The stuff he was proposing was far beyond what I thinking in terms of a tablet. I basically think it could use a few new iApps for school, and office, with a notepad obviously, and be bundled with Alias sketch book pro.
I do think that wacom hardware utilities compatibility - such as a pen, or the airbrush would be beneficial. But a $10.000 price tag is way out there. Something with a Cintiq price tag would be acceptable to me.
18" Cintique is $3,499, a 18" LCD monitor sells for $600-700. Add $400-600 to that price to boost it up to 20", say the higher of the two due to added cost for durability and you have $4,000 before you add in the cost of a computer capable of running CAD programs, say another $2,000+ for the computer side of it. Add a premium of $2,000 to make it more durable, miniaturization needed to get it into a format thin enough to use and light enough to carry (good luck with a 20" LCD) and a healthy profit margin and you have an easy $8,000 for what he was asking for, I would think that any company coming out with one based on todays technology would have to price them at $10,000 and run a very small production run.
Heck, even a 15" Cintique is $1,899 (based on the difference in price/dimensions that is $533.33 per inch ). If they could halve that price for another 3" that would still put a 12" tablet at $949 before you add in a computer. That is the biggest problem that I see to the success of a tablet, especially on the Mac side, people will want pressure sensative (and honestly you need it if you are going to use it for sketching) quality but not the price that goes along with it. They will also claim it as a major flaw, and deride the product if it doesn't have it. Honestly, I would too but I have priced tablets enough to know that it is unreasonable at today's prices. Even just an Intuos2 6 x 8 tablet is $299, and the lowley Graphire 6 x 8 is $199. I just can't see Apple bieng able to come out with a tablet for less than $1000, and to be (really) successfull it should be starting out around $599. The mantra of Tablet computer advocates needs to be "Lowered Expectations...
Just to let you know, a good many of today's tablets have pressure sensitivity. The levels are half what the current wacom's are, and some of those can even use a wacom stylus, hence the 'fattened' stylus in my animation. However, I was using a wacom on SGI IRIX back in 92 and through the late 90's and it had half the pressure sensitivity that today's do and worked fine for MOST applications. Thanks for the enlightening conversation folks...
I'm still big on the idea of convertible tablet. I see people complaining that they are too bulky, but have you ever seen an Apple Tablet? Who said it would be bulky? I don't think it would be any thicker than a PowerBook. Those things are totally slim. That swivel is a good idea but I think Kickaha's right that it's probably not very durable. I looked at a Vadem Clio a while back, and thought that Apple could buy the design rights from that, and update it to bee more sleek (because it's a hundred years old), but I think it would be awesome.
Personally I think Apple could do wonders with a Tablet.
Funny that you are talking about this product. This product ran the Newton OS. Apple is leaning that way again with HP making an iPod. However this time, the OS currently doesn't support as many applications, it just plays music. Since Newton is no longer a viable product, Vandem has moved the the WIndows CE platform.
As far as CAD hardware, no portable product will ever really satisfy a CAD user's needs. CAD users need bigger screens first and foremost. The amount of screen real estate is paramount over all things like pen input and pressure sensitive line weights. Architects who don't draw dream of taking a tablet to the job site and sketching? stuff. I don't know what. The truth is, you take photos at the job site, you bring trace or a flip chart to a design meeting so everyone can see what you're doing and do it quickly. The grunts who do the real work need to see more than what you can fit on even a 30" 100 dpi monitor. Tablets make great sketchbooks and notebooks for the user; they're good for personal use. They're not presentation tools and they don't make drawing scale architectural graphics at A0 sheet sizes any easier. Even worse, drawing at 1:1 size, which is what you typically do in CAD now and shrink the graphics onto sheets later, is even more difficult on a small screen than the scaled graphics.
I think the tablet is a solution looking for a problem in the AEC industry.
I think tablets need to be thinner than most of the images here too, which are too much like the current clumsy crop. They need to be light enough to hold and balance comfortably on one arm, like people do with clipboards now. I'd say they should be no more than 2cm thick max., and weigh less than 2 kg. And of course the software problems are the biggest obstacle to a real breakthrough in tablet design, but the mockups are fun anyway.
