Steve Jobs Also Overseeing Apple Tablet or Netbook Device?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/11/steve-jobs-also-overseeing-apple-tablet-or-netbook-device/)

One aspect of the Wall Street Journal article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123941988981610781.html) published today that we failed to mention in our previous coverage (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123941988981610781.html) was that Apple is indeed working on a new type of device.

According to The Wall Street Journal's sources, Apple is working on a portable device that is "smaller than its current laptop computers but bigger than the iPhone or iPod Touch."

No other details were provided but there have been ongoing rumors that Apple has been working on either a tablet or netbook device. In fact, some reports (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/03/11/apple-netbook-touchscreen-rumors-continue-to-gather-steam/) even combine the two concepts into a single touchscreen device. Netbooks traditionally resemble smaller laptop computers and typically include a keyboard. Apple's ongoing research into multi-touch, however, has generated speculation that Apple may incorporate more advanced gesturing into a future device.


Article Link: Steve Jobs Also Overseeing Apple Tablet or Netbook Device? (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/11/steve-jobs-also-overseeing-apple-tablet-or-netbook-device/)

[kenzbud]

Wirelessly posted (Apple iPhone 3G 16GB White: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I'd be really interested at what price point they would offer such a device. Netbooks usually fall in the $300 price range. A multi touch netbook would surely cost more than that.

[dagamer34]

A touch device based on Mac OS X would require a lot of reworking the underlying GUI. Such a device can't really be "released to the masses" without developer input and retooling.

[designgeek]

Didn't apple say they weren't interested in the netbook segment? since no one seems to care I'll go ahead and say 'bout time... Everyone else has one and they seem to be popular. I really liked the MacBook Mini hoax on april fools day, looked pretty legit. I'd guess $500 for an apple netbook.

[bondsbw]

I'm still a skeptic. Apple would be competing in a market of:

Bigger than can fit in your pocket
Smaller than useful as a regular computer
Extremely low price point


Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone. The screen size is a plus over the iPhone, at the expense of having a device that isn't nearly as portable.

[iAlan]

I'd be really interested at what price point they would offer such a device. Netbooks usually fall in the $300 price range. A multi touch netbook would surely cost more than that.

I was thinking the same. I am more inclined to think Apple is working on a tablet-like device and not a netbook as such. I don't see apple entering the 'cheap' laptop market, not that I have any insider information, but i just doesn't sound very Apple to do so. A touch-based tablet with a screen around 10" would open a new market i think, as the current tablets are somewhat lackluster - and the investment Apple is making in touch technology has to be more than just for the iPhone/iPod touch.

Don't know if we will see at the WWDC or not, but that would bea great time to show the advancements made in their touch technology an get it into the hands of developers for a Christmas launch of the new device?

I can hope!

[VanMac]

I'm would be pretty interested in such a device. Something easier to lug around then a full laptop for a commute to work would be nice every once in a while.

[stagi]

I wish they were working on a 7 or 8" tablet style device. Something I could easily use around the house instead of my laptop for basic broswing to look something up or to control itunes (or even the tv and other devices). To hook up to VOIP for calls to would be nice. A cool device that is fairly inexpensive for apple to enter into the home would be great in my book.

[olternaut]

I'm still a skeptic. Apple would be competing in a market of:

Bigger than can fit in your pocket
Smaller than useful as a regular computer
Extremely low price point


Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone. The screen size is a plus over the iPhone, at the expense of having a device that isn't nearly as portable.

UNLESS.................,

unless Steve is able to solve this problem and somehow make this device have a larger screen AND still be very pocketable. Oh my, how would one be able to make such a device? *puts finger to lips like dr. evil* :D

[xDYLANx]

Tablet=Lame.

Netbook=Cool-ish.

all things are IMO of course

[twoodcc]

i really hope this is true, and they announce it in june. i'm guessing $600-700 range though

[kas23]

If an iPhone, unsubsidized, runs $499, you can bet this is going to be in the $799 range, which is a good chunk of change. Furthermore, what if they make it a relatively closed-system like the iPhone? I wouldn't want a device that would not be an entirely free-standing system (not needing to be sync'd all the time). It would also need to have user-assessible storage, need to be able to send documents to a printer natively, and also be able to load any programs you want to put on it. These are all possible with a regular Mac, but not the iPhone. I don't want to pay $799 for just a larger version of the iPhone.

