The inside track on Apple's tablet: a history of tablet computing

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  • Reply 121 of 200
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by piot View Post


    Nearly all the flame ridden, internet forum, arguments about Apple ... boil down to just two things.



    1. If an Apple product doesn't fulfil my needs, it will be a commercial failure.



    2. If I don't like Apple's business practice then it must be illegal.



    You can boil that down even further:



    1. If a product doesn't fulfil my needs, it will be a commercial failure.



    2. If I don't like a company's business practice then it must be illegal.



    This is the state of tech journalism and comment.
  • Reply 122 of 200
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    See you mentioned that a device using the "iBook" name would have to be a hinged before. But i disagree.



    I feel Steve wouldn't though. I just know he'd say something lie that, cause it just makes sense.
  • Reply 123 of 200
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aldonius View Post


    I take it for granted that Apple has solutions to the input and ergonomics side of things.



    That is the one point that worries me actually.
  • Reply 124 of 200
    Has as much hot air been vented about a product that doesn't exist yet? Or a market to sustain it.



    I know I'd like a tablet. But what it will or will not be...seems to be the emotive crux of the debate on our 'imaginary friend.'



    I guess we will find out on the 27th.



    A good article from Appleinsider. Maybe their best yet.



    Lemon Bon Bon.
  • Reply 125 of 200
    boss1boss1 Posts: 40member
    The iPhone successful? Yes.

    Do most people run apps on it more often then other mobile devices? Yes

    Do more individuals browse the internet on it more often then other smart phones? Yes

    Does this mean that it runs "on the road" applications to the fullest potential of a mobile device? NO





    Why? screen size period.



    You can complain about OS4.0 vs OSX all day, but the reality of the success of mobile computing for the average Joe (95% of target market) vs super Joe (5% of target market who wants to run Adobe and FinalCut on a tablet) is simply screen size.



    The tablets success will be ultimately decided by it's ability to replace what most people carry in old fashion form today. (books, magazines, daily planners, finance trackers) . Does the iPhone do that now? Yes, but people still have a choice between a iPhone size screen or the much larger paper copy. The reality is that there are a ton of people who do not find the screen size appealing.



    The tablets success will be also propelled by it's ability to provide added mobile value to those beyond the use of paper & pen products. Gaming, internet, navigation, etc.



    ____end of 2 cents___



    personally I want to see a calendar app in month view where i can actually see the written contents of the day, like a real hang on the wall calender. Can the iPhone do this? no. May a tablet? yes.



    I want a finance app that shows more then 10 lines of transactions and possibly a more than 2 columns.



    The excel apps and pdf viewers that you can go to page view and actually just stay in full page view without having to pinch to zoom.



    I guess I could go on but that's the purpose of the tablet. It's not running full versions of iWeb or iMovie or PS. For that you get a laptop.
  • Reply 126 of 200
    To all you doubting that the iSlate (iBook, macTouch call it what you will) willbe a success...



    Worry no more, I have seen the future, they will sell by the bucketload.



    Just call me Nostradamus.
  • Reply 127 of 200
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by success View Post


    I just called to say I'm first.....



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pembroke View Post


    That's a great comprehensive analytical article -I really enjoyed it!



    It's all interesting, but again, is there a market for a Tablet? I enjoy the iPhone immensely as, in addition to phoning and texting, I can surf, get and post email, and play my tunes and take a photo and lots and lots of other stuff. But the really great thing about the iPhone is that it fits in my pocket. It's effortless to take with me. A tablet on the other hand, for all intents and purposes, will be about as effortless as a laptop - which takes far more effort than carrying an iPhone.



    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?



    's see's a middle ground that the new version of newton will fill



    it will be a hand held computer running full MAC OSX and beyond that it will be a blank slate . . Until the itouch crazies decide for us what MASTER OR MASTERS will this device serve ??

    will the gamers take it over like the touch crowd ??

    will doctor lawyers and indian chiefs use it a as portable video/data interactive field device



    field utility worker's , working for gas electric etc etc type >> companies doing work far from the main office could make this newton a revolutionary all in one on the spot fix it device . giving the home office a live video feed of trouble on the ground and dispatch repair people in minutes in stead of days .

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post


    Well, the hugissime material titled "history of tablet computing" somewhat surprisingly makes it apparent, that there was no tablet in the history of computing.



    For starters, nobody knows how to sell tablets (hoping to see your market analysis, Prince). Yup, it seldom matters how good a product is inside itself. It's always about how you're going to sell it. There're now Apple's 70/30 scheme, persistent DRM compliance, Apple's notoriety in inviting content providers and distribution (carriers), some other cherries on top of cake, too.



