Have any actual specs been released? Is this going to be another 3G crippled (meaning locked to an operator) or will Apple look out for the consumers?
I am still waiting for Skype to be 3G enabled on my iPhone. Sad that the US networks can't handle the traffic load but other networks can and do it daily. Here in Finland (where I am currently working, I am not a Finn. Making this clarification for a few individuals), the network operators actually encourage mobile broadband usage. Here, unlimited means that. I tether my phone daily for up to 8 hours a day while in my office, and the operator could not care less. I hope that AT&T does not get a say in this and Apple sells these things far and wide.
I think Bezos logic is flawed for the reasons you mention but a dedicated eReader will likely be considerably cheaper than anything Apple offers and will likely have much longer usability time for reading text. This makes the physical requirements very different. I think what we might see is a device like the iPhone that united some disparate things into one and made it the leading device, happen again with a tablet if it can make a “dumb” eReader a pointless market. Unlike the phone market the eReader market is not entrenched of a cultural necessity.
Unlike the article itself, I didn't mean to say that the Apple tablet will kill the Kindle. I am saying that Kindle will eventually die a natural death, the same way iPod Classic is dying right now and the way pure PDA's did. Pure eReaders are a dead end product. And by 'physical requirements', I meant physical packaging requirements. Or dimensional requirements if you wish. The general size and shape requirements of an eReader is not much different from a tablet computing device. That's not true for a digital camera with a decent lens and a smartphone.
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Originally Posted by solipsism
There is absolutely no reason why I need one giant version of OS X to be installable on the iPhone, AppleTV and Macs. To have the code for frameworks, drivers, UI elements for any product in one software package. Having a SW that is designed hand in hand with the HW is where Apple thrives. Trying to shoehorn an OS into every other piece of HW is where the competition survives.
First, you are being constrained by a failure of imagination. Second, you are using personal, idiosyncratic preferences as a stand in for the whole customer base.
You are imagining merging the current (or near term) incarnations of the iPhone OS and Mac OS into a single jerrybuilt OS using baling wire pilfered from Microsoft's warehouse. Of course that would be stupid. I meant *eventually* these two will have to merge. (And it will be more a merging of functions than a merging of code bases, but it will include some of the latter.) At that point all your objections will be nonexistent. As technology advances and the cost of computing power continues to fall, the Apple mobile device by then will be so powerful that it can easily perform desktop functions like photo & video editing, word processing, spreadsheet manipulation, etc. ['Shoehorning' will not be an applicable term by then.] The only limitation for desktop functions on a mobile device will be ergonomics (human visual acuity, typical hand size, etc.) Maybe Gen 6 iPhone is still too early, but the day will come. And it will still be software that works seamlessy with hardware in the usual Apple fashion.
Imagine the proposition. Your mobile device is your desktop. You don't need to buy a second computer, you don't need to synch back and forth, you don't need to worry about a burglar stealing your desktop while you're away, you don't need to say "Aw, I left the data on my desktop". If the hardware has the capability to do it, it will happen and Apple will readily kill its own pure desktop business because as I have repeated ad infinitum: You better cannibalize your own product or somebody else will cannibalize it for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
The public communication device seems pretty dead to me. If I have my iPhone I’m not going to use a kiosk that will likely cost money. I’ll use the iPhone or likely my laptop. Notebooks are outselling desktop PCs, airports have WiFi with many being free, and airlines are pushing WiFI now, too.
Maybe not in airport kiosks. Frequent flyer lounges, hotel rooms, hotel 'business centers'. Once the 'desktop in your pocket' becomes ubiquitous services catering to it will emerge. I don't say the kiosks will be everywhere, but something of the sort will crop up to cater to a particular segment, not everyone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831
The amount of tasks one can accomplish with your smartphone continues to grow. Also, some societies are culturally predisposed to avoid public terminals. The Japanese for example consider such devices to be unsanitary. Hence, they are the leaders in contactless NFC (Near Field Communications) transaction systems. You wave your "Osaifu-keitai" (literally "wallet phone") over a sensor to pay for groceries, enter an office building, check into your flight, ride the subway, buy a movie ticket, etc.
Plus, the overhead of installing, maintaining, upgrading, and providing anti-vandalism/theft security for kiosks is substantial. You are better off mounting a WiFi router on the ceiling and letting people connect to that.
In terms of security, I'd much rather use my own device rather some public terminal anyhow.
Then you and the Japanese are not the target market for the monitor-keyboard-mouse service. And as I said above, they need not be airport kiosks. That was just an example. The people who will use them are the segment of customers who frequent internet cafes, seek out hotels with high speed access, sign up for frequent flyer airport lounges, etc.