[APPLE ROCKZ]

wow that would be sooo cool if Apple Did Have a Netbook And It Looks Like It's Going to happen=)

[kindablue09]

I'm still a skeptic. Apple would be competing in a market of:

Bigger than can fit in your pocket
Smaller than useful as a regular computer
Extremely low price point



That's my problem... is there a market for a 8-10" touchscreen? As far as I can imagine, touch screens are useless for any real productive use (notes, presentations, etc.). Apple must be designing this touch thingy for a particular type of consumer... but who?

[fleshman03]

Worth mentioning the Crunchpad.

Picture:
http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2009/04/09/photo3_2.jpg

Specs:
Atom
512 Ram
4gb SSD
WiFi

Price? $300.

Forum link for that discussion.
(http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7448395#post7448395)
I think something like this is what Apple make. Slap an Apple logo on it, iPhone OS and a dock connector. Sell it for $399-$499 and we're good.

No more, No less.

[iMacoo7]

This will be ideal for me....
I thought about it and thought about, my MBA has literally been sitting in its pretty little case for almost a year (Taken out to do the necessary updates when they come out.)I rarely use it, because I feel its even too big compared to what I can get done on the iPhone when im out or traveling. Something a little larger than an iPhone and smaller than my MBA would be nice.
I told my wife if one does come out (Either one) Ill be selling my MBA with all the goodies and extras I purchased with it and purchase 3 of the new device for myself,wife,and teenage daughter...WhooT!
Cant wait to see what is released!

[Drag'nGT]

If an iPhone, unsubsidized, runs $499, you can bet this is going to be in the $799 range, which is a good chunk of change.

Exactly, the price of the iphone/ipod touch should give a great guide to the price of the tablet. I want the tablet instead of the netbook we saw a few days back. It's more 'Apple like' for them to show consumers how a netbook should be done. Not to mention it shows everyone how much better Apple knows multi-touch technology.

[i0Nic]

i wonder what OS it will run, Mac OSX or iPhone OSX...

[severe]

I'm still a skeptic. Apple would be competing in a market of:

Bigger than can fit in your pocket
Smaller than useful as a regular computer
Extremely low price point


Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone. The screen size is a plus over the iPhone, at the expense of having a device that isn't nearly as portable.

Well said.

[iSamurai]

I hope it'll still have a keyboard -- coz it's really heavy to carry a macbook to uni to get some work done, while a multi touch tablet wont be practical and will zoom up the price... i hope it'll be a standard netbook that packs the basic necessities to get SOME WORK DONE, efficiently, coz my brother has a lenovo netbook and it looks light enough to carry around with loads of books and can still write up assignments with that thing.

[Ghost Doc]

you guys think this tablet/netbook idea could be the new iphone hardware update in June? i think its a possibility and hear me out: Apple has mentioned publically that they are not interested in the netbook market many times. Why the sudden change of heart, especially with the success of iPhone and iPod Touch. Its practically a netbook, only more portable. maybe Apple will make the new iPhone hardware a bit larger in screen with a slide keyboard (again, making the device a little larger, more like a netbook). It'll be a device thats the best of both worlds, allowing Apple to release one device rather than two newbies that have the potential to cannibalize eachother.... merely food for thought

[Scdavis23]

What if a company such as AT&T subsidized the device? Wouldn't this then allow Apple to release a high end product with a lower price tag?

[Lancelot9201]

I'm to the point where I'm less interested in what Apple is going to release & more concerned with when are they going to address their antiquated pricing structure. Everyone knows that 99% of their hardware is the exact same thing all other manufacturers are using, & unfortunately for us we're still paying proprietary prices. I got so excited when Apple went to an Intel chip thinking that I'd see a reduction in prices across the board, but that never occurred. Every product that they've updated, upgraded or introduced recently has been a good 30% over other similar products. I don't mind paying extra for good construction, looks & the OS X operating system but come on this is getting ridiculous.. Take their new "Time Capsule", no way is the 1tb model worth $400 (new reduced price) when there are other true NAS systems that you can buy with double that amount of storage. Obviously my love affair with Apple is over until I see myself getting better value for my dollar..:mad:

[inkswamp]

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.

