I disagree. As DaringFireball points out, some proportion of consumers currently own a desktop and a phone. Likely an iMac and an iPhone. Currently, if they decide that they also need a "portable" (c.f. "mobile") Apple device, their choice is limited to a MacBook (or MacBook Air). In the future, this choice will likely be between a Macbook and a Tablet. Ergo, cannibilzation.
It's likely correct to say that the Tablet won't replace (read "cannibalize") many consumers' primary computer (which will continue to feature a keyboard for a while yet), however this is not the same as saying that it won't cannibalize MacBook sales.
You generally seem to know what you are talking about Solipsism so I hate to see you not think something through.
I don?t think the most likely combo is an iMac or any desktop, but a MB/MBP or notebook and an iPhone, which would make the entire point of the tablet nullified if it was supposed to be an either/or device, especially one that is likely to be cheaper than a notebook and likelt make less profit.
I have no idea if I?ll want this tablet until I see it, but now matter how I look at the rumours for the proposed business model I can?t see any way an ARM-based device with little storage can compete with an Intel C2D with a lot of storage. That doesn?t get into the usability issue of a 13? display v. a 7? or 10? display, or the lack of a physical keyboard which will eat a good portion of the display when activated.
I can?t see a tablet replacing any notebook as your main computer. Take a look at any Windows-based notebook or the ModBook. They have a full version of Mac OS X on them and they are crap to use as a general purpose PC. For this reason I don?t think Apple would bring to market something that is meant to be a PC shoehorned into a tablet, but a device that is designed to be a accessory device to fill a certain need we likely don?t have a need for yet, which is why I think Apple has been trying to get publishers on board.
The way I see things going, Apple is going to lean heavily upon the new iTablet/iSlate/iPhone OS UI with new devices and when Steve goes, OS X will fade off into the sunset on MacBook Pro's and MacPro's only as Windows 7 gains strength.
Tripper, you just keep repeating this like some kind of mantra. It may be "your way" of seeing things but there doesn't appear to be much reasoning behind it.
Quote:
Apple might even begin selling Windows 7 Mac's in order to keep selling hardware.
Er... why?
Quote:
The iTablet won't cannibalize MacBook sales because it won't have a real keyboard.
If an Apple tablet won't cannibalise notebook sales... then why would Apple stop selling notebooks?
I can’t see a tablet replacing any notebook as your main computer.
I have a few thoughts on where tablets work ... and no prediction (this time...)
1) absolutely as an accessory to main computer. But no value for anyone who is already has a MacBook (unless they leave the MacBook at home all the time?) (edit: sorry - not worth buying if you're already carrying your MacBook wherever you go)
2) replacing current tablets for the tasks they are good at (what activities could an ARM iPhoneOS tablet NOT do that a full-on tablet currently does really well?)
3) what about people who only ever write a maximum of 1 paragraph in a burst?
4) could they design a tablet that would be popular with people who don't use computers, especially the over 60s (anyone who got a pc because they thought they should, but never really worked it out beyond rudimentary usage)
One aspect of the Apple tablet for which I have not heard a realistic solution is how it will implement 3G. My speculation is that the tablet will have a paid-3G option and a free-3G default that will download/update paid media only. A free-3G standard has several strategic advantages. It would:
1) Be a big selling point to consumers.
2) Promote the purchase of more paid media -- newspapers, magazines, movies, music, games, apps, etc.
3) Advantage paid media (e.g. NYT subscription) over its free (e.g. web-based) counterpart.
4) Afford Apple an additional revenue stream to pay telcos for the 3G delivery PLUS help subsidize the device.
5) Not swamp telcos like the iPhone has done to ATT, because only paid media would be eligible.
6) Give Apple a competitive advantage, or at least parity, with the Amazon/Kindle ecosystem.
This solution is potentially advantageous to all parties: consumers, Apple, telcos, media providers and developers.
I don?t think the most likely combo is an iMac or any desktop, but a MB/MBP or notebook and an iPhone, which would make the entire point of the tablet nullified if it was supposed to be an either/or device, especially one that is likely to be cheaper than a notebook and likelt make less profit.