...I think tablets need to be thinner than most of the images here too, which are too much like the current clumsy crop. They need to be light enough to hold and balance comfortably on one arm, like people do with clipboards now. I'd say they should be no more than 2cm thick max., and weigh less than 2 kg. And of course the software problems are the biggest obstacle to a real breakthrough in tablet design, but the mockups are fun anyway.
Very good points. Unfortunately, ugly American that I am , it has been a decade since I worked in Italy so my metric is a bit rusty and I don't have a ruler handy (I think in points and picas most of the time anyway ). I'm thinking that idealy they would be about 1/2" (Ah Ha! Illustrator to the rescue, 2 cm ~ 3/4", 1/2" ~ 1.25 cm) which would allow the comfortable use of a padded holder similar to the executive "clip boards" that you can buy, affording your investment a bit of added protection, especially that fragile LCD screen.
Since people seem to be fond of my thoughts on the subject, here they are.
There are a number of problems with the variously complicated contraptions to make tablets-that-aren't-tablets. The first, and most obvious, is that anything that is going to be held in one hand standing up had better be light and durable, and those things are never going to be as light or as durable as a simple slab. The second is similar, but related to usability: If you want a tablet, you want a tablet, and the added stuff just dilutes the purpose of the product and makes it more fidgety to use. It reflects a lack of faith in the designers' ability to make a functional tablet computer. My answer to that is that if you can't, don't.
Personally, I believe we're still two or three years away from having the hardware or software capability to make a credible tablet. Yeah, the Newton, but I'm factoring in that Apple will use OS X, not another OS, and the machine will be a Mac, not some other thing. This necessarily places the design under some fairly severe constraints in terms of what sort of compromises it can make. Additionally, I think WiFi has to become faster, more pervasive, and less local before tablets really become appealing. You want something like the ability to access your documents from anywhere without that meaning that they're all stored on some company's servers, not portable elsewhere, and gone the moment your subscription to their service lapses.
I foresee an Apple tablet (if they make one) as being an accessory to an established Mac setup. (What does Apple want to do? Move Macs, period.) You have your Mac at home, you turn on your tablet and voila you have access to your files and apps on your main machine. Your user preferences are merely cached on the tablet (and synced on reconnect if you go mobile). Don't think of it as a new computer, think of it as a remote access point for your *current* computer. Within WiFi range? You see your shared Mac files and apps. Launch your apps, load your data, do your work, save back to the 'server'. Going out of range? Envision a simple menu item under the Apple menu 'Go Mobile', which loads the apps and files you're working with. (Application installer receipts have never been so handy...) Head out with just the things you need for that day. Check your Mail, surf the web, edit some files. When you get back to access to your network (WiFi, internet, however you have access defined), 'Go Mobile' becomes 'Sync Workspace'. Select it, and your changed files, preferences, etc, are synced back to your home directory on the main machine, and all the space used during the 'Go Mobile' phase is marked as free for deletion.
Think of it like an uberPDA that auto-syncs and let you use your Mac apps and files.
Newton was phenomenal, but it was missing two things: syncing, which is why Palm handed them their head on a plate, and the fact that it was *another* platform to deal with, with all new apps to buy, etc.
Make it an A5 form factor for easy handheld use (but enough screen space to be *usable*), a small 4GB drive (oh iPod mini...), WiFi, FireWire, USB, Enet, modem, audio in/out. No optical. New slimmed down G4 that's under development, and 256-512MB RAM. Essentially, an iBook G4 in a smaller, sleeker, convenient form factor, but without the video outs, optical drive, etc. I can't see it being a gaming machine due to video card constraints, but I bet it'd kick ass at MAME.
The vast majority of drawings that I have seen working in Naval Architecture, Architecture and Electrical drafting are all A3. Anything bigger than that is generally an old relic from before I started, or something of extremely large scale with fine detail that needs to be shown. Rarely A2's crop up, but A3 is hard to beat in terms of size vs manageability.
How you can need a screen larger than 30" seems very strange to me.
Regarding the cost, the premium above and beyond what it would cost for a computer system with similar features is probably no more than that of a laptop compared to a desktop.
