Apple said to have settled on supplier for tablet display

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  • Reply 21 of 101
    istinkistink Posts: 250member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    If the labour is so cheap, why are the products so expensive??

    Just kidding, just kidding!

    Or am I?



    Ugh, that argument has been played out to death. The most informed of us know the answer behind that debate.
  • Reply 22 of 101
    carniphagecarniphage Posts: 1,984member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GCS View Post


    As for AAPL's product - what about a smaller MacBook Air which would also fit the quoted supplier items?



    I think that is quite likely. It wouldn't be hard to create a better device that the Sony P-series would it?



    C.
  • Reply 23 of 101
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carniphage View Post


    I think that is quite likely. It wouldn't be hard to create a better device that the Sony P-series would it?



    C.





    That's still not as good as the SONY TT series.



    t
  • Reply 24 of 101
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GCS View Post


    As for AAPL's product - what about a smaller MacBook Air which would also fit the quoted supplier items?



    It's always been about the size form factor not the thinness for me. I couldn't agree with you more.

    Apple lost a great niche when they discontinued the small form factor of the 12" PowerBook.
  • Reply 25 of 101
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jackthemac View Post


    See last two paras of article.



    Yeah, I saw that. Are Wintek's practices that different from other similar component suppliers in Taiwan (or elsewhere similar)? Or are the labor unions protesting in front of Apple's offices because that attracts more attention?



    In other words, there may be a union doing this in front of Apple's offices regardless of which supplier it chooses in that part of the world?
  • Reply 25 of 101
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GCS View Post


    As for AAPL's product - what about a smaller MacBook Air which would also fit the quoted supplier items?



    If they use the same MBA internals, sans the display, of course, you?re still looking at a device similar in price to the MBA. The CPU in the MBA costs more than the average netbook. they?d also have to make it thicker to accommodate the parts, Since the battery can be much thicker it should be fine in that since and be able to have plenty of ports. Would Apple go this route?



    PS: I?d loved my 12? PB but even my 13? MB has a short display height than those old machines due to the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. As much as I like a small notebook I couldn?t read for long periods on my MSI Wind running Mac OS X because the screen is too short. It?s a bit nerve racking. Great for media, though! With a 4:3 aspect ratio this would be much better, but then you?d get less space for a keyboard, and there is not way Apple will go that route for marketing reasons.
  • Reply 27 of 101
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Yeah, I saw that. Are Wintek's practices that different from other similar component suppliers in Taiwan (or elsewhere similar)? Or are the labor unions protesting in front of Apple's offices because that attracts more attention?



    In other words, there may be a union doing this in front of Apple's offices regardless of which supplier it chooses in that part of the world?



    (Sorry to reply to my own post). I should have added: How else do you think the world gets its $300 PCs?
  • Reply 28 of 101
    walshbjwalshbj Posts: 864member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    .... if there is a tablet device it will be a 10? netbook-like device with a swivel screen that can also double as a tablet. That would make it a very expensive netbook and may appeal to both groups despite the cost. Seems unlikely, but If there is a tablet I think that is way it would have to be.....



    I couldn't disagree more ! If Apple makes a swivel tablet-notebook I'll eat my hat.



    Tons of people here clearly don't see the appeal of a pure tablet for consumers. I do. Tons of people don't see paying $1500 for a 13" notebook. I do.



    BUT - there are clearly drawbacks to a pure tablet. Starting with data entry. And I guess that's a pretty huge sticking point.
  • Reply 29 of 101
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    If they use the same MBA internals, sans the display, of course, you’re still looking at a device similar in price to the MBA. The CPU in the MBA costs more than the average netbook. they’d also have to make it thicker to accommodate the parts, Since the battery can be much thicker it should be fine in that since and be able to have plenty of ports. Would Apple go this route?