[kas23]

I think something like this is what Apple make. Slap an Apple logo on it, iPhone OS and a dock connector. Sell it for $399-$499 and we're good.

No more, No less.

Why would Apple sell a larger more powerful machine - one that is not tied to a lengthy expensive contract - for the same price as the iPhone or Touch?

[MacFly123]

A touch device based on Mac OS X would require a lot of reworking the underlying GUI. Such a device can't really be "released to the masses" without developer input and retooling.

It will run the iPhone OS and have the App Store!

Why in the WORLD would they take on such a monumental task of completely reworking OS X when they already have done that, and have an app store and developer support and a hugely powerful infrastructure already in place??? :rolleyes:

That's my problem... is there a market for a 8-10" touchscreen? As far as I can imagine, touch screens are useless for any real productive use (notes, presentations, etc.). Apple must be designing this touch thingy for a particular type of consumer... but who?

You are all thinking about this inside the box... The demographic of netbook user here is secondary. The main target for this product is to tie in with the Apple TV and Media hub that is in the works! :eek: Everything it needs is already in iPhone OS 3.0 and ready to go!

[kas23]

What if a company such as AT&T subsidized the device? Wouldn't this then allow Apple to release a high end product with a lower price tag?

This is the only way we see this below a $500 price tag. And tying netbooks to a carrier seems to be in vogue now. Apple will likely make more money overall if they tied this to an exclusive carrier (the same way Apple used to get a portion of every monthly bill).

[kas23]

It will run the iPhone OS and have the App Store!

Why in the WORLD would they take on such a monumental task of completely reworking OS X when they already have done that, and have an app store and developer support and a hugely powerful infrastructure already in place??? :rolleyes:


Uggh. I hope not. I wouldn't want pay a premium for a computer that is just as crippled like the iPhone. I tolerate it with my iPhone because, after all, it's just a phone. To have Apple totally control my experience with a bonafide computer/netbook would be too much.

[BJWanlund]

I have to think this is more of a 12" Powerbook-style device.

Apple said they had "interesting" ideas for the netbook space. So, why not have a 12" Powerbook style of device with a different name (possibly MacBook Mini) for a Mac Mini-style price point ($499 or $599)?

BJ

[applealex]

if you were to design this device what would you put in it?, I think I would just include everything my iPod touch has besides the 3 inch screen and tiny battery and well 8GB of storage

I mean what would you put on this things besides more storage, bigger screen, and bigger battery?. the only thing I can think of is maybe a USB port so you can plug in your camera and transfer your photos to like a mini iPhoto and iMovie

oh and a sensor so you can control your TV with it, not TV but real TV

[michael.lauden]

well you remember when we first heard about plans for a phone way back when - if they can make something that epic out of a cell phone.

imagine the tablet interface.

however... if it's just a touchscreen 12" computer... count me out

[SandynJosh]

I hope it'll still have a keyboard --


I'm wondering if they aren't already shipping the optional keyboard for this new device with the Mac Mini.
.
Imagine something that is highly portable, acts like a iPhone/iTouch and works with any handy bluetooth device or not, as available.

My money is on it running iPhone-ish OS so it can hit the street with +15,000 applications ready to go.

By avoiding the netbook route, Apple can continue to redefine what the customer demands and leave all the squabbling about who can make the cheapest POS that runs MS POS OS.

Apple's focus seems to be on creating something that delivers the most bang for the pound. To do that they need to avoid all the battery-sucking specs like background processing, large screens, and off-the-shelf architecture/clockspeeds. As long as one stays away from the "me-too" products, then Apple's products can't be compared to Orange's specs.

Twenty-five years after the first Mac hit the market with a 9" screen, we end back there with as revolutionary a product as it was then...again with a 9" screen.

[gonnabuyamac]

actually, if they just dropped the price of the macbook air to something reasonable, it would be close enough to a netbook for me

[synth3tik]

I'm starting to get annoyed with Apple's hard on for multi-touch devices.

The iPhone and iPod touch are one thing, but these trackpads, and I fear what Apple would release as a "tablet" are another story and quite angering.

