So I have been doing a lot of thinking, based on the rumors that have circled around these sites and the bloggosphere and I think I have come up with something very likely to expect from this device. I could be totally wrong but I would love to get some feedback here. I posted it on my blog but for those too lazy to click a link, here you go!
So I have been doing a lot of thinking, based on the rumors that have circled around these sites and the bloggosphere and I think I have come up with something very likely to expect from this device. I could be totally wrong but I would love to get some feedback here. I posted it on my blog but for those too lazy to click a link, here you go!
So your that guy huh?? LOL! I read that blog this morning as I was scouring the net for mac touch clues. It was a good read. And I think I might have to agree with you on the 9" dual screen prototype being false and the 5.2" single screen version being true. Even so, how do you know for sure the 9" dual screen one is false?
So your that guy huh?? LOL! I read that blog this morning as I was scouring the net for mac touch clues. It was a good read. And I think I might have to agree with you on the 9" dual screen prototype being false and the 5.2" single screen version being true. Even so, how do you know for sure the 9" dual screen one is false?
Well, the timing of the rumors and the form in which they came out. Tracking them back, they first appear in one of those "leaked" keynotes that I think are always either fanboys getting over eager or those stupid inter-geeks with too much time on their hands and like to mess with people.
I did enjoy the mock ups though. I still think though that such a device would ultimately pose more issues than it solved.
And PS-Holy **** you mean people actually READ my blog?! People OTHER than my girlfriend?! O_o I always figured I was just drifting into obscurity and wondering how the hell I was going to get readers!
Well, the timing of the rumors and the form in which they came out. Tracking them back, they first appear in one of those "leaked" keynotes that I think are always either fanboys getting over eager or those stupid inter-geeks with too much time on their hands and like to mess with people.
I did enjoy the mock ups though. I still think though that such a device would ultimately pose more issues than it solved.
And PS-Holy **** you mean people actually READ my blog?! People OTHER than my girlfriend?! O_o I always figured I was just drifting into obscurity and wondering how the hell I was going to get readers!
Well dude, I've been trying out Google labs experimental beta.....cool stuff by the way. And I did a google search on "apple umpc" or was it "apple 5.2" anyways google did the search by looking through blogs only.
Awesome stuff. I came across your blog and read it to my delight.
I'm bored here at work and I'm continuing to use the google labs stuff to find out about new apple rumors blog per blog.
I did enjoy the mock ups though. I still think though that such a device would ultimately pose more issues than it solved.
I agree. It seems good in theory, but there are multiple issues that come with it that would (for now) make it more a gimmick than something truly amazing.
I agree that the 1.5x iPod Touch rumors are the most likely - they make more sense. Slightly bigger and as such quite compatible application-wise. Familiar look and feel. iPhoneOS not MacOS (and for now I'd assume a processor similar to the iPhone's).
I'd still like Apple to position a range of devices which bridge the iPod Touch & MacBook Air. It may not be time yet, but when ready I think it would change how people approach these devices
or iBook Air (8"), MacBook Air (13") (laptop format)
Of course the naming would need to differ, just trying to make it clear whether its an "i" or "mac" device. I half expected the MacBookAir to be called the MacBook Touch - to make that connection for a range of wifi devices from the iPod Touch to the MacBook Touch (but without a touch screen on the Air, that idea dies! ). Perhaps Apple would use "Air" for all the wifi-centred products?
I agree. It seems good in theory, but there are multiple issues that come with it that would (for now) make it more a gimmick than something truly amazing.
I agree that the 1.5x iPod Touch rumors are the most likely - they make more sense. Slightly bigger and as such quite compatible application-wise. Familiar look and feel. iPhoneOS not MacOS (and for now I'd assume a processor similar to the iPhone's).
I'd still like Apple to position a range of devices which bridge the iPod Touch & MacBook Air. It may not be time yet, but when ready I think it would change how people approach these devices
or iBook Air (8"), MacBook Air (13") (laptop format)
Of course the naming would need to differ, just trying to make it clear whether its an "i" or "mac" device. I half expected the MacBookAir to be called the MacBook Touch - to make that connection for a range of wifi devices from the iPod Touch to the MacBook Touch (but without a touch screen on the Air, that idea dies! ). Perhaps Apple would use "Air" for all the wifi-centred products?
