Definitively not a fat tablet pc with a swivel screen but indeed more like a larger but light 9or 10 inch screen, much like the Macbook Air without the keyboard. For improved typing capability use the existing wireless bluetooth keyboard and mouse when at home or in the office, otherwise, use the screen. No need for a large drive as most content could be streamed from the network, either at home or the office. Hopefully also add a GPS module so the iPad could be used for navigation in the car when fixed.
Advantages:
- great for viewing internet / movies, etc.
- when at home/office, connect the screen to the (stand) adaptor for fixed internet connectivity, external speakers and external screen if necessary and loading the battery
- when connected to the stand, it could be used as a photo frame/iTunes radio device
- connect external wireless mouse and keyboard through bluetooth
- use internal GPS for navigation
- no need for telecom capability
In other words, think of it as the iPad used in Star Trek movies.
I have been a Tablet user for 4 years, until the MB Air came along. Now the company-provided Fujitsu-Siemens T5010 Tablet gathers dust, while I use MBAir for my private and business needs (as family we have iMacs, MacBook, etc.)
-\tSwivel-screen tablets are great for brainstorming (mind mapping software) and there is no better way to take notes at lectures/meetings. Period.
-\t13? screen is minimum for tablets ? like Letterhead/A4 paper size. There is a reason most notepads are that size? 9? does not work ? tried it with FS P1620 and it is uncomfortable, too small to write effectively, primarily because of too small screen (handwriting is much larger than typing). As well thickness of the PC, the wrist slides off, uncomfortable.
-\tMB Air is perfect for business use: Mail, Word, Excel and PowerPoint (sorry, yes, M$) while travelling). I have WinXP installed on ParallelsDesktop for some specific business application (Siebel) and it works very well.
-\tMBAir is a perfect netbook. Small, light, does not get too hot (unlike FS T5010 which slow-cooked my left leg once). In fact I am lying on my couch right now, typing this on MBAir?
-\tIf MB Air was a Tablet I would be very happy, it would allow me to do (relativly) unobtrusive note-taking at customer meetings.
So no, the 9? screen is not for a tablet, UNLESS it would be a Kindle-killer, i.e. a very thin, book-form jot-pad type iPod device, (music, films, books). Then it could also do unobtrusive casual note-taking (eg. at business lunch) with a stylus. There is a reason paper-backs are that size, as well as my Moleskin jot-pad, which I would gladly replace with similar-size Applekindle
-\tSwivel-screen tablets are great for brainstorming (mind mapping software) and there is no better way to take notes at lectures/meetings. Period.
Interesting post! I agree with most of it but have to take exception to the "period" in the above quote.
A keyboard and mouse/trackpad are by far the best way to take notes in most situations. Certainly diagramming and mathematics can benefit from stylus based input though. But most note taking tasks are linear and alpha-numeric in nature. If tablets were really the best for taking notes, stenographers would use them.
Edit:
Also, the optimal screen size is somewhat debatable. While you found a 9" suitable too small for your tasks, it would be still be good or even too big for other tablet users. For instance, delivery drivers and health care workers. Tablet computers are popular in these fields because tablets don't necessitate a desk and their tasks aren't terribly hampered by single handed finger or stylus input. For the deliver driver, a 9" screen is way more than adequate.
While I'm generally less than enthusiastic about tablet computing, I do at least recognize that they are optimal for some tasks... just not the ones that most people deal with on a regular basis. But hey, if cheap enough, i'd buy an apple tablet for use as a home theater remote.
Sorry, should not have been so adamant about Tablet note-taking, of course there are other methods... My point was that people like A5 (9") size for jotting/reading books, A4/letterhead/13" for writing/watching albums/web. Apple knows this...
So what does Apple want with a 9" screen? Sorry, I will be monotonous, but how about a media-centre AppleTV/game console/computer with a 9" touch-screen that would allow operation without keyboard/mouse (touch screen similar to Logitech Remote 1000) plus magic wand?
I love folks that have never looked at tablets but are willing to make comments anyway.
Convertible tablets are clamshell notebooks that allow you to flip the screen over to go into tablet mode. The only better tablet design is the Always Innovating one with a detachable screen. The downside of that one is that it's Linux only.
Ridicule doesn't work well when you are responding to something you clearly didn't bother to read or comprehend.
Obviously most of us have seen a convertible tablet PC.. My comment was solely in regards to a traditional form factor "netbook" which is what has been reported all over the internet.
That said, I don't see Apple creating a (pointless IMO) convertible tablet notebook, and believe this has to be a slate/tablet-only device.
I beleive it was an article on here that the number of switchers from windows had risen as well, so it does not necessarily correlate to the Air selling well. And Apple does sell items that are not profitable, the Mac Mini and Apple TV are two devices that may be breaking a profit now but they sure didn't for the first spin of their existence.
Please prove how those products aren't profitable.
Ridicule doesn't work well when you are responding to something you clearly didn't bother to read or comprehend.
Obviously most of us have seen a convertible tablet PC.. My comment was solely in regards to a traditional form factor "netbook" which is what has been reported all over the internet.
That said, I don't see Apple creating a (pointless IMO) convertible tablet notebook, and believe this has to be a slate/tablet-only device.
No, I did comprehend your post. The point is that you completely ignored that convertible tablets beat the crap out of slates or UMPC style keyboards in terms of usefulness AND sales.
