This doesn't entirely make sense. What's the point of a large touchscreen device? It's questionable if it can replace a laptop configuration with a mouse and keyboard, and too big just for games and browsing. It would work as an eBook reader too I guess but does that add up to something people are willing to shell out almost as much as a laptop for? Apple has to show that touchscreen devices are useful for real work, not just games and browsing, to make a successful product, if they're moving away from handheld devices.
It all depends on the pricepoint. Personally I would LOVE to have a device like this. When I'm not working at my actual workstation (Mac Pro) I'm using my laptop in the living room or out on the deck. When I'm using my laptop 99% of the time I'm simply reading rather than inputting. I suppose if you really needed to type you could have it interact with the bluetooth Apple keyboard. I use my iPhone for a lot of those periods now but the screen is a bit small to be a really convenient internet reader.
With the decline of printed news sources and the rise of people getting most of their news from online sources, a reader is about the perfect device. Add in multitouch and the selection of neat apps and games already on the iPhone and you've got a really killer device. If it can connect to a cell network or adhoc off of the iPhone's then it's even better. Other than when I travel for work, when I travel my MacBook Pro is used almost exclusively in "read" mode rather than input mode.
Seriously, I don't mean to be flippant, but I will be. If this news comes as shock to anyone, you clearly have not been keeping up.
1) AppleInsider has been letting us know repeatedly that this was still in the works. Their confidence level about this has been higher than almost anything else I've seen on this site.
Do you mean like the Atom processors? They were really confident about that. And look at all the Apple products that have the Atom processor!
If you don't see the opportunity here then I really don't know what to say. Done right Apple could release a whole family of such devices and and rake in millions maybe billions. In any event if you think this is a replacement for a desktop you are not on the right page. Touch represents a new approach to personal communications and computing.
Who says it will cost as much as a laptop? It doesn't have to but knowing Apple it will likely use state or the art technology which will jack up prices a bit. In any event the underlying hardware doesn't have to cost much more than twice the current price of Touch.
It is not a move away from handheld devices. At least I can't think of Apple walking away from all the potential that exists for these devices. Finally Apple doesn't have to show anything as the Touch devices demonstrate a strong market for such devices.
Dave
Your post is full of hype (I'm being polite) but short on cogent argument. Touch screens have been around since forever and because they're a bit more slick these days doesn't make them revolutionary or the answer to everything.
Have you ever tried doing anything than pressing a button on an iPhone or touch? It sucks unless you're doing very limited. You can't see what you're editing and it's hard to get any sort of accuracy. The loupe device helps but it's not fast or efficient.
For a small device the interface is fine. Scaling to a larger device is different question.
It all depends on the pricepoint. Personally I would LOVE to have a device like this. When I'm not working at my actual workstation (Mac Pro) I'm using my laptop in the living room or out on the deck. When I'm using my laptop 99% of the time I'm simply reading rather than inputting. I suppose if you really needed to type you could have it interact with the bluetooth Apple keyboard. I use my iPhone for a lot of those periods now but the screen is a bit small to be a really convenient internet reader.
With the decline of printed news sources and the rise of people getting most of their news from online sources, a reader is about the perfect device. Add in multitouch and the selection of neat apps and games already on the iPhone and you've got a really killer device. If it can connect to a cell network or adhoc off of the iPhone's then it's even better. Other than when I travel for work, when I travel my MacBook Pro is used almost exclusively in "read" mode rather than input mode.
You and other people may well find this useful and it might even be useful, but how many are willing to pay what will most likely be the better part of a grand for such a device? If it started well under $500 it may well be useful as a reader of sorts. But Apple being Apple it won't be cheap.
You and other people may well find this useful and it might even be useful, but how many are willing to pay what will most likely be the better part of a grand for such a device? If it started well under $500 it may well be useful as a reader of sorts. But Apple being Apple it won't be cheap.
