hmm, i can see the merits of such a tablet ... cheers aries for pointing out some of the potential real-world scenarios ...
however gametes, it seems as if your personal take on this is rather defensive ... why are you posting to a public rumour forum if you cannot take (largely) constructive criticism? Surely a good idea is better once bounced off several others?
When I read your first post the first thing I thought was 'how would i get these PDFs/digital photos/schematics onto this machine?'
So i would concur that firewire seems like a good option; due to its speed, omnipresence in the current mac world, and for the fact you could recharge this machine a la iPod via FW.
As sombody else pointed out, bluetooth is a tiny chip (we've all seen how dinky thet new Dlink USB adaptor is ... its just a dongle size) and its easily built onto the main mobo. But its slow ... damn slow ... and best for transfering text-based stuff like contacts, playlists, SMSs to a nearby device, at the moment most probably a cell phone. So such a tablet would require easy access to another Mac (BW, Airport, ethernet or FW enabled ... take your pick) and any other device (mebbe a cell phone, digital camera or iPod). If I need access to all of that to make my tablet useful, I'd rather have an iBook, and be able to input easily onto it, with all the functionality and flexibility that entails. I wouldn't agree that laptops are overrated ... they are more self-sufficient than a tablet.
I'd rather have a slightly thinner iBook, which you could bend the screen back on 180º, and a touch sensitive screen so you could write on it. Or even a screen on 'runners' which could fold down directly over the keyboard and trackpad. At least I could do without another Mac to do my work on, or take off ... and I could get the best of both worlds ...
Anyone who needs a collection of text-based documents (word, pdf, spreadsheet, etc) to be readily accessible on hand would do better with this than a laptop. Students, lawyers, doctors, factory foremen, your mom, I mean, the list goes on and on. For it's market, this is perfect. and the market is very real.
Why this tablet, over others? It costs less, and does what it needs to do. A killer combination. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
hmm, i can see the merits of such a tablet ... cheers aries for pointing out some of the potential real-world scenarios ...<hr></blockquote>
Cheers, indeed.
[quote]however gametes, it seems as if your personal take on this is rather defensive ... why are you posting to a public rumour forum if you cannot take (largely) constructive criticism? Surely a good idea is better once bounced off several others?<hr></blockquote>
Yes, I agree. That's why FW is in. Oh wait, you only read the first 3 posts, huh. ok. I don't mean to be defensive, but I was kinda hoping for more talk about things like the FW port, which is good, and fewer people being stupid. Now, I know "stupid" is something I need to be sensitive towards, but it's hard sometimes. I find it almost impossible to bear when people say that this is a bad idea. Imperfect, fine. But bad? And then they site as their reasoning things I've already addressed, etc. ah well.
Not you personally, just in general.
[quote]When I read your first post the first thing I thought was 'how would i get these PDFs/digital photos/schematics onto this machine?'<hr></blockquote>
I really, really don't want to come across as mean here. Do you know what Airport is? This and your next seems like you think there is no ability for this to get connected to the world, which is crazy.
[quote]So i would concur that firewire seems like a good option; due to its speed, omnipresence in the current mac world, and for the fact you could recharge this machine a la iPod via FW.<hr></blockquote>
Absolutely agreed.
[quote]As sombody else pointed out, bluetooth is a tiny chip (we've all seen how dinky thet new Dlink USB adaptor is ... its just a dongle size) and its easily built onto the main mobo. But its slow ... damn slow ... and best for transfering text-based stuff like contacts, playlists, SMSs to a nearby device, at the moment most probably a cell phone.<hr></blockquote>
Yep.
Here's the good stuff...
[quote]So such a tablet would require easy access to another Mac (BW, Airport, ethernet or FW enabled ... take your pick) and any other device (mebbe a cell phone, digital camera or iPod).<hr></blockquote>
check.
[quote]If I need access to all of that to make my tablet useful, I'd rather have an iBook, and be able to input easily onto it, with all the functionality and flexibility that entails. I wouldn't agree that laptops are overrated ... they are more self-sufficient than a tablet.<hr></blockquote>
I'd rather not have an iBook. It costs more, and is bigger, heavier, and harder to use while standing and holding in your arms. I can surf the web the Same or Better. I can read pdf's SoB. Do Text. hmmm...
</end good stuff>
[quote]I'd rather have a slightly thinner iBook, which you could bend the screen back on 180º, and a touch sensitive screen so you could write on it. Or even a screen on 'runners' which could fold down directly over the keyboard and trackpad. At least I could do without another Mac to do my work on, or take off ... and I could get the best of both worlds ...<hr></blockquote>
Or, for about half the cost, I could have something with features I actually want, that Apple could actually sell.