I recall reading that some HDD maker was testing server grade 2.5" drives because they could be cooler and take less space overall in a rack. Seemed like a neat idea to me, which leads me to believe that 1.8" laptop grade drives may not be far behind. Look at your iPods one more time, that really is rather small, plenty small for an A5 device, and probably a better bet than ultimate drive miniturization when it comes to a constant read/write access. 10-15GB of 1.8" storage probably doesn't cost more than 4GB of 1" storage either.
It won't be enough for this device to be light, it would have to be durable too.
Amorph, do you think that a keyboard neccessarily shows a lack of faith in the tablet? I'll agree that in current iterations it does, but there could be two decent reasons for doing it. A fold up machine is a nice way to protect the screen, and sometimes, 30 sec of keyboard access, can eliminate 3/4 minutes of scribling. Imagine you have remote internet/email access. (In two or three years time, it looks like a real "built-in" possibility for these types of devices, BTW, what with Blackberries, and an assortment of palm-phones dotting the executive landscape right now.) You open up your tablet on location to fire off a few morning email messages. With a keyboard, you can do this in a pinch -- I recal being surprised, very impressed actually, with the usability of the Psion keyboards back in the series 5/revo days. Certain HPCs also had great little keyboards for just such a mission. I know of one writer who actually cranked out a novel hunched over a 5 series Psion! I wouldn't recommend that, but for a quick round of email, or a letter or memo that's indispensible.
You'd be justified in saying that this, again, demonstrates a lack of confidence in the tablet, but I think it need not be. The focus can still be on the tablet, but rather than a naked tablet, build in a flip around cover that happens to house a small keyboard. With no electronics under the keyboard, it could be made with a very simple "flip over" design, such that the keys are exposed to the back, when you're using the tablet. Little risk of damage, very light, even removable, if you don't want it. I would be tempted to permanently integrate it, though, by adding a slim battery under the entire footprint of said keyboard. The device would then have two halves. The keyboard-battery, and the screen-"guts". When closed, the screen is protected, and when used as a tablet, the majority of the time, a thick flip over hinge serves as the "spine". A simple circuit deactivates the keypad when the tablet is opened 360 degrees.
A fold up machine is a nice way to protect the screen, and sometimes, 30 sec of keyboard access, can eliminate 3/4 minutes of scribling. Imagine you have remote internet/email access.
You open up your tablet on location to fire off a few morning email messages. With a keyboard, you can do this in a pinch -- I recal being surprised, very impressed actually, with the usability of the Psion keyboards back in the series 5/revo days. Certain HPCs also had great little keyboards for just such a mission. I know of one writer who actually cranked out a novel hunched over a 5 series Psion! I wouldn't recommend that, but for a quick round of email, or a letter or memo that's indispensible.
You'd be justified in saying that this, again, demonstrates a lack of confidence in the tablet, but I think it need not be. The focus can still be on the tablet, but rather than a naked tablet, build in a flip around cover that happens to house a small keyboard. With no electronics under the keyboard, it could be made with a very simple "flip over" design, such that the keys are exposed to the back, when you're using the tablet. Little risk of damage, very light, even removable, if you don't want it. I would be tempted to permanently integrate it, though, by adding a slim battery under the entire footprint of said keyboard. The device would then have two halves. The keyboard-battery, and the screen-"guts". When closed, the screen is protected, and when used as a tablet, the majority of the time, a thick flip over hinge serves as the "spine". A simple circuit deactivates the keypad when the tablet is opened 360 degrees.
Sorry I clipped some of your post Matsu, but all the things you just mentioned are just some of my reasons for liking a convertible style tablet.
The other thing's I like about it are similar reasons to what Kickaha described.
This could be the perfect access to my stuff at home, (or someone's office) from anywhere via Airport 802.11b, or BlueTooth. Every time I have to use my computer I have to twist up a spiral staircase. I know I can use airport with a laptop for almost the same thing, but I think a tablet could revolutionise my home computing experience.