[MikeTheC]

I thought Apple already had a netbook. You know, something called the MacBook Air.

[synth3tik]

I thought Apple already had a netbook. You know, something called the MacBook Air.

The Air was not marketed as a netbook, it was marketed as a laptop you could fit into an envelope, then forget where you put it.

A.K.A. the MBA is a party favor.

[SandynJosh]

What if a company such as AT&T subsidized the device? Wouldn't this then allow Apple to release a high end product with a lower price tag?

...and what if Verizon were to market this one, not AT&T?

As a businessman I always carry my planner with me. So do business women. Student have their book bags, most females have their purses. So all one needs to bring up to their face is the bluetooth headset. Something small and flat that fits in a planner, or goes well with other book-shaped form-factors would be easy to tote; especially if it's lighter and smaller than a netbook and has phone/internet capabilities.

[kindablue09]

You are all thinking about this inside the box... The demographic of netbook user here is secondary. The main target for this product is to tie in with the Apple TV and Media hub that is in the works! :eek: Everything it needs is already in iPhone OS 3.0 and ready to go!

Interesting idea, although I am not too sure about media machines... but I guess that's what apple does; tries to shape the market. :cool:

[Michael CM1]

Wirelessly posted (Apple iPhone 3G 16GB White: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I'd be really interested at what price point they would offer such a device. Netbooks usually fall in the $300 price range. A multi touch netbook would surely cost more than that.

I noticed that Sony's netbook is about $900. Since they both seem to go for quality above base-level cheap crap, I'm betting Apple will go the same route. I really think Apple needs to hit that $500 price point somehow, even if it's with a subsidy with 3G service.

[mac jones]

ah the gratuitous tablet rumor of the week

Life is good : )

[mikeinternet]

UNLESS.................,

unless Steve is able to solve this problem and somehow make this device have a larger screen AND still be very pocketable. Oh my, how would one be able to make such a device? *puts finger to lips like dr. evil* :D

Make pockets bigger???

[Anghammarad]

Not a small MacBook. Not a netbook. Not a crippled computer.

A media and surf device.

Iphone and iPhone touch are still crippled when it comes to surfing, reading books and watching films. They are simply too small.

I'll buy one in an instant.

[SpaceMagic]

Look. Apple. I understand the Netbook market is exploading - I'm even considering a Win XP machine right now. The point is, we pay around £250 for one in the UK. If Apple were to make one, they'd charge around £500. It would only be successful with a percentage of the already existing mac fan base. I.e. A very small market.

If you can't make it £300 - don't bother.

[MacFly123]

A touch device based on Mac OS X would require a lot of reworking the underlying GUI. Such a device can't really be "released to the masses" without developer input and retooling.

That's my problem... is there a market for a 8-10" touchscreen? As far as I can imagine, touch screens are useless for any real productive use (notes, presentations, etc.). Apple must be designing this touch thingy for a particular type of consumer... but who?

Uggh. I hope not. I wouldn't want pay a premium for a computer that is just as crippled like the iPhone. I tolerate it with my iPhone because, after all, it's just a phone. To have Apple totally control my experience with a bonafide computer/netbook would be too much.

Crippled.... OR... Completely revolutionary and creator of the mobile computing revolution. I guess it depends on how you look at it. :rolleyes:

[kas23]

Crippled.... OR... Completely revolutionary and creator of the mobile computing revolution. I guess it depends on how you look at it. :rolleyes:

I say "crippled" because the actual hardware is capable of much, much more than firmware 2.2.1 allows. Only a fool would deny that.

Yes, mobile OS is revolutionary...for a cellphone. It would be laughable in a netbook.

Would you want a netbook that couldn't download files from Safari, could only install certain Apple-approved apps, didn't have file manager?

[iPhoneNYC]

A tablet would be cool. But it's the price that matters. There are already products in the line to look at: a bigger iPhone has it's place but priced at 4 - 600 bucks with a big monthly bill I don't think would become a "thing." A big Touch is interesting but would lack a phone - could one include a non ATT Skype package on other than wi-fi? Or, it could be made of chocolate, cost 10 bucks, and I'd give it to my kids for Easter.