Who knows? The original iPhone was $500 and it sold out immediately. The original iPod was around $400 I think. I bought a Newton Messagepad back in 1995 for $700. If it's under, say, $800 I'd probably buy one. People who see the need will buy it. What's the potential market? I don't know but I know that Apple right now can get away with charging probably a $150 premium on something like that just because so many new people have entered the fold. Plus apple has the App Store now, so they understand that they can make a lot of money on the back-end of these devices. They might be willing to keep the price lower to expand the marketshare for OS X Mobile/iPhone.
If they allow it to pair with a bluetooth keyboard and keep it even within shooting distance of a Netbook they'd probably have a winner on their hands.
I don't buy it. I can see the use of a iPhone-like tablet device which is a little bigger so one could read the internet, e-books, etc, but with this sharp decline of the economy, I can't see anyone bringing this up with good number results. Everyone needs a phone, and most love to have an iPod, and if it can read the internet, great! Give it the best OS and you have the numbers that the iPhone brought about.
Now, a tablet which doesn't operate as a phone (and Wimax is still in its infancy), and which its only better advantage over the iPhone is the ability to not fit into your right or left pocket, and be more expensive, it will be probably a market failure, specially within these dark economic times.
It's all a big speculation of course, no one knows the future. It may be the crown jewel for many people, but I say that it's not enough people for it to be a success. Most people, like me, are counting the money and use it pragmatically and in an austere way. If in 2007 I'd have probably bought an iPhone, now I wouldn't. And I won't buy this product, it hasn't nearly enough payback in usage for its cost.
As usual, artists are screwed. Unless they are in kindergarden and are into the finger painting thing.
We heed a hybrid device. Touch and tool. If I can get a Wacom-like device combined with a large iPhone-like device I'd be in heaven. Touch the tools, scroll, etc with my hands, then draw with the tool.
So we can't get a simulated pen that will work as an input device rather than using a separate device?
If it has USB input, then you could probably still use a separate Wacom too.
I have a tablet and there are issues with the format, mainly to do with holding it up all the time.
It seemed like an ideal device for the travel I do on trains, planes and automobiles, but the constant need to hold it up is a pain. For reading, you basically sacrifice the use of a limb and progressive gorilla-wrist. Inputting is worse as you have to combine holding it up wih your thumb and fingers with pushing the screen. Two-handed thumb-texting is great on the iPhone, but for broader computer-like use, it's a pain. Character recognition isn't there yet, even though Wacom is impressive at first, you constantly have to go back and correct, and that part is really clunky, plus Steve is right about the stylus - it becomes an interruption to pull out a stylus while you are comfortable reading.
I know that Apple are great at innovating to fix issues that no-one else has, and if they announce such a device, they will certainly have my full attention, but these are issues to be addressed if this is going to be an Apple consumer device for the masses ( and that's their direction right? ).
I have a tablet and there are issues with the format, mainly to do with holding it up all the time.
It seemed like an ideal device for the travel I do on trains, planes and automobiles, but the constant need to hold it up is a pain. For reading, you basically sacrifice the use of a limb and progressive gorilla-wrist. Inputting is worse as you have to combine holding it up wih your thumb and fingers with pushing the screen. Two-handed thumb-texting is great on the iPhone, but for broader computer-like use, it's a pain. Character recognition isn't there yet, even though Wacom is impressive at first, you constantly have to go back and correct, and that part is really clunky, plus Steve is right about the stylus - it becomes an interruption to pull out a stylus while you are comfortable reading.
I know that Apple are great at innovating to fix issues that no-one else has, and if they announce such a device, they will certainly have my full attention, but these are issues to be addressed if this is going to be an Apple consumer device for the masses ( and that's their direction right? ).
There are tons of valid points in this comment and others. Still, I think tablets will be back eventually. I look at cops on mounted laptops in cars and think, how can they type like that? They're all diagonal... It seems like a mounted tablet with a keyboard would be better. Then they could take it out of the car easier too, if that's a need.
