There was no major software issues with the MS tablets or slates; the reality is that everyone would rather have a touch type keyboard. If Apple creates an 11" tablet I doubt it will sell very well and it will need a keyboard to sell any decent number of units. There has been many tablets and slates and none have ever sold many to mainstream users.
As a nurse in a medium sized Midwestern hospital , I can see both the benefits of a Mac tablet and it's disadvantages especially in battery life , weight and construction as well as security (HIPAA and all that ) . Anyway , if the mythical Apple tablet should make it in real life , some if not most of the very first users would be professionals in the creative arts , science , engineering and architecture and the price will reflect it (BTW , healthcare would typically wait until the technology is mature and stable enough to make it worthwhile) . Mobilesalesman , people does not like change especially when it involves lack of tactile sensation , but people adapt and years down the road , people will have no problem in switching from a touch type keyboard to just touching a holographic icon out of thin air to run an application .
In this coming Macworld , I doubt that Apple will release a tablet because they are not yet ready , but somewhere along this coming year or possibly,Macworld 2009 , we will get the first glimpse of the Mac tablet.
There was no major software issues with the MS tablets or slates
Except for the fact that they aren't designed primarily for finger input, but rather more like they have desktop software somehow squeezed onto a tiny screen, usually with a stylus in mind, and they are usually too heavy, too thick, too small and too much like something that looks like it just came off a 12 month shift on the Borg ship to be anyway cool, easy to use, or relevant. Oh and they run Windows.
Yeah, other than that they're fine.
Sorry to bitch-slap you, but sometimes people look with their eyes closed. This isn't about simply doing a tablet, just like the iPhone wasn't about simply doing a phone. This as I see it, will be Apple's attempt to reinvent what people currently think of as the "tablet", but more importantly this will be Apple's attempt to redefine what an ultra-portable computer can be.
Not just a tablet, but also a fully fledged portable computer, with a completely new type of user interface. Namely multi-touch, but this time with Mac-like processing under the hood, a lot more storage than an iPhone, around 10 or 11" or screen space (preferably 11") with a desktop, a very thin & slick form-factor, and either a menu-bar up top or a sliding bottom dock with iPhone-like icons.
As I was saying, not "just" a tablet, but a "Mac touch".
There was no major software issues with the MS tablets or slates; the reality is that everyone would rather have a touch type keyboard. If Apple creates an 11" tablet I doubt it will sell very well and it will need a keyboard to sell any decent number of units. There has been many tablets and slates and none have ever sold many to mainstream users.
Here we go again a bad record with an unfixable scratch. An irritating scratch that wants to speak for everybody else.
Look at the facts here, both the iPhone and the Touch are selling very well on first generation Touch technology. That right there should wake you up to the idea that not everyone is concerned about the chicklet keys.
In any event look at why they didn't sell as opposed to guessing why they didn't sell.
[QUOTE=Wil;1189819]As a nurse in a medium sized Midwestern hospital , I can see both the benefits of a Mac tablet and it's disadvantages especially in battery life , weight and construction as well as security (HIPAA and all that ) .
[quote]
Battery life is a big issue and one of the reasons I would like to see Apples Tablet more in the mold of a Touch than a Mac. Very much the idea of a Newton for the new century. Frankly I don't think Apple will take the route. So unless Intel pulls a really big rabbit out of the hat and gives use a i86 platform that is power stingy, long battery life won't be happening.
Of course the issue of ruggedness is a two edge sword as that impacts weight. The bet way to handle intensive use, like in a hospital, would be too use a protective wrap of some sort. Other wise you would have to go with one of the heavy duty tablets currently on the market.
Quote:
Anyway , if the mythical Apple tablet should make it in real life , some if not most of the very first users would be professionals in the creative arts , science , engineering and architecture and the price will reflect it (BTW , healthcare would typically wait until the technology is mature and stable enough to make it worthwhile) .
I don't know about that. Personally I think it depends on just what format it arrives in and what capability it possesses. If the thing is as big as a laptop I don't expect a very positive reception. On the other hand almost anything Steno size or smaller likely with get a very good reception.