Quote:
Originally posted by Kickaha
I foresee an Apple tablet (if they make one) as being an accessory to an established Mac setup. (What does Apple want to do? Move Macs, period.) You have your Mac at home, you turn on your tablet and voila you have access to your files and apps on your main machine. Your user preferences are merely cached on the tablet (and synced on reconnect if you go mobile). Don't think of it as a new computer, think of it as a remote access point for your *current* computer. Within WiFi range? You see your shared Mac files and apps. Launch your apps, load your data, do your work, save back to the 'server'. Going out of range? Envision a simple menu item under the Apple menu 'Go Mobile', which loads the apps and files you're working with. (Application installer receipts have never been so handy...) Head out with just the things you need for that day. Check your Mail, surf the web, edit some files. When you get back to access to your network (WiFi, internet, however you have access defined), 'Go Mobile' becomes 'Sync Workspace'. Select it, and your changed files, preferences, etc, are synced back to your home directory on the main machine, and all the space used during the 'Go Mobile' phase is marked as free for deletion.
Think of it like an uberPDA that auto-syncs and let you use your Mac apps and files.
Newton was phenomenal, but it was missing two things: syncing, which is why Palm handed them their head on a plate, and the fact that it was *another* platform to deal with, with all new apps to buy, etc.
Make it an A5 form factor for easy handheld use (but enough screen space to be *usable*), a small 4GB drive (oh iPod mini...), WiFi, FireWire, USB, Enet, modem, audio in/out. No optical. New slimmed down G4 that's under development, and 256-512MB RAM. Essentially, an iBook G4 in a smaller, sleeker, convenient form factor, but without the video outs, optical drive, etc. I can't see it being a gaming machine due to video card constraints, but I bet it'd kick ass at MAME
I'll won't stop saying it until I see one from Apple.
I love the tablet ideas because I just see it as making my life easier.
While I was in Washington, I helped to give some sales pitches (a new function that I'm moving into) in both formal and informal settings (after dinner around a round table). A large tablet would have been a MAJOR asset instead of flipping paper Powerpoint slides. Some music, Quicktime movies, and Keynote would have been huge plusses for us.
We're going to do alright, but a tablet (or tablets that we could have passed around after dinner and communicating and controlled by Airport/Rendezvous would have been awesome and allowed us to really make some points.
The unlimited, yet unfulfilled potential of an Apple Tablet often leaves me aghast.
... Newton was phenomenal, but it was missing two things: syncing, which is why Palm handed them their head on a plate, and the fact that it was *another* platform to deal with, with all new apps to buy, etc.
... but I bet it'd kick ass at MAME.
Syncing is getting better on the Newton with Newtsync. I can now sync notes with text files, and events and to-do items with iCal. Newtons are commonly using ethernet and wireless (802.11b). Also, a port of MAME is apparently getting started.
I've edited this a few times because I post so rarely here and I wanted to get my thoughts in order. Sorry that it's a long ramble. I agree with most of you about the hardware concepts (except for anything that is a hybrid laptop/tablet). What concerns me most of all is tablet usability.
...
I would use the iPod's style of touchpad for input all around the screen, like the iPod's circle stretched into an outer perimeter pad that your thumb can use to scroll back and forwards with, no matter what orientation the screen is (landscape, vertical).
What about a preference panel/option that allows the user to specify which side they'd like to use to scroll? I can only image that having all four sides live and ready to receive input would play havoc with anyone trying to hold the tablet. Great idea though.
Quote:
...
And, of course, it should have a dock connector for charging and hooking up a keyboard. But Apple's Bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse should make that redundant. The dock should let it pivot around like a display.
...
How about setting metal contacts into all four edges of the frame? When you gently set it in the dock to charge up (ala a cordless phone), OS X recognizes which set of contacts is being used and reorients the display to match.
Thinking about the 4 sections in the frame to change the display orientation while holding it; perhaps a time delay on the button? Hold it for 2 seconds and get a icon popup on that side, basically asking, "Would you like to change the orientation?". A tap on the button again confirms the change.
Quote:
...
Lastly, I imagine a durable and detachable cover for putting it in your knpasack or bag. It should be like a thick leather book jacket that folds over the top from the back. You open it like a drawing tablet. Have you seen those little Moleskin notepads? It would be like that, with a little leather strap to close it... very sketchbook and rugged, or antiquarian leather - whatever floats your boat . But maybe some of that thick new transparent latex (like the blue cover for the Palm Zire.) Anyhow, let it look like a drawing pad with this cover, not like a laptop in a tote sleeve.
...
I think that type of cover would be fantastic. Really lift the image above and beyond being just a computer to something very special/unique.
Great ideas in the thread, thanks to all for some great reading.