They use tablets at doctors offices, but they're sooooo clunky because they're actually laptops. I have zero interest in that kind of tablet, I'd rather dock it. I can't imagine carrying the tablets I've seen docs carry from room to room.
Agreed on many points in previous comments. Typing anything beyond a few sentences on my iPod - I just don't do it. And I don't like the loupe correction at this point. Part of it is that it's a bit of a hassle to invoke.
Then again- I second the idea that Apple will be the company to innovate past these issues. Just like nobody else had a touch screen phone. And so far the imitation phones have been dull copies of the iphone with regard to the touch screen.
A lot of it comes down to what are you going to use it for. A reader. Entertainment. A remote desktop. GPS. Lots of those things are suitable. Typing is the sticking point....
As a scientist, I'm often away from my desk doing an experiment. (at my bench or God knows where) and I carry around a little notepad that I jot things down on. It would be awesome to have something like this that I could carry around with me to keep track of my notes for the day and then when I get done I could just simply download the entries to my laptop. I get so tired of trying to keep track of the 900 different places that I write something down. If I could just use it as a notebook. Man. I think it sounds really cool and helpful. Plus, if it could double as a iPod/email/internet device when I am away from my laptop that would be great. I do have an iPod touch (which I love) and I guess I could use that for entering in data and notes, but it's so small and a little hard to type. Plus, it seems like the internet of the Touch is really slow and I get tired of zooming in and out to read things. AND....if we could put a bunch of PDFs on it, that would be great, too. I could catch up on some reading during an incubation period. I don't know if the everyday user would like it, but I'm sure the science/medical world would love it.
I enjoy reading newpapers every morning, but current trends indicate many are in financial trouble. I also read them online, but it's just not the same. Plus , if you read them online, you are limited as to where you can actually read them.
I think that an Apple tablet a little smaller than a std. letter size could be a solution for today's newspapers. I'm assuming that an Apple tablet would work the same as the iPhone touch screen. You could subscribe to a newspaper that would be downloaded daily in its entirety, including adds, articles, etc. It would be laid out in the same way as the had copy. The tablet would work like an E-book except you would be able to zoom and pan like an iphone. Because the paper would be downloaded rather than streaming, moving around the paper would be pretty instantaneous.
There could be a new area in ITunes called The Newsstand. You could buy a New York Times or a Chicago Tribune for 99 cents. Or a Time or Newsweek magazine - or any other magazine.
I would prefer a larger screen than a smaller one. You could see each page in its entirety and zoom or pan to what you were reading. I was surprised how readable documents are on an IPhone with its small screen, so I think a much larger screen would be great.
Plus it would also be basically a laptop. This could be a big thing.
My only issue would be data input. None of Apple's devices use a stylus and there would be many uses for such a pointing device. Checking off check boxes, circling items, precision selecting, etc.
The Newton 2000 did (handwriting recognition) and did it way better than the WinMo devices of recent built ever did. I would suggest a specialised writing area much like the Palm Pilot (remember the Pilot rocked the market during its time). The main screen will do the multi-touch stuff and cursor positioning.
Apple needs a radical change in the post-Jobs era. See what Mark Hurd did for HP!. He is almost invisible to the press and did great work to move HP where it is today. Amazing.
If Apple produce a tablet, I assume they would be targeting PC netbooks with the same device.
Possibly, but when I'm taking notes, I still prefer a KB over writing on the screen, but that might just be me, and I always worry about having such a large screen, without something to close up and protect it. Apple could use their own version of OneNote if they really do release a tablet; OneNote is probably the best app I've used from MS in years, and it made taking notes a breeze.
But the only real sticking point I would have is possibly what OS Apple will use (the IPhone OS won't cut it), and the price, as Apple will add in some high markup, even it is nothing more than the guts of the iPhone, with a bigger screen.
I have a tablet and there are issues with the format, mainly to do with holding it up all the time.