[yayitsezekiel]

heck a netbook with osx would be great. Although i heard that apple has been working on OLED stuff, so it would be pretty cool if they could implement their multitouch and OLED into a netbook. If they're going to be more expensive than your average netbook, it better be innovative and have features that will draw people towards it.

[robbyx]

I don't see Apple releasing a Netbook. It just doesn't fit. They've never shown an interest in cheap, low-margin items. Furthermore, they like to LEAD, not follow.

It's all about iPhone 3 - and the App Store. I dare say the Knowledge Navigator might become reality in some form or another. Whatever they release (I think it will be a multi-touch tablet) will definitely not run the full OS X, but rather the Touch OS. iPhone 3, from what we already know, adds critical features like Cut/Copy/Paste, as well as support for hardware devices connected via the Dock connector (can you say printer?).

In my mind it's pretty clear what they're working on. Imagine an iPod Touch with a 10" screen, high resolution video camera for conferencing, support for printers and other hardware devices, a virtual full-size keyboard, etc. More than an iPhone or iPod touch, but less than a laptop. It will probably run between $500 and $1000, but definitely not less than $500.

Remember, it's all about the App Store! Apple makes a lot of money on the App Store. They're never going to put the genie back in the bottle on the Mac platform. It will remain open. But you can rest assured that they are going to push the Touch OS in all sorts of new directions and the App Store is a key component of the strategy. Apple likes control and with the Touch OS and App Store, they finally have their dream platform. It's totally vertically integrated. Internet distribution makes it possible.

Personally, I love the way my iPhone augments my Mac. I'd seriously consider a Touch OS-based device with a larger screen and more horsepower. It also opens up all sorts of new possibilities for developers. It'll be the iPhone gold rush all over again.

[Otaviano]

Steve Jobs is going to come out on stage like Moses carrying two Mac tablets.

I don't see Apple releasing a Netbook. It just doesn't fit. They've never shown an interest in cheap, low-margin items. Furthermore, they like to LEAD, not follow.

They will lead by making their netbook the device you describe, and it will be cheap because it will come subsidized from various mobile operators throughout the globe.

I would put money on it.

[leez]

This is my guess and concept :).

[Evangelion]

Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone.

Whenever I see someone make that claim, I think to myself "On what planet are those people living on?".

Netbooks are fully functional computers that run full-blown OS'es. Smartphones do not. Have you ever tried to do any word-processing on a phone? have you tried running spreadsheets? Have you tried doing anything that resembles data-entry? Have you tried plugging USB-stick to a phone? Have you tried doing image-manipulation on a phone? Hell, have you tried opening URL's in new tabs in iPhone? I bet your answer to all of those is a big fat "no".

Netbooks can run any apps that you can run on a normal computer, smartphones can not. Hell, you could do 3D-rendering on a netbook if you wanted to! To claim that "iPhone can do anything a netbook can do" is 100% false.

[o0samotech0o]

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.


What you may of not meant but came across, was there is a gap in the Market. Apple reinvented the phone, if they release a netbook you can gaurentee people may become more interested in them. I personally think, that if u are traveling you probably should use an iphone, which is a netbook with a small screen. Apple just needs to big up the iPhone by an inch or so.

[Evangelion]

I thought Apple already had a netbook. You know, something called the MacBook Air.

Macbook Air is too big and too expensive to be considered a netbook. It could be considered a subnotebook.

[B U G E Y E]

I think it will be a netbook-type device that runs OS X but also runs iPhone apps. Like the iPhone simulator, the touch apps could hang out like widgets on your screen and you could switch freely between touch and traditional input. Glass touch screen. Yes, it will get cruddy but that's why they include a deluxe shammy in the box.

But a real keyboard, I think. A full-sized virtual keyboard strikes me as only marginally more useful than a miniature one.

$799.

[Evangelion]

...and what if Verizon were to market this one, not AT&T?

Why would Apple piss off their exisitng partner and wed themselves to an operator that uses CDMA as opposed to GSM? If they used Verizon, they would have to make a separate version for all those 3G-using countries, since CDMA is not used anywhere (when compared to GSM at least).

[yegon]

I'm still a skeptic. Apple would be competing in a market of:

Bigger than can fit in your pocket
Extremely low price point


Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone. The screen size is a plus over the iPhone, at the expense of having a device that isn't nearly as portable.