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Anyway, it looks more and more likely that mobile computing is headed this way. What this means is that sales of pure desktops and laptops to consumers are going to shrink drastically and that spells the end of Windows dominance in the consumer sector unless by some miracle, MS revives its mobile OS business and somehow finds the programming mojo to merge (the future versions of) WinMo, Windows and Zune OS into a seamless, bloat-free package. I highly doubt that.
In this future of mobile/desktop convergence nobody except Apple possesses the necessary, comprehensive skill set. Not MS, not Blackberry, not Google, not Palm, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, you name it. Even if some of these also-rans merged, there's still the colossal problem of integrating their disparate products.
The future is Apple's and you better load up on AAPL stock now (full disclosure: like I did) if you want a nice retirement kitty 20 years from now. But that's just my personal opinion.
I would say for the Tablet to be successful it must provide an easy to use input UI.
Possibly a UI where the keyboard is displayed on the screen with a typing box display on top showing a few lines of typed input would do the trick. Then take hands off the screen for a few moments ("moments" being user configurable) would return the display to whatever was there before the typing UI initiated.
There's a button on the iPhone keyboard called "done".
While it's true that this tablet may reshape human/computer interaction in some way, all of this hype and speculation have driven this product way into Segway land.
Nothing short of Steve Jobs giving virgin birth to this thing live on stage will do at this point.
Maybe not in airport kiosks. Frequent flyer lounges, hotel rooms, hotel 'business centers'. Once the 'desktop in your pocket' becomes ubiquitous services catering to it will emerge. I don't say the kiosks will be everywhere, but something of the sort will crop up to cater to a particular segment, not everyone.
Nah, by in large, the people who use those sort of business-grade services are business travelers; the overwhelming majority carry notebook computers issued by their employers.
There is little reason for these people to seek out a tablet-based terminal. They already have their entire work environment (including confidential company information) in their briefcase. They just want a power outlet and WiFi. For lightweight work (checking e-mails, etc.), your smartphone is fine.
As far as I can tell, there is no target audience for this proposed monitor-keyboard-mouse service.
Apple's phantom tablet is going to be a consumer media device.
Nah, by in large, the people who use those sort of business-grade services are business travelers; the overwhelming majority carry notebook computers issued by their employers.
There is little reason for these people to seek out a tablet-based terminal. They already have their entire work environment (including confidential company information) in their briefcase. They just want a power outlet and WiFi. For lightweight work (checking e-mails, etc.), your smartphone is fine.
As far as I can tell, there is no target audience for this proposed monitor-keyboard-mouse service.
Apple's phantom tablet is going to be a consumer media device.
We'll just see then. Again, failure of imagination. You are assuming an extension of computing habits of today. If "your desktop in your pocket" succeeds, and people stop buying laptops and desktops en masse and just buy a single mobile cpu for their personal computing, there will be hundreds of millions of people walking around who have their full computing capabilities in their pockets. And some enterprising people will realize that and offer a service that will change computing habits wholesale.
Computer use will be more casual. You won't think anymore in terms of "I need to be home by 3:00 to edit that video." Or, "I need to bring my laptop with me today because I plan to work on my term paper. It's ALL in your pocket. You're in the middle of your leisurely bike ride and you decide to stop by the nearby coffee shop and work on stuff while you're taking a break. You're shopping at the mall and suddenly out of the blue you hit upon a breakthrough on that new designer protein you've been working on and you need to draw its structure right away lest the inspiration slips away.
On top of that, university and community libraries will stop offering expensive, full desktop computing resources and just install screen & keyboard consoles. (The mobile touch screen becomes a touch pad.)
And if it's available, you don't think itinerant corporate suits will demand that their employers free them of the burden of lugging their 'bulky' laptops everywhere they go?
Be that as it may, screen&keyboard kiosks is not the main thing. The main thing is the death, or drastic diminution of laptop & desktop sales and the demise of two-device (i.e. large-screen and small screen) computing.
From you lips to God's or Jobs ears. (same difference really)
I think that "Mac OS X" is nearing the end of its life. I think that Apple has been putting all its manpower into working on a new generation OS that will be cross platform on all its devices. I predict it will be something similar to the iphone OS but much more powerful and expandable, yet will be backwards compatible with the iphone apps. I see them really gearing everything they do from here forward around their online store purchases... meaning the apps and software, music, TV, books, and the list will go on.... The days of shopping around and installing software are going to be over...your going to get everything through apples funnel. They are (and have been for a while) gearing to be THE content provider for everything. They know the app stores success, seen all the developers flood in, and planned how to take this and use it across all their products. It has taken so long for this tablet to come out because I believe they have been really working on this OS, and its going to be revolutionary
It's not a phone. It's so obvious it won't be locked. It probably won't even have 3G.
