one and all, given that a tablet would be psychologically closer to a "computer without tethering" than "a phone without phone service."
I don't imagine that the only option will be carrier subsidized. If anything, I'd expect something like the iPhone/Touch duo, basically the same device differentiated by a radio. Leave it to the customer if they want subsidized buy-in plus monthly data fees in exchange for ubiquitous connectivity.
I, too, can see such a device being desirable with and without a mobile network operator data plan. Some will want/need it and others won?t.
The question is will Apple include the radios as default anyway for the unsubsidized versions? I think they will, partly for simply having a single unit to sell but mostly because any newspaper or periodical subscriptions will still likely use a mobile network operator to get new content the way that the Kindle and Nook do. Of course, no internet would be accessible without a contract making the potential business for a carrier a bonus that Kindle and Nook can?t bring to the table with their current products.
I, too, can see such a device being desirable with and without a mobile network operator data plan. Some will want/need it and others won?t.
The question is will Apple include the radios as default anyway for the unsubsidized versions? I think they will, partly for simply having a single unit to sell but mostly because any newspaper or periodical subscriptions will still likely use a mobile network operator to get new content the way that the Kindle and Nook do. Of course, no internet would be accessible without a contract making the potential business for a carrier a bonus that Kindle and Nook can?t bring to the table with their current products.
That seems reasonable, in that the cell radio itself is a negligible hardware cost, I would guess more than offset by the savings of a single model. Plus, a larger device won't have the severe space restrictions and single component to total volume ratio of the iPhone/Touch, wherein leaving out the radio allows the Touch to be a somewhat thinner device.
I agree with you, but carrying even a single book with me all the time is hardly comfortable. Not to mention carrying half a dozen.
I like running through a few pages while waiting my wife to do her shopping. Or while waiting some process to finish before I can proceed with work (like backup). Or during the lunch break. Or...
Having returned recently from a European vacation during which I found myself hauling around a bag full of books brought along by a fellow traveller, there is merit in having an electronic device that will allow for a library of books to be brought along. On that same trip I read Fitzgerald's short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on my Touch and didn't find the experience all that unpleasant. More than double the screen size of that device and I think you'd have a very decent means of carrying with you written material.
It's not as if reading from a traditional book ceases to be an option. It's more that there are situations in which an electronic reading device makes more sense.
That seems reasonable, in that the cell radio itself is a negligible hardware cost, I would guess more than offset by the savings of a single model.
the hardware doesn't cost much but it can add up to hundreds of millions to Apple. Add in licensing fees and other crap and the expense could be seen as huge. However the thing is 3G has to be there for the device to be competive. That is "Free" downloads are an established fact of life for book and magazine downloads.
Quote:
Plus, a larger device won't have the severe space restrictions and single component to total volume ratio of the iPhone/Touch, wherein leaving out the radio allows the Touch to be a somewhat thinner device.
Exactly! Especially considering Apple will have a custom SoC driving the thing. Depending on the integration level the entire logic board might not be that much bigger than than what is in Touch now. Maybe 150% bigger. A key here is that in a seven or ten inch device that means a huge battery = long run times. It all revolves around what process node Apple is targetting and the amount of integration they are comfortable with.
If Apple targets 40nm and is reasonable agressive with integration we could see a very small PC board indeed. The SoC would include dual core and a pheripheral suite that is tailored to the Tablet, this would leave lots of room for an advanced GPU complex and a frame buffer/ video memory. Run all the above at 1.2 or 1.6GHz and no one will complain.
I may not be able to afford one (hoping the cheap rumors are true) but I find this whole device to be very interesting. Not because it is a Tablet but because of the technology that will be delivered on the device. In effect it will be a new generation of computing hardware with custom tailored electronics on a single chip. This is not something consumers have seen before where things like iPhone are assembled with pretty much off the shelf hardware.
I didn't realize Rose had such a limited vocabulary. I've been a Rose fan since the tech shows on TechTV. I lost track of him. I didn't know he had gone over to the dark side.
I know it was just an informal discussion, but AppleInsider shouldn't have allowed it to be posted on this outstanding site.
Cussing is everywhere. But it is definitely not cool, or fun to be around. We make a conscious effort to avoid it when we can. I hope it hasn't crossed over to this site.
Comments
I just hope they don't tide it to the carriers like the iPhone to make it "shockingly inexpensive". I just don't want to get a $$$ data plan from one of the 3 carriers in Canada. WiFi is good enough for me thank you very much.