I agree with these points, bar the last one;

"Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone."

I love my iPhone, but in no way does it serve the same purpose as a small laptop/netbook. Shares some purposes certainly, but an iPhone falls waaaay behind in terms of productivity.

edit: I missed Evangelion's post, totally agree.

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.

In contrast, I see loads of people with netbooks, on buses, trains, coffee shops, sitting on benches, every single one with a dongle jabbing out of the side (err, bar the newer ones with a WWAN slot :). I know a lot of people who've bought them for their daughters/wives, who otherwise would never have bothered having their own computer.

The market is there, this is fact.

[MacFly123]

I say "crippled" because the actual hardware is capable of much, much more than firmware 2.2.1 allows. Only a fool would deny that.

Yes, mobile OS is revolutionary...for a cellphone. It would be laughable in a netbook.

Would you want a netbook that couldn't download files from Safari, could only install certain Apple-approved apps, didn't have file manager?

Apple just added a couple things with iPhone OS 3.0 ya know lol! And yes those missing things you mention that would be needed might just be on their way with the debut of such a product as the tablet. ;)

Give it a little time, a phone isn't going to be a full on desktop or laptop computer over night. But if ANYONE is paving the future for that direction it is Apple!

[grapemac]

I'm sure this must have been said before, but if Apple were so adamant that they had no interest in the netbook market (instead of saying "perhaps, in the future"), is it likely this smaller device will be the new MacBook Air?

[teohyc]

Didn't apple say they weren't interested in the netbook segment? since no one seems to care I'll go ahead and say 'bout time... Everyone else has one and they seem to be popular. I really liked the MacBook Mini hoax on april fools day, looked pretty legit. I'd guess $500 for an apple netbook.

I remember Steve Jobs saying that no one wants to watch video on their iPod also, but we have video today.

Anything's possible.

[Bobjob186]

this is not a very good idea. No one is going to pay 699-799 for something with an atom chip in it and a 10" screen. I mean yes, a lot of apple lovers are going to buy one, but the market is soo saturated with quality netbooks for soo much cheaper the extra money will not justify running os x, especially if all you're doing is checking email and surfing the net.

I think apple should stay away and work on making a mid level user based tower. Drop the price of the mini 100 bucks, and give me a user upgradeable Mac Tower, for 1000 bucks and I'm there.

If indeed Apple does make a netbook I have no doubt it's going to revolutionary. If I was michael dell right now, i'd be working on making a sleek $300 stacked netbook that can easily be hacked to run OS X. He'll sell more macs* than apple will.

[eppel]

Apples app store has been largely succesful in the games category. $pple sees that. They are positioning the ipod touch more and more as a gaming device. Where would a larger screen come in handy? gaming. With the extra plus of internet, mail and such. With more powerful processing and graphics than the iphone this would make an interesting move into the gaming market by apple.

[allmIne]

Look. Apple. I understand the Netbook market is exploading - I'm even considering a Win XP machine right now. The point is, we pay around £250 for one in the UK. If Apple were to make one, they'd charge around £500. It would only be successful with a percentage of the already existing mac fan base. I.e. A very small market.

If you can't make it £300 - don't bother.

Excellent post mate. You've absolutely hit the nail on the head here.

[Bonte]

If an iPhone, unsubsidized, runs $499, you can bet this is going to be in the $799 range, which is a good chunk of change.

The iPod Touch is $229 unsubsidized, a small touch based tablet at $499 is certainly a possibility. Just don't expect it run full osX, appstore only.

[windels]

Apples app store has been largely succesful in the games category. $pple sees that. They are positioning the ipod touch more and more as a gaming device. Where would a larger screen come in handy? gaming. With the extra plus of internet, mail and such. With more powerful processing and graphics than the iphone this would make an interesting move into the gaming market by apple.


BINGO

well, IMO

[BenEndeem]

Perhaps some sort of gaming and multimedia device? The handheld gaming market currently has the DS: two small screens, one being touchscreen and the PSP: one relatively large or at least wide screen, so they would be still coming up with something new if they had a relatively large touchscreen. Games are certainly top sellers in the App Store and people have speculated about it before. Obviously I'm not going to say it with any certainty.

