New Apple tablet rumor: Larger form factor running Mac OS X

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  • Reply 61 of 163
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    I'm not saying I believe this rumor, but even if Apple is making a tablet aiming at sub $1000, that doesn't mean they might not also make others bigger and more expensive. Presumably, if they actually do solve the tablet-interface problems, it'll scale nicely.



    I can't say what I think of the device until I see it (presuming that it really does exist). But depending on what it's capable of, I could easily pay significantly more for a bigger-screen version. The ability to draw on it would make be want a bigger screen.



    Well I agree with you that Apple could make more than one model. I do however think a sub $1000 model would work best with some variant of iPhone OS. Once you get into the 13" range or bigger, we are probably looking at least the cost of the 13" MBP. Once you get to that point the expectations will be different and people will want a full fledged computer, so iPhone OS wont cut it. That creates a problem with people buying a tablet thinking they are getting the other one with a different OS. I don't think Apple would willingly generate that sort of confusion. Of course you could avoid it with OSX on all tablets, but I don't think the touch experience would be good enough to satisfy the general consumer. The other way would be to differentiate the tablets through price and branding. In this scenario I see the larger tablets carrying the pro label and costing significantly more than the 10" (or less) model.



    Assuming they did do two models, my prediction would be the following:

    10" tablet with "i" branding running on Arm/Atom chips and a variant of iPhone OS running in the $700 - $800 price range before carrier subsidies.



    13"/15" tablet with "mac" and "pro" brandings running on at least MB Air internals with OSX and a starting price of at least $1500, and probably no 3G or carrier subsidies.



    Of the two, I would consider the first version more likely to appear as it serves a potentially larger market. Hopeully a tablet does show up eventually, so we can stop speculating.
  • Reply 62 of 163
    ljocampoljocampo Posts: 657member
    Like the rest of us, I'm just guessing, but remember that odd patent that Apple filed last year where there was an computer that looked like a iMac? It had a small tablet device in a slot where the optical drive was. I'm guessing that this multiple form factor is somehow tied in together with this tablet design.



    A mobile device that is also a SSD hard drive that docks into your iMac desktop? That would be awesome in a home or business setting for presentations, or if a consumer, as a mobile AppleTV that could wirelessly use the Internet, play games, control your devices like a remote, Snow Leopard compatible, and an bootable external SSD drive to transfer data. Totally awesome. Everyone will want one. I can see Apple pulling off such a thing.
  • Reply 63 of 163
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neilw View Post


    I still haven't heard a credible suggestion of what is the "secret sauce" that's going to make this tablet (at whatever size) succeed where all past attempts have failed. It's certainly a possibility that the secret will simply be to get all the details "just right", but I am more inclined to believe that the tablet will need a fundamentally new feature or application to make it viable.



    My hope is that the tablet has a big surprise hiding in it, and that the rumors and predictions have been as narrow short-sighted as the original predictions of the iPhone were.



    We shall see soon, I hope. I'm exhausted from following this rumor for multiple years.



    Well, in favor of the "getting it just right" theory of killer app, we have...... the iPhone.



    Which did nothing that prior smart phones couldn't do, but just did it much, much better.



    Arguably, current tablets offer a similar target-- they're out there, but none of them are particularly fun or easy to use, and are largely confined to a specialized market/geek niche.



    And for the same reasons smart phones were a far more a niche product before the iPhone-- crappy UI and indifferent design, with "features" substituting for "usability."



    I predict here and now that if Apple releases a tablet which is popular, and which revolutionizes the tablet market in general as other manufacturers rush to copy what Apple has done, tech commentators everywhere will assure us that Apple did nothing special with their tablet, that it lacked all kinds of features that other tablets had had for years, that the subsequent explosion in the tablet market had nothing to do with Apple and was just the inevitable progress of technology in general, and that Apple users are "smug" for imagining that an Apple product is in any way superior or influential.
  • Reply 64 of 163
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carniphage View Post


    This photograph was taken by an extremely reliable source!



    It looks just like a giant-iPhone!!



    And yet it is running Mac OS X!!!!!







    C.



    I'll take one...



    Not only will I be able to surf the web, but I'll be able to take to the beach and surf... period!



    Now I just need to learn how to hang ten, but I bet there is an app for that!