Comments
Originally posted by onlooker
The stuff he was proposing was far beyond what I thinking in terms of a tablet. I basically think it could use a few new iApps for school, and office, with a notepad obviously, and be bundled with Alias sketch book pro.
I do think that wacom hardware utilities compatibility - such as a pen, or the airbrush would be beneficial. But a $10.000 price tag is way out there. Something with a Cintiq price tag would be acceptable to me.
18" Cintique is $3,499, a 18" LCD monitor sells for $600-700. Add $400-600 to that price to boost it up to 20", say the higher of the two due to added cost for durability and you have $4,000 before you add in the cost of a computer capable of running CAD programs, say another $2,000+ for the computer side of it. Add a premium of $2,000 to make it more durable, miniaturization needed to get it into a format thin enough to use and light enough to carry (good luck with a 20" LCD) and a healthy profit margin and you have an easy $8,000 for what he was asking for, I would think that any company coming out with one based on todays technology would have to price them at $10,000 and run a very small production run.
Heck, even a 15" Cintique is $1,899 (based on the difference in price/dimensions that is $533.33 per inch
Cheers,
Gary Haus(a.k.a. Iksnoo)
Originally posted by onlooker
I'm still big on the idea of convertible tablet. I see people complaining that they are too bulky, but have you ever seen an Apple Tablet? Who said it would be bulky? I don't think it would be any thicker than a PowerBook. Those things are totally slim. That swivel is a good idea but I think Kickaha's right that it's probably not very durable. I looked at a Vadem Clio a while back, and thought that Apple could buy the design rights from that, and update it to bee more sleek (because it's a hundred years old), but I think it would be awesome.
Personally I think Apple could do wonders with a Tablet.
Funny that you are talking about this product. This product ran the Newton OS. Apple is leaning that way again with HP making an iPod. However this time, the OS currently doesn't support as many applications, it just plays music. Since Newton is no longer a viable product, Vandem has moved the the WIndows CE platform.
I think the tablet is a solution looking for a problem in the AEC industry.
I think tablets need to be thinner than most of the images here too, which are too much like the current clumsy crop. They need to be light enough to hold and balance comfortably on one arm, like people do with clipboards now. I'd say they should be no more than 2cm thick max., and weigh less than 2 kg. And of course the software problems are the biggest obstacle to a real breakthrough in tablet design, but the mockups are fun anyway.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
...I think tablets need to be thinner than most of the images here too, which are too much like the current clumsy crop. They need to be light enough to hold and balance comfortably on one arm, like people do with clipboards now. I'd say they should be no more than 2cm thick max., and weigh less than 2 kg. And of course the software problems are the biggest obstacle to a real breakthrough in tablet design, but the mockups are fun anyway.
Very good points. Unfortunately, ugly American that I am
There are a number of problems with the variously complicated contraptions to make tablets-that-aren't-tablets. The first, and most obvious, is that anything that is going to be held in one hand standing up had better be light and durable, and those things are never going to be as light or as durable as a simple slab. The second is similar, but related to usability: If you want a tablet, you want a tablet, and the added stuff just dilutes the purpose of the product and makes it more fidgety to use. It reflects a lack of faith in the designers' ability to make a functional tablet computer. My answer to that is that if you can't, don't.
Personally, I believe we're still two or three years away from having the hardware or software capability to make a credible tablet. Yeah, the Newton, but I'm factoring in that Apple will use OS X, not another OS, and the machine will be a Mac, not some other thing. This necessarily places the design under some fairly severe constraints in terms of what sort of compromises it can make. Additionally, I think WiFi has to become faster, more pervasive, and less local before tablets really become appealing. You want something like the ability to access your documents from anywhere without that meaning that they're all stored on some company's servers, not portable elsewhere, and gone the moment your subscription to their service lapses.
Think of it like an uberPDA that auto-syncs and let you use your Mac apps and files.
Newton was phenomenal, but it was missing two things: syncing, which is why Palm handed them their head on a plate, and the fact that it was *another* platform to deal with, with all new apps to buy, etc.