That is a different product, fundamentally.
[quote]Hope this is constructively adding to the debate <hr></blockquote>
It has been, thank you.
It's not usually my style to do the quote-and-disect thing, but it was irresistible.
I like how you called people who don't agree with your opinion 'stupid.' That was very intelligent of you.
Your last post just made me realize that you're probably young - early to mid teens - (or at the very least, THINK YOUNG) hence why you're very defensive about your idea, but calling people stupid or forcing your ideas of the 'perfect companion' down people's throats isn't exactly the best way to convince people of the validity of your design. Citing real world scenarios where your design would be useful IS a way to validate it, though.
And, just to clarify, I didn't think your idea was bad, I just don't think it can be priced right for the target audience.
The tablet is such a suitable form factor, that the question isn't why but when! There are a large number of us that have more than 1 computer (Usually a desktop and a laptop) and some of us have 3 or more. I would love to add a tablet to my collection.
But I'm surprised no-one has critized the thickness you're proposing. My Titanium with all its goodies is an inch thick, Toshiba has introduced a laptop that's 0.6-inches thick - I see no reason why this can't be half an inch thick. (Not that that makes such a difference in portability, but the wow factor would be heightened and it would serve to functional separate it from inevitable laptop comparisons.). Now that's form that would really be useful - it could syphon off a lot of the upper end PDA market (As someone mentioned earlier, some of the more mundane Palm functions have migrated to cell phones anyway).
Add my vote for Firewire and/or Ethernet. I don't think that would detract from your purity of form philosophy. While I am an avid Airport wireless user , it would still be useful to have a hardwire connection, say booting from a firewire drive to reinstall the system for instance, and all the other firewire speed benefits.
It'll come in good time, definitely, but I think its smart to let Microsnot bully their partners into spending $billions on the promotion of an over-priced, overweight, and misguided product first, then slide in with a super slim 'so gorgeous-it-hurts' Apple tablet just as the critical hit sh*ts the fan
Count me in, I love my Newton, but it's five years old. True love lasts forever, but not electronics. I have two questions/ideas.
1. With the other thread on this subject the unit has the screen in a vertical orientation. Wouldn't it be cool to have a little icon in the dock you could tap to rotate the screen between portrait and landscape? You'd probably use it most of the time in Vertical but there are situations where Horizontal would work much better.
2. How is the screen protected while it is in your backpack, etc? Love my Newton's built in lid, but I'm sure Apple could come up with an even slicker solution, I mean, it has been_5_years.
Comments
[ 03-28-2002: Message edited by: Aries 1B ]</p>
however gametes, it seems as if your personal take on this is rather defensive ... why are you posting to a public rumour forum if you cannot take (largely) constructive criticism? Surely a good idea is better once bounced off several others?
When I read your first post the first thing I thought was 'how would i get these PDFs/digital photos/schematics onto this machine?'
So i would concur that firewire seems like a good option; due to its speed, omnipresence in the current mac world, and for the fact you could recharge this machine a la iPod via FW.
As sombody else pointed out, bluetooth is a tiny chip (we've all seen how dinky thet new Dlink USB adaptor is ... its just a dongle size) and its easily built onto the main mobo. But its slow ... damn slow ... and best for transfering text-based stuff like contacts, playlists, SMSs to a nearby device, at the moment most probably a cell phone. So such a tablet would require easy access to another Mac (BW, Airport, ethernet or FW enabled ... take your pick) and any other device (mebbe a cell phone, digital camera or iPod). If I need access to all of that to make my tablet useful, I'd rather have an iBook, and be able to input easily onto it, with all the functionality and flexibility that entails. I wouldn't agree that laptops are overrated ... they are more self-sufficient than a tablet.
I'd rather have a slightly thinner iBook, which you could bend the screen back on 180º, and a touch sensitive screen so you could write on it. Or even a screen on 'runners' which could fold down directly over the keyboard and trackpad. At least I could do without another Mac to do my work on, or take off ... and I could get the best of both worlds ...
Hope this is constructively adding to the debate
Anyone who needs a collection of text-based documents (word, pdf, spreadsheet, etc) to be readily accessible on hand would do better with this than a laptop. Students, lawyers, doctors, factory foremen, your mom, I mean, the list goes on and on. For it's market, this is perfect. and the market is very real.
Why this tablet, over others? It costs less, and does what it needs to do. A killer combination. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
hmm, i can see the merits of such a tablet ... cheers aries for pointing out some of the potential real-world scenarios ...<hr></blockquote>
Cheers, indeed.