I don't see Apple making a conventional netbook, but a 'premium' netbook, who knows.

[scottness]

Make it do a LOT more than my iphone and sell it for $500. I'll buy it. After I somehow convince my wife she needs it...

[Evangelion]

I'm sure this must have been said before, but if Apple were so adamant that they had no interest in the netbook market (instead of saying "perhaps, in the future"), is it likely this smaller device will be the new MacBook Air?

You failed to notice the language they used. First they said that netbooks in general suck. A bit later they said that current netbooks suck. The change in language can be intrepeted so that in the first case Apple has no desire to enter netbook-market. The latter can be intrepeted so that they plan to enter it, but with a different kind of product.

And like it was said, Steve Jobs dissed the idea of portable media-players, and a bit later we got the video-iPod. And the language was similar. First he dissed the entire idea. Then he stopped dissing the idea and he moved to dissing the existing products. Just like they are doing with netbooks.

[yegon]

I'm no fan of the MBA but I'd buy one in a heartbeat if there was a 10" model, irregardless of price. That's unlikely to happen though, so in the long term I'd seriously consider a Vaio P once they've beefed up the specs to a 2ghz Atom, 2gb RAM, 128gb SSD and Windows 7 is standard.

[scottness]

And like it was said, Steve Jobs dissed the idea of portable media-players, and a bit later we got the video-iPod. And the language was similar. First he dissed the entire idea. Then he stopped dissing the idea and he moved to dissing the existing products. Just like they are doing with netbooks.

Interesting bit of history. Let's see where this takes us... I'm excited to see what will come of it.

[Marx55]

Apple iTablet to be a hit if it has:

- Full Mac OS X inside (not the limited OS X found on iPhone or iPod touch). For full blown Keynote and PowerPoint videoprojector presentations from NATIVE files (no conversion required) with animations, transitions, etc. The same experience as when doing it from a laptop.

- Light (400 or less), handheld and pocketable. The device is not to work on it, but for the presentations. Because even the MacBook Air is too large and heavy for us. Just make the presentation on your computer, move it to the iTablet and carry it in your pocket to the classroom, scientific meeting, corporate meeting, any meeting with family and friends, etc. See OQO model 2+
http://www.oqo.com

- VGA-out for the wired videoprojector (most videoprojectors are not wireless), Firewire, Ethernet and at least two USB2 ports for wireless remote control presentations with Keyspan Presentation Remote (now part of Tripp Lite as Keyspan-by-Tripp Lite Presentation Remote Control):
http://www.keyspan.com
http://www.tripplite.com/EN/lp/keyspan
http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/product-series.cfm?txtSeriesID=517&EID=13372

The idea is something similar to Impatica ShowMate, but using the much better Mac OS X inside a handheld pocketable iTablet:
http://www.impatica.com/showmate

Actually, this (first picture) would be awesome:
Next Apple moves will be Books and Games…
http://spidouz.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/next-apple-moves-will-be-books-and-games

Can Apple deliver? We need thousands for our University. The price is not a problem.

[scottness]

Apple iTablet to be a hit if it has:

- Full Mac OS X inside (not the limited OS X found on iPhone or iPod touch). For full blown Keynote and PowerPoint videoprojector presentations from NATIVE files (no conversion required) with animations, transitions, etc. The same experience as when doing it from a laptop.

- Light (400 or less), handheld and pocketable. The device is not to work on it, but for the presentations. Because even the MacBook Air is too large and heavy for us. Just make the presentation on your computer, move it to the iTablet and carry it in your pocket to the classroom, scientific meeting, corporate meeting, any meeting with family and friends, etc. See OQO model 2+
http://www.oqo.com

- VGA-out for the wired videoprojector (most videoprojectors are not wireless), Firewire, Ethernet and at least two USB2 ports for wireless remote control presentations with Keyspan Presenation Remote (now part of Tripp Lite as Keyspan-by-Tripp Lite Presentation Remote Control):
http://www.keyspan.com
http://www.tripplite.com/EN/lp/keyspan
http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/product-series.cfm?txtSeriesID=517&EID=13372

The idea is something similar to Impatica ShowMate, but using the much better Mac OS X inside a handheld pocketable iTablet:
http://www.impatica.com/showmate

Actually, this (first picture) would be awesome:
Next Apple moves will be Books and Games…
http://spidouz.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/next-apple-moves-will-be-books-and-games

Can Apple deliver? We need thousands for our University. The price is not a problem.