We must remember that "shockingly inexpensive" from a person who drives an Audi is not the same as what us common folk think of.
It depends on which Audi he is driving (A3 or R8?) and if he got it new or used (I once drove an old Audi I paid $2000 for
That doesn't mean that Apple would be obliged to sell a WiFi only tablet at close to a subsidized price ala the Touch, however.
I would think that on a larger, more capable device, the difference between, say, a $200 subsidized price with monthly fees and a $500, non-cell connected device would be clear to one and all, given that a tablet would be psychologically closer to a "computer without tethering" than "a phone without phone service."
I don't imagine that the only option will be carrier subsidized. If anything, I'd expect something like the iPhone/Touch duo, basically the same device differentiated by a radio. Leave it to the customer if they want subsidized buy-in plus monthly data fees in exchange for ubiquitous connectivity.
I, too, can see such a device being desirable with and without a mobile network operator data plan. Some will want/need it and others won?t.
The question is will Apple include the radios as default anyway for the unsubsidized versions? I think they will, partly for simply having a single unit to sell but mostly because any newspaper or periodical subscriptions will still likely use a mobile network operator to get new content the way that the Kindle and Nook do. Of course, no internet would be accessible without a contract making the potential business for a carrier a bonus that Kindle and Nook can?t bring to the table with their current products.
I, too, can see such a device being desirable with and without a mobile network operator data plan. Some will want/need it and others won?t.
The question is will Apple include the radios as default anyway for the unsubsidized versions? I think they will, partly for simply having a single unit to sell but mostly because any newspaper or periodical subscriptions will still likely use a mobile network operator to get new content the way that the Kindle and Nook do. Of course, no internet would be accessible without a contract making the potential business for a carrier a bonus that Kindle and Nook can?t bring to the table with their current products.
That seems reasonable, in that the cell radio itself is a negligible hardware cost, I would guess more than offset by the savings of a single model. Plus, a larger device won't have the severe space restrictions and single component to total volume ratio of the iPhone/Touch, wherein leaving out the radio allows the Touch to be a somewhat thinner device.
I agree with you, but carrying even a single book with me all the time is hardly comfortable. Not to mention carrying half a dozen.
I like running through a few pages while waiting my wife to do her shopping. Or while waiting some process to finish before I can proceed with work (like backup). Or during the lunch break. Or...
Having returned recently from a European vacation during which I found myself hauling around a bag full of books brought along by a fellow traveller, there is merit in having an electronic device that will allow for a library of books to be brought along. On that same trip I read Fitzgerald's short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on my Touch and didn't find the experience all that unpleasant. More than double the screen size of that device and I think you'd have a very decent means of carrying with you written material.
It's not as if reading from a traditional book ceases to be an option. It's more that there are situations in which an electronic reading device makes more sense.
That seems reasonable, in that the cell radio itself is a negligible hardware cost, I would guess more than offset by the savings of a single model.
the hardware doesn't cost much but it can add up to hundreds of millions to Apple. Add in licensing fees and other crap and the expense could be seen as huge. However the thing is 3G has to be there for the device to be competive. That is "Free" downloads are an established fact of life for book and magazine downloads.
Plus, a larger device won't have the severe space restrictions and single component to total volume ratio of the iPhone/Touch, wherein leaving out the radio allows the Touch to be a somewhat thinner device.
Exactly! Especially considering Apple will have a custom SoC driving the thing. Depending on the integration level the entire logic board might not be that much bigger than than what is in Touch now. Maybe 150% bigger. A key here is that in a seven or ten inch device that means a huge battery = long run times. It all revolves around what process node Apple is targetting and the amount of integration they are comfortable with.
If Apple targets 40nm and is reasonable agressive with integration we could see a very small PC board indeed. The SoC would include dual core and a pheripheral suite that is tailored to the Tablet, this would leave lots of room for an advanced GPU complex and a frame buffer/ video memory. Run all the above at 1.2 or 1.6GHz and no one will complain.
I may not be able to afford one (hoping the cheap rumors are true) but I find this whole device to be very interesting. Not because it is a Tablet but because of the technology that will be delivered on the device. In effect it will be a new generation of computing hardware with custom tailored electronics on a single chip. This is not something consumers have seen before where things like iPhone are assembled with pretty much off the shelf hardware.
Dave
I know it was just an informal discussion, but AppleInsider shouldn't have allowed it to be posted on this outstanding site.
Cussing is everywhere. But it is definitely not cool, or fun to be around. We make a conscious effort to avoid it when we can. I hope it hasn't crossed over to this site.