There will be a new iPhone with incredibly fast processor.
There will then be an accessory that acts as a large touchscreen display into which the iphone will fit, and will be either OLED, or PixelQI, optimised for reading, but capable of any kind of digital media, including HD video playback etc.
When i first read this i thought yes possiblities. But then you can already use your iPhone to control an Apple TV using the phones touch screen. So if Apple were to build an accessory screen then an iPhone wouldn't need to fit into anything, just connect to it in the same way.
Fitting an iPhone into something else just isn't the Apple way. BOSE maybe (ie sound dock) but not Apple.
I just don´t see the point in a tablet. Let the iPhone have a bigger screen, maybe 5 inches, at best 7, make it more usable with more processing power and please let it have a better batterie. Boom, that´s all you need.
Totally agree. Gates also deserves some recognition for maintaining belief that the tablet is the future, even if his company couldn't produce the product that made his words reality. He has continually and insistently said the tablet computer is the future of computing.
The only thing I can say about this is that Gates has said EVERYTHING will be the future of computing at some point. His predictions aren't precise bullets, they're more like shotgun shot.
His predictions of the future of computing and their failures are because he's always envisioned a future based around pushing Windows into different form factors without considering the utility of doing so. Why do they do this? They are afraid of introducing a new platform to the masses. Why? Because then it opens up others to build competing platforms and when that happens, Microsoft has proven itself unable to truly compete when innovation is free to run amok.
They are afraid of letting go of their bread and butter, Windows. They know Windows has a majority of the market not due to innovation or choice, but because of how they got started and their ability to retain a tight grip on the market. Once the "desktop" computer is replaced with some other paradigm, so will Windows as the dominant operating systems of those devices.
We're seeing this happen in the mobile world now. And this will repeat itself when the desktop goes the way of the dodo. Although, I don't believe that desktops will completely go away, there will always be a need for them, especially for developing software. However, it will someday relinquish its title of being the dominant computing device.
It will have 2 USBs and a Mini Display Port. It's all it needs to be a fully functional computer.
It will not be a "fully functional computer". Why would Apple essentially kill, or severely damage, its MacBook line? We will have to wait and see who's predictions are the closest to reality. In any event those who expect this device to be some be-all, do-all gadget are going to be sorely disappointed.
Totally agree. Gates also deserves some recognition for maintaining belief that the tablet is the future, even if his company couldn't produce the product that made his words reality. He has continually and insistently said the tablet computer is the future of computing.
But Gates should be smacked in the face for failing to realize that it was going to take more than a declaration of a new category of UMPCs for this to work. He was trying to create some kind of "moonshot" moment and force his monopoly onto another platform. Remember all that "Origami" PR?
It was obvious at the time, given constraints of battery life and the hogginess of windows, mainly, that no UMPC running a full version of windows would ever fly. Just like declaring "let's make a flying car" and then stipulating that it's a 1982 Lincoln Continental pretty much dooms it right there. Classic brute-force microsoft move.
Whoever did the tablet right will have to triumph in the art of execution, not conception (everyone's already thought a flying car or a tablet computer would be cool):
Leaner software, better batteries, preexisting developer community, end-to-end user ecosystem/experience, groundbreaking interface. It will all have to work.
I really can't wait for the "EPIC FAIL" comments that are on the way once this device premiers. They say only two things are certain, death and taxes, but there's third one. It's the negative comments from armchair hardware, software, and marketing "experts" whenever Apple releases a new product.
This is going to one for the ages to watch. Pull up the lawn chairs, pop open the Budweiser Selects, get the pretzels and cheese sticks, and enjoy!
I still have questions about the overall ergonomic soundness of these (any) tablets. Are you supposed to hold it in one hand while you interface with the screen using the other hand? Won't the holding hand get tired? Set it on the table and the screen no longer faces your eyes. Hold it in your lap and again screen not oriented to your face.
I just don't see how this sort of physical human interface is any kind of improvement over the laptop with an adjustable screen that can be angled to best suit the user.
I still have questions about the overall ergonomic soundness of these (any) tablets. Are you supposed to hold it in one hand while you interface with the screen using the other hand? Won't the holding hand get tired? Set it on the table and the screen no longer faces your eyes. Hold it in your lap and again screen not oriented to your face.
I just don't see how this sort of physical human interface is any kind of improvement over the laptop with an adjustable screen that can be angled to best suit the user.
Humans have this wonderful thing called a neck. Wouldn't a touch screen in a traditional laptop orientation be even worse? how would you interact with that?