That all depends on what the tablet does, and individual needs, does it not? At this point I'm looking to retire my old PowerBook G4 but I really don't want to buy another laptop. If the tablet does the handful of tasks I need to do when I'm on the road, and does them well, then the tablet is very much a substitute for a laptop for my money.
I hope we'll have the opportunity to revisit the Daring Fireball predictions in a few weeks and see how closely he hit the target. I think he's going to be very near to the mark. I also think he's explained the difficulty of the dive that Apple is attempting, both in terms of the design of the thing and how it will fit into and augment Apple's product lineup.
A liver transplant really only prolongs the eventual.
Your comment is perhaps grimmer than reality warrants, in that it assumes that Jobs is unlikely to be cured of cancer by his transplant. See Post #25 in the following thread, made in June by an oncologist who is familiar with the medical condition that Jobs experienced.
That all depends on what the tablet does, and individual needs, does it not? At this point I'm looking to retire my old PowerBook G4 but I really don't want to buy another laptop. If the tablet does the handful of tasks I need to do when I'm on the road, and does them well, then the tablet is very much a substitute for a laptop for my money.
I hope we'll have the opportunity to revisit the Daring Fireball predictions in a few weeks and see how closely he hit the target. I think he's going to be very near to the mark. I also think he's explained the difficulty of the dive that Apple is attempting, both in terms of the design of the thing and how it will fit into and augment Apple's product lineup.
I will be in the same position, my iBook G4's drive is buggered since I dropped it last night in a tile floor and I am already thinking the Tablet would be a perfect replacement. No doubt I will fix it but that wasn't my first thought I sit at a Mac Pro all day, for leisure the tablet may be perfect.
The thing to remember is we in this blog are perhaps not typical computer users. I suspect that there are millions of folks out there using PCs that may only need what this tablet may be. We keep asking will it replace a MacBook or iPhone. I suspect SJ is thinking it will replace the average PC not MacBook or iPhone, many of us will get one 'in addition'.
Your entire post is predicated on the idea that the Apple TV "never took off" or isn't doing well in some way, when in fact this is just inaccurate.
If you read a lot of tech sites like this one, you might get the impression that Apple TV is no good, but if you talk to the people who actually own one or have bought one they uniformly love it and think it an excellent value proposition. Sales of the device are also quite good, even if not doing the gangbusters sales that other Apple products do.
Your basically posting about a popular misconception or myth, not fact.
Your assertion about the "vertical" interface is also wrong (it's actually horizontal now), and the idea that all Apple's problems can be put down to "not giving the customers what they want" is just too ridiculous to talk about.
I agree. While Apple TV has not been without its problems (there have been more than a few network issues with mine), I still love it and use it daily.
I don't have experience with any of the other hardware out there, but it beats my DVR hands down.
Your comment is perhaps grimmer than reality warrants, in that it assumes that Jobs is unlikely to be cured of cancer by his transplant. See Post #25 in the following thread, made in June by an oncologist who is familiar with the medical condition that Jobs experienced.
People often get wrong ideas about cancer treatment. A doctor will not consider a cancer patient "cured" for many years after they last find any sign of recurrence. The patient will be considered "cured" when their statistical likelihood of having the cancer again isn't greater than someone who hasn't had it before. The liver transplant was not meant as a cure for cancer. He got a new liver because the old wasn't functioning.
With a bit of luck (and money) I think The Steve will be around for a while if he so desires... In which case Apple will become an even stronger company with desirable products at the higher end of the price spectrum. While I wish there were more options at cheaper prices, that will not happen.
I disagree about optical... I think BR will become as ubiquitous as DVD and Apple will miss it. I think they should at least put a BR drive in the Apple TV, then I would buy it.. eventually more people will stream and DL but that is miniscule compared to BR sales and reaching a broader base. Just my opinion....
The fast internet infrastructure is already in place to support streaming HD content in realtime, and storage is getting so cheap, that one could easily store a complete library of HD movies on a hard drive.