Has making phone calls been ruled out? A truly connected device would need more than just wifi. My iPhone is connect more to 3G than wifi and much of Helsinki is wired. Without 3G, this thing is about as handy as the iPod Touch. It's not that big a deal to put a 3G radio inside as well.
I still can't believe the number of people on this thread that keep bringing up college textbooks...
There is no way in hell that college textbooks will become more affordable because of Apple's iSlate (or Kindle for that matter). The textbook industry has a awesome business model in place where as they are able to constantly f-over young adults with ridiculous priced products that most students are forced into buying... That is not going to change because of any new technology gadget...
If anything, eTextbooks will probably be more money than the paper equivalent just for the ability to perform electronic searches, copying/pasting, etc. That is of course, the DRM in eTextbooks actually allows one to do more than just read it for a semester...
Has making phone calls been ruled out? A truly connected device would need more than just wifi. My iPhone is connect more to 3G than wifi and much of Helsinki is wired. Without 3G, this thing is about as handy as the iPod Touch. It's not that big a deal to put a 3G radio inside as well.
Having 3G an making phone calls are two different things (unless we are talking about voip). I would expect that a 3G data only version will exist, however all I want is the tablet to be capable of tethering with my iPhone and using that data plan. I am not paying for two data plans.
Having 3G an making phone calls are two different things (unless we are talking about voip). I would expect that a 3G data only version will exist, however all I want is the tablet to be capable of tethering with my iPhone and using that data plan. I am not paying for two data plans.
Good point. I can do this already with my iPhone or my Nokia. Example: I can tether my iPhone to my Mac, or I can use an application: JoikuSpot that turns my Nokia into a wifi base station and then connect my iPhone or Mac to this. The good thing about working and living in Finland is that the operators are not so anal about data usage.
I still can't believe the number of people on this thread that keep bringing up college textbooks...
There is no way in hell that college textbooks will become more affordable because of Apple's iSlate (or Kindle for that matter). The textbook industry has a awesome business model in place where as they are able to constantly f-over young adults with ridiculous priced products that most students are forced into buying... That is not going to change because of any new technology gadget...
If anything, eTextbooks will probably be more money than the paper equivalent just for the ability to perform electronic searches, copying/pasting, etc. That is of course, the DRM in eTextbooks actually allows one to do more than just read it for a semester...
By eliminating print and distribution costs, their profits would go up if they sold etextbooks at the same price as printed textbooks and they could maintain similar profit margins by selling etextbooks at a fraction of the current prices. Add in the elimination of the used book market and they would really want you to buy the electronic version. How do you ensure that students buy the digital version? You make it cheaper. I see no reason why they would want to charge more for a digital copy, and if they did they would be hurting themselves.
Even if prices remain the same, student backpacks would get lighter. That in itself is a cause for celebration.
I think that "Mac OS X" is nearing the end of its life. I think that Apple has been putting all its manpower into working on a new generation OS that will be cross platform on all its devices. I predict it will be something similar to the iphone OS but much more powerful and expandable, yet will be backwards compatible with the iphone apps. I see them really gearing everything they do from here forward around their online store purchases... meaning the apps and software, music, TV, books, and the list will go on.... The days of shopping around and installing software are going to be over...your going to get everything through apples funnel. They are (and have been for a while) gearing to be THE content provider for everything. They know the app stores success, seen all the developers flood in, and planned how to take this and use it across all their products. It has taken so long for this tablet to come out because I believe they have been really working on this OS, and its going to be revolutionary
This discussion about Mac OS X going away is a bit silly... Until Apple moves away from computer to mobile device syncing and replaces it with cloud-application based syncing, then I would start wondering about Apple's long term Mac OS X plans... Unless that is the reason why they purchased Lala.com.
That sounds like a lot to me. 30-pin connector, USB port(s), headphone/mic jack, mDP port.
I would expect HDMI vs mDP. I agree with the opinion that it will not be marketed as a computer but as a lifestyle companion device that fills many but not all of the netbook capabilities.
Web surfing, video and photo editing, iTunes, calendar, email, and iphone like apps.
Why would you need or want a mDP port? To dock and playback to your 27" iMac? Perhaps, but that feels very limited in comparison to the number of HDTVs out there.
If that were the plan, I would have expected mDP in on all of the iMac models.
You are imagining merging the current (or near term) incarnations of the iPhone OS and Mac OS into a single jerrybuilt OS using baling wire pilfered from Microsoft's warehouse. Of course that would be stupid. I meant *eventually* these two will have to merge.
Eventually we'll have direct neural interfaces too. But it's highly unlikely for the the OS to merge in this way in say...Jobs' lifetime.