As usual - for a website that flies under the radar and typically branded a "rumors" site, you have done an outstanding job on writing up some relevant information. I really enjoy these in-depth articles.
I wonder whether Apple will be marketing the tablet as a worthy substitute for the laptop? Laptops have media drives which are often very useful. I wonder whether Apple have found room in their tablet for a DVD media drive?
I disagree to a certain extent. If they were to simply put 10.6 on the tablet they would be making the same mistake MS made with the Tablet PC. The best idea is to fully redesign 10.6 to make it touch-based. Supposedly the iPhone OS came from the tablet project. Hopefully this is where Apple is headed. It won't use CS4 but it would give Adobe a chance to give a much needed redesign to the bloated and hideous UI of their apps like Photoshop.
My main problem is that I think it is the future of Apple computing. Let me explain. Look at the progression of Apple products during the Jobs era. The Apple II was a completely open device and fully customizable. The Mac essentially stopped those hardware customizations but there was still a level of openness to software though it was more simplified compared to the Apple II. The tablet will be a fully locked down device where the only apps you can install are the apps that Apple says it ok to use and it is even less complex in it's capabilities compared to Mac OSX.
I find the idea of moving computers to closed environment to be very disturbing.
You find it disturbing, but I think that in the grand scheme of things, it is taking a very complex item (a computer) and simplifying (or dumbing down, take your pick) the device. OS X desktop is great, but iPhone carries a lot of the power there, and yet makes it easy enough for my 2yr old to literally use quite a bit of it as naturally as I do. I don't see that as disturbing but rather amazing! Apple is bringing computing power to the masses. There will always be those who want to tinker with every setting (I'm one of those a lot of times) but when it comes to my phone, and my day to day device, I prefer to know it just works, and has no issues
Humans have this wonderful thing called a neck. Wouldn't a touch screen in a traditional laptop orientation be even worse? how would you interact with that?
Well my neck doesn't like being bent at strange angles for extended periods of time. Nor to my wrists and elbows. Some other parts of my body like it just fine, but that's not important right now.
Totally agree. Gates also deserves some recognition for maintaining belief that the tablet is the future, even if his company couldn't produce the product that made his words reality. He has continually and insistently said the tablet computer is the future of computing.
Yes. I have to acknowledge Gates on this one thing. Also, your sig might just turn out to be true Ireland.
Comments
There will be no 'Tablet Device' !!!
There will be a new iPhone with incredibly fast processor.
There will then be an accessory that acts as a large touchscreen display into which the iphone will fit, and will be either OLED, or PixelQI, optimised for reading, but capable of any kind of digital media, including HD video playback etc.
When i first read this i thought yes possiblities. But then you can already use your iPhone to control an Apple TV using the phones touch screen. So if Apple were to build an accessory screen then an iPhone wouldn't need to fit into anything, just connect to it in the same way.
Fitting an iPhone into something else just isn't the Apple way. BOSE maybe (ie sound dock) but not Apple.
Ireland:OS X touch will be the official OS name. As opposed to the official iPhone OS name: OS X iPhone.
I love your style Ireland.
Totally agree. Gates also deserves some recognition for maintaining belief that the tablet is the future, even if his company couldn't produce the product that made his words reality. He has continually and insistently said the tablet computer is the future of computing.
The only thing I can say about this is that Gates has said EVERYTHING will be the future of computing at some point. His predictions aren't precise bullets, they're more like shotgun shot.
His predictions of the future of computing and their failures are because he's always envisioned a future based around pushing Windows into different form factors without considering the utility of doing so. Why do they do this? They are afraid of introducing a new platform to the masses. Why? Because then it opens up others to build competing platforms and when that happens, Microsoft has proven itself unable to truly compete when innovation is free to run amok.
They are afraid of letting go of their bread and butter, Windows. They know Windows has a majority of the market not due to innovation or choice, but because of how they got started and their ability to retain a tight grip on the market. Once the "desktop" computer is replaced with some other paradigm, so will Windows as the dominant operating systems of those devices.
We're seeing this happen in the mobile world now. And this will repeat itself when the desktop goes the way of the dodo. Although, I don't believe that desktops will completely go away, there will always be a need for them, especially for developing software. However, it will someday relinquish its title of being the dominant computing device.
Tell me what chip that's more energy efficient than ARM? No the Intel Atom is not one of them.
I don't disagree. I'm a total ARM fanboy. But I also understand why laptops, including the MacBook/MacBook Pro, still use x86 CPUs.
OS X touch will be the official OS name. As opposed to the official iPhone OS name: OS X iPhone.
I?m glad you?ve dropped the ?Mac? designation from the Tablet.
