I still haven't seen anything better sized that an A5 piece of paper. Easily holdable in one hand, widescreen, large enough to write on clearly, and the correct width for viewing a page of an A4 or 8.5x11 document with a vertical scroll, no horizontal scroll needed.
The Newton 2000 was about this size, but the screen was much smaller. That size, but with the screen nearly to the edge (thin bezel), would be *perfect* IMO.
Except a tablet isn't (or doesn't have to be limited by) a laptop. Different product. I've yet to see a convertible that worked as well as a laptop as a dedicated laptop, or as well as a tablet as a dedicated tablet.
Merging designs into a hybrid rarely results in much more than two half-assed versions of the originals. \
I like Kickaha's idea; people carry A5 sized planners and notebooks around so it could easily replace these if light enough. Would also be ideal if the screen had a high resolution, with that resolution independence thing, so that things like ebooks look crisp and clear. A5 size would be large enough to show most books at the same size as real life.
Convertibles are too fragile. This tablet needs to be really, really rugged. There have been discussions of this in the past on Applesider. Amorph described an extruded-aluminum model with a flash-memory hard drive and low-power G3 processor. It needs to have wi-fi and bluetooth, and USB ports so you can plug in a keyboard/mouse when you're at a desk. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
None of us expect Apple to release such a machine anytime in the next few years.
personally, i think the major weakness of all traditional tablets is the screen. it's glass which means the possibility of expensive breakage. combine that shortcoming with the size requirements of a standard keyboard, HD & traditional I/O and everything you design becomes bulky. the apple pad needs to be truly portable, sleek and thin....everything web pads today are not. i'm thinking....
1) a shell made of tough polycarbonate & using a LEP (light emitting plastics) screen, the apple pad has no glass to break, no hinges to bend & is rugged enough to withstand lots of abuse.
2) instead of a traditional harddrive, the apple pad uses on-board RAM to create a virtual HD. advantages include lower power consumption, faster performance and far less heat...allowing a thin form-factor.
3) a stripped down, pen-based version of OSX with lightweight versions of mail, safari, address book & ical with integration with all the iapps through a high-speed wifi or wimax connection. this means music & movies streamed from itunes, photos from iphotos and wireless syncing.
5) minimal I/O - 1 USB2 port, a video-out port, & a dock-port similar to that on the ipod for recharging/syncing
6) a reasonable price...
apple should be focused on extending the capbilities of OSX through a satellite device and not on recreating the functionality of a traditional laptop which yeilds what? you guessed it. an overpriced laptop.
Except a tablet isn't (or doesn't have to be limited by) a laptop. Different product. I've yet to see a convertible that worked as well as a laptop as a dedicated laptop, or as well as a tablet as a dedicated tablet.
Merging designs into a hybrid rarely results in much more than two half-assed versions of the originals. \
Bravo! Bravo!!!!
The Incredible Flapping, Flipping Keyboard And Or Screen Thing just ain't it.
I think, to ameliorate any doubt and/or stress about the Intel Switch, Apple will lead off their Intel lines with Bob Bushway's Intel driven Tablet. A piece of art as well as an amazing piece of hardware, it will begin the mass exodus from Microsoft. I, of course, am pulling this out of thin, thin air.
I got to play with a friend's tablet tonight, and the thing is *huge*. It has about 1.5" of bezel around each edge, with a bunch of buttons. I asked her what each of the buttons was for: "This one is for bringing up the keyboard on-screen" (Newton had this as a soft button on -screen, ala Dock) "This one is for rotating the screen" (10.4 has a Rotate Display function) "The D-pad is for selecting boot options before you can use the pen" (I literally slapped my forehead at this one - I'm sorry, but that's just FUCKING STUPID)
The *ONLY* button on the entire front that would still be necessary under MacOS X was the power button. So shrink that bezel down to 1/4" or less, and suddenly the thing is tiny - and the same screen space... 8.5" x 6.5".
Get that just a bit smaller, and you're at the A5 size I've been preaching for years.
I'd say they would do something similar to current line: compact slate for on the go ppl, full size for content creation and multimedia heavy apps.
Why would anyone want to do that kind of stuff on a tablet? It's for taking notes, organizing meetings, checking e-mail and sending off a quick reply... not editing video and stuff like that. Even illustration is better suited to a system with a fast processor, good video card, and a large, high-res screen with realistic color reproduction.
