Yes, it is. I was without my MB having to rely soley on my iPhone. After about 2 weeks I finally bought a $300 netbook at Walmart as a stand in. It's far from perfect either, but better just having an iPhone... and I can't go anywhere without my iPhone.
Amazing-Hell just froze over again! Is it any good- the netbook? Flash?
Agree. When the MacBook Air was released, Jobs said 13" display and full-size keyboard was the minimum acceptable. So I wouldn't expect any "Mac" to be smaller than the MacBook Air.
But an iPod Touch/iPhone is smaller than that since Apple sees it as performing a different function from a Mac. If the key function of a "netbook" is to be an Internet communicator (including cloud computing functions like iWork.com or MobileMe Photo Gallery or Google Docs), then a super-sized iPod touch is highly likely. ARM-based processor enhanced by PA Semi, multitasking iPhone OS X with tabbed, tiled, or coverflow 480x320 resolution apps, and full-screen resolution apps like Mobile Safari 4 and iTunes, and super-long battery life.
Current iPod touch is $229/299/399. A super-size touch could be $499-699 (dependent on its flash memory). If there is a subsidized iPhone 3G version, it would have a lower initial cost.
I do think that Apple will come out with what is essentially a larger version of the iTouch, primarily gesture driven (external keyboard optional) as that would (a) differentiated from the rest of the market, (b) portable like a netbook, (c) heavily leverage MultiTouch, and (d) would allow Jon a chance to stretch his legs with some really radical designs.
I tend to agree with that.
Why would Apple go into a low margin space where its only differentiation would be OS, when the actual OS for the platform will mainly be the browser?
Where they dominate is on the touch interface. Add the simple ability to snap onto (or bluetooth to) a keyboard and they have something that will really grab attention, which is what they need to leapfrog the pack (as they did on the phone).
Why would Apple go into a low margin space where its only differentiation would be OS, when the actual OS for the platform will mainly be the browser?
Where they dominate is on the touch interface. Add the simple ability to snap onto (or bluetooth to) a keyboard and they have something that will really grab attention, which is what they need to leapfrog the pack (as they did on the phone).
A MacnTouch with Bluetooth- sounds great. May I add video iChat to that?
A MacnTouch with Bluetooth- sounds great. May I add video iChat to that?
Maybe it really is changing, but there's been a drumbeat for video phones for my entire life (and that's a sadly long time) and it fails every time. There's this big blind spot about the degree to which most people are really that enthralled with their own faces or want to look good enough to be on video for every phone call.
I'd like to see some good stats on the percentage of normal users (not tech heads) who really think having their no-makup, bad hairday, zit brokeout faces being inspected at the other end being something they really want. Most people don't even like having their picture taken if they haven't had time to prepare.
I think this is another solution in search of a problem, but then again, I'm just an old fart.
This is a bit of an exaggeration. Jobs was asked about a PDA/Phone at an interview in 2004. Jobs said that Apple had developed a new PDA but did not launch it. When asked about future development Jobs was strategically vague in his answer. He actually never said Apple will never develop a phone. The iPhone was launched 3 years later.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdkennedy1
Whatever. Steve also said they weren't working on a phone and 6 months later that's what we got.
I've made mention of it before, and it is my 2nd netbook. I bought an Acer Aspire One at Walmart knowing that OS X on it was a no go, but had at home an MSI Wind with OS X on it. I've also made many mentions that the iPhone is a great stand in, but not work if it is your only interneting device.
Quote:
Is it any good- the netbook? Flash?
The Acer Aspire One has the left/right buttons literally on the left and right sides of the very small mouse pad. It takes some getting used to. The battery is very weak. The screen has an appalling viewing angle and hardly any backlight compared to a Mac or iPhone. WinXP just isn't the same experience, especially when I'm so use to sliding the mouse to a corner for Exposé. It's what I expected and it is what I needed it to do for the time I need it. This week I'll be shipping it to my nephew so it can continue it's life cycle.
One thing I've had a hard time with on the endless tablet rumors... how do you propose to hold a 10 inch touch screen and still be able to use it? It's not even really an issue of weight... Try holding a spiral notebook with one hand for a hour.
I think people's obsession with a "full sized" touch pad is so overblown, and they haven't ever thought about what a pain in the ass it would be to use it.
My opinion is that if Apple even comes out with a larger sized touchpad it will be around 6 inches. To me, that just seems like the largest you coul really make something without it being cumbersome.
A tablet will be 7-8 inches max. Precisely because of what you mentioned... glass is heavy. 2X current size is my bet.