It seemed like an ideal device for the travel I do on trains, planes and automobiles, but the constant need to hold it up is a pain. For reading, you basically sacrifice the use of a limb and progressive gorilla-wrist. Inputting is worse as you have to combine holding it up wih your thumb and fingers with pushing the screen. Two-handed thumb-texting is great on the iPhone, but for broader computer-like use, it's a pain. Character recognition isn't there yet, even though Wacom is impressive at first, you constantly have to go back and correct, and that part is really clunky, plus Steve is right about the stylus - it becomes an interruption to pull out a stylus while you are comfortable reading.
I know that Apple are great at innovating to fix issues that no-one else has, and if they announce such a device, they will certainly have my full attention, but these are issues to be addressed if this is going to be an Apple consumer device for the masses ( and that's their direction right? ).
I've used tablets as well and I know some of these comments are true, but if you imagine a much lighter, smaller tablet a lot of them go away.
The majority of tablets I have seen are like a large heavy laptop with a 13" screen weighing many pounds. What we are talking about here is a light book-like device I think. Either the size of a pocketbook, or perhaps a standard 6x9.
Also, as an artist, I know that some of these "problems" are the same problems that anyone with a sketchpad has faced since paper was invented. Sure your wrist will get tired, but that's no different from the non computerised alternative. I would expect that such a tablet from Apple could easily capture the entire vertical tablet market that already exists as well as make serious inroads into areas where people already use tablets of some kinds that are *not* computerised. I'm thinking that this would be good for a doctors clipboard replacement, or UPSs' for that matter.
It would be better for using the web on a portable device also. I mean let's face it, the web on an iPhone is barely useable and people will eventually find that out. It could be a couch-based web surfing tool, it could also display video around your house etc. Lots of uses really.
Your post is full of hype (I'm being polite) but short on cogent argument. Touch screens have been around since forever and because they're a bit more slick these days doesn't make them revolutionary or the answer to everything.
First, no body here has said that they are the answer to everything. One day such devices might be but not in the near future.
In anyevent you miss what is the issues with those previous tablets. Size and power usage made them not much more than transportable. The operating systems made them virtual unusable in tablet form.
Quote:
Have you ever tried doing anything than pressing a button on an iPhone or touch?
How about responding to this thread? Beyond that I use my iPhone for lots of things, stuff that I would never bother with on a laptop or desktop. In anyevent if people run around think such devices are for people that need laptops or desktop machines on the go then you don't have a clue, as I said before this is a device for personal communications & computing. It may overlap the abilities of a laptop but it isn't a machine for laptop duty.
Quote:
It sucks unless you're doing very limited. You can't see what you're editing and it's hard to get any sort of accuracy. The loupe device helps but it's not fast or efficient.
None the less it can be done and is extremely handy. As to your complaints about accuracy take a close look at what we are talking about here! It is a larger device which implies larger keyboards with refined spacing. As to all the whining I've read here about the loupe, I don't know what everybodies problem is as it works for me; again though a larger screen leads to easier use.
Quote:
For a small device the interface is fine. Scaling to a larger device is different question.
First; you are making an assumption here that Mobile OS is static. I see no signs that Apple has frozen it solid yet. They certainly have to address certain issues that are still outstanding on the current iPhone's but the platform is well appointed for mobile devices. Right now Apple needs to flesh out the BluTooth stack, free up access to the iPod connector and agressively debut the currently included apps.
In any event it is the very features of Mobile OS that will make such devices viable and valuable. Think about this a bit you can add apps to an iPhone from just about anywhere and even update them. That is one of the best features going for iPhone. Along with that the apps are effectively secured from one and another, which is reassuring for a device connected 24/7.
More importantly from Apples standpoint is that the new APIs represent a break from the past opening up opportunies for innovation and new vendors. There is nothing worst than a stagnet platform and Mobile OS represents the only new platform in recent memory that has the volume to allow for successfull business development. If you dont see all those iPod Touches and iPhone's sold this year as a huge business opportunity then I really don't know what to say. Larger Touch based devices expand that market even more and expand device capability.
