please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacTouch.
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and - hopefully - a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronise with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
- it will be revolutionary
- it will be presented in a special event this summer by Steve Jobs, celebrating his return to the public
- it will be available in time for the holiday season
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacTouch.
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and - hopefully - a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronise with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
- it will be revolutionary
- it will be presented in a special event this summer by Steve Jobs, celebrating his return to the public
- it will be available in time for the holiday season
No but it gets a little tiring when the same person says the same negative shit day in and day out with nothing to back it up but a bunch of FUD!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2
teckstud is a known troll, possibly one of the most annoying this site has had lately. Certainly he is worse than any others I have seen the whole time I've been posting here and I come here almost every day. He's just barely smart enough to avoid personal attacks and profanity so he can't be banned.
On the other hand, the times he *does* cross the line and gets personal or profane I always report the post but nothing ever happens to him so maybe the moderation is a little soft or maybe he's related to someone at AppleInsider or something? Not sure. I've been reprimanded myself for far less than teckstud does on a daily basis.
He spent an entire thread one time saying the most atrocious personal things about people and nothing seemed to happen to him. Mysterious.
The AI boards certainly wouldn't be as colorful without him, no? AI teckstud.
[sarc]Even if he is said troll, would that not confer upon him preferential troll status at AI by everyone's seeming willingness to point him out as being such? Just look, he can transform a mere rumor article (about an as-of-yet-does-not-exist product reported on ad infinitum) into a 90+ post wunderkind, exciting a response that only smoke in a beehive could achieve, all without even trying. Truly miraculous! Certainly, by possessing such skill he must be descended from the Gods and undoubtedly is a master craftsman of the troll trade.[/sarc]
The truth is, I completely hear where you're coming from on this. I've looked at all the mockups, read all the articles, and I think a tablet computer would be super (nerdy) cool. The problem is that my personal history (and my closet) is littered with gadgets that I thought would be awesome, just to have them be collecting dust a month later.
I think this is similar to how PDAs never fared all that well. I owned a Cassiopia and an iPAQ (because I never learn my lesson the first time), but tossed them both fairly quickly. This is partly because they were useless, but also because I didn't want to have to carry around yet another device. I think the latest generation of smartphones are major winners because they combine PDA functionality with something you were carrying around anyway.
I guess I can just see myself buying one of these tablets, thinking it's really super cool for a week, then ultimately deciding that I can just as easily bring my laptop out with me if I'm going to need it and return the tablet.
Again, I've been wrong so many times in my life, this could be yet another time. I just see all this talk about tablets, and the most pragmatic part of me thinks, "Why?"
Thanks for the debate!
I can totally identify with this.
I had the Palm Pilot, 3x, Clie, iPaq, nino, etc. and all were hugely expensive when I bought them and all were a disappointment very shortly afterwards. I also have a box full of old folding keyboards, CF adapters and jacket adapters for the iPaq that I bought at full price also. It's hard not to think that the Apple tablet will not be a similar experience.
The reason why it might not be a failure this time is that the iPhone itself is actually the first really useful portable I've had for a long time. I had an iPaq years ago with a CF format wireless card that I could use to browse the web. Trouble was, it was pretty much useless except as a tech demo.
If the Apple tablet can replicate that ease of use, and actual utility of the iPhone, it might work. If Apple came out with a version of Pages for instance that worked on the iPhone, it would almost not be necessary to release a tablet at all.
iPhone OS can't run Muti Apps (amongst other things) which you would most certainly want in a tablet (that is if you can think for yourself and not let Apple do it for you). Therefor it would need an OSX lite.
You're incorrect. iPhone OS CAN run multiple apps in the background, but it can't run 3rd party apps in the background. The reason for such limitation is not because the OS can't do multi-tasking, but because of battery life and the limited computing power of the iPhone hardware. I'm really amazed how people can't get this right.
For your reference, the iPhone can make calls, download emails (not read), and use Google Maps all at the same time. iPhone's Safari will continue to load web contents in the background if you press the home button before it finishes loading and Safari will actually finish loading the web page in the background if you use an app that doesn't use the internet (such as notes or calendar) afterwards.