    My my- looks like you've performed an about face and see the benefits of a smaller form factor (A notebook!) over thinness after all these months.
  • Reply 30 of 101
    tokoloshtokolosh Posts: 101member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Totally agree. Al Gore on the Board of Directors should have some clout stopping this. Human rights should be a top priority in manufacturing Apple products even more so than delivering environmental friendly products. Haven't we learned anything from Kathy Lee Gifford? Cheap labor does not usually come with a good human rights policy.



    Kathy Lee Gifford and Nike were contracting with companies running sweat shops... essentially pennies a day, child labor, dark basements and 7 days per week for 10-14 hours per day. Wintek's situation is unpaid overtime (but still union negotiated wages) and labor reductions without notice (and I assume without severance). These two situations are not the same. Both are unethical but on a degree of morality they don't rate even remotely similar. Be encouraged by the fact that the workers were even able to stage a protest... in the sweat shops there would be sweeping firings and a plethora of other children and adults would be brought in to do the same slave-like labor. Complaints would go ignored and be rug swept.



    Are Chinese company labor practices on par with those in the United States? No. But they are improving with time and attention. What we can't expect is for every developing nation to suddenly act like the United States or Great Britain. Each developing nation needs its own opportunity to grow through the same issues we went through in our industrial growth periods. What we can do is hope to help them through it faster but I am not sure boycotts are the way. We stop buying the products and it encourages companies to further seek cost cutting measures. Apple may in fact be a great source of help here... they have shown a will to aid in causes without regard for their bottom line. Perhaps they will attack this one but only time will tell. One thing is for sure... they can't be about every issue that hits the news stands or focus entirely on causes. That is not a sustainable business model.
  • Reply 31 of 101
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by walshbj View Post


    I couldn't disagree more ! If Apple makes a swivel tablet-notebook I'll eat my hat.



    Tons of people here clearly don't see the appeal of a pure tablet for consumers. I do.



    I don’t see how Apple can possibly make a tablet unless it can also double as a SFF notebook. Even a SFF notebook for $800 with an Atom CPU or the MBA components in a 10” MB for $1,500 don’t seem to be a large enough market for Apple to enter, especially when compared to other netbooks. There has to be something new but the only thing I can think of that may attract users is a convertible lid, even though that is not an ideal solution either.



    What mass consumer appeal do you see for the tablet, or are you suggesting that Apple would market it commercially to get a wider audience?
  • Reply 32 of 101
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tokolosh View Post


    Are Chinese company labor practices on par with those in the United States? No. But they are improving with time and attention. What we can't expect is for every developing nation to suddenly act like the United States or Great Britain. Each developing nation needs its own opportunity to grow through the same issues we went through in our industrial growth periods. What we can do is hope to help them through it faster but I am not sure boycotts are the way. We stop buying the products and it encourages companies to further seek cost cutting measures. Apple may in fact be a great source of help here... they have shown a will to aid in causes without regard for their bottom line. Perhaps they will attack this one but only time will tell. One thing is for sure... they can't be about every issue that hits the news stands or focus entirely on causes. That is not a sustainable business model.



    Apple products made in China have been a fact for over how many years now? This issue, Asian labor and human rights , did not just hit the news now.
  • Reply 33 of 101
    virgil-tb2virgil-tb2 Posts: 1,416member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    The tablet seems more and more likely, but Ireland won?t be happy with the reports of exactly 10? when his mockups have 10.1?.



    I still don?t see a retail market for a tablet-only device and haven?t heard of a good business model for it. If someone can wow me, I?m all ears.



    I don't know if I can lay out a business model, but I can make a brief argument why if Apple comes out with a tablet, that it might succeed even though all others before it have failed.



    The classic tablet PC is just a laptop with a touch screen and a pen. The laptop size ones are as heavy as your average laptop and thus horrible to hold in the crook of your arm. The OS is the same mouse-based OS that is on a regular PC, but you use the pen as the mouse so very simple things like roll-overs and right-clicks immediately become complex actions instead of the intuitive things they are on the average PC desktop. The big bonus is drawing, and handwriting, but the device is so big and clunky that these advantages are almost cancelled out in everyday use.