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(And it will be more a merging of functions than a merging of code bases, but it will include some of the latter.) At that point all your objections will be nonexistent. As technology advances and the cost of computing power continues to fall, the Apple mobile device by then will be so powerful that it can easily perform desktop functions like photo & video editing, word processing, spreadsheet manipulation, etc. ['Shoehorning' will not be an applicable term by then.] The only limitation for desktop functions on a mobile device will be ergonomics (human visual acuity, typical hand size, etc.) Maybe Gen 6 iPhone is still too early, but the day will come. And it will still be software that works seamlessy with hardware in the usual Apple fashion.
That's the crux. Technology changes quickly but humans do not. Odd how the lowly keyboard has survived all this time. Why is that? Mostly because we can actually type faster than we write. Secondly, voice recognition still 5 years from really being useful for everyone. I've been saying that for about 20 years now. Sooner or later it'll actually be true.
A mobile device with limited input capabilities favor one kind of interface optimized for content display. A device intended for content creation favors a different kind of interface optimized for input. Can the two be identical?
Sure, if you prefer them to be sub optimal.
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Imagine the proposition. Your mobile device is your desktop. You don't need to buy a second computer, you don't need to synch back and forth, you don't need to worry about a burglar stealing your desktop while you're away, you don't need to say "Aw, I left the data on my desktop". If the hardware has the capability to do it, it will happen and Apple will readily kill its own pure desktop business because as I have repeated ad infinitum: You better cannibalize your own product or somebody else will cannibalize it for you.
My mobile device IS my desktop today. It's called a laptop. I do have to worry about stealing it, just like folks steal iPhones too. Or even from the cloud.
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Maybe not in airport kiosks. Frequent flyer lounges, hotel rooms, hotel 'business centers'. Once the 'desktop in your pocket' becomes ubiquitous services catering to it will emerge. I don't say the kiosks will be everywhere, but something of the sort will crop up to cater to a particular segment, not everyone.
This is actually a concept from the early 90's. See the Starfire video from Sun. How odd though that your vision of the future is that of the past.
Amazing what we have and don't have from that. You'll see iChat, tactile multitouch work surfaces, augmented reality (sorta...but the tablet thing she used to drive the camera is VERY close to the device Cameron used to visualize the virtual Avatar set) and voice recognition.
A notebook with a display and keyboard built in is superior to the kiosk because it doesn't cost anything to the hotel or airline and I can use it in any old cafe.
Besides, by the time I can have a desktop in my pocket I can have a projector in my pocket too and use any surface as a viewing area. Input is tougher unless we all start learning chording keyboards.
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Then you and the Japanese are not the target market for the monitor-keyboard-mouse service. And as I said above, they need not be airport kiosks. That was just an example. The people who will use them are the segment of customers who frequent internet cafes, seek out hotels with high speed access, sign up for frequent flyer airport lounges, etc.
And already have laptops.
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Anyway, it looks more and more likely that mobile computing is headed this way. What this means is that sales of pure desktops and laptops to consumers are going to shrink drastically
Depends on how you define laptops I suppose. Netbooks are still laptops. Convertible tablets are still laptops.
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and that spells the end of Windows dominance in the consumer sector unless by some miracle, MS revives its mobile OS business and somehow finds the programming mojo to merge (the future versions of) WinMo, Windows and Zune OS into a seamless, bloat-free package. I highly doubt that.
That'll be a long time coming even assuming that Google today is to MS what MS was to IBM.
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In this future of mobile/desktop convergence nobody except Apple possesses the necessary, comprehensive skill set. Not MS, not Blackberry, not Google, not Palm, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, you name it. Even if some of these also-rans merged, there's still the colossal problem of integrating their disparate products.
Sony does even if they are executing very poorly at the moment. A good ass kicking does wonders though. They'll either start executing well again or die. Kinda like Apple in the late 90s.
As I said in another thread, as more and more "iTablets" or "iSlates" start eating into Mac laptop sales, much like netbooks are doing to PC laptop sales now, the "iPhone OS" will slowly begin to dominate, leaving the present OS X UI as we know it only for the Mac "Pro" products eventually.
So we are going to see some sort of hybid OS in the new iTablets/iSlates. More powerful, but the simpler UI. Especially if we have to wave our hands and fingers at it to interface with it.
If you follow the path further the result will be what I call the "iMac Television" - where Apple is the first company to successfully converge the Mac and TV. You will turn on your television, and simultaneous have access to all your App store apps. You will simply use your hand gestures to swipe the screens and navigate. Not only this, but Apple will have a full gaming console already established without actually going out and making one. The games will be simple but fun and... eventually ludicrous in cool. The xTV will cost $2400-$2800. Apple's stock at this time will be $400+
Comments
I am still waiting for Skype to be 3G enabled on my iPhone. Sad that the US networks can't handle the traffic load but other networks can and do it daily. Here in Finland (where I am currently working, I am not a Finn. Making this clarification for a few individuals), the network operators actually encourage mobile broadband usage. Here, unlimited means that. I tether my phone daily for up to 8 hours a day while in my office, and the operator could not care less. I hope that AT&T does not get a say in this and Apple sells these things far and wide.