While this is great, 2010 is simply way too long away for an announcement. See what happens when all your energies go into the iPhone? Macs get pushed aside.
All,
I just have to laugh at all the arguments going back and forth about this UNANNOUNCED device being "late" and "pushed aside." I can understand being disappointed after previous comments making us expect something in 2009, but even this is just someone's educated guess. These are rumors, remember.
I'm hoping it is a true "notebook" computer. I picture a flat, light, coverless tablet that you could carry around in a leather notebook.
I wouldn't be interested. I sold my iPod touches and iPhones, although before the App Store exploded. Still, I have more use for regular Mac apps than iPhone apps, so a jumbo iPhone wouldn't be for me. I'm happy with my MSI "Macbook mini" with its "cramped" keyboard, which I'm doing about 60wpm on at this moment.
Now if Apple would do a 10" convertible running Snow Leopard, I'd be so there, even at $1k.
I can't help it if the truth hurts you so much. I'm not the only one saying that Mac development has been hindered by iPhone. Look at all the updates and lateness of Leopard. Look at MobileMe fiasco. Now this. Get over it.
People like you have absolutely no concept as to the amount of effort and energy that goes into designing these things. The iphone technology is extremely important to the future of Apple and that includes macs. If you haven't noticed they ported the multi-touch from the iphone to the MacBook track pads. The genius of Apple is that all of their products are tightly interwoven.
You need to get over your obsession with being negative about everything to make yourself feel important. The reality is you have absolutely no clue whatsoever about these things and absolutely nothing of value to contribute to these discussions.
The amount of time you spend on here spewing nonsense would be far better spent doing something productive.
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
...
- it will be revolutionary
...
what do you think?
full ack ...
[EDIT]
here is what it will look like
it will have no buttons on the front, two cameras, one or two buttons on the back, made out of glass, with a chrome frame, the back being out of carbon fibre, as thin as the iPhone, OLED Screen, multi-touch on the front, ....
and is able to track your finger on the back! showing some kind of new cursor on the front, certainly not a mouse cursor.
iPhone OS 4.0, runs multiple iPhone apps side by side,
in addition to a new kind of apps.
Apple only processor and SoC's , (PA-Semi)
... not a computer, not a phone, not a netbook, not a "tablet"
While I think that this type of device has the potential to be a homerun, the projected timing (vs. this year) isn't shocking for two reasons:
1. Partitioning the platform between open PC-like layers (i.e., download apps from anywhere) and managed/closed runtime layers (App Store is THE marketplace with a singular SDK, APIs, etc.) is a potential hornet's nest of technical, user experience and ecosystem decisions.
2. Such a device is a logical point for Apple to define forking decisions between abstractions and uniformity, relative to supporting all sorts of different form factors under this platform (e.g., Macs, Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch, Tablet, keyboard, touch/tilt only, camera, video, TV tuner).
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacTouch.
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and - hopefully - a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronise with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
- it will be revolutionary
- it will be presented in a special event this summer by Steve Jobs, celebrating his return to the public
- it will be available in time for the holiday season
what do you think?
I think you are on-target with the vision; I just am not so sure of the timing..... I am hoping for this Holiday season, but unless they release it like the iPhone with Apple apps only at first and an SDK and 3rd party apps in 2010, I think the whole thing will be delayed until 2010.... but they have to announce its existance to get people to write apps for it... so perhaps you are right... it is all in the timing.... they already bought the LCD panels, so they will not wait too long to release something.
In what way is the current Mac OS X NOT optimized for multi-touch? (For those who might not know, the new laptops come with multi-touch enabled track pads.)
Hybrid OS? Apple has made it clear that the iPhone OS is a subset of Mac OS X.
Does this guy really have a clue?
From an User Interface design standpoint, the current Mac OS X is not optimized for multi-touch. The "multi-touch" trackpad is very different from the multi-touch on the iPhone, even though both of them involve with the use of multiple fingers.