People are lazy. If and when they can buy HD movies while sitting in their underwear on their couch, have it more or less instantly (watch while buffering) and then never have to get off of the couch to change physical disks in a "player" (not to mention storing the disks) they will absolutely do so.
The only thing preventing the imminent obsolescence of physical media (except for the under privileged minority, who also probably don't have HD TVs and Blue-Ray players) is that the studios are trying to delay the endgame by being stingy with their content. If every movie ever distributed, as well as every new movie on the day of release for public sale, were made available for purchase and rent via iTunes, do you realize what that would do to Blockbuster? Netflix? Wal Mart? Virtually everyone has an iTunes account and apparently is comfortable with purchasing entertainment, apps, and services over it. Lack of content is the real problem with Apple TV!
AppleTV isn't bad in and of itself. It's weak because that's the way the studios want it... for now. They don't want to get thrust immediately into the digital delivery future like their cousins (the recording industry) were. Not good for their current business to let the worms out of the can so quickly. They are going to drag this out.
But believe me: the endgame is not in doubt, and AppleTV is the very essence of where it is headed. Apple, once again, is skating to where the puck is going to be. They call this a "hobby" only because they are playing coy and being patent.
I will be in the same position, my iBook G4's drive is buggered since I dropped it last night in a tile floor and I am already thinking the Tablet would be a perfect replacement.
May Steve Jobs life be long, and may his tenure at Apple likewise be long. His reach will be felt for many years to come. I'm sure there are many innovative products in the pipeline...
Oy MacTripper. I don't think you mean to be an idiot but pretty well everything you write is just rubbish. I was going to comment this line by line but it wasn't as much fun as I hoped and I just got depressed. You have a skewed model of how the world works and I can only assume you are very young.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacTripper
A liver transplant really only prolongs the eventual.
Once he's gone, the world will morn and Microsoft will rear it's ugly 95% market share head once again.
Where are the Windows 7 viruses when you need them?
The way I see things going, Apple is going to lean heavily upon the new iTablet/iSlate/iPhone OS UI with new devices and when Steve goes, OS X will fade off into the sunset on MacBook Pro's and MacPro's only as Windows 7 gains strength.
Apple might even begin selling Windows 7 Mac's in order to keep selling hardware.
I don't think the innovation and drive will continue long at Apple without Steve.
China is draining the world of jobs, industry and resources. Japan never recovered from their real estate bubble, neither will the US until the Chinese market is saturated which could take quite some time. This means high unemployment in the US, Japan and Europe for at least a decade, and less people that can afford pricey computers from Apple.
So this iSlate, it better be cheap and very functional for mass appeal.
Apple would be wise to target the post baby boom generations needs with the device, it's the only segment of the population with the most disposable income. Most college grads are not finding jobs and moving back in with moms.
Could be a rise in basement dweller geeks though...
The tablet is designed to make information on the web profitable.
Breakthrough of the century. Sell digital information. Do it cheap, and with style.
Apple showed us already that people like to buy from the app store. So naturally, they're following up on that. Come to think of it, it's probably just a bigger App Store client that supports bigger apps and encapsulated, paid for webpage packages (iTunes Extras/LP). And since it's probably gonna be purse sized, perhaps it's targetet towards women - hence Nintendo DS will take another hit.
The tablet is designed to make information on the web profitable.
Breakthrough of the century. Sell digital information. Do it cheap, and with style.
Apple showed us already that people like to buy from the app store. So naturally, they're following up on that. Come to think of it, it's probably just a bigger App Store client that supports bigger apps and encapsulated, paid for webpage packages (iTunes Extras/LP). And since it's probably gonna be purse sized, perhaps it's targetet towards women - hence Nintendo DS will take another hit.