The A5-paper size sounds about right, as it would be easy to carry in one hand and would fit in an average (man)purse. Using flash memory for the HD would keep it in the 2GB range, so it would essentially be a lightweight thin-client that could network to other computers over USB/Firewire/WiFi.
If Apple does sell a tablet, I hope they keep it in a class of its own: Powerbooks/iBooks for regular "desktop replacement" use, iPods for music and maybe video, and tablets for PDA-like functionality.
Why would anyone want to do that kind of stuff on a tablet? It's for taking notes, organizing meetings, checking e-mail and sending off a quick reply... not editing video and stuff like that. Even illustration is better suited to a system with a fast processor, good video card, and a large, high-res screen with realistic color reproduction.
The A5-paper size sounds about right, as it would be easy to carry in one hand and would fit in an average (man)purse. Using flash memory for the HD would keep it in the 2GB range, so it would essentially be a lightweight thin-client that could network to other computers over USB/Firewire/WiFi.
If Apple does sell a tablet, I hope they keep it in a class of its own: Powerbooks/iBooks for regular "desktop replacement" use, iPods for music and maybe video, and tablets for PDA-like functionality.
I buy a PDA for PDA-like funtionality. I buy a tablet for a scrawly thing I can draw on, which doesn't fit in my pocket. It is a lot easier to do 3d modelling with a pen than with any mighty mouse apple has ever devised.
If you think anything other than taking notes of meetings is better suited to a high class processor screnn, etcetera etcetara, I agree with you. I just dont see why you wouldn't want a tablet with those features.
I say again. If you want a PDA, get a bloody PDA, you will find they do most of what u requested of the compact tablet.
Not the current ones - they're really only useful for looking up info, not entering it.
I've used Palm, Windows Mobile, and Newton units, and the larger-than-a-postage-stamp screen (Newton 2000) is *critical* for using it for anything other than painfully entering in a name and phone number.
I can't imagine taking notes on such a clumsy little toy as a Zire, Treo, or any other model of the form factor.
I did on the Newton, regularly. The width of the screen (when held as widescreen) meant that it was possible to write lines of text *naturally*. A skinny screen, or one that is only about 3" long isn't good for more than a word at a time, maybe two if you're monosyllabic. Add to that only a couple inches of height, and it's just painful.
My Zire 31 is the single most usefull thing I've ever owned. It doesnt do movies, but it plays Mp3's. I can enter contact information, keep my timetable on it, have reminders, even scribbled notes can have alarms set to them.
That said, it really isn't usefull for editing word documents, becuase, as with all PDA's, the handwriting wrecognition is painful to say the least. If the apple tablet (if it even exists) has the handwriting recognition of one of the windows tablets, I would be happy, as that handwriting recognition is awesome.
Convertible. That way you get 2 products in one. All they have to do is mod the existing books. If they introduce a tablet. Then you want a laptop. You have to shell out a lot of money for another product. It make's sense to the consumer to just design a better convertible.
Convertible. That way you get 2 products in one. All they have to do is mod the existing books. If they introduce a tablet. Then you want a laptop. You have to shell out a lot of money for another product. It make's sense to the consumer to just design a better convertible.
I might agree if it was a much better convertible, withput the dodgy/snappy hinge designs of most other convertables. Perhaps if the took an approach like the HP, and made a really thin detachable keyboard?
My Zire 31 is the single most usefull thing I've ever owned. It doesnt do movies, but it plays Mp3's. I can enter contact information, keep my timetable on it, have reminders, even scribbled notes can have alarms set to them.
That said, it really isn't usefull for editing word documents, becuase, as with all PDA's, the handwriting wrecognition is painful to say the least. If the apple tablet (if it even exists) has the handwriting recognition of one of the windows tablets, I would be happy, as that handwriting recognition is awesome.
Check out the Apple Newton 2000. You will not believe the handwriting recognition. It'd be worth buying one on ebay just to try out the HWR. And no, you can't have mine!
Convertible. That way you get 2 products in one. All they have to do is mod the existing books. If they introduce a tablet. Then you want a laptop. You have to shell out a lot of money for another product. It make's sense to the consumer to just design a better convertible.
Yes, what could be simpler?