If you're talking about using the netbook/tablet like the way how we use the iPhone, than it is obvious that the current Mac OS X we see today is not suitable for the job. The mouse-pointer paradigm on the current Mac OS X is not intended for touchscreen interface in the first place, so the touchscreen interface needs a new paradigm like the one on the iPhone to make it easy to use. This is why M$'s Tablet PCs are not getting anywhere, despite being on the market for several years.
I would love a tablet about this size but I see issues.
There is no way I'm, and I'm sure other, are going to pay for two data services.
If Apple can't make the tablet and the iPhone link together as one device using just one data plan without a tether charge I don't want it. If they want one with it's own data plan that's fine but I want one that links to the iPhone.
It should not be a problem for Apple to do this but it needs to link to at least two iPhones, better would be 5 just like iTunes. That way either I or my wife could share it.
When near a WiFi then any version would just work.
I'd still rather see it look more like a Mac and run Mac programs than an iPhone.
I just don't understand why everyone is so in love with this tablet idea. These things have such an exceedingly limited usefulness.
Agree completely. While it's all way cool and stuff, touchy touchy swipey swipey - it isn't a practical form factor for user input. I have an iPhone and fortunately I don't text much, because typing on it is a pain. People can always tell you have an iPhone because you always mistype the same words.
I suppose if I work in a restaurant and need a tablet to build an order taking system, or work in a hospital and need a medical info collection device an Apple tablet might be just the ticket. But I don't do those things - nor do a majority of computer users. Why would I want a tablet for doing this right here - typing words into some snarky web forum? Or for anything else that requires typing, I.E. most all computer activities.
A Netbook makes more sense even if it done the quality, expensive, Apple way. I would consider it. Apple never has made a real replacement for my 12" Powerbook rev A 867MHz which I am using right now.
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
Agree completely. While it's all way cool and stuff, touchy touchy swipey swipey - it isn't a practical form factor for user input. I have an iPhone and fortunately I don't text much, because typing on it is a pain. People can always tell you have an iPhone because you always mistype the same words.
I suppose if I work in a restaurant and need a tablet to build an order taking system, or work in a hospital and need a medical info collection device an Apple tablet might be just the ticket. But I don't do those things - nor do a majority of computer users. Why would I want a tablet for doing this right here - typing words into some snarky web forum? Or for anything else that requires typing, I.E. most all computer activities.
A Netbook makes more sense even if it done the quality, expensive, Apple way. I would consider it. Apple never has made a real replacement for my 12" Powerbook rev A 867MHz which I am using right now.
i ate at Charlie Palmer's in Vegas a few years ago and the waiters had HP tablets for ordering. they let you use them to look at the menu and the software gave you wine pairing advice. very cool
Comments
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacTouch.
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and - hopefully - a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronise with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
- it will be revolutionary
- it will be presented in a special event this summer by Steve Jobs, celebrating his return to the public
- it will be available in time for the holiday season
what do you think?
* web, email, SMS, etc
* Skype, VoIP
* all biz docs as PDFs
* run presentations via video out
* tunes, movies, games, books 4 plane/airport/hotel
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacTouch.
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and - hopefully - a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronise with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
- it will be revolutionary
- it will be presented in a special event this summer by Steve Jobs, celebrating his return to the public
- it will be available in time for the holiday season
what do you think?
Make it be true.
No but it gets a little tiring when the same person says the same negative shit day in and day out with nothing to back it up but a bunch of FUD!
teckstud is a known troll, possibly one of the most annoying this site has had lately. Certainly he is worse than any others I have seen the whole time I've been posting here and I come here almost every day. He's just barely smart enough to avoid personal attacks and profanity so he can't be banned.
On the other hand, the times he *does* cross the line and gets personal or profane I always report the post but nothing ever happens to him so maybe the moderation is a little soft or maybe he's related to someone at AppleInsider or something? Not sure. I've been reprimanded myself for far less than teckstud does on a daily basis.
He spent an entire thread one time saying the most atrocious personal things about people and nothing seemed to happen to him. Mysterious.