Nopes.
It will have 2 USBs and a Mini Display Port. It's all it needs to be a fully functional computer.
It will not be a "fully functional computer". Why would Apple essentially kill, or severely damage, its MacBook line? We will have to wait and see who's predictions are the closest to reality. In any event those who expect this device to be some be-all, do-all gadget are going to be sorely disappointed.
Totally agree. Gates also deserves some recognition for maintaining belief that the tablet is the future, even if his company couldn't produce the product that made his words reality. He has continually and insistently said the tablet computer is the future of computing.
But Gates should be smacked in the face for failing to realize that it was going to take more than a declaration of a new category of UMPCs for this to work. He was trying to create some kind of "moonshot" moment and force his monopoly onto another platform. Remember all that "Origami" PR?
It was obvious at the time, given constraints of battery life and the hogginess of windows, mainly, that no UMPC running a full version of windows would ever fly. Just like declaring "let's make a flying car" and then stipulating that it's a 1982 Lincoln Continental pretty much dooms it right there. Classic brute-force microsoft move.
Whoever did the tablet right will have to triumph in the art of execution, not conception (everyone's already thought a flying car or a tablet computer would be cool):
Leaner software, better batteries, preexisting developer community, end-to-end user ecosystem/experience, groundbreaking interface. It will all have to work.
Pass the popcorn.
This is going to one for the ages to watch. Pull up the lawn chairs, pop open the Budweiser Selects, get the pretzels and cheese sticks, and enjoy!
I just don't see how this sort of physical human interface is any kind of improvement over the laptop with an adjustable screen that can be angled to best suit the user.
I still have questions about the overall ergonomic soundness of these (any) tablets. Are you supposed to hold it in one hand while you interface with the screen using the other hand? Won't the holding hand get tired? Set it on the table and the screen no longer faces your eyes. Hold it in your lap and again screen not oriented to your face.
I just don't see how this sort of physical human interface is any kind of improvement over the laptop with an adjustable screen that can be angled to best suit the user.
Humans have this wonderful thing called a neck. Wouldn't a touch screen in a traditional laptop orientation be even worse? how would you interact with that?
Brian
I?m glad you?ve dropped the ?Mac? designation from the Tablet.
Humans have this wonderful thing called a neck.
haha!
I wonder whether Apple will be marketing the tablet as a worthy substitute for the laptop? Laptops have media drives which are often very useful. I wonder whether Apple have found room in their tablet for a DVD media drive?
my guess: yes to #1 and definitely no to #2.
I love your style Ireland.
Thank you, Sir.
I disagree to a certain extent. If they were to simply put 10.6 on the tablet they would be making the same mistake MS made with the Tablet PC. The best idea is to fully redesign 10.6 to make it touch-based. Supposedly the iPhone OS came from the tablet project. Hopefully this is where Apple is headed. It won't use CS4 but it would give Adobe a chance to give a much needed redesign to the bloated and hideous UI of their apps like Photoshop.
My main problem is that I think it is the future of Apple computing. Let me explain. Look at the progression of Apple products during the Jobs era. The Apple II was a completely open device and fully customizable. The Mac essentially stopped those hardware customizations but there was still a level of openness to software though it was more simplified compared to the Apple II. The tablet will be a fully locked down device where the only apps you can install are the apps that Apple says it ok to use and it is even less complex in it's capabilities compared to Mac OSX.
I find the idea of moving computers to closed environment to be very disturbing.
You find it disturbing, but I think that in the grand scheme of things, it is taking a very complex item (a computer) and simplifying (or dumbing down, take your pick) the device. OS X desktop is great, but iPhone carries a lot of the power there, and yet makes it easy enough for my 2yr old to literally use quite a bit of it as naturally as I do. I don't see that as disturbing but rather amazing! Apple is bringing computing power to the masses. There will always be those who want to tinker with every setting (I'm one of those a lot of times) but when it comes to my phone, and my day to day device, I prefer to know it just works, and has no issues
Humans have this wonderful thing called a neck. Wouldn't a touch screen in a traditional laptop orientation be even worse? how would you interact with that?
Well my neck doesn't like being bent at strange angles for extended periods of time. Nor to my wrists and elbows. Some other parts of my body like it just fine, but that's not important right now.
Totally agree. Gates also deserves some recognition for maintaining belief that the tablet is the future, even if his company couldn't produce the product that made his words reality. He has continually and insistently said the tablet computer is the future of computing.
Yes. I have to acknowledge Gates on this one thing. Also, your sig might just turn out to be true Ireland.