    Then, there's no a single ubuntu on the market so far, which could have reached sufficient degree of modularity to successfully fit the form factor. Apple seems to be first to have bred the gang of their cats to make this happen.



    Gestures. We're just at the very beginning of the commercial civil exploration on this branch of human-machine interaction design and ergonomics. And Apple again seems to have not the worst parcel ever to get started with unearthing of what valuable could be in there.





    agreed no one does no how to sell a blank screen

    the market will teach us shortly << bored housewives may be the surprise market we all ignore >>

    BUT like the ipodtouch the market will tell apple what it wants ,,,,,

    people like mac tripper will scream and scream and apple will listen adjust to each market slice >>

    again apple froze 3 products this decade

    THE classic plastic WHITE MB is still hanging a round way past its life cycle

    the ipod classic with its tiny screen survives as a cheap portable 160 g dream machine .

    and the ipod touch has froze into gaming music wifi device , apple lets apps and faster /more powerful components improve this frozen form ipod touch

    the ipod touch is killing iphone sales ,yet apple could not kill it off







    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pixelcruncher View Post


    All of that and not a single mention of Apple's Inkwell? Certainly was/is an indication that Apple has long supported the notion of tablet computing even if it was only supported by third parties for the Mac.



    ink well ? wow

    did not apple have a lap top that plugged into a larger computer ??

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by IQatEdo View Post


    It would seem that most would find common ground on some points:



    (1) Steven Jobs is not interested in running with the pack, even a pack of which he might currently be top dog.

    <YES>

    (2) Apple will surely leverage the iTunes store.

    <YES>

    (3) Current iPhone/iTouch applications will run on the device (if there is one ).

    <YES>

    (4) The MacTouch (thanks Ireland!) will not cannibalise existing sales.

    <NO NO NO> IT WILL EXPAND AND SHRINK MARKETS AT THE SAME TIME MBP AND I TOUCH WILL SUFFER WILL SLOWER GROWTH

    (5) The MacTouch will not be an owner's primary phone!!! \

    <YES> or not yet 20 14 will look better for this

    (6) The device will run a unique OS that is based on OS X.

    <NO > itT WILL RUN MAC OS X S J KEEPS IT SIMPLE

    (7,...,n) Points that I haven't mentioned!



    So, how about some more that we might not all agree on:



    (n+1) This might be Steven Jobs' (generation's) last opportunity to lay out a practical (as in - with actual hardware) vision for the future of (personal) computing.



    (n+2) Hardware and software will rapidly become vastly more powerful and capable.



    (n+3) The MacTouch could act as a window (sorry for the term) on the high level computing capability of other systems including notebooks, desktops, supercomputers and the cloud including systems running any particular OS.



    This happens now. The browser on my computer interacts with any number of other computers running operating systems that I know nothing about. Perhaps the MacTouch will do this for personal (local and distributed) computing. For all intents and purposes, I might be running iTunes (locally) or CS4 (remotely) or Photoshop or Mathematica or whatever. All this and not restricted to a particular OS.



    Then, as time goes on, more functionality comes on board, while access grows to other vastly more capable software residing elsewhere. I might pay a fee for using particular software on a particular computing system anywhere on Earth from which I can reach it. A supercomputer in my hands. Computing centres could spring up offering all sorts of services - probably however, Apple would offer the most capability! Once companies such as Adobe realise that perhaps they stand to profit much more from services than just selling (very expensive) software, they'll come on board and add amazing handheld feature oriented client software also.



    Most of the useful output from a computer can be displayed in the form of an image, a table or a graph, a video or a sound, an alert or text say - all or most of which I would have thought, would be suited to a 10" display.



    With the services that Apple has put in place (a requirement I believe, that Steven Jobs has been quoted as saying were essential for tablet computing) and the industrial design that would be brought to bear, Apple would command this space, even in spite of all the tablet/handheld designs out there.



    If everyone who owns a computer bought this handheld window on worldwide computing and on their own system, Apple would have 100% of the market!







    No point.







    Apple won't.







    It could virtually.







    I think so too!







    I think we agree on this point.







    The MacTouch will not replace your MB but what a great team they'd be!