The AI boards certainly wouldn't be as colorful without him, no? AI
[sarc]Even if he is said troll, would that not confer upon him preferential troll status at AI by everyone's seeming willingness to point him out as being such? Just look, he can transform a mere rumor article (about an as-of-yet-does-not-exist product reported on ad infinitum) into a 90+ post wunderkind, exciting a response that only smoke in a beehive could achieve, all without even trying. Truly miraculous! Certainly, by possessing such skill he must be descended from the Gods and undoubtedly is a master craftsman of the troll trade.[/sarc]
I was feeling witty.
The truth is, I completely hear where you're coming from on this. I've looked at all the mockups, read all the articles, and I think a tablet computer would be super (nerdy) cool. The problem is that my personal history (and my closet) is littered with gadgets that I thought would be awesome, just to have them be collecting dust a month later.
I think this is similar to how PDAs never fared all that well. I owned a Cassiopia and an iPAQ (because I never learn my lesson the first time), but tossed them both fairly quickly. This is partly because they were useless, but also because I didn't want to have to carry around yet another device. I think the latest generation of smartphones are major winners because they combine PDA functionality with something you were carrying around anyway.
I guess I can just see myself buying one of these tablets, thinking it's really super cool for a week, then ultimately deciding that I can just as easily bring my laptop out with me if I'm going to need it and return the tablet.
Again, I've been wrong so many times in my life, this could be yet another time. I just see all this talk about tablets, and the most pragmatic part of me thinks, "Why?"
Thanks for the debate!
I can totally identify with this.
I had the Palm Pilot, 3x, Clie, iPaq, nino, etc. and all were hugely expensive when I bought them and all were a disappointment very shortly afterwards. I also have a box full of old folding keyboards, CF adapters and jacket adapters for the iPaq that I bought at full price also. It's hard not to think that the Apple tablet will not be a similar experience.
The reason why it might not be a failure this time is that the iPhone itself is actually the first really useful portable I've had for a long time. I had an iPaq years ago with a CF format wireless card that I could use to browse the web. Trouble was, it was pretty much useless except as a tech demo.
If the Apple tablet can replicate that ease of use, and actual utility of the iPhone, it might work. If Apple came out with a version of Pages for instance that worked on the iPhone, it would almost not be necessary to release a tablet at all.
I see an Apple Table as the perfect device for biz travelers...
* web, email, SMS, etc
* Skype, VoIP
* all biz docs as PDFs
* run presentations via video out
* tunes, movies, games, books 4 plane/airport/hotel
Didn't they say that's what the MacBook Air is for?
iPhone OS can't run Muti Apps (amongst other things) which you would most certainly want in a tablet (that is if you can think for yourself and not let Apple do it for you). Therefor it would need an OSX lite.
You're incorrect. iPhone OS CAN run multiple apps in the background, but it can't run 3rd party apps in the background. The reason for such limitation is not because the OS can't do multi-tasking, but because of battery life and the limited computing power of the iPhone hardware. I'm really amazed how people can't get this right.
For your reference, the iPhone can make calls, download emails (not read), and use Google Maps all at the same time. iPhone's Safari will continue to load web contents in the background if you press the home button before it finishes loading and Safari will actually finish loading the web page in the background if you use an app that doesn't use the internet (such as notes or calendar) afterwards.
While this is great, 2010 is simply way too long away for an announcement. See what happens when all your energies go into the iPhone? Macs get pushed aside.
All,
I just have to laugh at all the arguments going back and forth about this UNANNOUNCED device being "late" and "pushed aside." I can understand being disappointed after previous comments making us expect something in 2009, but even this is just someone's educated guess. These are rumors, remember.
I'm hoping it is a true "notebook" computer. I picture a flat, light, coverless tablet that you could carry around in a leather notebook.
Now if Apple would do a 10" convertible running Snow Leopard, I'd be so there, even at $1k.
Netbooks are expensive internet browsers, not inexpensive laptops.
I can't help it if the truth hurts you so much. I'm not the only one saying that Mac development has been hindered by iPhone. Look at all the updates and lateness of Leopard. Look at MobileMe fiasco. Now this. Get over it.
People like you have absolutely no concept as to the amount of effort and energy that goes into designing these things. The iphone technology is extremely important to the future of Apple and that includes macs. If you haven't noticed they ported the multi-touch from the iphone to the MacBook track pads. The genius of Apple is that all of their products are tightly interwoven.