We are in the information age and the more we can carry around in a smaller and lighter package the better. The tablet always had the potential to be a type of media replacement for magazines, books, newspapers that companies can sell subscriptions to or just 1 issue like a regular mag. There's not only the general public that can carry around dozens of mags ( even a few weigh a lot in a bag ) but think of the student market for textbooks. It could eliminate those huge backpacks off the backs of the poor kids who have to carry them filled with textbooks. Lets not forget the readers now are black and white and so are limited for any kind of graphic. Oh, what about how textbooks never change, it seems, from year to year. Now when one is bought and new scientific or historical is discovered it can be added. Which means that when you purchase one, free updates of information are included in the price for that school year -- just like getting a software update. No more outdated textbooks with outdated information! And how many students are there in the US alone? Ok, millions.
A COLOR tablet would be really valuable to see illustrations with real multilayer effects for anything physical that is taught-geography, medicine, biology and auto mechanics. You could have 3D quicktime rotations of the heart. Lets not forget the doctors who could have these tablets to carry around all the patients data including x-rays or any image needed with a WiFi feed to get anything they need very quickly.
The possibilities are great for magazines that could then offer videos of news events and their issues could even come out more often. What if Time magazine had a twice weekly issue instead of just once a week? The news could be updated depending on when it is downloaded for current events while the same longer articles would be the main part of the mag.
So who is going to be selling all of this? It sure looks like an iMedia store is in the future for Apple to have even another revenue stream. I can hardly wait to see the press conference coming up to really see what Steve Jobs has in mind!
Optical discs, no matter what flavor, are on their way out. They are as dead as dead.
Streaming, downloading and hard drives are coming back in a big way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
I don?t understand why optical drives in a PC can?t go away until optical cables come to your home. There is no 1:1 correlation between them because they both have optical in the name.
Because the original statement I referenced made the claim that the entire medium of optical discs would soon be supplanted by downloads. Not just for computers - all uses!
A blue ray disc has a capacity of 25 gb. To download that much data at 2.4 mbps dsl would take 23 hours, 8 minutes and 53 seconds.
There are blu-ray developments in the pipeline where 200 gb per disc may be possible, that's 7 days, 17 hours, 11 minutes and 6 seconds to download.
Comments
Macro, micro and business economics with future trends.
Care to add a bit of skepticism?
Just a dash, too much ruins the recipe.
After you, when you actually add substance, not just terms citing various fields of economics.
I disagree. As DaringFireball points out, some proportion of consumers currently own a desktop and a phone. Likely an iMac and an iPhone. Currently, if they decide that they also need a "portable" (c.f. "mobile") Apple device, their choice is limited to a MacBook (or MacBook Air). In the future, this choice will likely be between a Macbook and a Tablet. Ergo, cannibilzation.
It's likely correct to say that the Tablet won't replace (read "cannibalize") many consumers' primary computer (which will continue to feature a keyboard for a while yet), however this is not the same as saying that it won't cannibalize MacBook sales.
You generally seem to know what you are talking about Solipsism so I hate to see you not think something through.
I don?t think the most likely combo is an iMac or any desktop, but a MB/MBP or notebook and an iPhone, which would make the entire point of the tablet nullified if it was supposed to be an either/or device, especially one that is likely to be cheaper than a notebook and likelt make less profit.
I have no idea if I?ll want this tablet until I see it, but now matter how I look at the rumours for the proposed business model I can?t see any way an ARM-based device with little storage can compete with an Intel C2D with a lot of storage. That doesn?t get into the usability issue of a 13? display v. a 7? or 10? display, or the lack of a physical keyboard which will eat a good portion of the display when activated.
I can?t see a tablet replacing any notebook as your main computer. Take a look at any Windows-based notebook or the ModBook. They have a full version of Mac OS X on them and they are crap to use as a general purpose PC. For this reason I don?t think Apple would bring to market something that is meant to be a PC shoehorned into a tablet, but a device that is designed to be a accessory device to fill a certain need we likely don?t have a need for yet, which is why I think Apple has been trying to get publishers on board.
The way I see things going, Apple is going to lean heavily upon the new iTablet/iSlate/iPhone OS UI with new devices and when Steve goes, OS X will fade off into the sunset on MacBook Pro's and MacPro's only as Windows 7 gains strength.