    All kidding aside, I'm glad I have yet gone mobile yet with some sort of Powerbook or MacBook etc., without first seeing what this could be...



    That is, if the talk of a larger touch net book type device is true.
  • Reply 65 of 163
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    I predict here and now that if Apple releases a tablet which is popular, and which revolutionizes the tablet market in general as other manufacturers rush to copy what Apple has done, tech commentators everywhere will assure us that Apple did nothing special with their tablet, that it lacked all kinds of features that other tablets had had for years, that the subsequent explosion in the tablet market had nothing to do with Apple and was just the inevitable progress of technology in general, and that Apple users are "smug" for imagining that an Apple product is in any way superior or influential.



    Right on!
  • Reply 66 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    I predict here and now that if Apple releases a tablet which is popular, and which revolutionizes the tablet market in general as other manufacturers rush to copy what Apple has done, tech commentators everywhere will assure us that Apple did nothing special with their tablet, that it lacked all kinds of features that other tablets had had for years, that the subsequent explosion in the tablet market had nothing to do with Apple and was just the inevitable progress of technology in general, and that Apple users are "smug" for imagining that an Apple product is in any way superior or influential.



    Someone?s been attending the free Apple Bashing 101 classes hosted by CNET.
  • Reply 67 of 163
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neilw View Post


    I still haven't heard a credible suggestion of what is the "secret sauce" that's going to make this tablet (at whatever size) succeed where all past attempts have failed. It's certainly a possibility that the secret will simply be to get all the details "just right", but I am more inclined to believe that the tablet will need a fundamentally new feature or application to make it viable.



    My hope is that the tablet has a big surprise hiding in it, and that the rumors and predictions have been as narrow short-sighted as the original predictions of the iPhone were.



    We shall see soon, I hope. I'm exhausted from following this rumor for multiple years.



    I think you nailed it in the second part of your post. Most predictions of the tablet have been incrdibly narrow sighted especially when considering it running iPhone OS. iPhone OS does not make a tablet just a big iPhone. It provides a solid, user and developer friendly base to build off of.



    Now for some ideas:



    Cloud computing/Screen Sharing/Secondary Input device



    The possibilities here are endless. If could be as simple as an Apple TV remote where you can browse all the functions of the Apple TV on the tablet without interupting the movie on the TV. You could stream from the tablet, copy the onto your Tablet if it is playing from somewhere else, buy the current movie you are watching (if you are renting it), read synopsis, read reviews, browse for similar movies etc. Or it could be as complicated as running processor intensive activities on Apples new server farm with the results streamed to your tablet. Or using your home computer remotely with an improved version of screen sharing where you don't see the entire screen, but only the output of the current program you are using. You would have dedicated companion apps on the tablet with customized touch interfaces that simply offload the work you do to the main app running on your computer, which then transmits the results back. Speciallized apps designed for VNC could help eliminate visual lag by only transmiting the essential information and performing the more basic tasks directly on the tablet. Maybe a new service for mobile me? Oh, I left out secondary input, but that is pretty straight forawrd, it gives you a touch screen as a secondary monitor, although you could develop specific apps for that as well.



    ebook reader/note taker/student companion



    Assume Apple scores a deal with textbook manufacturers and offers an ebook store. Students now have all their textbooks on the tablet at a reduced cost compared to print, where they are free to annotate them and purchase only the chapters they need. Rental could also be an option. Either way carrying a tablet sure beats carrying books. Touch input is perfect for taking notes involving formulas, figures or diagrams. Maybe they you could have smart folders where all your notes, recordings, assignments, and textbooks are organized by class.



    Of course I am still thinking inside the box. Apple could blow us away with something that we have never thought of before.
  • Reply 68 of 163
    ?as far as the product positioning issue goes?If I were in charge.



    The iPod Touch should be taken out of the iPod brand family, leaving the Classic, Nano, and Shuffle, and put into the new i[insert new name here] brand family. This new family will debut with the current 3.5? model as well as a 6-7? model and a 9-10? model. These devices will have blue tooth, wifi, 1 USB, port, and 3G data in the first or second generation. OLED will be in the first or second generation. OLED and larger devices will allow for more battery life.