What is notable is that many successful apps on this platform don't really have a counterpart on laptops or desktops. Those that do or work in conjunction with desktop apps often have heavily refactored interfaces. It's a new way forward with people accessible hardware and software.
Finally this issue of size is real but honestly what would keep Apple from offering up more than one size. For example if one device ends up with a 5.5 to 6 inch screen in 16:9 ratio it won't be much larger than the current Touch and very portable. It will however offer up one hell of a lot more pixels leading to a much more usable device. A 7 to 8 inch device may be a little less transportable but would be no worst than a book. Again the user wins with significantly more screen space.
Comments
This doesn't entirely make sense. What's the point of a large touchscreen device? It's questionable if it can replace a laptop configuration with a mouse and keyboard, and too big just for games and browsing. It would work as an eBook reader too I guess but does that add up to something people are willing to shell out almost as much as a laptop for? Apple has to show that touchscreen devices are useful for real work, not just games and browsing, to make a successful product, if they're moving away from handheld devices.
It all depends on the pricepoint. Personally I would LOVE to have a device like this. When I'm not working at my actual workstation (Mac Pro) I'm using my laptop in the living room or out on the deck. When I'm using my laptop 99% of the time I'm simply reading rather than inputting. I suppose if you really needed to type you could have it interact with the bluetooth Apple keyboard. I use my iPhone for a lot of those periods now but the screen is a bit small to be a really convenient internet reader.
With the decline of printed news sources and the rise of people getting most of their news from online sources, a reader is about the perfect device. Add in multitouch and the selection of neat apps and games already on the iPhone and you've got a really killer device. If it can connect to a cell network or adhoc off of the iPhone's then it's even better. Other than when I travel for work, when I travel my MacBook Pro is used almost exclusively in "read" mode rather than input mode.
Seriously, I don't mean to be flippant, but I will be. If this news comes as shock to anyone, you clearly have not been keeping up.
1) AppleInsider has been letting us know repeatedly that this was still in the works. Their confidence level about this has been higher than almost anything else I've seen on this site.
Do you mean like the Atom processors? They were really confident about that. And look at all the Apple products that have the Atom processor!
If you don't see the opportunity here then I really don't know what to say. Done right Apple could release a whole family of such devices and and rake in millions maybe billions. In any event if you think this is a replacement for a desktop you are not on the right page. Touch represents a new approach to personal communications and computing.
Who says it will cost as much as a laptop? It doesn't have to but knowing Apple it will likely use state or the art technology which will jack up prices a bit. In any event the underlying hardware doesn't have to cost much more than twice the current price of Touch.
It is not a move away from handheld devices. At least I can't think of Apple walking away from all the potential that exists for these devices. Finally Apple doesn't have to show anything as the Touch devices demonstrate a strong market for such devices.
Dave
Your post is full of hype (I'm being polite) but short on cogent argument. Touch screens have been around since forever and because they're a bit more slick these days doesn't make them revolutionary or the answer to everything.
Have you ever tried doing anything than pressing a button on an iPhone or touch? It sucks unless you're doing very limited. You can't see what you're editing and it's hard to get any sort of accuracy. The loupe device helps but it's not fast or efficient.
For a small device the interface is fine. Scaling to a larger device is different question.
It all depends on the pricepoint. Personally I would LOVE to have a device like this. When I'm not working at my actual workstation (Mac Pro) I'm using my laptop in the living room or out on the deck. When I'm using my laptop 99% of the time I'm simply reading rather than inputting. I suppose if you really needed to type you could have it interact with the bluetooth Apple keyboard. I use my iPhone for a lot of those periods now but the screen is a bit small to be a really convenient internet reader.