I think Bezos logic is flawed for the reasons you mention but a dedicated eReader will likely be considerably cheaper than anything Apple offers and will likely have much longer usability time for reading text. This makes the physical requirements very different. I think what we might see is a device like the iPhone that united some disparate things into one and made it the leading device, happen again with a tablet if it can make a “dumb” eReader a pointless market. Unlike the phone market the eReader market is not entrenched of a cultural necessity.
Unlike the article itself, I didn't mean to say that the Apple tablet will kill the Kindle. I am saying that Kindle will eventually die a natural death, the same way iPod Classic is dying right now and the way pure PDA's did. Pure eReaders are a dead end product. And by 'physical requirements', I meant physical packaging requirements. Or dimensional requirements if you wish. The general size and shape requirements of an eReader is not much different from a tablet computing device. That's not true for a digital camera with a decent lens and a smartphone.
There is absolutely no reason why I need one giant version of OS X to be installable on the iPhone, AppleTV and Macs. To have the code for frameworks, drivers, UI elements for any product in one software package. Having a SW that is designed hand in hand with the HW is where Apple thrives. Trying to shoehorn an OS into every other piece of HW is where the competition survives.
First, you are being constrained by a failure of imagination. Second, you are using personal, idiosyncratic preferences as a stand in for the whole customer base.
You are imagining merging the current (or near term) incarnations of the iPhone OS and Mac OS into a single jerrybuilt OS using baling wire pilfered from Microsoft's warehouse. Of course that would be stupid. I meant *eventually* these two will have to merge. (And it will be more a merging of functions than a merging of code bases, but it will include some of the latter.) At that point all your objections will be nonexistent. As technology advances and the cost of computing power continues to fall, the Apple mobile device by then will be so powerful that it can easily perform desktop functions like photo & video editing, word processing, spreadsheet manipulation, etc. ['Shoehorning' will not be an applicable term by then.] The only limitation for desktop functions on a mobile device will be ergonomics (human visual acuity, typical hand size, etc.) Maybe Gen 6 iPhone is still too early, but the day will come. And it will still be software that works seamlessy with hardware in the usual Apple fashion.
Imagine the proposition. Your mobile device is your desktop. You don't need to buy a second computer, you don't need to synch back and forth, you don't need to worry about a burglar stealing your desktop while you're away, you don't need to say "Aw, I left the data on my desktop". If the hardware has the capability to do it, it will happen and Apple will readily kill its own pure desktop business because as I have repeated ad infinitum: You better cannibalize your own product or somebody else will cannibalize it for you.
The public communication device seems pretty dead to me. If I have my iPhone I’m not going to use a kiosk that will likely cost money. I’ll use the iPhone or likely my laptop. Notebooks are outselling desktop PCs, airports have WiFi with many being free, and airlines are pushing WiFI now, too.
Maybe not in airport kiosks. Frequent flyer lounges, hotel rooms, hotel 'business centers'. Once the 'desktop in your pocket' becomes ubiquitous services catering to it will emerge. I don't say the kiosks will be everywhere, but something of the sort will crop up to cater to a particular segment, not everyone.
The amount of tasks one can accomplish with your smartphone continues to grow. Also, some societies are culturally predisposed to avoid public terminals. The Japanese for example consider such devices to be unsanitary. Hence, they are the leaders in contactless NFC (Near Field Communications) transaction systems. You wave your "Osaifu-keitai" (literally "wallet phone") over a sensor to pay for groceries, enter an office building, check into your flight, ride the subway, buy a movie ticket, etc.
Plus, the overhead of installing, maintaining, upgrading, and providing anti-vandalism/theft security for kiosks is substantial. You are better off mounting a WiFi router on the ceiling and letting people connect to that.
In terms of security, I'd much rather use my own device rather some public terminal anyhow.
Then you and the Japanese are not the target market for the monitor-keyboard-mouse service. And as I said above, they need not be airport kiosks. That was just an example. The people who will use them are the segment of customers who frequent internet cafes, seek out hotels with high speed access, sign up for frequent flyer airport lounges, etc.
------------
Anyway, it looks more and more likely that mobile computing is headed this way. What this means is that sales of pure desktops and laptops to consumers are going to shrink drastically and that spells the end of Windows dominance in the consumer sector unless by some miracle, MS revives its mobile OS business and somehow finds the programming mojo to merge (the future versions of) WinMo, Windows and Zune OS into a seamless, bloat-free package. I highly doubt that.
In this future of mobile/desktop convergence nobody except Apple possesses the necessary, comprehensive skill set. Not MS, not Blackberry, not Google, not Palm, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, you name it. Even if some of these also-rans merged, there's still the colossal problem of integrating their disparate products.