    They will run iPhone OS, which will allow the ability to run more apps simultaneously (but not unlimited multitasking yet) and have a simple file manager. These 2 new features will not be given to the iPhone so as to not compromise the batteries in the iPhones and also to differentiate the brand families. This new product family will have ?an app for that? from day 1?even if running on a smaller window on a larger device until the devs step in. By the second generation iLife and iWork will be ported over.



    This new family will differentiated from iPhone, iPod, and MacBook/Pro. The only question then is does the MacBook (white book) remain the sole member of its family. For now, yes. Keep it as a decent, but not stellar intro laptop. Knock off $50-100, and bring back the candy colors.
  • Reply 69 of 163
    zunxzunx Posts: 620member
    Mac OS X inside is a must (not the crippled and limited OS X of the iPhone and iPod touch).



    To run full-blown videopresentations from NATIVE Keynote (.key) and PowerPoint (.ppt) files, using video-out and USB2 ports for the wireless remote control.



    And most importantly, as light as possible (400 g would be great). Because the MacBook Air is too heavy, too large and too port-crippled.



    Here is an order of thousands for our University.
  • Reply 70 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    a) I think you are looking for engadget or gizmodo.



    b) only half of the people reading your comment have "dicks" anyway.



    More importantly the other half have gazoombas!
  • Reply 71 of 163
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zunx View Post


    Mac OS X inside is a must (not the crippled and limited OS X of the iPhone and iPod touch).



    To run full-blown videopresentations from NATIVE Keynote (.key) and PowerPoint (.ppt) files, using video-out and USB2 ports for the wireless remote control.



    And most importantly, as light as possible (400 g would be great). Because the MacBook Air is too heavy, too large and too port-crippled.



    Here is an order of thousands for our University.



    Why does it have to be full blown OSX? Sounds like you just need a keynote app. I'm pretty sure if Apple were to release a tablet with iPhone OS, they would also release iWork Tablet Edition. I highly doubt that there will be usb ports. It would probably need a bluetooth remote or an iPhone.
  • Reply 72 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zunx View Post


    Mac OS X inside is a must (not the crippled and limited OS X of the iPhone and iPod touch).



    To run full-blown videopresentations from NATIVE Keynote (.key) and PowerPoint (.ppt) files, using video-out and USB2 ports for the wireless remote control.



    And most importantly, as light as possible (400 g would be great). Because the MacBook Air is too heavy, too large and too port-crippled.



    Here is an order of thousands for our University.



    Why does it have to be one of the other? Making iPhone OS X read Keynote and PowerPoint and have them output to an external monitor don’t require Mac OS X.



    And you want this device with a reported 10” display to also be under a pound? The iPhone is 1/3rd that weight and it only has a 3.5” display, or about 1/8th the display size and footprint. Then you’d have more components to get this faster HW to run Mac OS X and all those ports you want, on top of the fact that a larger device will need more structural support. That just isn’t physically possible in this day and age.
  • Reply 73 of 163
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    I'll just add, that the iPhone OS is neither "crippled" or "limited", it's merely optimized for a small device with limited memory and CPU resources.



    An OS for a a larger device need not be "full OS X" to be appropriate to that device and very powerful in its own right, as befits a machine with more screen real estate, memory and CPU resources than an iPhone.



    In fact, if by "full OS X" we mean UI and all, with tap events substituting for mouse and keyboard events, that would be terrible.
  • Reply 74 of 163
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zunx View Post


    Mac OS X inside is a must (not the crippled and limited OS X of the iPhone and iPod touch). ... To run full-blown videopresentations from NATIVE Keynote (.key) and PowerPoint (.ppt) files, using video-out and USB2 ports for the wireless remote control. ....



    The parts of Mac OS-X that are required for all the things you say you want the tablet to do are already present in the iPhone variety of OS-X. You just don't need "full-blown" OS-X to do what you want to do.



    OS-X is OS-X. When we are talking iPhone vs. desktop versions we are just talking about the GUI, not the capabilities of the system itself. Both can open and run files and display them on screens etc. There is nothing about Keynote or PowerPoint that makes them incompatible with the iPhone variety of OS-X and "presentation software" in general does not tax the CPU or the hardware even as much as the average iPhone game does.



