Just like portable televisions got popular when they got tiny? No matter how much thinner tablets get, they'll still have the same utility. I suppose that they'll be popular with techno-weenies like us... just like watch-calculators in the 80s.
But I'll shut up now so that people can lust without the negativity.
Bad analogy; with a tablet the potential functionality and (more importantly for Apple) potential market reaches a tipping point at a certain form factor.
Bad analogy; with a tablet the potential functionality and (more importantly for Apple) potential market reaches a tipping point at a certain form factor.
Nope, functionality remains the same no matter if the tablet is 5mm thick or 20mm thick.
(1) A fullsize Tablet PC, convertible laptop. It's 12"x10" and weighs about 4 pounds. It's made of plastic and has doors, ports and buttons on all sides. Current state of the art.
(2) A 7"x5", ruggedized plastic tablet Mac, weighs about 8 ounces, no doors ports or buttons except a single rubberized button on one end to turn it on, and maybe a power charging connector.
Which of these would you carry into a grocery store to do comparison shopping?
if the tablet mac was kinda sexy and not overly geeky, more like a really chic clipboard, yeah, it would rock for grocery shopping. would i be able to fold it up and put it in my pocket when i reach the checkout?
I think the kicker here is the stylus. Nobody wants to use a separate little fancy stick to compute with on the go, yet that's all the options people have had for a long time, generally.
If Apple developed a tablet that had a special, modified Mac OS on it, was incredibly easy to use and sync to your home system, AND that tablet did not need a stylus...
and what, use your finger? eh. Or maybe a cordless iMac puck? double eh. The Stylus and the Tablet are two notions that pretty much are stuck with each other.
and what, use your finger? eh. Or maybe a cordless iMac puck? double eh. The Stylus and the Tablet are two notions that pretty much are stuck with each other.
Agreed. Unless you have a device primarily used for display then a stylus is pretty much a given.
On a separate but still somewhat related note, does anyone else hate using a stylus and touchscreen to sign for credit card purchases? I swear I can't get my signature legibly inputted on those damn screens.
lets think outside the box here, peoples, we've been using (and still use) our fingers for a whole bunch of lots of things long before the pen, stylus, mouse, keyboard, quill, sword, whatever, came along. (cue monolith + apes scene from 2001)
when i had a palm and after that handspring, a lot of times i would not use the stylus, thanks to the writeright screen protector, i'd just whip the pda out and press some buttons, press on the screen with my fingernails here and there, no worries, no need for the stylus for quick stuff. the clickwheel is the first real revolution in human computer interaction since the mouse, and maybe since the pda stylus, i would dare say.
what's next? that will be the thing that revolutionizes the tablet, just as the clickwheel revolutionized mp3 players. in between the stylus (circa 1995) and eye movement/ thought recognition (lets say circa 2020), there is a space for a natural, intuitive, enjoyable, effective mode of interaction with a tablet-like personal computer
On a separate but still somewhat related note, does anyone else hate using a stylus and touchscreen to sign for credit card purchases? I swear I can't get my signature legibly inputted on those damn screens.
when i used those things, i always found it to be a bit annoying 'coz it was pretty low-res and high-latency so i always had to sort of focus and put extra effort into signing the thingy.
PDAs already exist as do tablets with nearly no screen bezel. They just aren't optimal for grocery shopping and never will be.
They are great for grocery shopping, I use mine all the time. PDAs have two serious deficiencies tho: (a) screen size is too small and (b) proprietary OS. PDA applications are crap, and if you've ever tried to write one you know why. The tablet should use regular Mac software, and screen res should be at least 480x640. BTW, if you do a search, you'll find dozens of tablet threads on this site; all of these arguments, both yours and mine, are old as the hills.
Great for grocery shopping? You have reached an impressive level of geekdom.
I'm sure it is appealing to gadget geeks like us. But we aren't the general populace. Even when we use handheld computers for stuff like this, it really isn't serving much of a purpose besides entertainment. A scrap of paper and a pencil is infinately cheaper and easier for many tasks.
Tablets (aka large PDAs) can be truly useful for some tasks. However, I don't think grocery shopping will ever be one of them.
Mobile GPS and map info is a far more realistic task for tablet computing. Tablets or PDAs are great for that type of thing.
lets think outside the box here, peoples, we've been using (and still use) our fingers for a whole bunch of lots of things long before the pen, stylus, mouse, keyboard, quill, sword, whatever, came along. (cue monolith + apes scene from 2001)
when i had a palm and after that handspring, a lot of times i would not use the stylus, thanks to the writeright screen protector, i'd just whip the pda out and press some buttons, press on the screen with my fingernails here and there, no worries, no need for the stylus for quick stuff. the clickwheel is the first real revolution in human computer interaction since the mouse, and maybe since the pda stylus, i would dare say.
for quick stuff lovely but for precision I'm not willing to file down the tip of any of my fingers. Also note the stylus interfaces that allow you to use your fingers etc. do not allow touch sensativity ala Wacom tablets etc.
Not something I'd be willing to give up just so I can smear the screen with my greasy fingers.
... Mobile GPS and map info is a far more realistic task for tablet computing. Tablets or PDAs are great for that type of thing.