So basically these guys are saying that at some point, this year, Apple will order touch panel displays. That's one of the vaguest things I've ever heard. They don't specify the size, or anything. Just mention "netbooks" to spur some interest? Great rumor status
A small touch mac computer with the full OS X 10.6 would be cool though. With an optional iPhoneish front end. I'd really prefer the full OS X so that regular apps work on it. Perhaps this is the key reason why they're optimizing Snow Leopard: Cuz they want it to run really smoothly and with a small footprint in both disk and CPU on upcoming Apple "netbooks".
It would make sense to have a bigger version of iTouch with the full MacOSX, but able to be carried in a coat pocket. Don't need a physical keyboard... too bulky and messes up multi lingual support. Telecom voice/data capability would make sense, especially with blue tooth ear piece/mic.
...who really think having their no-makup, bad hairday, zit brokeout faces being inspected at the other end being something they really want. Most people don't even like having their picture taken if they haven't had time to prepare.
Lol! Also you could hardly get away with telling your boss you were stuck in traffic if he could see people walking round in the pub behind you!
At what size does use of an accelerometer become kinda lame? After a certain size (again, I'm saying 6-7" diag max) tilting a tablet as an input method starts to look more like sumo wrestling than elegant computing.
And without accelerometer, you've just balkanized the app space into 'tilt and no-tilt' input. The tablet has to support most App Store apps and games.
I just can't see Steve Jobs picking up his laptop (notebook) off the coffee table every time he comes back to the sofa from the bathroom or the kitchen. Laptops and hinges are an awkward device.
They're often overkill for business travel, and while the iPhone is great a 7" tablet would be better for Internet work. A tablet is the perfect sofa device: looking at tv listings, running iTunes and AppleTV, watching the kids on a web cam, reading feeds, watching video (Flash!), email, video chat, basic photo editing...
I can't see them not making a tablet entry to fight the netbooks. So much has changed since the Newton, it seems like an environment for such a device to thrive.
Just like the iPhone and touch there will be models with and without cellular radios.
The thing with Apple is that in order for them to enter a market, they have to observe and when they see that feature and use become less important than sales, they come in with something fresh and innovative to up the anty and then the others plat catch up.
Comments
Yes, it is. I was without my MB having to rely soley on my iPhone. After about 2 weeks I finally bought a $300 netbook at Walmart as a stand in. It's far from perfect either, but better just having an iPhone... and I can't go anywhere without my iPhone.
Amazing-Hell just froze over again! Is it any good- the netbook? Flash?
Tablet- iPod Touch Super-sized.
We would have had an 11" laptop/netbook by now.
Agree. When the MacBook Air was released, Jobs said 13" display and full-size keyboard was the minimum acceptable. So I wouldn't expect any "Mac" to be smaller than the MacBook Air.
But an iPod Touch/iPhone is smaller than that since Apple sees it as performing a different function from a Mac. If the key function of a "netbook" is to be an Internet communicator (including cloud computing functions like iWork.com or MobileMe Photo Gallery or Google Docs), then a super-sized iPod touch is highly likely. ARM-based processor enhanced by PA Semi, multitasking iPhone OS X with tabbed, tiled, or coverflow 480x320 resolution apps, and full-screen resolution apps like Mobile Safari 4 and iTunes, and super-long battery life.
Current iPod touch is $229/299/399. A super-size touch could be $499-699 (dependent on its flash memory). If there is a subsidized iPhone 3G version, it would have a lower initial cost.
I do think that Apple will come out with what is essentially a larger version of the iTouch, primarily gesture driven (external keyboard optional) as that would (a) differentiated from the rest of the market, (b) portable like a netbook, (c) heavily leverage MultiTouch, and (d) would allow Jon a chance to stretch his legs with some really radical designs.
I tend to agree with that.
Why would Apple go into a low margin space where its only differentiation would be OS, when the actual OS for the platform will mainly be the browser?
Where they dominate is on the touch interface. Add the simple ability to snap onto (or bluetooth to) a keyboard and they have something that will really grab attention, which is what they need to leapfrog the pack (as they did on the phone).
I tend to agree with that.
Why would Apple go into a low margin space where its only differentiation would be OS, when the actual OS for the platform will mainly be the browser?
Where they dominate is on the touch interface. Add the simple ability to snap onto (or bluetooth to) a keyboard and they have something that will really grab attention, which is what they need to leapfrog the pack (as they did on the phone).
A MacnTouch with Bluetooth- sounds great. May I add video iChat to that?
What an ironic screen name you have.
That would be 'appropriate', not 'ironic'.
Curse you Alanis Morrisette!
A MacnTouch with Bluetooth- sounds great. May I add video iChat to that?
Maybe it really is changing, but there's been a drumbeat for video phones for my entire life (and that's a sadly long time) and it fails every time. There's this big blind spot about the degree to which most people are really that enthralled with their own faces or want to look good enough to be on video for every phone call.