Actually a tablet computer that is just a tablet computer (with a smorgasborg of additional capabilities) would be simpler. Integral keyboards are for laptops. Bluetooth keyboards are for tablets.
"Gotta keep 'em separated..."
V/R,
Aries 1B
Edit #1: In addition, MS has tried to introduce Tablet PCs in the way of copied homework accompanied with the whine, "See, I'm innovative too!." I want Apple to introduce a Tablet that causes Apple's stock to [I]double[I/] from where it is now. I want MS benignly left in the dust. I don't think that The Incredible Folding Flapping Keyboard does that.
Comments
The Newton 2000 was about this size, but the screen was much smaller. That size, but with the screen nearly to the edge (thin bezel), would be *perfect* IMO.
Merging designs into a hybrid rarely results in much more than two half-assed versions of the originals.
In fact, how about eBook for a name?
None of us expect Apple to release such a machine anytime in the next few years.
1) a shell made of tough polycarbonate & using a LEP (light emitting plastics) screen, the apple pad has no glass to break, no hinges to bend & is rugged enough to withstand lots of abuse.
2) instead of a traditional harddrive, the apple pad uses on-board RAM to create a virtual HD. advantages include lower power consumption, faster performance and far less heat...allowing a thin form-factor.
3) a stripped down, pen-based version of OSX with lightweight versions of mail, safari, address book & ical with integration with all the iapps through a high-speed wifi or wimax connection. this means music & movies streamed from itunes, photos from iphotos and wireless syncing.
5) minimal I/O - 1 USB2 port, a video-out port, & a dock-port similar to that on the ipod for recharging/syncing
6) a reasonable price...
apple should be focused on extending the capbilities of OSX through a satellite device and not on recreating the functionality of a traditional laptop which yeilds what? you guessed it. an overpriced laptop.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Except a tablet isn't (or doesn't have to be limited by) a laptop. Different product. I've yet to see a convertible that worked as well as a laptop as a dedicated laptop, or as well as a tablet as a dedicated tablet.
Merging designs into a hybrid rarely results in much more than two half-assed versions of the originals.
Bravo! Bravo!!!!
The Incredible Flapping, Flipping Keyboard And Or Screen Thing just ain't it.
I think, to ameliorate any doubt and/or stress about the Intel Switch, Apple will lead off their Intel lines with Bob Bushway's Intel driven Tablet. A piece of art as well as an amazing piece of hardware, it will begin the mass exodus from Microsoft. I, of course, am pulling this out of thin, thin air.
The keyboard is so twentieth century....
V/R,
Aries 1B
Originally posted by Aries 1B
The keyboard is so twentieth century....
And yet, there is nothing better at input....
Originally posted by Rhumgod
And yet, there is nothing better at input....
Get hold of a Newton 2000.
I have one, used it long ago in my job, 99.9999999999999999999% HWR accuracy.
Glorious.
My new Tungsten T5 is nice (sweet, actually), but it's no Newton.
V/R,
Aries 1B
Originally posted by Rhumgod
And yet, there is nothing better at input....
Absolutely.
If you're on a flat surface.
And you have room for a keyboard.
I got to play with a friend's tablet tonight, and the thing is *huge*. It has about 1.5" of bezel around each edge, with a bunch of buttons. I asked her what each of the buttons was for: "This one is for bringing up the keyboard on-screen" (Newton had this as a soft button on -screen, ala Dock) "This one is for rotating the screen" (10.4 has a Rotate Display function) "The D-pad is for selecting boot options before you can use the pen" (I literally slapped my forehead at this one - I'm sorry, but that's just FUCKING STUPID)
The *ONLY* button on the entire front that would still be necessary under MacOS X was the power button. So shrink that bezel down to 1/4" or less, and suddenly the thing is tiny - and the same screen space... 8.5" x 6.5".
Get that just a bit smaller, and you're at the A5 size I've been preaching for years.
Originally posted by pyriX
I'd say they would do something similar to current line: compact slate for on the go ppl, full size for content creation and multimedia heavy apps.
Why would anyone want to do that kind of stuff on a tablet? It's for taking notes, organizing meetings, checking e-mail and sending off a quick reply... not editing video and stuff like that. Even illustration is better suited to a system with a fast processor, good video card, and a large, high-res screen with realistic color reproduction.