Hadn't thought of GPS, that's a really good one. Maybe the tablet could be big enough to include a GPS receiver. If it's a regular Mac we can use regular (full-function) software, too.
Another point is that as wifi gets widespread, this tablet would be great for e-mail and browsing.
Businesses near where you're driving could have some kind of advertising you could accept if you were looking for a restaurant, motel, etc. Both of these are impractical on PDAs due to the small screen size.
USA-ians, how is AvantGo doing these days? when i was in sf bay area circa the dot com implosion phase, AvantGo was trying to be some sort of huge portal thingy for handheld apps such as looking for restaurants, motels, etc.
Anyway yeah good point re: GPS. That's the idea with Google proposing to offer free wifi access in san francisco city - this way any handheld/laptop etc will have a "quick and dirty" GPS without the full-blown GPS module - the wifi base station will know where you are and serve contextual ads for you to find that perfect place for a secret little lunchtime meeting with your lover....
Yep, GPS/maps/directories are a great task for tablets. Tablets are best for tasks that don't require much verbose or freeform data input. Choosing between options and terse data entry, such as search strings, are things that aren't hampered by the interface.
GPS is the killer app for tablets. Email composition and other tasks that require a lot of text entry will never be optimally served by the tablet form factor.
5 x7 tablet, very thin like a padd in Star Trek. Built in WiFi, Bluetooth and ram drive. IR out and in at the top.
As it sits its a learning remote control, email, e-book, browser, electronic picture frame, etc.
Optionally add on:
Bluetooth GPS with TomTom Navigator software and you just got in-car navigation.
Detachable Keyboard/Trackpad. Bluetooth of course. Now you have a micro sized Mac (turn the tablet sideways) and closing the keyboard protects the screen. You also perhaps just added ports and a hard drive and DVD.
Attach a unit (where the removable keyboard attaches) with a laser scanner, and a lot more battery). Now you can go after inventory devices, gadgets like the UPS guy's package pad.
Add really good hardware DRM (Intel?) and schools can now issue them in place of textbooks because textbook companies would love to be able to license textbooks to schools and the schools would love it too.
There IS a market for mini-tablet I think. Say wasn't there a post here a few months back about some manufacturer spilling the beans about an order for 5x7 metal cases for Apple?
I for one would welcome an Apple tablet but for very different reasons - I use a tablet at school (I teach) and it is here that it would be really useful. Instead of paying huge amounts for a pc, interactive whiteboard and a projector, you could have a tablet that hooks up to the projector. Some schools already do this. Great for entering registers and checking on students in school. Check pupil data on the move (anyone who works in a school knows what I mean, esp. when reports and cover lessons coincide)! The hybrid laptop/tablet would be a good move in such circumstances rather than the PDA type version people are talking about.
Yes, it is a small market and Apple, at the moment, seems to be all about branching out to the consumer. I have no problem with that at all. People are making money in this sector though (Acer in the UK).
Apple is releasing a product for ease of studying/notetaking/etc. It's called the iPod. Classroom podcasts....no need to even be there. Most students will never attend a single class. I can see it now. The average college grad will be a fat, drunken bum with no personality skills whatsoever. But I digress....
I think some kind of device if done right could work, but a tablet is too open-ended and does not solve any one single purpose well. They are fad items at present.
Comments
Originally posted by dfiler
Just like portable televisions got popular when they got tiny? No matter how much thinner tablets get, they'll still have the same utility. I suppose that they'll be popular with techno-weenies like us... just like watch-calculators in the 80s.
But I'll shut up now so that people can lust without the negativity.
Bad analogy; with a tablet the potential functionality and (more importantly for Apple) potential market reaches a tipping point at a certain form factor.
Originally posted by vinney57
Bad analogy; with a tablet the potential functionality and (more importantly for Apple) potential market reaches a tipping point at a certain form factor.
Nope, functionality remains the same no matter if the tablet is 5mm thick or 20mm thick.
(1) A fullsize Tablet PC, convertible laptop. It's 12"x10" and weighs about 4 pounds. It's made of plastic and has doors, ports and buttons on all sides. Current state of the art.
(2) A 7"x5", ruggedized plastic tablet Mac, weighs about 8 ounces, no doors ports or buttons except a single rubberized button on one end to turn it on, and maybe a power charging connector.
Which of these would you carry into a grocery store to do comparison shopping?
If Apple developed a tablet that had a special, modified Mac OS on it, was incredibly easy to use and sync to your home system, AND that tablet did not need a stylus...
That could be big.
Originally posted by ChevalierMalFet
and what, use your finger? eh. Or maybe a cordless iMac puck? double eh. The Stylus and the Tablet are two notions that pretty much are stuck with each other.
Agreed. Unless you have a device primarily used for display then a stylus is pretty much a given.