Quote:
Mobilesalesman , people does not like change especially when it involves lack of tactile sensation , but people adapt and years down the road , people will have no problem in switching from a touch type keyboard to just touching a holographic icon out of thin air to run an application .
In this coming Macworld , I doubt that Apple will release a tablet because they are not yet ready , but somewhere along this coming year or possibly,Macworld 2009 , we will get the first glimpse of the Mac tablet.
Well I hope we don't have to wait until 2009! Lets face it, Apple could deliver new hardware this month, next or March if they really wanted to. It is all a matter of having the hardware there that meets their vision for the platform. I know for a fact that there is hardware coming on line that would make for a very interesting Touch follow on early this year. The question of course is does Apple want to follow that path or is Touch on arm a dead end.
To me it seems simple. The majority of the worlds mobile computers that run full desktop OS (mac or ms) primarily use a touch type keyboard. Not everyone needs the fastest cpu/memory, etc.; many just need a basic laptop but would prefer one they could fit into their jacket pocket. There are over 113 new laptops sold per year and if a pocket laptop were available I bet at least 10% would opt for that. Devices of the past like the Psion already proved that a handheld if the form factor and keyboard is well designed can provide easy touch typing in a device as small as 6.9" x 3.6" x .9". If someone is able to do that and have full desktop applications that would be a huge hit. The technology is now availble but thus far there has yet to be the first pocket laptop.
That seems like the most simple natural progression from laptops to jacket pocket laptops. That does not require a paradigm shift in human behavior that pen input would as everyone already uses that method of input already.
mobilesalesman: I agree with a lot of what you have to say; that said, do you absolutely *have* to say it in green?
As a nurse in a medium sized Midwestern hospital , I can see both the benefits of a Mac tablet and it's disadvantages especially in battery life , weight and construction as well as security (HIPAA and all that ) . Anyway , if the mythical Apple tablet should make it in real life , some if not most of the very first users would be professionals in the creative arts , science , engineering and architecture and the price will reflect it (BTW , healthcare would typically wait until the technology is mature and stable enough to make it worthwhile) .
I would say that a significant portion of the tablet market is for medical care practitioners.
Where I once saw Apple iMacs I now see tablets from Motion and ViewLogic. Even with the wipeable, bacteria resistant keyboards, the flat glass surface of a tablet is more easily cleaned.
Apparently it just started shipping 2 days ago (dec 31). It looks pretty nifty to me, and you can't complain about the options... (up to 4 gb ram, 320 GB HD, Combodrive/Superdrive/2nd HD up to 250GB or nothing in this place.) which caters to both sides of the optical drive debate... I saw it was mentioned, but no real serious talk of it and I thought it would be good to bring up now that it's actually out.
Any idea on the battery life of it? And how exactly the screen transitions from normal to tablet?
And on another note, One of the best, yet overlooked because of it's small market, uses for a tablet is by a math teacher, hooked up to a projector. It makes things sooo much clearer than writing on a board, as shapes are much easier to draw (and many more things), but it's almost one of those things you have to see to realize how amazing it is for that.
earlier in this thread, someone directed me to this thing... and I fell in love. It's exactly what I've imagined, though perhaps too large for the ultra-portable crowd. It is a little expensive, but if Apple doesn't announce a tablet in the next few months, I'm going with it.
Interesting note, Gizmodo has posted part of an interview with Bill Gates, and during the course of answering a question,, he says something to the effect of "I still haven't given up on the tablet, and now I hear Apple may be doing something in that direction"...
While still a rumor, I figure a rumor that reaches up to the top like that, and for Gates to actually mention it in an interview means that there may be something to it... or am I just dreaming again
Dont think an ultra-portable laptop and a tablet are in conflict since Apple will more than likely release both....portable devices are going to be the big hardware news at the show...
I think the tablet will be something with a 5-7 inch screen,,, basically looking like an oversize ipod touch or iphone. Hopefully will have a full OS on it, decent wireless capability and memory along with the ability to connect a projector or use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse if need be. Provided the price is kept reasonable unlike a lot of the umpc's out there.... lets face it,,, for $600, it would be fun,,, for $2400,, its would be overpriced gadget.
a slim laptop with a 13 inch screen and a 5-7 inch tablet.... I will take one of each
mobilesalesman: I agree with a lot of what you have to say; that said, do you absolutely *have* to say it in green?
ok how about blue?