I think you are right on much of that. Especially, I think, in the ultimate lineup (not including future iPhones). I really think this new device will be a step towards multitouch as a true aspect of portable computing (I don't see desktops happening for a while). How long it will be before we see a full power, Mac Touch, I can't tell you. Sure, it transitioned to the iPod quickly but the two devices are very similar.
Hasn't anybody come up with a keyboard wallet that the iPhone slides into already?
There were a number of those available for the Newton, and I imagine that if one isn't on the market already, it will be soon after the debut of the SDK.
Adding a keyboard to an Iphone is not the answer as it is still just a fancy phone. For a mobile computer it must have the keyboard built in not an add on option.
What the market needs is more of a true full function computer laptp that can fit into your jacket pocket. Given that small size a touch input is not the right input to perform desktop programs; what is needed is a built in touch type keyboard.
Adding a keyboard to an Iphone is not the answer as it is still just a fancy phone. For a mobile computer it must have the keyboard built in not an add on option.
What the market needs is more of a true full function computer laptp that can fit into your jacket pocket. Given that small size a touch input is not the right input to perform desktop programs; what is needed is a built in touch type keyboard.
I disagree. I don't think they need a built in keyboard because not everything we do NEEDS keyboards. The one thing we do with keyboards...TYPE and unless you are typing a lot, then explain why you always need a keyboard. And I don't mean a lot of emails over time. I mean unless you are fricking writer a book/essay/thesis/ect.
Most of our interactions with computers involve a mouse. And if we can get beyond that (touch interface) then a small, external keyboard really isn't TOO much, is it?
Besides, you know Apple or a third party will make a neoprene/leather case that will hold both the tablet and keyboard and fold up like laptop. :-P
Adding a keyboard to an Iphone is not the answer as it is still just a fancy phone. For a mobile computer it must have the keyboard built in not an add on option.
The iPhone is meant to be a fancy phone. That's why it's not called iPDA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mobilesalesman
What the market needs is more of a true full function computer laptp that can fit into your jacket pocket. Given that small size a touch input is not the right input to perform desktop programs; what is needed is a built in touch type keyboard.
There are plenty of those available for Windows, and they have so far failed to find a real market.
I realize the first Apple tablets will be smaller than 17", probably 13.3" like the MacBooks they will replace. Yes, replace. ;^p
LOL, you must be joking. Replace one of their most popular lines with a product that has consistently failed at the consumer level for many years? Not gonna happen.
LOL, you must be joking. Replace one of their most popular lines with a product that has consistently failed at the consumer level for many years? Not gonna happen.
The iPhone DOES have a keyboard... in fact, its one of the most ADVANCED and CONFIGURABLE keyboards ever on a mobile device!
Newton is already here! Its the iPhone/iPod Touch!
Close but that only counts in horseshoes. That is only the case for Touch. What Touch needs badly is Bluetooth and Audio in and out. Those two features would dramatically increase the utility of the devices. IPhone is marginal only because they have Bluetooth but it is not well supported.
To better support Newton like apps though we would need a device with a larger screen. Something that could be crammed into a pocket if needed. Those are really the two biggest limitations with respect to using the Touch as a Newton. Well that and software which isn't worth discussing right now.
Today's iPos touch has a max of 16GB. HD capacity roughly follows Moore's Law and doubles every 24 months (not to be confused with overall performance, which doubles every 18 months). It's almost 2008, so that leaves two full cycles of Moore's Law units 2012... putting us at 64GB... 128GB at the very best. We can expect 2TB flash by 2020, maybe.
However, once we master nanotechnology, we may start falling into the "technological singularity," where devices start designing their successors... but I doubt that'll happen before 2020.
-Clive
We probably will still be on silicone based chips (or cubes?) at 2020, but they will be ending their life because of their microscopic size. Then the problems of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle will come into play, and we won't be able to go any smaller (or faster!). You can't rely on something smaller than .1 microns because of this problem.
We'll be looking at quantum transistors (single electrons trapped in their own boxes resonating at a certain frequency), or even the emergence of quantum computers (photons spinning individual atoms at different rotations, thus dealing in qubits, not bits). Then we're talking about the petaFLOP range of computing. I wouldn't expect to see that until about 2030 or so.