Make it an A5 form factor for easy handheld use (but enough screen space to be *usable*), a small 4GB drive (oh iPod mini...), WiFi, FireWire, USB, Enet, modem, audio in/out. No optical. New slimmed down G4 that's under development, and 256-512MB RAM. Essentially, an iBook G4 in a smaller, sleeker, convenient form factor, but without the video outs, optical drive, etc. I can't see it being a gaming machine due to video card constraints, but I bet it'd kick ass at MAME.
How you can need a screen larger than 30" seems very strange to me.
Regarding the cost, the premium above and beyond what it would cost for a computer system with similar features is probably no more than that of a laptop compared to a desktop.
It won't be enough for this device to be light, it would have to be durable too.
Amorph, do you think that a keyboard neccessarily shows a lack of faith in the tablet? I'll agree that in current iterations it does, but there could be two decent reasons for doing it. A fold up machine is a nice way to protect the screen, and sometimes, 30 sec of keyboard access, can eliminate 3/4 minutes of scribling. Imagine you have remote internet/email access. (In two or three years time, it looks like a real "built-in" possibility for these types of devices, BTW, what with Blackberries, and an assortment of palm-phones dotting the executive landscape right now.) You open up your tablet on location to fire off a few morning email messages. With a keyboard, you can do this in a pinch -- I recal being surprised, very impressed actually, with the usability of the Psion keyboards back in the series 5/revo days. Certain HPCs also had great little keyboards for just such a mission. I know of one writer who actually cranked out a novel hunched over a 5 series Psion! I wouldn't recommend that, but for a quick round of email, or a letter or memo that's indispensible.
You'd be justified in saying that this, again, demonstrates a lack of confidence in the tablet, but I think it need not be. The focus can still be on the tablet, but rather than a naked tablet, build in a flip around cover that happens to house a small keyboard. With no electronics under the keyboard, it could be made with a very simple "flip over" design, such that the keys are exposed to the back, when you're using the tablet. Little risk of damage, very light, even removable, if you don't want it. I would be tempted to permanently integrate it, though, by adding a slim battery under the entire footprint of said keyboard. The device would then have two halves. The keyboard-battery, and the screen-"guts". When closed, the screen is protected, and when used as a tablet, the majority of the time, a thick flip over hinge serves as the "spine". A simple circuit deactivates the keypad when the tablet is opened 360 degrees.
Originally posted by Matsu
A fold up machine is a nice way to protect the screen, and sometimes, 30 sec of keyboard access, can eliminate 3/4 minutes of scribling. Imagine you have remote internet/email access.
You open up your tablet on location to fire off a few morning email messages. With a keyboard, you can do this in a pinch -- I recal being surprised, very impressed actually, with the usability of the Psion keyboards back in the series 5/revo days. Certain HPCs also had great little keyboards for just such a mission. I know of one writer who actually cranked out a novel hunched over a 5 series Psion! I wouldn't recommend that, but for a quick round of email, or a letter or memo that's indispensible.
You'd be justified in saying that this, again, demonstrates a lack of confidence in the tablet, but I think it need not be. The focus can still be on the tablet, but rather than a naked tablet, build in a flip around cover that happens to house a small keyboard. With no electronics under the keyboard, it could be made with a very simple "flip over" design, such that the keys are exposed to the back, when you're using the tablet. Little risk of damage, very light, even removable, if you don't want it. I would be tempted to permanently integrate it, though, by adding a slim battery under the entire footprint of said keyboard. The device would then have two halves. The keyboard-battery, and the screen-"guts". When closed, the screen is protected, and when used as a tablet, the majority of the time, a thick flip over hinge serves as the "spine". A simple circuit deactivates the keypad when the tablet is opened 360 degrees.
Sorry I clipped some of your post Matsu, but all the things you just mentioned are just some of my reasons for liking a convertible style tablet.
The other thing's I like about it are similar reasons to what Kickaha described.
This could be the perfect access to my stuff at home, (or someone's office) from anywhere via Airport 802.11b, or BlueTooth. Every time I have to use my computer I have to twist up a spiral staircase. I know I can use airport with a laptop for almost the same thing, but I think a tablet could revolutionise my home computing experience.