The future is Apple's and you better load up on AAPL stock now (full disclosure: like I did) if you want a nice retirement kitty 20 years from now. But that's just my personal opinion.
I would say for the Tablet to be successful it must provide an easy to use input UI.
Possibly a UI where the keyboard is displayed on the screen with a typing box display on top showing a few lines of typed input would do the trick. Then take hands off the screen for a few moments ("moments" being user configurable) would return the display to whatever was there before the typing UI initiated.
There's a button on the iPhone keyboard called "done".
While it's true that this tablet may reshape human/computer interaction in some way, all of this hype and speculation have driven this product way into Segway land.
Nothing short of Steve Jobs giving virgin birth to this thing live on stage will do at this point.
You can certainly put words to it can't you.
Those that think this thing is going to be a Kindle Killer are not serious readers.
While it's not the best comment in the world, I agree with the direction you were headed in.
Have any actual specs been released? Is this going to be another 3G crippled (meaning locked to an operator) or will Apple look out for the consumers?
It's not a phone. It's so obvious it won't be locked. It probably won't even have 3G.
Maybe not in airport kiosks. Frequent flyer lounges, hotel rooms, hotel 'business centers'. Once the 'desktop in your pocket' becomes ubiquitous services catering to it will emerge. I don't say the kiosks will be everywhere, but something of the sort will crop up to cater to a particular segment, not everyone.
Nah, by in large, the people who use those sort of business-grade services are business travelers; the overwhelming majority carry notebook computers issued by their employers.
There is little reason for these people to seek out a tablet-based terminal. They already have their entire work environment (including confidential company information) in their briefcase. They just want a power outlet and WiFi. For lightweight work (checking e-mails, etc.), your smartphone is fine.
As far as I can tell, there is no target audience for this proposed monitor-keyboard-mouse service.
Apple's phantom tablet is going to be a consumer media device.
Nah, by in large, the people who use those sort of business-grade services are business travelers; the overwhelming majority carry notebook computers issued by their employers.
There is little reason for these people to seek out a tablet-based terminal. They already have their entire work environment (including confidential company information) in their briefcase. They just want a power outlet and WiFi. For lightweight work (checking e-mails, etc.), your smartphone is fine.
As far as I can tell, there is no target audience for this proposed monitor-keyboard-mouse service.
Apple's phantom tablet is going to be a consumer media device.
We'll just see then. Again, failure of imagination. You are assuming an extension of computing habits of today. If "your desktop in your pocket" succeeds, and people stop buying laptops and desktops en masse and just buy a single mobile cpu for their personal computing, there will be hundreds of millions of people walking around who have their full computing capabilities in their pockets. And some enterprising people will realize that and offer a service that will change computing habits wholesale.
Computer use will be more casual. You won't think anymore in terms of "I need to be home by 3:00 to edit that video." Or, "I need to bring my laptop with me today because I plan to work on my term paper. It's ALL in your pocket. You're in the middle of your leisurely bike ride and you decide to stop by the nearby coffee shop and work on stuff while you're taking a break. You're shopping at the mall and suddenly out of the blue you hit upon a breakthrough on that new designer protein you've been working on and you need to draw its structure right away lest the inspiration slips away.
On top of that, university and community libraries will stop offering expensive, full desktop computing resources and just install screen & keyboard consoles. (The mobile touch screen becomes a touch pad.)
And if it's available, you don't think itinerant corporate suits will demand that their employers free them of the burden of lugging their 'bulky' laptops everywhere they go?
Be that as it may, screen&keyboard kiosks is not the main thing. The main thing is the death, or drastic diminution of laptop & desktop sales and the demise of two-device (i.e. large-screen and small screen) computing.
From you lips to God's or Jobs ears. (same difference really)
I think that "Mac OS X" is nearing the end of its life. I think that Apple has been putting all its manpower into working on a new generation OS that will be cross platform on all its devices. I predict it will be something similar to the iphone OS but much more powerful and expandable, yet will be backwards compatible with the iphone apps. I see them really gearing everything they do from here forward around their online store purchases... meaning the apps and software, music, TV, books, and the list will go on.... The days of shopping around and installing software are going to be over...your going to get everything through apples funnel. They are (and have been for a while) gearing to be THE content provider for everything. They know the app stores success, seen all the developers flood in, and planned how to take this and use it across all their products. It has taken so long for this tablet to come out because I believe they have been really working on this OS, and its going to be revolutionary
It's not a phone. It's so obvious it won't be locked. It probably won't even have 3G.
Has making phone calls been ruled out? A truly connected device would need more than just wifi. My iPhone is connect more to 3G than wifi and much of Helsinki is wired. Without 3G, this thing is about as handy as the iPod Touch. It's not that big a deal to put a 3G radio inside as well.