You need to get over your obsession with being negative about everything to make yourself feel important. The reality is you have absolutely no clue whatsoever about these things and absolutely nothing of value to contribute to these discussions.
The amount of time you spend on here spewing nonsense would be far better spent doing something productive.
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
...
- it will be revolutionary
...
what do you think?
full ack ...
[EDIT]
here is what it will look like
it will have no buttons on the front, two cameras, one or two buttons on the back, made out of glass, with a chrome frame, the back being out of carbon fibre, as thin as the iPhone, OLED Screen, multi-touch on the front, ....
and is able to track your finger on the back! showing some kind of new cursor on the front, certainly not a mouse cursor.
iPhone OS 4.0, runs multiple iPhone apps side by side,
in addition to a new kind of apps.
Apple only processor and SoC's , (PA-Semi)
... not a computer, not a phone, not a netbook, not a "tablet"
the first of it's kind ever.
And it will be ready when the time is right
and techology allows it, not this year
anyone likes this idea? and the design?
Jon?
1. Partitioning the platform between open PC-like layers (i.e., download apps from anywhere) and managed/closed runtime layers (App Store is THE marketplace with a singular SDK, APIs, etc.) is a potential hornet's nest of technical, user experience and ecosystem decisions.
2. Such a device is a logical point for Apple to define forking decisions between abstractions and uniformity, relative to supporting all sorts of different form factors under this platform (e.g., Macs, Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch, Tablet, keyboard, touch/tilt only, camera, video, TV tuner).
For more fodder on the topic, check out the post:
Apple, TV and the Smart Connected Living Room
http://bit.ly/FBEk
Cheers,
Mark
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacTouch.
- a 10 " tablet, nine times the screen size and resolution of the iPhone, resembling the iPhone from the looks an being roughly as thick
- thus immediately working with every existing iPhone app
- combining everything from the iPhone (3G, WiFI, Bluetooth, AppStore, iTunes synching) with everything from the mac (iLife and iWork will work with new preinstalled specialized versions for touch control) - OS X Snow Leopard is the key - that's why they focus on performance.
- it will be touch controlled with a large visual/virtual keyboard, but of course the existing sleek Apple wireless Keyboard will work immediately using Bluetooth
- it will have 1 or 2 (micro)USB-ports making it the ideal device for storing, presenting and basic editing of photos and videos while on holiday, for watching videos with the family (for eventually it will be possible to import our DVDs in iTunes just like our CDs ...)
- it will have a front camera and microphone for video-conferencing or for putting your face into games or for making fun photos with photo booth
- it will be THE new gaming device for groups, playing all the famous board games on a screen large enough lying in front of you and sitting on every side of it (like chess with touch control and animation)
- it will be THE new book reader (though i have some doubts concerning readability in sunlight and battery life when compared to e-ink devices like the kindle), especially making it possible to produce "books" with integrated video and sound content
- it will have a stand to work as a notebook screen when typing with the keyboard or to use as small display to watch videos or digital tv or for presentations (maybe a protective cover doubles as a stand when flipped over ..)
- it will have a bluetooth remote control, reasonably good speakers and - hopefully - a SD-card reader built in
- it will be gorgeous, lightweight and affordable without being cheap and crappy like the windows netbooks
- it will be priced between the iPhone/ iPod touch and the MacBook - let me guess: somewhere between $ 499 with 8 GB and without iWork and $ 799 with 32 or even 64 GB and including iWork
- it will be THE product to present your creative work on the go, to watch video and photos in a group, to work on documents with basic editing while sitting in the bus or on the plane, to check and write emails and much more
- we will be allowed to use our existing apple software on this product without an extra fee
- it will work and synchronise with iTunes on a PC, thus being the entrance to the real mac world for old time PC-customers (they simply will want to buy an OS X-system next time a new notebook or desktop will be needed)
- it can be used like the iPhone, but it can't replace it (because of size), it can be used like a MacBook but it can't replace it (because of lack of keyboard, processing speed, lack of large storing space, limited display resolution, limited connectivity)
- it is simply the perfect companion in between.