On a serious note after reading the last number of comments I do see two potential products for Apple. One would be a pen input or touch input slate but for that form factor it would need to be a 7" or larger screen, thin, have good battery life, cpu power that would be equal or better than comparible non jacket size devices you would carry in a bag etc. and be priced competitively. I see that as a market but right now I believe that is a smaller market as I do feel a touch type keyboard is still what most would prefer for interacting with most desktop softwares.
The other market is what I think relates more to this thread of ultra portable and that is a jacket pocket device with a touch type keyboard. This form factor is untapped thus far and only now the technology is enabling the potential for creating a jacket pocket device that can run full desktop programs and be a real pocket laptop. For that ability to be mobile the largest pocket is the typical suit/sportcoat,jacket pocket which can take up to 4" or so in depth and about 7 to 7.5" in length. The old handhelds of the past proved that devices that were typically 3.6" x 7" could have a very usable touch type keyboard if all the space was maximized correctly like how the Psion 5mx did and the long narrow screen enable 1/2 vga display. Thus you could view a word and other document the same as you would on a desktop. This market I believe is a lot larger right now than a tablet would be and has the potential to get many MS users to buy their first Apple.
There is never one form factor for all. The tablet form factor has never been that popular and true Apple could improve the software to make it more easy but still for business use most softwares are still primarily MS so I still see it as a niche market but maybe long term that could change. The touch type handheld computer on the other hand has huge potential as a much larger groups like all of the marketing/sales professionals, managers/project managers, and executives whom use laptops would often rather have a pocket version but only if it had a touch type keyboard so they could use it like their laptop but not have to lug something so large all the time. Those groups are much larger than niche markets like healthcare professionals.
On a serious note after reading the last number of comments I do see two potential products for Apple. One would be a pen input or touch input slate but for that form factor it would need to be a 7" or larger screen, thin, have good battery life, cpu power that would be equal or better than comparible non jacket size devices you would carry in a bag etc. and be priced competitively. I see that as a market but right now I believe that is a smaller market as I do feel a touch type keyboard is still what most would prefer for interacting with most desktop softwares.
The other market is what I think relates more to this thread of ultra portable and that is a jacket pocket device with a touch type keyboard. This form factor is untapped thus far and only now the technology is enabling the potential for creating a jacket pocket device that can run full desktop programs and be a real pocket laptop. For that ability to be mobile the largest pocket is the typical suit/sportcoat,jacket pocket which can take up to 4" or so in depth and about 7 to 7.5" in length. The old handhelds of the past proved that devices that were typically 3.6" x 7" could have a very usable touch type keyboard if all the space was maximized correctly like how the Psion 5mx did and the long narrow screen enable 1/2 vga display. Thus you could view a word and other document the same as you would on a desktop. This market I believe is a lot larger right now than a tablet would be and has the potential to get many MS users to buy their first Apple.
There is never one form factor for all. The tablet form factor has never been that popular and true Apple could improve the software to make it more easy but still for business use most softwares are still primarily MS so I still see it as a niche market but maybe long term that could change. The touch type handheld computer on the other hand has huge potential as a much larger groups like all of the marketing/sales professionals, managers/project managers, and executives whom use laptops would often rather have a pocket version but only if it had a touch type keyboard so they could use it like their laptop but not have to lug something so large all the time. Those groups are much larger than niche markets like healthcare professionals.
Mobilesalesman,
I agree with you. A large tablet has some niche markets. Compaq had a tablet lap top in the mid-90's. I was able to pick a refurb locally at the HQ for $500 and it was a neat device that largely died because its only difference from a regular laptop was it was pen based. If Apple takes a 13" screen and makes a tablet out of it, I think it would have a minor impact on the market because people would have to ask themselves if they are really better off with a conventional laptop.