Those that think this thing is going to be a Kindle Killer are not serious readers.
Just like audiophiles don't listen to music on an iPod... Which of course has nothing to do with the mass market.
There is no way in hell that college textbooks will become more affordable because of Apple's iSlate (or Kindle for that matter). The textbook industry has a awesome business model in place where as they are able to constantly f-over young adults with ridiculous priced products that most students are forced into buying... That is not going to change because of any new technology gadget...
If anything, eTextbooks will probably be more money than the paper equivalent just for the ability to perform electronic searches, copying/pasting, etc. That is of course, the DRM in eTextbooks actually allows one to do more than just read it for a semester...
Has making phone calls been ruled out? A truly connected device would need more than just wifi. My iPhone is connect more to 3G than wifi and much of Helsinki is wired. Without 3G, this thing is about as handy as the iPod Touch. It's not that big a deal to put a 3G radio inside as well.
Having 3G an making phone calls are two different things (unless we are talking about voip). I would expect that a 3G data only version will exist, however all I want is the tablet to be capable of tethering with my iPhone and using that data plan. I am not paying for two data plans.
Having 3G an making phone calls are two different things (unless we are talking about voip). I would expect that a 3G data only version will exist, however all I want is the tablet to be capable of tethering with my iPhone and using that data plan. I am not paying for two data plans.
Good point. I can do this already with my iPhone or my Nokia. Example: I can tether my iPhone to my Mac, or I can use an application: JoikuSpot that turns my Nokia into a wifi base station and then connect my iPhone or Mac to this. The good thing about working and living in Finland is that the operators are not so anal about data usage.
I still can't believe the number of people on this thread that keep bringing up college textbooks...
There is no way in hell that college textbooks will become more affordable because of Apple's iSlate (or Kindle for that matter). The textbook industry has a awesome business model in place where as they are able to constantly f-over young adults with ridiculous priced products that most students are forced into buying... That is not going to change because of any new technology gadget...
If anything, eTextbooks will probably be more money than the paper equivalent just for the ability to perform electronic searches, copying/pasting, etc. That is of course, the DRM in eTextbooks actually allows one to do more than just read it for a semester...
By eliminating print and distribution costs, their profits would go up if they sold etextbooks at the same price as printed textbooks and they could maintain similar profit margins by selling etextbooks at a fraction of the current prices. Add in the elimination of the used book market and they would really want you to buy the electronic version. How do you ensure that students buy the digital version? You make it cheaper. I see no reason why they would want to charge more for a digital copy, and if they did they would be hurting themselves.
Even if prices remain the same, student backpacks would get lighter. That in itself is a cause for celebration.
I think that "Mac OS X" is nearing the end of its life. I think that Apple has been putting all its manpower into working on a new generation OS that will be cross platform on all its devices. I predict it will be something similar to the iphone OS but much more powerful and expandable, yet will be backwards compatible with the iphone apps. I see them really gearing everything they do from here forward around their online store purchases... meaning the apps and software, music, TV, books, and the list will go on.... The days of shopping around and installing software are going to be over...your going to get everything through apples funnel. They are (and have been for a while) gearing to be THE content provider for everything. They know the app stores success, seen all the developers flood in, and planned how to take this and use it across all their products. It has taken so long for this tablet to come out because I believe they have been really working on this OS, and its going to be revolutionary
This discussion about Mac OS X going away is a bit silly... Until Apple moves away from computer to mobile device syncing and replaces it with cloud-application based syncing, then I would start wondering about Apple's long term Mac OS X plans... Unless that is the reason why they purchased Lala.com.
That sounds like a lot to me. 30-pin connector, USB port(s), headphone/mic jack, mDP port.
I would expect HDMI vs mDP. I agree with the opinion that it will not be marketed as a computer but as a lifestyle companion device that fills many but not all of the netbook capabilities.
Web surfing, video and photo editing, iTunes, calendar, email, and iphone like apps.
Why would you need or want a mDP port? To dock and playback to your 27" iMac? Perhaps, but that feels very limited in comparison to the number of HDTVs out there.
If that were the plan, I would have expected mDP in on all of the iMac models.
Those that think this thing is going to be a Kindle Killer are not serious readers.
How many ebooks do you own Mr. Serious Reader? I bet I have more despite not having a kindle and wanting the new tablet...for my ebooks,
You are imagining merging the current (or near term) incarnations of the iPhone OS and Mac OS into a single jerrybuilt OS using baling wire pilfered from Microsoft's warehouse. Of course that would be stupid. I meant *eventually* these two will have to merge.
Eventually we'll have direct neural interfaces too. But it's highly unlikely for the the OS to merge in this way in say...Jobs' lifetime.