Tripper, you just keep repeating this like some kind of mantra. It may be "your way" of seeing things but there doesn't appear to be much reasoning behind it.
Apple might even begin selling Windows 7 Mac's in order to keep selling hardware.
Er... why?
The iTablet won't cannibalize MacBook sales because it won't have a real keyboard.
If an Apple tablet won't cannibalise notebook sales... then why would Apple stop selling notebooks?
You just haven't thought this through.
I can’t see a tablet replacing any notebook as your main computer.
I have a few thoughts on where tablets work ... and no prediction (this time...)
1) absolutely as an accessory to main computer. But no value for anyone who is already has a MacBook (unless they leave the MacBook at home all the time?) (edit: sorry - not worth buying if you're already carrying your MacBook wherever you go)
2) replacing current tablets for the tasks they are good at (what activities could an ARM iPhoneOS tablet NOT do that a full-on tablet currently does really well?)
3) what about people who only ever write a maximum of 1 paragraph in a burst?
4) could they design a tablet that would be popular with people who don't use computers, especially the over 60s (anyone who got a pc because they thought they should, but never really worked it out beyond rudimentary usage)
1) Be a big selling point to consumers.
2) Promote the purchase of more paid media -- newspapers, magazines, movies, music, games, apps, etc.
3) Advantage paid media (e.g. NYT subscription) over its free (e.g. web-based) counterpart.
4) Afford Apple an additional revenue stream to pay telcos for the 3G delivery PLUS help subsidize the device.
5) Not swamp telcos like the iPhone has done to ATT, because only paid media would be eligible.
6) Give Apple a competitive advantage, or at least parity, with the Amazon/Kindle ecosystem.
This solution is potentially advantageous to all parties: consumers, Apple, telcos, media providers and developers.
I don?t think the most likely combo is an iMac or any desktop, but a MB/MBP or notebook and an iPhone, which would make the entire point of the tablet nullified if it was supposed to be an either/or device, especially one that is likely to be cheaper than a notebook and likelt make less profit.
That all depends on what the tablet does, and individual needs, does it not? At this point I'm looking to retire my old PowerBook G4 but I really don't want to buy another laptop. If the tablet does the handful of tasks I need to do when I'm on the road, and does them well, then the tablet is very much a substitute for a laptop for my money.
I hope we'll have the opportunity to revisit the Daring Fireball predictions in a few weeks and see how closely he hit the target. I think he's going to be very near to the mark. I also think he's explained the difficulty of the dive that Apple is attempting, both in terms of the design of the thing and how it will fit into and augment Apple's product lineup.
A liver transplant really only prolongs the eventual.
Your comment is perhaps grimmer than reality warrants, in that it assumes that Jobs is unlikely to be cured of cancer by his transplant. See Post #25 in the following thread, made in June by an oncologist who is familiar with the medical condition that Jobs experienced.
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...threadid=99518
That all depends on what the tablet does, and individual needs, does it not? At this point I'm looking to retire my old PowerBook G4 but I really don't want to buy another laptop. If the tablet does the handful of tasks I need to do when I'm on the road, and does them well, then the tablet is very much a substitute for a laptop for my money.
I hope we'll have the opportunity to revisit the Daring Fireball predictions in a few weeks and see how closely he hit the target. I think he's going to be very near to the mark. I also think he's explained the difficulty of the dive that Apple is attempting, both in terms of the design of the thing and how it will fit into and augment Apple's product lineup.
I will be in the same position, my iBook G4's drive is buggered since I dropped it last night in a tile floor and I am already thinking the Tablet would be a perfect replacement. No doubt I will fix it but that wasn't my first thought
The thing to remember is we in this blog are perhaps not typical computer users. I suspect that there are millions of folks out there using PCs that may only need what this tablet may be. We keep asking will it replace a MacBook or iPhone. I suspect SJ is thinking it will replace the average PC not MacBook or iPhone, many of us will get one 'in addition'.
Your entire post is predicated on the idea that the Apple TV "never took off" or isn't doing well in some way, when in fact this is just inaccurate.