The true larger markets that you indicate (sales, project management, executives and even engineers) are a ready to tap market for a compact device that gives them access to documents (word, pdf, excel, powerpoint), functional email capability and web access. This market generally are people who are always on the move and with increases in airport security, conventional laptops are largely a pain in the backside compared to carrying a device in your sport coat pocket device with a nice case (new accessory market)... who knows,, the TSA might even let you get by with leaving it in your briefcase when going through security
As I indicated, it has to be a full OS device so you can use any software application available for the OS X and not some mini application that has to be developed specific for the device.
Does it need to be a 2.8 ghz quad core,,, nope. Put a 200 GB drive (Ipod Classic already has a 160 GB), 2 GB of RAM and very low power consumption processor for long battery life. While Wifi would be a requirement,, adding cellular broadband would just rock... I would even sign an agreement with ATT for that and pay $59 a month. Through a mini-dvi to connect to a projector for presentations and have drop in dock device that you connect your desktop and life would great. Pull off a miracle and give a 12 hour battery life (maybe a dream)
In summary, there is huge market of people who generally dont need to edit documents while on the road, but do need to carry documents with them, access and present them. Email is a big deal for these users and responding to emails on a larger device (than the Iphone) is a big plus. Also, web access for accessing travel or other sites while on the road is important.
We can only hope that Apple is ahead of us in their thinking and Tuesday will have some BIG BANG devices that make us smile and the rest of the computer business sweat.
earlier in this thread, someone directed me to this thing... and I fell in love. It's exactly what I've imagined, though perhaps too large for the ultra-portable crowd. It is a little expensive, but if Apple doesn't announce a tablet in the next few months, I'm going with it.
Interesting note, Gizmodo has posted part of an interview with Bill Gates, and during the course of answering a question,, he says something to the effect of "I still haven't given up on the tablet, and now I hear Apple may be doing something in that direction"...
While still a rumor, I figure a rumor that reaches up to the top like that, and for Gates to actually mention it in an interview means that there may be something to it... or am I just dreaming again
Shiva... I already placed my order for the ModBook... and am waiting for it to be shipped. Unfortunately, from what I've heard, the company making it has been plagued with backorder issues since last year, which is why official availability wasn't announced until last week... While I'm hopeful my order will actual be fulfilled, I'm a little nervous based on the fact I received an email saying one of the parts was on backorder until February.
In the meantime, I'll see what gets announced at Macworld. The way I see it, at this point, is that any "tablet", or more accurately, "ultra-portable" Apple announces itself is not going to be aimed at artists, but at the general population... something more like a large iPhone you navigate with your finger, NOT something with a high resolution tablet design you navigate with a pressure sensitive pen. I own an iPhone (love it) and can see the wonderful benefits that would go along with a ultra portable laptop you use in a similar fashion, but it serves a much different crowd than the Modbook does.
As for some of the issues presented by previous posters when it comes to a tablet... I think previous pen-driven convertibles and slates have been marketed as general devices, and their problems were as stated... battery life, portibility and usability. If you actually read about the Modbook or have used an iPhone, you begin to understand how some of the hurdles are overcome. I was ALWAYS surprised that Apple themselves didn't work on something like the Modbook to aim at the designer/artist crowd, since that was THEIR audience for a long time. The biggest problem I see for the Modbook is that it may be a little late in the game for the product to really take off.
But who knows... we'll see once some consumers (like me) finally have one in their hands!
Presumably the same productive work you do with a laptop. It's not as if removing the keyboard suddenly prevents it from being useful for anything. If you're watching porn in bed, how do you even position a laptop? It's very awkward. But a tablet is no problem at all.
It's these tough questions that apple's engineers ask themselves when designing a product. Does this product make it easy to watch porn in bed?
I agree " conventional laptops are largely a pain in the backside compared to carrying a device in your sport coat pocket "
I would add that a device like that running full desktop programs needs more than a thumb input or any type of pen input as the functionality would be for more than viewing but more as a primary mobile computer to create documents etc. While people think the cool factor of the iphone input is nice, for using desktop programs in a jacket size device I think that input would not be ideal. If Apple just made a sleek jacket size pocket laptop with a touch type keyboard that would have attracted a lot of buzz.