(And it will be more a merging of functions than a merging of code bases, but it will include some of the latter.) At that point all your objections will be nonexistent. As technology advances and the cost of computing power continues to fall, the Apple mobile device by then will be so powerful that it can easily perform desktop functions like photo & video editing, word processing, spreadsheet manipulation, etc. ['Shoehorning' will not be an applicable term by then.] The only limitation for desktop functions on a mobile device will be ergonomics (human visual acuity, typical hand size, etc.) Maybe Gen 6 iPhone is still too early, but the day will come. And it will still be software that works seamlessy with hardware in the usual Apple fashion.
That's the crux. Technology changes quickly but humans do not. Odd how the lowly keyboard has survived all this time. Why is that? Mostly because we can actually type faster than we write. Secondly, voice recognition still 5 years from really being useful for everyone. I've been saying that for about 20 years now. Sooner or later it'll actually be true.
A mobile device with limited input capabilities favor one kind of interface optimized for content display. A device intended for content creation favors a different kind of interface optimized for input. Can the two be identical?
Sure, if you prefer them to be sub optimal.
Imagine the proposition. Your mobile device is your desktop. You don't need to buy a second computer, you don't need to synch back and forth, you don't need to worry about a burglar stealing your desktop while you're away, you don't need to say "Aw, I left the data on my desktop". If the hardware has the capability to do it, it will happen and Apple will readily kill its own pure desktop business because as I have repeated ad infinitum: You better cannibalize your own product or somebody else will cannibalize it for you.
My mobile device IS my desktop today. It's called a laptop. I do have to worry about stealing it, just like folks steal iPhones too. Or even from the cloud.
Maybe not in airport kiosks. Frequent flyer lounges, hotel rooms, hotel 'business centers'. Once the 'desktop in your pocket' becomes ubiquitous services catering to it will emerge. I don't say the kiosks will be everywhere, but something of the sort will crop up to cater to a particular segment, not everyone.
This is actually a concept from the early 90's. See the Starfire video from Sun. How odd though that your vision of the future is that of the past.
http://www.asktog.com/starfire/starfire.mp4
Amazing what we have and don't have from that. You'll see iChat, tactile multitouch work surfaces, augmented reality (sorta...but the tablet thing she used to drive the camera is VERY close to the device Cameron used to visualize the virtual Avatar set) and voice recognition.
A notebook with a display and keyboard built in is superior to the kiosk because it doesn't cost anything to the hotel or airline and I can use it in any old cafe.
Besides, by the time I can have a desktop in my pocket I can have a projector in my pocket too and use any surface as a viewing area. Input is tougher unless we all start learning chording keyboards.
Then you and the Japanese are not the target market for the monitor-keyboard-mouse service. And as I said above, they need not be airport kiosks. That was just an example. The people who will use them are the segment of customers who frequent internet cafes, seek out hotels with high speed access, sign up for frequent flyer airport lounges, etc.
And already have laptops.
Anyway, it looks more and more likely that mobile computing is headed this way. What this means is that sales of pure desktops and laptops to consumers are going to shrink drastically
Depends on how you define laptops I suppose. Netbooks are still laptops. Convertible tablets are still laptops.
and that spells the end of Windows dominance in the consumer sector unless by some miracle, MS revives its mobile OS business and somehow finds the programming mojo to merge (the future versions of) WinMo, Windows and Zune OS into a seamless, bloat-free package. I highly doubt that.
That'll be a long time coming even assuming that Google today is to MS what MS was to IBM.
In this future of mobile/desktop convergence nobody except Apple possesses the necessary, comprehensive skill set. Not MS, not Blackberry, not Google, not Palm, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, you name it. Even if some of these also-rans merged, there's still the colossal problem of integrating their disparate products.
Sony does even if they are executing very poorly at the moment. A good ass kicking does wonders though. They'll either start executing well again or die. Kinda like Apple in the late 90s.
OS X familiar UI is DOOMED!!
As I said in another thread, as more and more "iTablets" or "iSlates" start eating into Mac laptop sales, much like netbooks are doing to PC laptop sales now, the "iPhone OS" will slowly begin to dominate, leaving the present OS X UI as we know it only for the Mac "Pro" products eventually.
So we are going to see some sort of hybid OS in the new iTablets/iSlates. More powerful, but the simpler UI. Especially if we have to wave our hands and fingers at it to interface with it.
If you follow the path further the result will be what I call the "iMac Television" - where Apple is the first company to successfully converge the Mac and TV. You will turn on your television, and simultaneous have access to all your App store apps. You will simply use your hand gestures to swipe the screens and navigate. Not only this, but Apple will have a full gaming console already established without actually going out and making one. The games will be simple but fun and... eventually ludicrous in cool. The xTV will cost $2400-$2800. Apple's stock at this time will be $400+