The A5-paper size sounds about right, as it would be easy to carry in one hand and would fit in an average (man)purse. Using flash memory for the HD would keep it in the 2GB range, so it would essentially be a lightweight thin-client that could network to other computers over USB/Firewire/WiFi.
If Apple does sell a tablet, I hope they keep it in a class of its own: Powerbooks/iBooks for regular "desktop replacement" use, iPods for music and maybe video, and tablets for PDA-like functionality.
Originally posted by geekdreams
Why would anyone want to do that kind of stuff on a tablet? It's for taking notes, organizing meetings, checking e-mail and sending off a quick reply... not editing video and stuff like that. Even illustration is better suited to a system with a fast processor, good video card, and a large, high-res screen with realistic color reproduction.
The A5-paper size sounds about right, as it would be easy to carry in one hand and would fit in an average (man)purse. Using flash memory for the HD would keep it in the 2GB range, so it would essentially be a lightweight thin-client that could network to other computers over USB/Firewire/WiFi.
If Apple does sell a tablet, I hope they keep it in a class of its own: Powerbooks/iBooks for regular "desktop replacement" use, iPods for music and maybe video, and tablets for PDA-like functionality.
I buy a PDA for PDA-like funtionality. I buy a tablet for a scrawly thing I can draw on, which doesn't fit in my pocket. It is a lot easier to do 3d modelling with a pen than with any mighty mouse apple has ever devised.
If you think anything other than taking notes of meetings is better suited to a high class processor screnn, etcetera etcetara, I agree with you. I just dont see why you wouldn't want a tablet with those features.
I say again. If you want a PDA, get a bloody PDA, you will find they do most of what u requested of the compact tablet.
I've used Palm, Windows Mobile, and Newton units, and the larger-than-a-postage-stamp screen (Newton 2000) is *critical* for using it for anything other than painfully entering in a name and phone number.
I can't imagine taking notes on such a clumsy little toy as a Zire, Treo, or any other model of the form factor.
I did on the Newton, regularly. The width of the screen (when held as widescreen) meant that it was possible to write lines of text *naturally*. A skinny screen, or one that is only about 3" long isn't good for more than a word at a time, maybe two if you're monosyllabic. Add to that only a couple inches of height, and it's just painful.
That said, it really isn't usefull for editing word documents, becuase, as with all PDA's, the handwriting wrecognition is painful to say the least. If the apple tablet (if it even exists) has the handwriting recognition of one of the windows tablets, I would be happy, as that handwriting recognition is awesome.
Originally posted by onlooker
Convertible. That way you get 2 products in one. All they have to do is mod the existing books. If they introduce a tablet. Then you want a laptop. You have to shell out a lot of money for another product. It make's sense to the consumer to just design a better convertible.
I might agree if it was a much better convertible, withput the dodgy/snappy hinge designs of most other convertables. Perhaps if the took an approach like the HP, and made a really thin detachable keyboard?
Originally posted by pyriX
My Zire 31 is the single most usefull thing I've ever owned. It doesnt do movies, but it plays Mp3's. I can enter contact information, keep my timetable on it, have reminders, even scribbled notes can have alarms set to them.
That said, it really isn't usefull for editing word documents, becuase, as with all PDA's, the handwriting wrecognition is painful to say the least. If the apple tablet (if it even exists) has the handwriting recognition of one of the windows tablets, I would be happy, as that handwriting recognition is awesome.
Check out the Apple Newton 2000. You will not believe the handwriting recognition. It'd be worth buying one on ebay just to try out the HWR. And no, you can't have mine!
V/R,
Aries 1B
Originally posted by onlooker
Convertible. That way you get 2 products in one. All they have to do is mod the existing books. If they introduce a tablet. Then you want a laptop. You have to shell out a lot of money for another product. It make's sense to the consumer to just design a better convertible.
Yes, what could be simpler?
Actually a tablet computer that is just a tablet computer (with a smorgasborg of additional capabilities) would be simpler. Integral keyboards are for laptops. Bluetooth keyboards are for tablets.
"Gotta keep 'em separated..."
V/R,
Aries 1B
Edit #1: In addition, MS has tried to introduce Tablet PCs in the way of copied homework accompanied with the whine, "See, I'm innovative too!." I want Apple to introduce a Tablet that causes Apple's stock to [I]double[I/] from where it is now. I want MS benignly left in the dust. I don't think that The Incredible Folding Flapping Keyboard does that.