If Apple created a larger tablet then maybe that type of input would be ok but I still see it being something with a smaller audience more like what iRabbit said, more geared for artists/designer crowd.
Since there has yet to be a jacket laptop if Apple added their normal design flare and made it sleek and cool looking yet still with a normal touch type keyboard, that would be very cutting edge and would sell right now.
Comments
Let's see how shocked you are when Apple releases their 11" touch tablet in 2008.
Amen!!! To all those who think we're not getting one.....well we are!! Your going to get one and your going to love it and.....THATS THAT!!!
In this coming Macworld , I doubt that Apple will release a tablet because they are not yet ready , but somewhere along this coming year or possibly,Macworld 2009 , we will get the first glimpse of the Mac tablet.
There was no major software issues with the MS tablets or slates
Except for the fact that they aren't designed primarily for finger input, but rather more like they have desktop software somehow squeezed onto a tiny screen, usually with a stylus in mind, and they are usually too heavy, too thick, too small and too much like something that looks like it just came off a 12 month shift on the Borg ship to be anyway cool, easy to use, or relevant. Oh and they run Windows.
Yeah, other than that they're fine.
Sorry to bitch-slap you, but sometimes people look with their eyes closed. This isn't about simply doing a tablet, just like the iPhone wasn't about simply doing a phone. This as I see it, will be Apple's attempt to reinvent what people currently think of as the "tablet", but more importantly this will be Apple's attempt to redefine what an ultra-portable computer can be.
Not just a tablet, but also a fully fledged portable computer, with a completely new type of user interface. Namely multi-touch, but this time with Mac-like processing under the hood, a lot more storage than an iPhone, around 10 or 11" or screen space (preferably 11") with a desktop, a very thin & slick form-factor, and either a menu-bar up top or a sliding bottom dock with iPhone-like icons.
As I was saying, not "just" a tablet, but a "Mac touch".
Mac touch, Mac touch, Mac touch.
Mac touch FTW!!
There was no major software issues with the MS tablets or slates; the reality is that everyone would rather have a touch type keyboard. If Apple creates an 11" tablet I doubt it will sell very well and it will need a keyboard to sell any decent number of units. There has been many tablets and slates and none have ever sold many to mainstream users.
Here we go again a bad record with an unfixable scratch. An irritating scratch that wants to speak for everybody else.
Look at the facts here, both the iPhone and the Touch are selling very well on first generation Touch technology. That right there should wake you up to the idea that not everyone is concerned about the chicklet keys.
In any event look at why they didn't sell as opposed to guessing why they didn't sell.
Dave
[quote]
Battery life is a big issue and one of the reasons I would like to see Apples Tablet more in the mold of a Touch than a Mac. Very much the idea of a Newton for the new century. Frankly I don't think Apple will take the route. So unless Intel pulls a really big rabbit out of the hat and gives use a i86 platform that is power stingy, long battery life won't be happening.
Of course the issue of ruggedness is a two edge sword as that impacts weight. The bet way to handle intensive use, like in a hospital, would be too use a protective wrap of some sort. Other wise you would have to go with one of the heavy duty tablets currently on the market.
Anyway , if the mythical Apple tablet should make it in real life , some if not most of the very first users would be professionals in the creative arts , science , engineering and architecture and the price will reflect it (BTW , healthcare would typically wait until the technology is mature and stable enough to make it worthwhile) .
I don't know about that. Personally I think it depends on just what format it arrives in and what capability it possesses. If the thing is as big as a laptop I don't expect a very positive reception. On the other hand almost anything Steno size or smaller likely with get a very good reception.
Mobilesalesman , people does not like change especially when it involves lack of tactile sensation , but people adapt and years down the road , people will have no problem in switching from a touch type keyboard to just touching a holographic icon out of thin air to run an application .
In this coming Macworld , I doubt that Apple will release a tablet because they are not yet ready , but somewhere along this coming year or possibly,Macworld 2009 , we will get the first glimpse of the Mac tablet.