[quote]however gametes, it seems as if your personal take on this is rather defensive ... why are you posting to a public rumour forum if you cannot take (largely) constructive criticism? Surely a good idea is better once bounced off several others?<hr></blockquote>
Yes, I agree. That's why FW is in. Oh wait, you only read the first 3 posts, huh. ok. I don't mean to be defensive, but I was kinda hoping for more talk about things like the FW port, which is good, and fewer people being stupid. Now, I know "stupid" is something I need to be sensitive towards, but it's hard sometimes. I find it almost impossible to bear when people say that this is a bad idea. Imperfect, fine. But bad? And then they site as their reasoning things I've already addressed, etc. ah well.
Not you personally, just in general.
[quote]When I read your first post the first thing I thought was 'how would i get these PDFs/digital photos/schematics onto this machine?'<hr></blockquote>
I really, really don't want to come across as mean here. Do you know what Airport is? This and your next seems like you think there is no ability for this to get connected to the world, which is crazy.
[quote]So i would concur that firewire seems like a good option; due to its speed, omnipresence in the current mac world, and for the fact you could recharge this machine a la iPod via FW.<hr></blockquote>
Absolutely agreed.
[quote]As sombody else pointed out, bluetooth is a tiny chip (we've all seen how dinky thet new Dlink USB adaptor is ... its just a dongle size) and its easily built onto the main mobo. But its slow ... damn slow ... and best for transfering text-based stuff like contacts, playlists, SMSs to a nearby device, at the moment most probably a cell phone.<hr></blockquote>
Yep.
Here's the good stuff...
[quote]So such a tablet would require easy access to another Mac (BW, Airport, ethernet or FW enabled ... take your pick) and any other device (mebbe a cell phone, digital camera or iPod).<hr></blockquote>
check.
[quote]If I need access to all of that to make my tablet useful, I'd rather have an iBook, and be able to input easily onto it, with all the functionality and flexibility that entails. I wouldn't agree that laptops are overrated ... they are more self-sufficient than a tablet.<hr></blockquote>
I'd rather not have an iBook. It costs more, and is bigger, heavier, and harder to use while standing and holding in your arms. I can surf the web the Same or Better. I can read pdf's SoB. Do Text. hmmm...
</end good stuff>
[quote]I'd rather have a slightly thinner iBook, which you could bend the screen back on 180º, and a touch sensitive screen so you could write on it. Or even a screen on 'runners' which could fold down directly over the keyboard and trackpad. At least I could do without another Mac to do my work on, or take off ... and I could get the best of both worlds ...<hr></blockquote>
Or, for about half the cost, I could have something with features I actually want, that Apple could actually sell.
That is a different product, fundamentally.
[quote]Hope this is constructively adding to the debate
It has been, thank you.
It's not usually my style to do the quote-and-disect thing, but it was irresistible.
Your last post just made me realize that you're probably young - early to mid teens - (or at the very least, THINK YOUNG) hence why you're very defensive about your idea, but calling people stupid or forcing your ideas of the 'perfect companion' down people's throats isn't exactly the best way to convince people of the validity of your design. Citing real world scenarios where your design would be useful IS a way to validate it, though.
And, just to clarify, I didn't think your idea was bad, I just don't think it can be priced right for the target audience.
But I'm surprised no-one has critized the thickness you're proposing. My Titanium with all its goodies is an inch thick, Toshiba has introduced a laptop that's 0.6-inches thick - I see no reason why this can't be half an inch thick. (Not that that makes such a difference in portability, but the wow factor would be heightened and it would serve to functional separate it from inevitable laptop comparisons.). Now that's form that would really be useful - it could syphon off a lot of the upper end PDA market (As someone mentioned earlier, some of the more mundane Palm functions have migrated to cell phones anyway).
Add my vote for Firewire and/or Ethernet. I don't think that would detract from your purity of form philosophy. While I am an avid Airport wireless user , it would still be useful to have a hardwire connection, say booting from a firewire drive to reinstall the system for instance, and all the other firewire speed benefits.
Good Ideas.
1. With the other thread on this subject the unit has the screen in a vertical orientation. Wouldn't it be cool to have a little icon in the dock you could tap to rotate the screen between portrait and landscape? You'd probably use it most of the time in Vertical but there are situations where Horizontal would work much better.
2. How is the screen protected while it is in your backpack, etc? Love my Newton's built in lid, but I'm sure Apple could come up with an even slicker solution, I mean, it has been_5_years.
[ 04-01-2002: Message edited by: Gametes ]</p>