We could see the emergence of DNA computers for specific supercomputer tasks, but I don't think they will make it in the mainstream.
This device is going to have an 11" screen and that's that!
Seriously though, if you go to the trouble and cut out various size screens in paper using the widescreen ratio that Apple will [obviously] use. It becomes quite apparent how small 7" is. Apple could have given the Air an 11" or 12" screen, they didn't. Apple knows how important screen size is, which is why their phone is on the big end of phone screen sizes, and their ultra-portable is on the larger end too.
Mark my words, this tablet, a.k.a. Mac touch will have around an 11" screen.
As for the dock? The could make it a cross between the dock on the iPhone and the Mac. One row of icons across the bottom of the screen, but you could flick it right to left to go to the next row of icons. Like flicking across homes screen, but instead with docks.
As for the cost? I'd say around $1099, possibly more. This will be a truly revolutionary, cutting-edge device, you have to pay to get that kind of stuff. Besides, the build quality and sexiness of this device will be second to none, and it will have very expensive flash storage too.
This device is going to have an 11" screen and that's that!
Come on Ireland this is a Newton thread not a Mac Tablet thread. Just imagine how big that device would be to carry around in a pocket constantly. Sure the girls would notice but after they realize that it is a PC rather than their imaginations desire they will drop you like a lead ball.
Quote:
Seriously though, if you go to the trouble and cut out various size screens in paper using the widescreen ratio that Apple will [obviously] use. It becomes quite apparent how small 7" is.
Yes and no to Apple understanding screen sizes. I see the Touch as a good example of them not understanding what is required resolution and size wise to deliver media today. In any event look closely at devices with 4.5" to 5.5" screens you will be very surprised by what is already on the market and how useful those screens could be on a hand held device (that is a Netwon2).
Quote:
Apple could have given the Air an 11" or 12" screen, they didn't. Apple knows how important screen size is, which is why their phone is on the big end of phone screen sizes, and their ultra-portable is on the larger end too.
I don't know about that as I consider that even the iPhone is a little small. Lets face it larger is better up until a certain size for portable devices. So in a way we are not arguing that point but rather how large something can get and still be useful as a portable hand held device. I just can't see carrying around an 11" screen in my pocket nor clipped to a belt.
Quote:
Mark my words, this tablet, a.k.a. Mac touch will have around an 11" screen.
Mac Touch? Not for me honestly. I would rather see Apple release a Mobile based device that simply is open for software installation. Well that and fully outfitted for I/O. The main reason for this is to leave a lot of cruft from Mac OS/X behind. That is a new series of devices should not be supporting API's from 100 years ago.
Why? Well what is the point in supporting old programs, with old user interfaces, on a device that can't natively support them well? Tablets need software designed for tablets!
Quote:
As for the dock? The could make it a cross between the dock on the iPhone and the Mac. One row of icons across the bottom of the screen, but you could flick it right to left to go to the next row of icons. Like flicking across homes screen, but instead with docks.
Screw the docks! Give me a standard USB port.
Quote:
As for the cost? I'd say around $1099, possibly more. This will be a truly revolutionary, cutting-edge device, you have to pay to get that kind of stuff.
It is obvious that you and I are not even close to thinking about the same sort of device. I'm very much of the thought of a very mobile and very portable device like Newton. You seem to want a laptop in one of these. In any event $600 tops! Even that is expensive for a mass production machine.
Quote:
Besides, the build quality and sexiness of this device will be second to none, and it will have very expensive flash storage too.
With Apple you never know about build quality. As to flash storage they certainly could go that route or maybe a hybrid approach. Either way flash is no where near as expensive as it once was. A low end model of a Newton 2 should be able to go for about $400 easy and that is with Cell or WiMax connectivity.
Quote:
AND... to be clear, it will be a Mac.
There are to many disadvantages for Apple in support legacy Mac software. just imagine the howls when people have trouble with all those old user interfaces. You think that the media beat up on Newtons handwriting recognition to much, just wait until all the funky behavior from legacy apps pop up on these devices. No I think the smart thing for Apple is to break from the past and base these things on Mobile OS.
Quote:
That is all, for now
The big question is when the hell is Apple going to get this product out the door. It is such a shame that AIR took so much time and effort at Apple and produced such a wasteful product. The technology is here right now or certainly in the next few months.