Well I hope we don't have to wait until 2009! Lets face it, Apple could deliver new hardware this month, next or March if they really wanted to. It is all a matter of having the hardware there that meets their vision for the platform. I know for a fact that there is hardware coming on line that would make for a very interesting Touch follow on early this year. The question of course is does Apple want to follow that path or is Touch on arm a dead end.
Dave
To me it seems simple. The majority of the worlds mobile computers that run full desktop OS (mac or ms) primarily use a touch type keyboard. Not everyone needs the fastest cpu/memory, etc.; many just need a basic laptop but would prefer one they could fit into their jacket pocket. There are over 113 new laptops sold per year and if a pocket laptop were available I bet at least 10% would opt for that. Devices of the past like the Psion already proved that a handheld if the form factor and keyboard is well designed can provide easy touch typing in a device as small as 6.9" x 3.6" x .9". If someone is able to do that and have full desktop applications that would be a huge hit. The technology is now availble but thus far there has yet to be the first pocket laptop.
That seems like the most simple natural progression from laptops to jacket pocket laptops. That does not require a paradigm shift in human behavior that pen input would as everyone already uses that method of input already.
mobilesalesman: I agree with a lot of what you have to say; that said, do you absolutely *have* to say it in green?
As a nurse in a medium sized Midwestern hospital , I can see both the benefits of a Mac tablet and it's disadvantages especially in battery life , weight and construction as well as security (HIPAA and all that ) . Anyway , if the mythical Apple tablet should make it in real life , some if not most of the very first users would be professionals in the creative arts , science , engineering and architecture and the price will reflect it (BTW , healthcare would typically wait until the technology is mature and stable enough to make it worthwhile) .
I would say that a significant portion of the tablet market is for medical care practitioners.
Where I once saw Apple iMacs I now see tablets from Motion and ViewLogic. Even with the wipeable, bacteria resistant keyboards, the flat glass surface of a tablet is more easily cleaned.
Apparently it just started shipping 2 days ago (dec 31). It looks pretty nifty to me, and you can't complain about the options... (up to 4 gb ram, 320 GB HD, Combodrive/Superdrive/2nd HD up to 250GB or nothing in this place.) which caters to both sides of the optical drive debate... I saw it was mentioned, but no real serious talk of it and I thought it would be good to bring up now that it's actually out.
Any idea on the battery life of it? And how exactly the screen transitions from normal to tablet?
I suppose people will complain because it's not multi-touch© or it's 13.3" which isn't ulta-portable, but If I had money, I think I'd buy it
And on another note, One of the best, yet overlooked because of it's small market, uses for a tablet is by a math teacher, hooked up to a projector. It makes things sooo much clearer than writing on a board, as shapes are much easier to draw (and many more things), but it's almost one of those things you have to see to realize how amazing it is for that.
earlier in this thread, someone directed me to this thing... and I fell in love. It's exactly what I've imagined, though perhaps too large for the ultra-portable crowd. It is a little expensive, but if Apple doesn't announce a tablet in the next few months, I'm going with it.
Interesting note, Gizmodo has posted part of an interview with Bill Gates, and during the course of answering a question,, he says something to the effect of "I still haven't given up on the tablet, and now I hear Apple may be doing something in that direction"...
http://gizmodo.com/341802/bill-gates...soft-and-apple
While still a rumor, I figure a rumor that reaches up to the top like that, and for Gates to actually mention it in an interview means that there may be something to it... or am I just dreaming again
I think the tablet will be something with a 5-7 inch screen,,, basically looking like an oversize ipod touch or iphone. Hopefully will have a full OS on it, decent wireless capability and memory along with the ability to connect a projector or use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse if need be. Provided the price is kept reasonable unlike a lot of the umpc's out there.... lets face it,,, for $600, it would be fun,,, for $2400,, its would be overpriced gadget.
a slim laptop with a 13 inch screen and a 5-7 inch tablet.... I will take one of each
mobilesalesman: I agree with a lot of what you have to say; that said, do you absolutely *have* to say it in green?
ok how about blue?