If folks really wanted slate macs then the modbook would have sold a lot better than I think it did. Same with motion computing vs all the convertible tablet makers. Heck Motion is still taking in VC money and just got $6M. Slates are used mostly for industrial/medical uses nowadays.
A 10" mac slate is a heck of a lot more pointless.
Comments
Advantages:
- great for viewing internet / movies, etc.
- when at home/office, connect the screen to the (stand) adaptor for fixed internet connectivity, external speakers and external screen if necessary and loading the battery
- when connected to the stand, it could be used as a photo frame/iTunes radio device
- connect external wireless mouse and keyboard through bluetooth
- use internal GPS for navigation
- no need for telecom capability
In other words, think of it as the iPad used in Star Trek movies.
-\tSwivel-screen tablets are great for brainstorming (mind mapping software) and there is no better way to take notes at lectures/meetings. Period.
-\t13? screen is minimum for tablets ? like Letterhead/A4 paper size. There is a reason most notepads are that size? 9? does not work ? tried it with FS P1620 and it is uncomfortable, too small to write effectively, primarily because of too small screen (handwriting is much larger than typing). As well thickness of the PC, the wrist slides off, uncomfortable.
-\tMB Air is perfect for business use: Mail, Word, Excel and PowerPoint (sorry, yes, M$) while travelling). I have WinXP installed on ParallelsDesktop for some specific business application (Siebel) and it works very well.
-\tMBAir is a perfect netbook. Small, light, does not get too hot (unlike FS T5010 which slow-cooked my left leg once). In fact I am lying on my couch right now, typing this on MBAir?
-\tIf MB Air was a Tablet I would be very happy, it would allow me to do (relativly) unobtrusive note-taking at customer meetings.
So no, the 9? screen is not for a tablet, UNLESS it would be a Kindle-killer, i.e. a very thin, book-form jot-pad type iPod device, (music, films, books). Then it could also do unobtrusive casual note-taking (eg. at business lunch) with a stylus. There is a reason paper-backs are that size, as well as my Moleskin jot-pad, which I would gladly replace with similar-size Applekindle
-\tSwivel-screen tablets are great for brainstorming (mind mapping software) and there is no better way to take notes at lectures/meetings. Period.
Interesting post! I agree with most of it but have to take exception to the "period" in the above quote.
A keyboard and mouse/trackpad are by far the best way to take notes in most situations. Certainly diagramming and mathematics can benefit from stylus based input though. But most note taking tasks are linear and alpha-numeric in nature. If tablets were really the best for taking notes, stenographers would use them.
Edit:
Also, the optimal screen size is somewhat debatable. While you found a 9" suitable too small for your tasks, it would be still be good or even too big for other tablet users. For instance, delivery drivers and health care workers. Tablet computers are popular in these fields because tablets don't necessitate a desk and their tasks aren't terribly hampered by single handed finger or stylus input. For the deliver driver, a 9" screen is way more than adequate.
While I'm generally less than enthusiastic about tablet computing, I do at least recognize that they are optimal for some tasks... just not the ones that most people deal with on a regular basis. But hey, if cheap enough, i'd buy an apple tablet for use as a home theater remote.
That's what I want!! Dual touch screen netbook!
Why would a dual touch screen netbook need a track-pad?
So what does Apple want with a 9" screen? Sorry, I will be monotonous, but how about a media-centre AppleTV/game console/computer with a 9" touch-screen that would allow operation without keyboard/mouse (touch screen similar to Logitech Remote 1000) plus magic wand?
Killer Toy!
I love folks that have never looked at tablets but are willing to make comments anyway.
Convertible tablets are clamshell notebooks that allow you to flip the screen over to go into tablet mode. The only better tablet design is the Always Innovating one with a detachable screen. The downside of that one is that it's Linux only.
Ridicule doesn't work well when you are responding to something you clearly didn't bother to read or comprehend.
Obviously most of us have seen a convertible tablet PC.. My comment was solely in regards to a traditional form factor "netbook" which is what has been reported all over the internet.
That said, I don't see Apple creating a (pointless IMO) convertible tablet notebook, and believe this has to be a slate/tablet-only device.
I beleive it was an article on here that the number of switchers from windows had risen as well, so it does not necessarily correlate to the Air selling well. And Apple does sell items that are not profitable, the Mac Mini and Apple TV are two devices that may be breaking a profit now but they sure didn't for the first spin of their existence.
Please prove how those products aren't profitable.
Ridicule doesn't work well when you are responding to something you clearly didn't bother to read or comprehend.
Obviously most of us have seen a convertible tablet PC.. My comment was solely in regards to a traditional form factor "netbook" which is what has been reported all over the internet.
That said, I don't see Apple creating a (pointless IMO) convertible tablet notebook, and believe this has to be a slate/tablet-only device.
No, I did comprehend your post. The point is that you completely ignored that convertible tablets beat the crap out of slates or UMPC style keyboards in terms of usefulness AND sales.
If folks really wanted slate macs then the modbook would have sold a lot better than I think it did. Same with motion computing vs all the convertible tablet makers. Heck Motion is still taking in VC money and just got $6M. Slates are used mostly for industrial/medical uses nowadays.
A 10" mac slate is a heck of a lot more pointless.