    The current iPhone can already connect to a projector and can already display keynote presentations without any problem at all.
  • Reply 75 of 163
    If Apple is building a tablet, I'm sure they have tested all sorts of screen sizes, and probably run normal OS X on those prototypes. Doesn't mean any will see the light of day.



    I've used slate-style tablets in the field. 15" is too big to cradle in one arm and write on with the other. 13" would be OK if you held it portrait-style like a notepad.
  • Reply 76 of 163
    Snow Leopard or iPhone OS X? What are the primary differences? Various drivers? Different processors?



    WHy not bring OS X for Tablets to a midpoint where both can be used?



    It's probably a given that people would want to print with these devices, especially the larger ones. There is also little doubt that some of the users would be more oriented to the iPhone/touch world than the Mac world - especially the PC/iPhone owners.



    A dual approach brings in those developers who have been working on the iPhone/touch OS as well as your basic Mac apps, like iLife, iWork or even Office.



    Why not pull 'em in from both worlds?



    Announcement? Not before the Holiday shopping IF it won't be available before Christmas. Why short change the iPhone/iPod/Mac sales?
  • Reply 77 of 163
    bregaladbregalad Posts: 816member
    If the source was reliable at the point they disclosed the information to Gizmodo, they have now ceased to be so. No true Apple insider releases information without serious repercussions.



    Having said that I'm not sure I see much of a market for a notebook sized tablet computer; I certainly have no use for one. I'm not going to say it's going to fail, however, because Apple is adept at creating successful products.



    I'm now planning to buy a 3rd Gen iPod touch on September 9 and limit my use of it to apps, music and podcasts. The screen is just too small for any website that isn't specifically formatted for handheld devices.
  • Reply 78 of 163
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cmf2 View Post


    ... I highly doubt that there will be usb ports. ... iPhone.



    Bet you are wrong.





    Does everyone on here use a desktop and mice or something, because I don't understand why people are going on about a lack of pointing accuracy inherent in fingers and OSX not having a touch interface and OSX apps all having to be rewritten for a touch interface.



    I use a MacBook primarily. All the apps on it are already optimised for touch and I already use a touch interface with good accuracy, it's called a track pad. If the track pad surface were as large as the whole screen area, I would have even greater accuracy than I have now, which suffices for everything I do, including Photoshop manipulations.



    Keyboard - well that appears as a transparent layer on the lower half of the screen when required, summoned by a new touch/swipe gesture..



    Touch the screen in pointer mode and a a cursor arrowhead appears just in front of your fingertip.



    perhaps a new icon on the dock changes the paradigm to that of an oversized Touch when a more simple mode of usage is favoured or is more appropriate.



    As for usage, have you considered how many workers in the world do so on their feet primarily and make do with a clipboard or just a sheaf of paper? One of the earliest AI articles had relating to the touch detailed how Jobs granted a meeting to, and met with, NIH delegates:



    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ell_phone.html



    Perhaps Jobs' recent unwelcome forays into the guts of the medical community has inspired him to have a change of heart and create a tool that would at least go some way to meeting their needs. After all, he will have had enough time in his close encounters of a medical kind to see first hand how a tablet device might help.



    It's all very well saying if you have a need for OSX apps and a keyboard, use a laptop, but they aren't that great held in the crook of your arm when you are on your feet and moving around.
  • Reply 79 of 163
    Is it a first for rumor-mongers to start producing rumors about a product that is supposedly a follow-up to another rumored product that hasn't yet, if ever, come to market?



    I guess trying to anticipate Apple's next move is rather tired and now we are treated to efforts to anticipate the next few moves.
  • Reply 80 of 163
    I think the BIG thing that people are missing about the apple tablet device is that it will have a doc-able car accessory, and become the centerpiece of the auto-experience.



    Think about it... TomTom app, rumored 7 and 10 inch form factors, comments by apple about media devices syncing from the driveway to the TV....



    I almost guarantee that the new Tablet will fit in a double-Din dashboard space, and it would not surprise me if car companies that were early adopters of the iPod input (like BMW) will offer an option, or even integrate the mac tablet into their builds. Think of the failed microsoft/ford experiment... and the fact that BMW has actively been researching a way to evolve the driver-to-auto relationship.
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