February 20th, 2008 | 09:51am CST | Posted by drawbob
LOOPRumors has learned through reliable sources that Apple is developing a new touch device with more sophisticated technologies than the iPhone. The new device, said to arrive by mid-2008 will use Multi-Touch 2.0 and incorporate a more robust processor, capable of more taxing tasks such as iChat video conferencing via Wi-Fi. While a specific processor was not mentioned, it's possible that Intel's new Montevina chip would be a candidate for the forthcoming device, or Apple would opt for the same custom processor Intel developed for the MacBook Air.
With such power, Apple could place a Jetson-like teleconferencing system in users' hands around the globe.
Specs on the new touch screen simply indicate that it will be longer than today's iPhone and iPod touch, with no specific dimensions mentioned.
The new device, said to be a computer/phone hybrid in a larger casing than today's iPhone and iPod touch, could use bandwidth hungry applications such as iChat over a 3G network -- which raises the question will this be Apple's answer to a 3G phone with longer battery life? Steve Jobs said that 3G chipsets drain battery life and therefor didn't incorporate it into the iPhone.
This new mini-computer would benefit from 3rd party developers already working with the software developer kit (SDK) due to arrive this month, possibly at a rumored secret event.
To all the doubters and the haters who thought it would never become reality......Booyaaaaaaa!!! Wut....WUT NOW HUH??? *pushes hand against foreheads of doubters as if to start a fight in the schoolyard* What ya gonna say now?.........Thought so!!
Comments
So I have been doing a lot of thinking, based on the rumors that have circled around these sites and the bloggosphere and I think I have come up with something very likely to expect from this device. I could be totally wrong but I would love to get some feedback here. I posted it on my blog but for those too lazy to click a link, here you go!
I'm too lazy to even read it so what did it say?
........kidding.
So I have been doing a lot of thinking, based on the rumors that have circled around these sites and the bloggosphere and I think I have come up with something very likely to expect from this device. I could be totally wrong but I would love to get some feedback here. I posted it on my blog but for those too lazy to click a link, here you go!
So your that guy huh?? LOL! I read that blog this morning as I was scouring the net for mac touch clues. It was a good read. And I think I might have to agree with you on the 9" dual screen prototype being false and the 5.2" single screen version being true. Even so, how do you know for sure the 9" dual screen one is false?
So your that guy huh?? LOL! I read that blog this morning as I was scouring the net for mac touch clues. It was a good read. And I think I might have to agree with you on the 9" dual screen prototype being false and the 5.2" single screen version being true. Even so, how do you know for sure the 9" dual screen one is false?
Well, the timing of the rumors and the form in which they came out. Tracking them back, they first appear in one of those "leaked" keynotes that I think are always either fanboys getting over eager or those stupid inter-geeks with too much time on their hands and like to mess with people.
I did enjoy the mock ups though. I still think though that such a device would ultimately pose more issues than it solved.
And PS-Holy **** you mean people actually READ my blog?! People OTHER than my girlfriend?! O_o I always figured I was just drifting into obscurity and wondering how the hell I was going to get readers!
Well, the timing of the rumors and the form in which they came out. Tracking them back, they first appear in one of those "leaked" keynotes that I think are always either fanboys getting over eager or those stupid inter-geeks with too much time on their hands and like to mess with people.
I did enjoy the mock ups though. I still think though that such a device would ultimately pose more issues than it solved.
And PS-Holy **** you mean people actually READ my blog?! People OTHER than my girlfriend?! O_o I always figured I was just drifting into obscurity and wondering how the hell I was going to get readers!
Well dude, I've been trying out Google labs experimental beta.....cool stuff by the way. And I did a google search on "apple umpc" or was it "apple 5.2" anyways google did the search by looking through blogs only.
Awesome stuff. I came across your blog and read it to my delight.
I'm bored here at work and I'm continuing to use the google labs stuff to find out about new apple rumors blog per blog.
I did enjoy the mock ups though. I still think though that such a device would ultimately pose more issues than it solved.
I agree. It seems good in theory, but there are multiple issues that come with it that would (for now) make it more a gimmick than something truly amazing.
I agree that the 1.5x iPod Touch rumors are the most likely - they make more sense. Slightly bigger and as such quite compatible application-wise. Familiar look and feel. iPhoneOS not MacOS (and for now I'd assume a processor similar to the iPhone's).