If you read a lot of tech sites like this one, you might get the impression that Apple TV is no good, but if you talk to the people who actually own one or have bought one they uniformly love it and think it an excellent value proposition. Sales of the device are also quite good, even if not doing the gangbusters sales that other Apple products do.
Your basically posting about a popular misconception or myth, not fact.
Your assertion about the "vertical" interface is also wrong (it's actually horizontal now), and the idea that all Apple's problems can be put down to "not giving the customers what they want" is just too ridiculous to talk about.
I agree. While Apple TV has not been without its problems (there have been more than a few network issues with mine), I still love it and use it daily.
I don't have experience with any of the other hardware out there, but it beats my DVR hands down.
Your comment is perhaps grimmer than reality warrants, in that it assumes that Jobs is unlikely to be cured of cancer by his transplant. See Post #25 in the following thread, made in June by an oncologist who is familiar with the medical condition that Jobs experienced.
People often get wrong ideas about cancer treatment. A doctor will not consider a cancer patient "cured" for many years after they last find any sign of recurrence. The patient will be considered "cured" when their statistical likelihood of having the cancer again isn't greater than someone who hasn't had it before. The liver transplant was not meant as a cure for cancer. He got a new liver because the old wasn't functioning.
With a bit of luck (and money) I think The Steve will be around for a while if he so desires... In which case Apple will become an even stronger company with desirable products at the higher end of the price spectrum. While I wish there were more options at cheaper prices, that will not happen.
I disagree about optical... I think BR will become as ubiquitous as DVD and Apple will miss it. I think they should at least put a BR drive in the Apple TV, then I would buy it.. eventually more people will stream and DL but that is miniscule compared to BR sales and reaching a broader base. Just my opinion....
The fast internet infrastructure is already in place to support streaming HD content in realtime, and storage is getting so cheap, that one could easily store a complete library of HD movies on a hard drive.
People are lazy. If and when they can buy HD movies while sitting in their underwear on their couch, have it more or less instantly (watch while buffering) and then never have to get off of the couch to change physical disks in a "player" (not to mention storing the disks) they will absolutely do so.
The only thing preventing the imminent obsolescence of physical media (except for the under privileged minority, who also probably don't have HD TVs and Blue-Ray players) is that the studios are trying to delay the endgame by being stingy with their content. If every movie ever distributed, as well as every new movie on the day of release for public sale, were made available for purchase and rent via iTunes, do you realize what that would do to Blockbuster? Netflix? Wal Mart? Virtually everyone has an iTunes account and apparently is comfortable with purchasing entertainment, apps, and services over it. Lack of content is the real problem with Apple TV!
AppleTV isn't bad in and of itself. It's weak because that's the way the studios want it... for now. They don't want to get thrust immediately into the digital delivery future like their cousins (the recording industry) were. Not good for their current business to let the worms out of the can so quickly. They are going to drag this out.
But believe me: the endgame is not in doubt, and AppleTV is the very essence of where it is headed. Apple, once again, is skating to where the puck is going to be. They call this a "hobby" only because they are playing coy and being patent.
Thompson
People are lazy. If and when they can buy HD movies while sitting in their underwear on their couch...
Who wants to go through the trouble of putting on underwear?
Maybe Jobs will announce one of those chairs from Wall?E. I think I read that Jonathon Ives was brought in to help design EVE.
I will be in the same position, my iBook G4's drive is buggered since I dropped it last night in a tile floor and I am already thinking the Tablet would be a perfect replacement.
What an unfortunate "accident".
A liver transplant really only prolongs the eventual.
Once he's gone, the world will morn and Microsoft will rear it's ugly 95% market share head once again.
Where are the Windows 7 viruses when you need them?
The way I see things going, Apple is going to lean heavily upon the new iTablet/iSlate/iPhone OS UI with new devices and when Steve goes, OS X will fade off into the sunset on MacBook Pro's and MacPro's only as Windows 7 gains strength.
Apple might even begin selling Windows 7 Mac's in order to keep selling hardware.