With the decline of printed news sources and the rise of people getting most of their news from online sources, a reader is about the perfect device. Add in multitouch and the selection of neat apps and games already on the iPhone and you've got a really killer device. If it can connect to a cell network or adhoc off of the iPhone's then it's even better. Other than when I travel for work, when I travel my MacBook Pro is used almost exclusively in "read" mode rather than input mode.
You and other people may well find this useful and it might even be useful, but how many are willing to pay what will most likely be the better part of a grand for such a device? If it started well under $500 it may well be useful as a reader of sorts. But Apple being Apple it won't be cheap.
You and other people may well find this useful and it might even be useful, but how many are willing to pay what will most likely be the better part of a grand for such a device? If it started well under $500 it may well be useful as a reader of sorts. But Apple being Apple it won't be cheap.
Who knows? The original iPhone was $500 and it sold out immediately. The original iPod was around $400 I think. I bought a Newton Messagepad back in 1995 for $700. If it's under, say, $800 I'd probably buy one. People who see the need will buy it. What's the potential market? I don't know but I know that Apple right now can get away with charging probably a $150 premium on something like that just because so many new people have entered the fold. Plus apple has the App Store now, so they understand that they can make a lot of money on the back-end of these devices. They might be willing to keep the price lower to expand the marketshare for OS X Mobile/iPhone.
If they allow it to pair with a bluetooth keyboard and keep it even within shooting distance of a Netbook they'd probably have a winner on their hands.
What next? HyperCard?
Now, a tablet which doesn't operate as a phone (and Wimax is still in its infancy), and which its only better advantage over the iPhone is the ability to not fit into your right or left pocket, and be more expensive, it will be probably a market failure, specially within these dark economic times.
It's all a big speculation of course, no one knows the future. It may be the crown jewel for many people, but I say that it's not enough people for it to be a success. Most people, like me, are counting the money and use it pragmatically and in an austere way. If in 2007 I'd have probably bought an iPhone, now I wouldn't. And I won't buy this product, it hasn't nearly enough payback in usage for its cost.
And that's the memo.
As usual, artists are screwed. Unless they are in kindergarden and are into the finger painting thing.
We heed a hybrid device. Touch and tool. If I can get a Wacom-like device combined with a large iPhone-like device I'd be in heaven. Touch the tools, scroll, etc with my hands, then draw with the tool.
So we can't get a simulated pen that will work as an input device rather than using a separate device?
If it has USB input, then you could probably still use a separate Wacom too.
It seemed like an ideal device for the travel I do on trains, planes and automobiles, but the constant need to hold it up is a pain. For reading, you basically sacrifice the use of a limb and progressive gorilla-wrist. Inputting is worse as you have to combine holding it up wih your thumb and fingers with pushing the screen. Two-handed thumb-texting is great on the iPhone, but for broader computer-like use, it's a pain. Character recognition isn't there yet, even though Wacom is impressive at first, you constantly have to go back and correct, and that part is really clunky, plus Steve is right about the stylus - it becomes an interruption to pull out a stylus while you are comfortable reading.
I know that Apple are great at innovating to fix issues that no-one else has, and if they announce such a device, they will certainly have my full attention, but these are issues to be addressed if this is going to be an Apple consumer device for the masses ( and that's their direction right? ).
I have a tablet and there are issues with the format, mainly to do with holding it up all the time.
It seemed like an ideal device for the travel I do on trains, planes and automobiles, but the constant need to hold it up is a pain. For reading, you basically sacrifice the use of a limb and progressive gorilla-wrist. Inputting is worse as you have to combine holding it up wih your thumb and fingers with pushing the screen. Two-handed thumb-texting is great on the iPhone, but for broader computer-like use, it's a pain. Character recognition isn't there yet, even though Wacom is impressive at first, you constantly have to go back and correct, and that part is really clunky, plus Steve is right about the stylus - it becomes an interruption to pull out a stylus while you are comfortable reading.
I know that Apple are great at innovating to fix issues that no-one else has, and if they announce such a device, they will certainly have my full attention, but these are issues to be addressed if this is going to be an Apple consumer device for the masses ( and that's their direction right? ).