I'd still like Apple to position a range of devices which bridge the iPod Touch & MacBook Air. It may not be time yet, but when ready I think it would change how people approach these devices
eg: iPod Touch ( 3.5"), iTouch (5.25"), Mac Touch (13") (tablets)
or iBook Air (8"), MacBook Air (13") (laptop format)
Of course the naming would need to differ, just trying to make it clear whether its an "i" or "mac" device. I half expected the MacBookAir to be called the MacBook Touch - to make that connection for a range of wifi devices from the iPod Touch to the MacBook Touch (but without a touch screen on the Air, that idea dies!
I agree. It seems good in theory, but there are multiple issues that come with it that would (for now) make it more a gimmick than something truly amazing.
I agree that the 1.5x iPod Touch rumors are the most likely - they make more sense. Slightly bigger and as such quite compatible application-wise. Familiar look and feel. iPhoneOS not MacOS (and for now I'd assume a processor similar to the iPhone's).
I'd still like Apple to position a range of devices which bridge the iPod Touch & MacBook Air. It may not be time yet, but when ready I think it would change how people approach these devices
eg: iPod Touch ( 3.5"), iTouch (5.25"), Mac Touch (13") (tablets)
or iBook Air (8"), MacBook Air (13") (laptop format)
Of course the naming would need to differ, just trying to make it clear whether its an "i" or "mac" device. I half expected the MacBookAir to be called the MacBook Touch - to make that connection for a range of wifi devices from the iPod Touch to the MacBook Touch (but without a touch screen on the Air, that idea dies!
I think you are right on much of that. Especially, I think, in the ultimate lineup (not including future iPhones). I really think this new device will be a step towards multitouch as a true aspect of portable computing (I don't see desktops happening for a while). How long it will be before we see a full power, Mac Touch, I can't tell you. Sure, it transitioned to the iPod quickly but the two devices are very similar.
Hasn't anybody come up with a keyboard wallet that the iPhone slides into already?
There were a number of those available for the Newton, and I imagine that if one isn't on the market already, it will be soon after the debut of the SDK.
Adding a keyboard to an Iphone is not the answer as it is still just a fancy phone. For a mobile computer it must have the keyboard built in not an add on option.
What the market needs is more of a true full function computer laptp that can fit into your jacket pocket. Given that small size a touch input is not the right input to perform desktop programs; what is needed is a built in touch type keyboard.
Adding a keyboard to an Iphone is not the answer as it is still just a fancy phone. For a mobile computer it must have the keyboard built in not an add on option.
What the market needs is more of a true full function computer laptp that can fit into your jacket pocket. Given that small size a touch input is not the right input to perform desktop programs; what is needed is a built in touch type keyboard.
I disagree. I don't think they need a built in keyboard because not everything we do NEEDS keyboards. The one thing we do with keyboards...TYPE and unless you are typing a lot, then explain why you always need a keyboard. And I don't mean a lot of emails over time. I mean unless you are fricking writer a book/essay/thesis/ect.
Most of our interactions with computers involve a mouse. And if we can get beyond that (touch interface) then a small, external keyboard really isn't TOO much, is it?
Besides, you know Apple or a third party will make a neoprene/leather case that will hold both the tablet and keyboard and fold up like laptop. :-P
Adding a keyboard to an Iphone is not the answer as it is still just a fancy phone. For a mobile computer it must have the keyboard built in not an add on option.
The iPhone is meant to be a fancy phone. That's why it's not called iPDA.
What the market needs is more of a true full function computer laptp that can fit into your jacket pocket. Given that small size a touch input is not the right input to perform desktop programs; what is needed is a built in touch type keyboard.
There are plenty of those available for Windows, and they have so far failed to find a real market.
I realize the first Apple tablets will be smaller than 17", probably 13.3" like the MacBooks they will replace. Yes, replace. ;^p
LOL, you must be joking. Replace one of their most popular lines with a product that has consistently failed at the consumer level for many years? Not gonna happen.
LOL, you must be joking. Replace one of their most popular lines with a product that has consistently failed at the consumer level for many years? Not gonna happen.
It will replace it but over time.......over time.