I don't think the innovation and drive will continue long at Apple without Steve.
China is draining the world of jobs, industry and resources. Japan never recovered from their real estate bubble, neither will the US until the Chinese market is saturated which could take quite some time. This means high unemployment in the US, Japan and Europe for at least a decade, and less people that can afford pricey computers from Apple.
So this iSlate, it better be cheap and very functional for mass appeal.
Apple would be wise to target the post baby boom generations needs with the device, it's the only segment of the population with the most disposable income. Most college grads are not finding jobs and moving back in with moms.
Could be a rise in basement dweller geeks though...
I gather it ain't worth shit.
Why would you bother to even mention it, especially since nobody is attempting to say otherwise?
I gather you don't get invited out much.
Eh? I repeated what Scoble said, in a nutshell. Don't like it? Take it up with him.
The tablet is designed to make information on the web profitable.
Breakthrough of the century. Sell digital information. Do it cheap, and with style.
Apple showed us already that people like to buy from the app store. So naturally, they're following up on that. Come to think of it, it's probably just a bigger App Store client that supports bigger apps and encapsulated, paid for webpage packages (iTunes Extras/LP). And since it's probably gonna be purse sized, perhaps it's targetet towards women - hence Nintendo DS will take another hit.
I?m with you there.
me too
I get it now:
The tablet is designed to make information on the web profitable.
Breakthrough of the century. Sell digital information. Do it cheap, and with style.
Apple showed us already that people like to buy from the app store. So naturally, they're following up on that. Come to think of it, it's probably just a bigger App Store client that supports bigger apps and encapsulated, paid for webpage packages (iTunes Extras/LP). And since it's probably gonna be purse sized, perhaps it's targetet towards women - hence Nintendo DS will take another hit.
We are in the information age and the more we can carry around in a smaller and lighter package the better. The tablet always had the potential to be a type of media replacement for magazines, books, newspapers that companies can sell subscriptions to or just 1 issue like a regular mag. There's not only the general public that can carry around dozens of mags ( even a few weigh a lot in a bag ) but think of the student market for textbooks. It could eliminate those huge backpacks off the backs of the poor kids who have to carry them filled with textbooks. Lets not forget the readers now are black and white and so are limited for any kind of graphic. Oh, what about how textbooks never change, it seems, from year to year. Now when one is bought and new scientific or historical is discovered it can be added. Which means that when you purchase one, free updates of information are included in the price for that school year -- just like getting a software update. No more outdated textbooks with outdated information! And how many students are there in the US alone? Ok, millions.
A COLOR tablet would be really valuable to see illustrations with real multilayer effects for anything physical that is taught-geography, medicine, biology and auto mechanics. You could have 3D quicktime rotations of the heart. Lets not forget the doctors who could have these tablets to carry around all the patients data including x-rays or any image needed with a WiFi feed to get anything they need very quickly.
The possibilities are great for magazines that could then offer videos of news events and their issues could even come out more often. What if Time magazine had a twice weekly issue instead of just once a week? The news could be updated depending on when it is downloaded for current events while the same longer articles would be the main part of the mag.
So who is going to be selling all of this? It sure looks like an iMedia store is in the future for Apple to have even another revenue stream. I can hardly wait to see the press conference coming up to really see what Steve Jobs has in mind!
Optical discs, no matter what flavor, are on their way out. They are as dead as dead.
Streaming, downloading and hard drives are coming back in a big way.
I don?t understand why optical drives in a PC can?t go away until optical cables come to your home. There is no 1:1 correlation between them because they both have optical in the name.
Because the original statement I referenced made the claim that the entire medium of optical discs would soon be supplanted by downloads. Not just for computers - all uses!
A blue ray disc has a capacity of 25 gb. To download that much data at 2.4 mbps dsl would take 23 hours, 8 minutes and 53 seconds.
There are blu-ray developments in the pipeline where 200 gb per disc may be possible, that's 7 days, 17 hours, 11 minutes and 6 seconds to download.
Now do you see my point?