On a serious note after reading the last number of comments I do see two potential products for Apple. One would be a pen input or touch input slate but for that form factor it would need to be a 7" or larger screen, thin, have good battery life, cpu power that would be equal or better than comparible non jacket size devices you would carry in a bag etc. and be priced competitively. I see that as a market but right now I believe that is a smaller market as I do feel a touch type keyboard is still what most would prefer for interacting with most desktop softwares.
The other market is what I think relates more to this thread of ultra portable and that is a jacket pocket device with a touch type keyboard. This form factor is untapped thus far and only now the technology is enabling the potential for creating a jacket pocket device that can run full desktop programs and be a real pocket laptop. For that ability to be mobile the largest pocket is the typical suit/sportcoat,jacket pocket which can take up to 4" or so in depth and about 7 to 7.5" in length. The old handhelds of the past proved that devices that were typically 3.6" x 7" could have a very usable touch type keyboard if all the space was maximized correctly like how the Psion 5mx did and the long narrow screen enable 1/2 vga display. Thus you could view a word and other document the same as you would on a desktop. This market I believe is a lot larger right now than a tablet would be and has the potential to get many MS users to buy their first Apple.
There is never one form factor for all. The tablet form factor has never been that popular and true Apple could improve the software to make it more easy but still for business use most softwares are still primarily MS so I still see it as a niche market but maybe long term that could change. The touch type handheld computer on the other hand has huge potential as a much larger groups like all of the marketing/sales professionals, managers/project managers, and executives whom use laptops would often rather have a pocket version but only if it had a touch type keyboard so they could use it like their laptop but not have to lug something so large all the time. Those groups are much larger than niche markets like healthcare professionals.
ok how about blue?
On a serious note after reading the last number of comments I do see two potential products for Apple. One would be a pen input or touch input slate but for that form factor it would need to be a 7" or larger screen, thin, have good battery life, cpu power that would be equal or better than comparible non jacket size devices you would carry in a bag etc. and be priced competitively. I see that as a market but right now I believe that is a smaller market as I do feel a touch type keyboard is still what most would prefer for interacting with most desktop softwares.
The other market is what I think relates more to this thread of ultra portable and that is a jacket pocket device with a touch type keyboard. This form factor is untapped thus far and only now the technology is enabling the potential for creating a jacket pocket device that can run full desktop programs and be a real pocket laptop. For that ability to be mobile the largest pocket is the typical suit/sportcoat,jacket pocket which can take up to 4" or so in depth and about 7 to 7.5" in length. The old handhelds of the past proved that devices that were typically 3.6" x 7" could have a very usable touch type keyboard if all the space was maximized correctly like how the Psion 5mx did and the long narrow screen enable 1/2 vga display. Thus you could view a word and other document the same as you would on a desktop. This market I believe is a lot larger right now than a tablet would be and has the potential to get many MS users to buy their first Apple.
There is never one form factor for all. The tablet form factor has never been that popular and true Apple could improve the software to make it more easy but still for business use most softwares are still primarily MS so I still see it as a niche market but maybe long term that could change. The touch type handheld computer on the other hand has huge potential as a much larger groups like all of the marketing/sales professionals, managers/project managers, and executives whom use laptops would often rather have a pocket version but only if it had a touch type keyboard so they could use it like their laptop but not have to lug something so large all the time. Those groups are much larger than niche markets like healthcare professionals.
Mobilesalesman,
I agree with you. A large tablet has some niche markets. Compaq had a tablet lap top in the mid-90's. I was able to pick a refurb locally at the HQ for $500 and it was a neat device that largely died because its only difference from a regular laptop was it was pen based. If Apple takes a 13" screen and makes a tablet out of it, I think it would have a minor impact on the market because people would have to ask themselves if they are really better off with a conventional laptop.
The true larger markets that you indicate (sales, project management, executives and even engineers) are a ready to tap market for a compact device that gives them access to documents (word, pdf, excel, powerpoint), functional email capability and web access. This market generally are people who are always on the move and with increases in airport security, conventional laptops are largely a pain in the backside compared to carrying a device in your sport coat pocket device with a nice case (new accessory market)... who knows,, the TSA might even let you get by with leaving it in your briefcase when going through security
As I indicated, it has to be a full OS device so you can use any software application available for the OS X and not some mini application that has to be developed specific for the device.