The iPhone is meant to be a fancy phone. That's why it's not called iPDA.
There are plenty of those available for Windows, and they have so far failed to find a real market.
The iPhone DOES have a keyboard... in fact, its one of the most ADVANCED and CONFIGURABLE keyboards ever on a mobile device!
Newton is already here! Its the iPhone/iPod Touch!
The iPhone is meant to be a fancy phone. That's why it's not called iPDA.
Pretty much all phones sold now are also part PDAs, even the ones that aren't called smart phones.
Call it what you want, iPhone is basically fancy PDA in every sense I can think of.
The iPhone DOES have a keyboard... in fact, its one of the most ADVANCED and CONFIGURABLE keyboards ever on a mobile device!
Newton is already here! Its the iPhone/iPod Touch!
Close but that only counts in horseshoes. That is only the case for Touch. What Touch needs badly is Bluetooth and Audio in and out. Those two features would dramatically increase the utility of the devices. IPhone is marginal only because they have Bluetooth but it is not well supported.
To better support Newton like apps though we would need a device with a larger screen. Something that could be crammed into a pocket if needed. Those are really the two biggest limitations with respect to using the Touch as a Newton. Well that and software which isn't worth discussing right now.
Dave
The PDA thing is secondary in focus.
Now the iPod Touch is clearly being positioned as a portable internet device.
It will be interesting to see how that does in the coming months.
As for the keyboard, it's great for typing in the occasional meeting in iCal or adding a contact into Address Book while on the road.
But if you want to type out a letter using Google Apps, you will end up pulling out all of your hair.
A slide-in dock wallet with a real keyboard is the obvious solution, and won't add a lot of bulk.
I assure you that once the SDK is out, companies like Belkin and Matias will have a solution out there.
Excuse me? Did you say 2012? 2TB?!?!
Today's iPos touch has a max of 16GB. HD capacity roughly follows Moore's Law and doubles every 24 months (not to be confused with overall performance, which doubles every 18 months). It's almost 2008, so that leaves two full cycles of Moore's Law units 2012... putting us at 64GB... 128GB at the very best. We can expect 2TB flash by 2020, maybe.
However, once we master nanotechnology, we may start falling into the "technological singularity," where devices start designing their successors... but I doubt that'll happen before 2020.
-Clive
We probably will still be on silicone based chips (or cubes?) at 2020, but they will be ending their life because of their microscopic size. Then the problems of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle will come into play, and we won't be able to go any smaller (or faster!). You can't rely on something smaller than .1 microns because of this problem.
We'll be looking at quantum transistors (single electrons trapped in their own boxes resonating at a certain frequency), or even the emergence of quantum computers (photons spinning individual atoms at different rotations, thus dealing in qubits, not bits). Then we're talking about the petaFLOP range of computing. I wouldn't expect to see that until about 2030 or so.
We could see the emergence of DNA computers for specific supercomputer tasks, but I don't think they will make it in the mainstream.
Seriously though, if you go to the trouble and cut out various size screens in paper using the widescreen ratio that Apple will [obviously] use. It becomes quite apparent how small 7" is. Apple could have given the Air an 11" or 12" screen, they didn't. Apple knows how important screen size is, which is why their phone is on the big end of phone screen sizes, and their ultra-portable is on the larger end too.
Mark my words, this tablet, a.k.a. Mac touch will have around an 11" screen.
As for the dock? The could make it a cross between the dock on the iPhone and the Mac. One row of icons across the bottom of the screen, but you could flick it right to left to go to the next row of icons. Like flicking across homes screen, but instead with docks.
As for the cost? I'd say around $1099, possibly more. This will be a truly revolutionary, cutting-edge device, you have to pay to get that kind of stuff. Besides, the build quality and sexiness of this device will be second to none, and it will have very expensive flash storage too.
AND... to be clear, it will be a Mac.
That is all, for now
This device is going to have an 11" screen and that's that!
Come on Ireland this is a Newton thread not a Mac Tablet thread. Just imagine how big that device would be to carry around in a pocket constantly. Sure the girls would notice but after they realize that it is a PC rather than their imaginations desire they will drop you like a lead ball.
Seriously though, if you go to the trouble and cut out various size screens in paper using the widescreen ratio that Apple will [obviously] use. It becomes quite apparent how small 7" is.