    In my experience, the only times when a PC tablet is a "perfect fit" is when the device itself is supported, (you are on the couch with your knees up, you are using a table in a meeting, etc.), and one is either drawing, or writing. Almost everything else is a pain, and dragging the thing around is a pain. The only tablet type devices that have any utility at all really are the small form factor ones like Newton, Palm, etc. and those have actually done rather well despite severe limitations of power and the inability to use standard formats, software, or connectivity.



    An Apple tablet (as rumoured), would immediately do away with most of these concerns.
    • The OS is made expressly for the device, and for fingers (and possibly pens), not mice.

    • The device itself is only as big as it needs to be and is more or less pocketable.

    • It can be held in one hand easily, and typed on easily and quickly.

    • It would use standard file formats, memory, connectivity etc.

    So just by virtue of it's mobile OS-X genes, it will be better than most tablets, with the exception of actual writing and drawing, the one thing the current tablets do better than almost anything else. Even without being the best at pen input though, an Apple tablet is a very different proposition than any of the modbooks or other tablets that preceded it.



    Also, there has been a rumour for a while now based on an Apple patent application, that Apple has some magic up it's sleeve to solve the whole pen/stylus issue. This would make the device an absolute home run, but I wouldn't hold your breath as it's a pretty far out idea.
  • Reply 34 of 101
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jerseymac View Post


    I don't think anyone cares so long as they get what they want at a discount. I'm not saying that's right, but unless you have to go to work in a place like that, it's easy to turn a blind eye to it.



    You are right and it is disgusting. We should all bow our heads in shame. We, and our governments should insist that people get a decent living wage for the work they carry out. Anything else is slave labor by a different name.



    But back on course - I agree with the idea that a 10" tablet has such limited usability I would think it unlikely that Apple would bring it out. A tablet with some form of keyboard, perhaps. Like a modular high end Netbook. But then, how do you raise the screen to a usable angle? Perhaps a 10" tablet aimed at gaming and media playback. Followed by third party bluetooth keyboards and whatnots.
  • Reply 35 of 101
    steviet02steviet02 Posts: 594member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    (Sorry to reply to my own post). I should have added: How else do you think the world gets its $300 PCs?





    It doesn't matter what everyone else is doing, that is a poor excuse. When Apple has a chance to make a difference they should seize the opportunity.
  • Reply 36 of 101
    virgil-tb2virgil-tb2 Posts: 1,416member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by walshbj View Post


    I couldn't disagree more ! If Apple makes a swivel tablet-notebook I'll eat my hat....



    Yeah, if there is one sure bet in this entire situation, it's that anyone who approached Steve with one of those clunky swivel screen laptops he'd not only be fired instantly, he'd probably be kicked around the office a bit first.



    Those things have a special place in the Design Hall of Shame, right next to those monitors with the tiny little dicky screen that slides out the side.

  • Reply 37 of 101
    Hey folks,



    As a faculty member at a local community college, I've seen my students struggle to purchase their textbooks each semester as the average new text now runs well over $100. Purchase 4 or 5 a semester and ouch! We're talking $2000 over two years just in books. When the Kindle DX was released, it was with the support of most of the major text book companies. Most e-text books will run $50-60. If you do the math, you can see that it wouldn't take the average student a very long time to pay for the cost of an e-reader device (such as the Kindle or Mac Tablet) if they are saving $ on the textbooks by purchasing the digital version. Now granted, a student can resell their text at semesters' end, but this is usually for a fairly paltry sum.



    I would also add that in Higher Education, the iPod Touch/iPhone platform is all the rage. There is already a fair amount of development taking place to push content out into this mobile platform. Now, you release a Mac Tablet that can do what the Kindle DX does, with color, and also add in web browser, wifi, media capabilities. etc. etc. and I do believe that there is a market for this product.