Originally posted by Kickaha
I foresee an Apple tablet (if they make one) as being an accessory to an established Mac setup. (What does Apple want to do? Move Macs, period.) You have your Mac at home, you turn on your tablet and voila you have access to your files and apps on your main machine. Your user preferences are merely cached on the tablet (and synced on reconnect if you go mobile). Don't think of it as a new computer, think of it as a remote access point for your *current* computer. Within WiFi range? You see your shared Mac files and apps. Launch your apps, load your data, do your work, save back to the 'server'. Going out of range? Envision a simple menu item under the Apple menu 'Go Mobile', which loads the apps and files you're working with. (Application installer receipts have never been so handy...) Head out with just the things you need for that day. Check your Mail, surf the web, edit some files. When you get back to access to your network (WiFi, internet, however you have access defined), 'Go Mobile' becomes 'Sync Workspace'. Select it, and your changed files, preferences, etc, are synced back to your home directory on the main machine, and all the space used during the 'Go Mobile' phase is marked as free for deletion.
Think of it like an uberPDA that auto-syncs and let you use your Mac apps and files.
Newton was phenomenal, but it was missing two things: syncing, which is why Palm handed them their head on a plate, and the fact that it was *another* platform to deal with, with all new apps to buy, etc.
Make it an A5 form factor for easy handheld use (but enough screen space to be *usable*), a small 4GB drive (oh iPod mini...), WiFi, FireWire, USB, Enet, modem, audio in/out. No optical. New slimmed down G4 that's under development, and 256-512MB RAM. Essentially, an iBook G4 in a smaller, sleeker, convenient form factor, but without the video outs, optical drive, etc. I can't see it being a gaming machine due to video card constraints, but I bet it'd kick ass at MAME
I'll won't stop saying it until I see one from Apple.
I love the tablet ideas because I just see it as making my life easier.
-onlooker
We're going to do alright, but a tablet (or tablets that we could have passed around after dinner and communicating and controlled by Airport/Rendezvous would have been awesome and allowed us to really make some points.
The unlimited, yet unfulfilled potential of an Apple Tablet often leaves me aghast.
Aries 1B
Originally posted by Kickaha
... Newton was phenomenal, but it was missing two things: syncing, which is why Palm handed them their head on a plate, and the fact that it was *another* platform to deal with, with all new apps to buy, etc.
... but I bet it'd kick ass at MAME.
Syncing is getting better on the Newton with Newtsync. I can now sync notes with text files, and events and to-do items with iCal. Newtons are commonly using ethernet and wireless (802.11b). Also, a port of MAME is apparently getting started.
Originally posted by pathogen
I've edited this a few times because I post so rarely here and I wanted to get my thoughts in order. Sorry that it's a long ramble. I agree with most of you about the hardware concepts (except for anything that is a hybrid laptop/tablet). What concerns me most of all is tablet usability.
...
I would use the iPod's style of touchpad for input all around the screen, like the iPod's circle stretched into an outer perimeter pad that your thumb can use to scroll back and forwards with, no matter what orientation the screen is (landscape, vertical).
What about a preference panel/option that allows the user to specify which side they'd like to use to scroll? I can only image that having all four sides live and ready to receive input would play havoc with anyone trying to hold the tablet. Great idea though.
...
And, of course, it should have a dock connector for charging and hooking up a keyboard. But Apple's Bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse should make that redundant. The dock should let it pivot around like a display.
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How about setting metal contacts into all four edges of the frame? When you gently set it in the dock to charge up (ala a cordless phone), OS X recognizes which set of contacts is being used and reorients the display to match.
Thinking about the 4 sections in the frame to change the display orientation while holding it; perhaps a time delay on the button? Hold it for 2 seconds and get a icon popup on that side, basically asking, "Would you like to change the orientation?". A tap on the button again confirms the change.
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Lastly, I imagine a durable and detachable cover for putting it in your knpasack or bag. It should be like a thick leather book jacket that folds over the top from the back. You open it like a drawing tablet. Have you seen those little Moleskin notepads? It would be like that, with a little leather strap to close it... very sketchbook and rugged, or antiquarian leather - whatever floats your boat . But maybe some of that thick new transparent latex (like the blue cover for the Palm Zire.) Anyhow, let it look like a drawing pad with this cover, not like a laptop in a tote sleeve.
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I think that type of cover would be fantastic. Really lift the image above and beyond being just a computer to something very special/unique.
Great ideas in the thread, thanks to all for some great reading.
EDIT: spelling.