There are tons of valid points in this comment and others. Still, I think tablets will be back eventually. I look at cops on mounted laptops in cars and think, how can they type like that? They're all diagonal... It seems like a mounted tablet with a keyboard would be better. Then they could take it out of the car easier too, if that's a need.
They use tablets at doctors offices, but they're sooooo clunky because they're actually laptops. I have zero interest in that kind of tablet, I'd rather dock it. I can't imagine carrying the tablets I've seen docs carry from room to room.
Agreed on many points in previous comments. Typing anything beyond a few sentences on my iPod - I just don't do it. And I don't like the loupe correction at this point. Part of it is that it's a bit of a hassle to invoke.
Then again- I second the idea that Apple will be the company to innovate past these issues. Just like nobody else had a touch screen phone. And so far the imitation phones have been dull copies of the iphone with regard to the touch screen.
A lot of it comes down to what are you going to use it for. A reader. Entertainment. A remote desktop. GPS. Lots of those things are suitable. Typing is the sticking point....
I think that an Apple tablet a little smaller than a std. letter size could be a solution for today's newspapers. I'm assuming that an Apple tablet would work the same as the iPhone touch screen. You could subscribe to a newspaper that would be downloaded daily in its entirety, including adds, articles, etc. It would be laid out in the same way as the had copy. The tablet would work like an E-book except you would be able to zoom and pan like an iphone. Because the paper would be downloaded rather than streaming, moving around the paper would be pretty instantaneous.
There could be a new area in ITunes called The Newsstand. You could buy a New York Times or a Chicago Tribune for 99 cents. Or a Time or Newsweek magazine - or any other magazine.
I would prefer a larger screen than a smaller one. You could see each page in its entirety and zoom or pan to what you were reading. I was surprised how readable documents are on an IPhone with its small screen, so I think a much larger screen would be great.
Plus it would also be basically a laptop. This could be a big thing.
My only issue would be data input. None of Apple's devices use a stylus and there would be many uses for such a pointing device. Checking off check boxes, circling items, precision selecting, etc.
The Newton 2000 did (handwriting recognition) and did it way better than the WinMo devices of recent built ever did. I would suggest a specialised writing area much like the Palm Pilot (remember the Pilot rocked the market during its time). The main screen will do the multi-touch stuff and cursor positioning.
Apple needs a radical change in the post-Jobs era. See what Mark Hurd did for HP!. He is almost invisible to the press and did great work to move HP where it is today. Amazing.
If Apple produce a tablet, I assume they would be targeting PC netbooks with the same device.
Possibly, but when I'm taking notes, I still prefer a KB over writing on the screen, but that might just be me, and I always worry about having such a large screen, without something to close up and protect it. Apple could use their own version of OneNote if they really do release a tablet; OneNote is probably the best app I've used from MS in years, and it made taking notes a breeze.
But the only real sticking point I would have is possibly what OS Apple will use (the IPhone OS won't cut it), and the price, as Apple will add in some high markup, even it is nothing more than the guts of the iPhone, with a bigger screen.
I have a tablet and there are issues with the format, mainly to do with holding it up all the time.
It seemed like an ideal device for the travel I do on trains, planes and automobiles, but the constant need to hold it up is a pain. For reading, you basically sacrifice the use of a limb and progressive gorilla-wrist. Inputting is worse as you have to combine holding it up wih your thumb and fingers with pushing the screen. Two-handed thumb-texting is great on the iPhone, but for broader computer-like use, it's a pain. Character recognition isn't there yet, even though Wacom is impressive at first, you constantly have to go back and correct, and that part is really clunky, plus Steve is right about the stylus - it becomes an interruption to pull out a stylus while you are comfortable reading.
I know that Apple are great at innovating to fix issues that no-one else has, and if they announce such a device, they will certainly have my full attention, but these are issues to be addressed if this is going to be an Apple consumer device for the masses ( and that's their direction right? ).