On a separate but still somewhat related note, does anyone else hate using a stylus and touchscreen to sign for credit card purchases? I swear I can't get my signature legibly inputted on those damn screens.
when i had a palm and after that handspring, a lot of times i would not use the stylus, thanks to the writeright screen protector, i'd just whip the pda out and press some buttons, press on the screen with my fingernails here and there, no worries, no need for the stylus for quick stuff. the clickwheel is the first real revolution in human computer interaction since the mouse, and maybe since the pda stylus, i would dare say.
what's next? that will be the thing that revolutionizes the tablet, just as the clickwheel revolutionized mp3 players. in between the stylus (circa 1995) and eye movement/ thought recognition (lets say circa 2020), there is a space for a natural, intuitive, enjoyable, effective mode of interaction with a tablet-like personal computer
On a separate but still somewhat related note, does anyone else hate using a stylus and touchscreen to sign for credit card purchases? I swear I can't get my signature legibly inputted on those damn screens.
when i used those things, i always found it to be a bit annoying 'coz it was pretty low-res and high-latency so i always had to sort of focus and put extra effort into signing the thingy.
Originally posted by dfiler
PDAs already exist as do tablets with nearly no screen bezel. They just aren't optimal for grocery shopping and never will be.
They are great for grocery shopping, I use mine all the time. PDAs have two serious deficiencies tho: (a) screen size is too small and (b) proprietary OS. PDA applications are crap, and if you've ever tried to write one you know why. The tablet should use regular Mac software, and screen res should be at least 480x640. BTW, if you do a search, you'll find dozens of tablet threads on this site; all of these arguments, both yours and mine, are old as the hills.
I'm sure it is appealing to gadget geeks like us. But we aren't the general populace. Even when we use handheld computers for stuff like this, it really isn't serving much of a purpose besides entertainment. A scrap of paper and a pencil is infinately cheaper and easier for many tasks.
Tablets (aka large PDAs) can be truly useful for some tasks. However, I don't think grocery shopping will ever be one of them.
Mobile GPS and map info is a far more realistic task for tablet computing. Tablets or PDAs are great for that type of thing.
Originally posted by sunilraman
lets think outside the box here, peoples, we've been using (and still use) our fingers for a whole bunch of lots of things long before the pen, stylus, mouse, keyboard, quill, sword, whatever, came along. (cue monolith + apes scene from 2001)
when i had a palm and after that handspring, a lot of times i would not use the stylus, thanks to the writeright screen protector, i'd just whip the pda out and press some buttons, press on the screen with my fingernails here and there, no worries, no need for the stylus for quick stuff. the clickwheel is the first real revolution in human computer interaction since the mouse, and maybe since the pda stylus, i would dare say.
for quick stuff lovely but for precision I'm not willing to file down the tip of any of my fingers. Also note the stylus interfaces that allow you to use your fingers etc. do not allow touch sensativity ala Wacom tablets etc.
Not something I'd be willing to give up just so I can smear the screen with my greasy fingers.
Originally posted by dfiler
... Mobile GPS and map info is a far more realistic task for tablet computing. Tablets or PDAs are great for that type of thing.
Hadn't thought of GPS, that's a really good one. Maybe the tablet could be big enough to include a GPS receiver. If it's a regular Mac we can use regular (full-function) software, too.
Another point is that as wifi gets widespread, this tablet would be great for e-mail and browsing.
Businesses near where you're driving could have some kind of advertising you could accept if you were looking for a restaurant, motel, etc. Both of these are impractical on PDAs due to the small screen size.
Anyway yeah good point re: GPS. That's the idea with Google proposing to offer free wifi access in san francisco city - this way any handheld/laptop etc will have a "quick and dirty" GPS without the full-blown GPS module - the wifi base station will know where you are and serve contextual ads for you to find that perfect place for a secret little lunchtime meeting with your lover....
GPS is the killer app for tablets. Email composition and other tasks that require a lot of text entry will never be optimally served by the tablet form factor.
5 x7 tablet, very thin like a padd in Star Trek. Built in WiFi, Bluetooth and ram drive. IR out and in at the top.
As it sits its a learning remote control, email, e-book, browser, electronic picture frame, etc.
Optionally add on:
Bluetooth GPS with TomTom Navigator software and you just got in-car navigation.
Detachable Keyboard/Trackpad. Bluetooth of course. Now you have a micro sized Mac (turn the tablet sideways) and closing the keyboard protects the screen. You also perhaps just added ports and a hard drive and DVD.
Attach a unit (where the removable keyboard attaches) with a laser scanner, and a lot more battery). Now you can go after inventory devices, gadgets like the UPS guy's package pad.
Add really good hardware DRM (Intel?) and schools can now issue them in place of textbooks because textbook companies would love to be able to license textbooks to schools and the schools would love it too.
There IS a market for mini-tablet I think. Say wasn't there a post here a few months back about some manufacturer spilling the beans about an order for 5x7 metal cases for Apple?
Corey
The second patent in the list is:
6,956,969\t\t Methods and apparatuses for handwriting recognition
From what I read, Inkwell can now decipher oriental characters as well as 'merican handwritin'.
V/R,
Aries 1B
Yes, it is a small market and Apple, at the moment, seems to be all about branching out to the consumer. I have no problem with that at all. People are making money in this sector though (Acer in the UK).
I think some kind of device if done right could work, but a tablet is too open-ended and does not solve any one single purpose well. They are fad items at present.