- it will be revolutionary
- it will be presented in a special event this summer by Steve Jobs, celebrating his return to the public
- it will be available in time for the holiday season
what do you think?
I think you are on-target with the vision; I just am not so sure of the timing..... I am hoping for this Holiday season, but unless they release it like the iPhone with Apple apps only at first and an SDK and 3rd party apps in 2010, I think the whole thing will be delayed until 2010.... but they have to announce its existance to get people to write apps for it... so perhaps you are right... it is all in the timing.... they already bought the LCD panels, so they will not wait too long to release something.
In what way is the current Mac OS X NOT optimized for multi-touch? (For those who might not know, the new laptops come with multi-touch enabled track pads.)
Hybrid OS? Apple has made it clear that the iPhone OS is a subset of Mac OS X.
Does this guy really have a clue?
From an User Interface design standpoint, the current Mac OS X is not optimized for multi-touch. The "multi-touch" trackpad is very different from the multi-touch on the iPhone, even though both of them involve with the use of multiple fingers.
If you're talking about using the netbook/tablet like the way how we use the iPhone, than it is obvious that the current Mac OS X we see today is not suitable for the job. The mouse-pointer paradigm on the current Mac OS X is not intended for touchscreen interface in the first place, so the touchscreen interface needs a new paradigm like the one on the iPhone to make it easy to use. This is why M$'s Tablet PCs are not getting anywhere, despite being on the market for several years.
There is no way I'm, and I'm sure other, are going to pay for two data services.
If Apple can't make the tablet and the iPhone link together as one device using just one data plan without a tether charge I don't want it. If they want one with it's own data plan that's fine but I want one that links to the iPhone.
It should not be a problem for Apple to do this but it needs to link to at least two iPhones, better would be 5 just like iTunes. That way either I or my wife could share it.
When near a WiFi then any version would just work.
I'd still rather see it look more like a Mac and run Mac programs than an iPhone.
I just don't understand why everyone is so in love with this tablet idea. These things have such an exceedingly limited usefulness.
Agree completely. While it's all way cool and stuff, touchy touchy swipey swipey - it isn't a practical form factor for user input. I have an iPhone and fortunately I don't text much, because typing on it is a pain. People can always tell you have an iPhone because you always mistype the same words.
I suppose if I work in a restaurant and need a tablet to build an order taking system, or work in a hospital and need a medical info collection device an Apple tablet might be just the ticket. But I don't do those things - nor do a majority of computer users. Why would I want a tablet for doing this right here - typing words into some snarky web forum? Or for anything else that requires typing, I.E. most all computer activities.
A Netbook makes more sense even if it done the quality, expensive, Apple way. I would consider it. Apple never has made a real replacement for my 12" Powerbook rev A 867MHz which I am using right now.
please allow me a prediction from all we have heard and read:
apple's next new product will be spectacular, it will define a new category of products and it will cannibalize neither the iPhone business, nor the MacBook sales. it will be the next, the fourth pillar of Apple's success.
it will be a MacTouch.
-
what do you think?
I STILL SAY "iBook-Touch".
Do you EVER have anything nice to say about Apple?
oh dude... don't feed the troll!
Agree completely. While it's all way cool and stuff, touchy touchy swipey swipey - it isn't a practical form factor for user input. I have an iPhone and fortunately I don't text much, because typing on it is a pain. People can always tell you have an iPhone because you always mistype the same words.
I suppose if I work in a restaurant and need a tablet to build an order taking system, or work in a hospital and need a medical info collection device an Apple tablet might be just the ticket. But I don't do those things - nor do a majority of computer users. Why would I want a tablet for doing this right here - typing words into some snarky web forum? Or for anything else that requires typing, I.E. most all computer activities.
A Netbook makes more sense even if it done the quality, expensive, Apple way. I would consider it. Apple never has made a real replacement for my 12" Powerbook rev A 867MHz which I am using right now.
i ate at Charlie Palmer's in Vegas a few years ago and the waiters had HP tablets for ordering. they let you use them to look at the menu and the software gave you wine pairing advice. very cool