I'd like to see some good stats on the percentage of normal users (not tech heads) who really think having their no-makup, bad hairday, zit brokeout faces being inspected at the other end being something they really want. Most people don't even like having their picture taken if they haven't had time to prepare.
I think this is another solution in search of a problem, but then again, I'm just an old fart.
Tablet.
Exactly.
And you can bet, it'll be no where near $500.
Lots of room to be priced somewhere between an iPhone and the lowend MacBook.
My guess is somewhere in the $800-900 range.
That would be 'appropriate', not 'ironic'.
Curse you Alanis Morrisette!
It took me a minute to get it, but I think the 'ironic' comment
was meant sarcastically (hence the rolling eyes).
Whatever. Steve also said they weren't working on a phone and 6 months later that's what we got.
Amazing-Hell just froze over again!
I've made mention of it before, and it is my 2nd netbook. I bought an Acer Aspire One at Walmart knowing that OS X on it was a no go, but had at home an MSI Wind with OS X on it. I've also made many mentions that the iPhone is a great stand in, but not work if it is your only interneting device.
Is it any good- the netbook? Flash?
The Acer Aspire One has the left/right buttons literally on the left and right sides of the very small mouse pad. It takes some getting used to. The battery is very weak. The screen has an appalling viewing angle and hardly any backlight compared to a Mac or iPhone. WinXP just isn't the same experience, especially when I'm so use to sliding the mouse to a corner for Exposé. It's what I expected and it is what I needed it to do for the time I need it. This week I'll be shipping it to my nephew so it can continue it's life cycle.
(It will look very funny seeing some guy talking on a 10" iPhone! ;-))
These days, no one needs to hold their phone at all. If this hypothetical device
were in your bag or your car with you, it would be near enough. The hands-free system
in the car would handle your calls through it, or your bluetooth ear-thing with
voice dialing.
This device could be the Kindle-killer, netbook-killer, step-up device for those who
carry a laptop and an iPhone and use the 'net a lot on their iPhone and want to
combine into one handy device . . . those who read a lot of news on their
mobiles (PressDisplay.com is becoming very popular), and so on.
As we've seen before, Apple could be about to fill a niche we didn't even
know we needed, and soon thereafter we'll wonder how we ever lived without
it!
One thing I've had a hard time with on the endless tablet rumors... how do you propose to hold a 10 inch touch screen and still be able to use it? It's not even really an issue of weight... Try holding a spiral notebook with one hand for a hour.
I think people's obsession with a "full sized" touch pad is so overblown, and they haven't ever thought about what a pain in the ass it would be to use it.
My opinion is that if Apple even comes out with a larger sized touchpad it will be around 6 inches. To me, that just seems like the largest you coul really make something without it being cumbersome.
A tablet will be 7-8 inches max. Precisely because of what you mentioned... glass is heavy. 2X current size is my bet.
A small touch mac computer with the full OS X 10.6 would be cool though. With an optional iPhoneish front end. I'd really prefer the full OS X so that regular apps work on it. Perhaps this is the key reason why they're optimizing Snow Leopard: Cuz they want it to run really smoothly and with a small footprint in both disk and CPU on upcoming Apple "netbooks".
I'd love to hear someone talk about the positive experiences they have had with a tablet computer.
That's precisely the point. No one's done it right... yet.
Now who do we know who is really good at jumping onto that problem with both feet?
As for input, it'll be voice/gesture/(optional)keyboard. Handwriting recognition is soooo '90s, and implies a stylus, which Apple won't do.
I am surprised there is no Windows equivalent.
...who really think having their no-makup, bad hairday, zit brokeout faces being inspected at the other end being something they really want. Most people don't even like having their picture taken if they haven't had time to prepare.
Lol! Also you could hardly get away with telling your boss you were stuck in traffic if he could see people walking round in the pub behind you!
At what size does use of an accelerometer become kinda lame? After a certain size (again, I'm saying 6-7" diag max) tilting a tablet as an input method starts to look more like sumo wrestling than elegant computing.
And without accelerometer, you've just balkanized the app space into 'tilt and no-tilt' input. The tablet has to support most App Store apps and games.
They're often overkill for business travel, and while the iPhone is great a 7" tablet would be better for Internet work. A tablet is the perfect sofa device: looking at tv listings, running iTunes and AppleTV, watching the kids on a web cam, reading feeds, watching video (Flash!), email, video chat, basic photo editing...
I can't see them not making a tablet entry to fight the netbooks. So much has changed since the Newton, it seems like an environment for such a device to thrive.
Just like the iPhone and touch there will be models with and without cellular radios.