I've used tablets as well and I know some of these comments are true, but if you imagine a much lighter, smaller tablet a lot of them go away.
The majority of tablets I have seen are like a large heavy laptop with a 13" screen weighing many pounds. What we are talking about here is a light book-like device I think. Either the size of a pocketbook, or perhaps a standard 6x9.
Also, as an artist, I know that some of these "problems" are the same problems that anyone with a sketchpad has faced since paper was invented. Sure your wrist will get tired, but that's no different from the non computerised alternative. I would expect that such a tablet from Apple could easily capture the entire vertical tablet market that already exists as well as make serious inroads into areas where people already use tablets of some kinds that are *not* computerised. I'm thinking that this would be good for a doctors clipboard replacement, or UPSs' for that matter.
It would be better for using the web on a portable device also. I mean let's face it, the web on an iPhone is barely useable and people will eventually find that out. It could be a couch-based web surfing tool, it could also display video around your house etc. Lots of uses really.
Your post is full of hype (I'm being polite) but short on cogent argument. Touch screens have been around since forever and because they're a bit more slick these days doesn't make them revolutionary or the answer to everything.
First, no body here has said that they are the answer to everything. One day such devices might be but not in the near future.
In anyevent you miss what is the issues with those previous tablets. Size and power usage made them not much more than transportable. The operating systems made them virtual unusable in tablet form.
Have you ever tried doing anything than pressing a button on an iPhone or touch?
How about responding to this thread? Beyond that I use my iPhone for lots of things, stuff that I would never bother with on a laptop or desktop. In anyevent if people run around think such devices are for people that need laptops or desktop machines on the go then you don't have a clue, as I said before this is a device for personal communications & computing. It may overlap the abilities of a laptop but it isn't a machine for laptop duty.
It sucks unless you're doing very limited. You can't see what you're editing and it's hard to get any sort of accuracy. The loupe device helps but it's not fast or efficient.
None the less it can be done and is extremely handy. As to your complaints about accuracy take a close look at what we are talking about here! It is a larger device which implies larger keyboards with refined spacing. As to all the whining I've read here about the loupe, I don't know what everybodies problem is as it works for me; again though a larger screen leads to easier use.
For a small device the interface is fine. Scaling to a larger device is different question.
First; you are making an assumption here that Mobile OS is static. I see no signs that Apple has frozen it solid yet. They certainly have to address certain issues that are still outstanding on the current iPhone's but the platform is well appointed for mobile devices. Right now Apple needs to flesh out the BluTooth stack, free up access to the iPod connector and agressively debut the currently included apps.
In any event it is the very features of Mobile OS that will make such devices viable and valuable. Think about this a bit you can add apps to an iPhone from just about anywhere and even update them. That is one of the best features going for iPhone. Along with that the apps are effectively secured from one and another, which is reassuring for a device connected 24/7.
More importantly from Apples standpoint is that the new APIs represent a break from the past opening up opportunies for innovation and new vendors. There is nothing worst than a stagnet platform and Mobile OS represents the only new platform in recent memory that has the volume to allow for successfull business development. If you dont see all those iPod Touches and iPhone's sold this year as a huge business opportunity then I really don't know what to say. Larger Touch based devices expand that market even more and expand device capability.
What is notable is that many successful apps on this platform don't really have a counterpart on laptops or desktops. Those that do or work in conjunction with desktop apps often have heavily refactored interfaces. It's a new way forward with people accessible hardware and software.
Finally this issue of size is real but honestly what would keep Apple from offering up more than one size. For example if one device ends up with a 5.5 to 6 inch screen in 16:9 ratio it won't be much larger than the current Touch and very portable. It will however offer up one hell of a lot more pixels leading to a much more usable device. A 7 to 8 inch device may be a little less transportable but would be no worst than a book. Again the user wins with significantly more screen space.
Remember these are not laptops!
Dave