Does it need to be a 2.8 ghz quad core,,, nope. Put a 200 GB drive (Ipod Classic already has a 160 GB), 2 GB of RAM and very low power consumption processor for long battery life. While Wifi would be a requirement,, adding cellular broadband would just rock... I would even sign an agreement with ATT for that and pay $59 a month. Through a mini-dvi to connect to a projector for presentations and have drop in dock device that you connect your desktop and life would great. Pull off a miracle and give a 12 hour battery life (maybe a dream)
In summary, there is huge market of people who generally dont need to edit documents while on the road, but do need to carry documents with them, access and present them. Email is a big deal for these users and responding to emails on a larger device (than the Iphone) is a big plus. Also, web access for accessing travel or other sites while on the road is important.
We can only hope that Apple is ahead of us in their thinking and Tuesday will have some BIG BANG devices that make us smile and the rest of the computer business sweat.
earlier in this thread, someone directed me to this thing... and I fell in love. It's exactly what I've imagined, though perhaps too large for the ultra-portable crowd. It is a little expensive, but if Apple doesn't announce a tablet in the next few months, I'm going with it.
Interesting note, Gizmodo has posted part of an interview with Bill Gates, and during the course of answering a question,, he says something to the effect of "I still haven't given up on the tablet, and now I hear Apple may be doing something in that direction"...
http://gizmodo.com/341802/bill-gates...soft-and-apple
While still a rumor, I figure a rumor that reaches up to the top like that, and for Gates to actually mention it in an interview means that there may be something to it... or am I just dreaming again
Shiva... I already placed my order for the ModBook... and am waiting for it to be shipped. Unfortunately, from what I've heard, the company making it has been plagued with backorder issues since last year, which is why official availability wasn't announced until last week... While I'm hopeful my order will actual be fulfilled, I'm a little nervous based on the fact I received an email saying one of the parts was on backorder until February.
In the meantime, I'll see what gets announced at Macworld. The way I see it, at this point, is that any "tablet", or more accurately, "ultra-portable" Apple announces itself is not going to be aimed at artists, but at the general population... something more like a large iPhone you navigate with your finger, NOT something with a high resolution tablet design you navigate with a pressure sensitive pen. I own an iPhone (love it) and can see the wonderful benefits that would go along with a ultra portable laptop you use in a similar fashion, but it serves a much different crowd than the Modbook does.
As for some of the issues presented by previous posters when it comes to a tablet... I think previous pen-driven convertibles and slates have been marketed as general devices, and their problems were as stated... battery life, portibility and usability. If you actually read about the Modbook or have used an iPhone, you begin to understand how some of the hurdles are overcome. I was ALWAYS surprised that Apple themselves didn't work on something like the Modbook to aim at the designer/artist crowd, since that was THEIR audience for a long time. The biggest problem I see for the Modbook is that it may be a little late in the game for the product to really take off.
But who knows... we'll see once some consumers (like me) finally have one in their hands!
Presumably the same productive work you do with a laptop. It's not as if removing the keyboard suddenly prevents it from being useful for anything. If you're watching porn in bed, how do you even position a laptop? It's very awkward. But a tablet is no problem at all.
It's these tough questions that apple's engineers ask themselves when designing a product. Does this product make it easy to watch porn in bed?
I would add that a device like that running full desktop programs needs more than a thumb input or any type of pen input as the functionality would be for more than viewing but more as a primary mobile computer to create documents etc. While people think the cool factor of the iphone input is nice, for using desktop programs in a jacket size device I think that input would not be ideal. If Apple just made a sleek jacket size pocket laptop with a touch type keyboard that would have attracted a lot of buzz.
If Apple created a larger tablet then maybe that type of input would be ok but I still see it being something with a smaller audience more like what iRabbit said, more geared for artists/designer crowd.
Since there has yet to be a jacket laptop if Apple added their normal design flare and made it sleek and cool looking yet still with a normal touch type keyboard, that would be very cutting edge and would sell right now.