    Exactly!



    it will be coined the newton

    it will HAVE A STYLUS



    IT WILL BE 9.5" X 6 " LAB COAT SIZE



    IN THREE 3 WE WILL HAVE 3 VERSIONS OF THIS MACHINE



    BORED HOUSE WIVES

    GAMERS NERDS ?>? GRAPHIC PEOPLE , SCORES OF INDUSTRIES

    SCHOOLS

    AMONG THE APPLE FAN BOYS WHO will any thing  <YES>



    it will spur sales of all  products



    my 2cts







    136 hrs and counting
  • Reply 128 of 200
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alfiejr View Post


    great guessing game, the name.



    bet it is one word, two syllables ("iPod touch" has never really caught on, too long, everyone just says "the touch").



    bet the first syllable is either "i" or "Mac" (ok, pretty obvious).



    and the second syllable? iTab is owned by someone else, but MacTab is available. iTouch might be confusing, but MacTouch is possible. iBook and MacBook have both been used before, so no. "Slate" i really can't believe - that implies writing, a stylus. iPad or MacPad are both available.



    were it up to me, i'd name it the iPad, to take maximum advantage of the iPod's popularity. but of course it is up to Steve.



    newt

    newton
  • Reply 129 of 200
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by piot View Post


    100% correct!



    Nearly all the flame ridden, internet forum, arguments about Apple ... boil down to just two things.



    1. If an Apple product doesn't fulfil my needs, it will be a commercial failure.



    2. If I don't like Apple's business practice then it must be illegal.



    No kidding. But on the other hand, if someone says something reasonable like this?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alfiejr View Post


    but some of us come from the other direction. if the new iPad/whatever were just an enlarged Touch i'd buy it, since that is all i absolutely need. and that's true for enough consumers that it would be a commercial success. i think it is very safe to assume it will do everything the Touch can.



    ?they get called a self-centered fanboy, most likely by those who constantly make arguments 1. and 2.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Orlando View Post


    You're underestimating just how capable the iPhone OS really is.



    A lot of people seem to be. Especially if the version of iPhone OS to be on the tablet isn't the same as the current version of iPhone OS.
  • Reply 130 of 200
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Orlando View Post


    Then again I wouldn't recommend throwing a laptop around or leaving it in places where it might be knocked to the ground either.



    That kind of goes without saying, so why did you say it?
  • Reply 131 of 200
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post


    That kind of goes without saying, so why did you say it?



    "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity"

    Robert A. Heinlein



    so many day old lap tops get a full cup of hot coffee spilled on them

    and so it goes

    welsh dog dude while your correct your also naive and shy to what really happens out there





    peace 9
  • Reply 132 of 200
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Glockpop View Post


    Apple does not "tax" its own products. The Mac, iPod and iPhone are no more expensive than similarly equipped gear from other reputable vendors. A tax is something levied by an authority to collect money on a variety of transactions under its control.



    Thank you Captain Asperger for taking setting new standards in taking things literally.





    Quote:

    Netbooks are getting hyped and selling, but they are not profitable for anyone. Apple used to sell $1400 mini towers called "Performa," which is why it almost went out of business. Nobody is making money selling either outside of teenage PC DIY kids who screw together components without a warranty. (Because servicing a warranty would kill their profits).



    Ahhh, the old "ZOMG!! Don't you know Apple almost went bankrupt 15 years ago by offering choice!!!" argument. Thank you for clarifying that having a mid range tower was the culprit. And here I was thinking it was poor leadership, bad marketing, lack of compelling products, a clone market, an aging OS, and slower CPUs that caused Apple's problems back then.
  • Reply 133 of 200
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity"

    Robert A. Heinlein



    so many day old lap tops get a full cup of hot coffee spilled on them

    and so it goes

    welsh dog dude while your correct your also naive and shy to what really happens out there





    peace 9



    Uhhhh, right



    Considering I'm 52 years old and the operations manager and IT person at a Mac centric video post production company, I don't accept your characterization of naivety and shyness on my part.



    Time to change your bong water?
  • Reply 134 of 200
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post


    Uhhhh, right



    Considering I'm 52 years old and the operations manager and IT person at a Mac centric video post production company, I don't accept your characterization of naivety and shyness on my part.



    Time to change your bong water?



    you beefed o mighty apple warrior dude about some one warning about laptop mishaps



    well i quoted heinlein



    '

    and when did a mac anything need an IT guy ???

    you must be bored ??



    peace



    9
  • Reply 135 of 200
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    There will be a tablet. Stop saying there won't be. This was exactly like the time just before the iPhone launched, a whole lot of people here were saying Apple won't release a phone. There's going to be a tablet in a few weeks, just deal with it. Making the iPhone much more powerful would kill the battery, you can't avoid that fact. Also, Apple stand to make a lot more money by making a tablet and the iPhone, getting money from you twice, and not simply for a screened iPhone peripheral, but a full cost computing device.