Yes and no to Apple understanding screen sizes. I see the Touch as a good example of them not understanding what is required resolution and size wise to deliver media today. In any event look closely at devices with 4.5" to 5.5" screens you will be very surprised by what is already on the market and how useful those screens could be on a hand held device (that is a Netwon2).
Apple could have given the Air an 11" or 12" screen, they didn't. Apple knows how important screen size is, which is why their phone is on the big end of phone screen sizes, and their ultra-portable is on the larger end too.
I don't know about that as I consider that even the iPhone is a little small. Lets face it larger is better up until a certain size for portable devices. So in a way we are not arguing that point but rather how large something can get and still be useful as a portable hand held device. I just can't see carrying around an 11" screen in my pocket nor clipped to a belt.
Mark my words, this tablet, a.k.a. Mac touch will have around an 11" screen.
Mac Touch? Not for me honestly. I would rather see Apple release a Mobile based device that simply is open for software installation. Well that and fully outfitted for I/O. The main reason for this is to leave a lot of cruft from Mac OS/X behind. That is a new series of devices should not be supporting API's from 100 years ago.
Why? Well what is the point in supporting old programs, with old user interfaces, on a device that can't natively support them well? Tablets need software designed for tablets!
As for the dock? The could make it a cross between the dock on the iPhone and the Mac. One row of icons across the bottom of the screen, but you could flick it right to left to go to the next row of icons. Like flicking across homes screen, but instead with docks.
Screw the docks! Give me a standard USB port.
As for the cost? I'd say around $1099, possibly more. This will be a truly revolutionary, cutting-edge device, you have to pay to get that kind of stuff.
It is obvious that you and I are not even close to thinking about the same sort of device. I'm very much of the thought of a very mobile and very portable device like Newton. You seem to want a laptop in one of these. In any event $600 tops! Even that is expensive for a mass production machine.
Besides, the build quality and sexiness of this device will be second to none, and it will have very expensive flash storage too.
With Apple you never know about build quality. As to flash storage they certainly could go that route or maybe a hybrid approach. Either way flash is no where near as expensive as it once was. A low end model of a Newton 2 should be able to go for about $400 easy and that is with Cell or WiMax connectivity.
AND... to be clear, it will be a Mac.
There are to many disadvantages for Apple in support legacy Mac software. just imagine the howls when people have trouble with all those old user interfaces. You think that the media beat up on Newtons handwriting recognition to much, just wait until all the funky behavior from legacy apps pop up on these devices. No I think the smart thing for Apple is to break from the past and base these things on Mobile OS.
That is all, for now
The big question is when the hell is Apple going to get this product out the door. It is such a shame that AIR took so much time and effort at Apple and produced such a wasteful product. The technology is here right now or certainly in the next few months.
Dave
New Apple touch device mid-year?
February 20th, 2008 | 09:51am CST | Posted by drawbob
LOOPRumors has learned through reliable sources that Apple is developing a new touch device with more sophisticated technologies than the iPhone. The new device, said to arrive by mid-2008 will use Multi-Touch 2.0 and incorporate a more robust processor, capable of more taxing tasks such as iChat video conferencing via Wi-Fi. While a specific processor was not mentioned, it's possible that Intel's new Montevina chip would be a candidate for the forthcoming device, or Apple would opt for the same custom processor Intel developed for the MacBook Air.
With such power, Apple could place a Jetson-like teleconferencing system in users' hands around the globe.
Specs on the new touch screen simply indicate that it will be longer than today's iPhone and iPod touch, with no specific dimensions mentioned.
The new device, said to be a computer/phone hybrid in a larger casing than today's iPhone and iPod touch, could use bandwidth hungry applications such as iChat over a 3G network -- which raises the question will this be Apple's answer to a 3G phone with longer battery life? Steve Jobs said that 3G chipsets drain battery life and therefor didn't incorporate it into the iPhone.
This new mini-computer would benefit from 3rd party developers already working with the software developer kit (SDK) due to arrive this month, possibly at a rumored secret event.
To all the doubters and the haters who thought it would never become reality......Booyaaaaaaa!!! Wut....WUT NOW HUH??? *pushes hand against foreheads of doubters as if to start a fight in the schoolyard* What ya gonna say now?.........Thought so!!