    Peace.
  • Reply 38 of 101
    walshbjwalshbj Posts: 864member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post




    What mass consumer appeal do you see for the tablet, or are you suggesting that Apple would market it commercially to get a wider audience?



    I see it as a Kindle that does a lot more. Video, full web surfing, storing photos while on a trip, video chat. I'd put it on a stand in my kitchen. Just the simple act of showing someone some photos: awkward with a laptop, natural with a tablet. Pass a laptop across a table in a restaurant? No. Tablet? Yes.



    It would appeal to me for business travel, but only because I wouldn't be opposed to packing a wireless keyboard.



    The Kindle seems to be doing quite well. Wouldn't it do even better with Apple design, marketing, and functionality?
  • Reply 39 of 101
    ajitmdajitmd Posts: 365member
    Possible applications for Tablet PC:

    1. Hi capacity book readers, especially for schools and universities. E-books like Medicine, Zoology, Botany, etc need color and use of linked words. Magazine readers. Apple could even market these books via iTunes with option for a hard copy.

    2. Serve as a netbook... albeit an expensive one. There is always a market for the hi end. If it has the MacOS, then an emulator could run iTunes app.

    3. With a data plan, I would like to be able to run VoIP, but that is not for everybody. Actually WiFi would be ok because it is available at work and at home.
  • Reply 40 of 101
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post


    I don't know if I can lay out a business model, but I can make a brief argument why if Apple comes out with a tablet, that it might succeed even though all others before it have failed.



    The classic tablet PC is just a laptop with a touch screen and a pen. The laptop size ones are as heavy as your average laptop and thus horrible to hold in the crook of your arm. The OS is the same mouse-based OS that is on a regular PC, but you use the pen as the mouse so very simple things like roll-overs and right-clicks immediately become complex actions instead of the intuitive things they are on the average PC desktop. The big bonus is drawing, and handwriting, but the device is so big and clunky that these advantages are almost cancelled out in everyday use.



    In my experience, the only times when a PC tablet is a "perfect fit" is when the device itself is supported, (you are on the couch with your knees up, you are using a table in a meeting, etc.), and one is either drawing, or writing. Almost everything else is a pain, and dragging the thing around is a pain. The only tablet type devices that have any utility at all really are the small form factor ones like Newton, Palm, etc. and those have actually done rather well despite severe limitations of power and the inability to use standard formats, software, or connectivity.



    An Apple tablet (as rumoured), would immediately do away with most of these concerns.
    • The OS is made expressly for the device, and for fingers (and possibly pens), not mice.

    • The device itself is only as big as it needs to be and is more or less pocketable.

    • It can be held in one hand easily, and typed on easily and quickly.

    • It would use standard file formats, memory, connectivity etc.

    So just by virtue of it's mobile OS-X genes, it will be better than most tablets, with the exception of actual writing and drawing, the one thing the current tablets do better than almost anything else. Even without being the best at pen input though, an Apple tablet is a very different proposition than any of the modbooks or other tablets that preceded it.



    Also, there has been a rumour for a while now based on an Apple patent application, that Apple has some magic up it's sleeve to solve the whole pen/stylus issue. This would make the device an absolute home run, but I wouldn't hold your breath as it's a pretty far out idea.



    That is the best scenario I?ve read supporting the idea. Can Atom run on a tablet like it can run a netbook? If so, that would allow to be much thinner and more lightweight. I can?t find any tablets that run on Atom, but it may need Ion to work well enough, and if any OS can do it?s OS X.



    I mentioned earlier that a new OS X that more or less supplements your main PC would probably be needed for marketing reasons and logistical reasons. I?d be very interested in such a device but I can?t see myself buying such a device. There needs to be a ?killer app? to make it something that you have to have. I know many people that never considered an PMP or smartphone until a certain iDevice type came out and then they couldn?t imagine not having it.
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