    The tablet will be called Mac touch, or I'll eat my hat. I also have a sneaking feeling as of late it may actually have an OLED display. They can charge even more that way, make more money, and have superb viewing angles and contrast that would give this device an ever more revolutionary feel about it. Plus it would help make the tablet even thinner and give it improved battery performance, and super display refresh rates.



    Imagine watching a letter-boxed movie on this thing, when the black letterbox top and bottom boarders are "OFF", the movie would pop like you can't imagine.



    Love your OLED thinking...just one thing, who's making a 10" OLED panel?
  • Reply 136 of 200
    oh yes, velocity-sensitive, er, pressure sensitive input on a <$1k touchscreen computing device would be a dream come true for creative/performance computing, for me anyway. srsly.



    I'll throw my wild speculation about names: AppleCore



    also, i'll throw my hat in the ring with the folks who think revolutionary improvements in the usability of handwriting & voice recognition&control, and videophone (charmingly simple) will make the device mad useful and desirable.



    the how to hold and view issue distracts me. considered making a photoshop of the steadycam harness holding the AppleCore (heh). It seems so fragile!



    mm, now it sounds all wrong again.
  • Reply 137 of 200
    face recognition with the embedded camera: press the screen in a corner and the AppleCore will launch an application based on your facial expression or hand gesture. throw a gang sign to chat, smile to launch videophone & say your friends name. all. working. seamlessly.



    it's my day off, i can have a few little pipe-dreams.
  • Reply 138 of 200
    secret licensing deal with James Cameron to call it the Avatar



    oh i better stop this
  • Reply 139 of 200
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cmf2 View Post


    There are plenty of Windows 7 tablets out there. Maybe those would better suit your fancy (they don't seem to that popular though). What people want out of this rumored tablet never ceases to amaze me. A sub $1000 tablet would likely run on netbook level hardware as is suggested in almost every thread, and Arm not Atom (so not x86). Hardware wise, that pegs it as a netbook replacement, not a laptop replacement. This shouldn't be expected to replace your laptop unless you use your laptop as a netbook.



    Historically tablets have cost more than their touch less counterparts. Apple wont break any new ground here. If you want a tablet to replace a macbook, expect it to cost more than a macbook. If you want one to replace a macbook pro, expect it to cost more than a macbook pro. Of course as you increase cost, you dramatically decrease the number of perspective buyers.



    Where Apple will break new ground is in doing things a traditional computing device doesn't, ease of use, and content delivery. For that, you have to deviate a lot from the traditional desktop OS. I think an OS (and apps) designed and optimized for the hardware and touch input provides a much better starting point than OSX does.



    Furthermore, can you name one feature of iPhone OS 4.0? You can't because Apple hasn't introduced it yet. An Apple tablet based on iPhone OS would be running at least iPhone OS 4.0 with (likely) a custom UI, if not its own version altogether. Think forward, not backwards. If the hardware was capable and there was demand, you would get your apps on iPhone OS and when you did, they would be optimized for the hardware and designed for a touch screen. Why do so many people want to go down the failed windows route?



    http://www.minyanville.com/articles/...6380/from/home
  • Reply 140 of 200
    olternautolternaut Posts: 1,376member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vinea View Post


    Comprehensive except it talked about PDAs and not tablets. Blowing off the entire Table PC evolution with a sentence is hardly useful in discussing historical successes and failures of tablet.



    No mention of TransNote, Motion Computing, the uses of tablets in the medical industry (one of the few tablet successful niche areas). Zero discussion of slate vs convertible tablets and why convertibles beat slates. No mention of OneNote from Microsoft or Inkwell from Apple or even the freaking modbook.



    PDAs, Palm, Newton, iPhones are all not tablets. Even there he got PDA history wrong. PDAs didn't die because of the dot bomb left no market for "executive toys" but because they evolved to become SMARTPHONES. Jeez. Crackberries killed PDAs (and Palm) starting 2002 with the 5810 and java apps. Emerging smartphones (and just smarter regular phones) cratered trditional PDA growth finally killing it entirely. Palm being idiots didn't help but the writing was on the wall in 2002 and the great extinction started in 2004 and declared dead by pundits because of phones.



    I concur. PDAs died because wireless smartphones were taking over.
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