Nice dreaming, but I don't see all of that happening. I would LOVE to see it, but I'm only hoping for half of it.

[swagi]

Apples app store has been largely succesful in the games category. $pple sees that. They are positioning the ipod touch more and more as a gaming device. Where would a larger screen come in handy? gaming. With the extra plus of internet, mail and such. With more powerful processing and graphics than the iphone this would make an interesting move into the gaming market by apple.

Sorry, I don't want to sound harsh, but care to come back to reality?

Just so I don't pull numbers out of the air I checked some high profile games and their retail price:
Metal Gear Solid Touch - 4.99$
Silent Hill - The Escape - 4.99$
Sim City - 4.99$

Honestly the gaming industry could care less, as the price of iPod/iPhone games is so deflated, they are not worth it. The price of typical DS games is about 34.95$ on Amazon (taking the DS as example, as the DS is one hell of a success worldwide with 46 million sales in hardware).

The gaming part is just a nice hobby to sell more phones and build demand in people to upgrade their old iPods to iPod Touch. That's all, nothing more. They want to give you more upgrade incentive in a saturated market.

And the netbook discussion has been beaten to death. Netbooks are not Apple's target, as the typical netbook is a fully functional (sic!) but underspecced computer, that retails at below 500 bucks.

Just do some research. It is perfectly possible to install OS X on a MSI Wind if you care to look at these forums here. That retails for 379$. Do you really think, Apple can compete here and in the same way justify 'the Apple tax'?

[ppnkg]

Do you really think, Apple can compete here and in the same way justify 'the Apple tax'?

Before this gets blown totally out of control, repeat after me: there is no such thing as Apple tax. There is no such thing as Apple tax: either you buy an apple or you don't, simple as that. Nobody forces you to buy apple, nobody will send you to behind bars if you don't.


AND, conversely, there is a thing such as an 'MS tax': a tax on my nerves and sanity when IT administrators refuse anything else other than a windows machine on my work network.

[scottness]

Before this gets blown totally out of control, repeat after me: there is no such thing as Apple tax. There is no such thing as Apple tax: either you buy an apple or you don't, simple as that. Nobody forces you to buy apple, nobody will send you to behind bars if you don't.


AND, conversely, there is a thing such as an 'MS tax': a tax on my nerves and sanity when IT administrators refuse anything else other than a windows machine on my work network.

MS tax... lol. I've had that problem.

Right, no Apple Tax. I prefer to think I'm spending a bit more because I'm getting a bit more in software/hardware. And I ultimately spend less because I don't have to whine to the tech guy that my junk is always broke. It's worth paying a little more if it works better. Right?

[niuniu]

Maybe this is a stupid question, but do netbooks have 3G like a phone? Never had a netbook before.. not really sure what they do..

[guet]

Apple iTablet to be a hit if it has:
- Full Mac OS X inside (not the limited OS X found on iPhone or iPod touch). Can Apple deliver? We need thousands for our University. The price is not a problem.

A tablet with desktop OS X is not going to happen, because you can't have a purely touch screen interface with current OS X apps and APIs - it just won't work, no matter what the resolution. There are too many assumptions made about the nature of the pointing device (i.e. not a finger covering the item you're looking at), many controls are too small, no control click, menus would be too fiddly etc etc.

Mobile OS X is the future of the mobile platform, and will be used for their future tablet (suspect a tablet rather than a netbook). It could easily run keynote/powerpoint presentations, with a bit of work, but I doubt very much that would be a priority. You are describing an edge case, and building a product around it (presenting on a portable tablet). They may migrate the iWork apps to it, but not on the first iteration - the first iteration will be a bigger ipod, featuring mail, surfing, maps, photos etc. All the Apple apps adapted slightly to run on a higher res screen (wouldn't take much).

A tablet would make sense for gaming, internet, email, reading. Pretty much all the activities that people use netbooks for. It would *not* make sense for extensive data input, or manipulation (without a paired bluetooth keyboard, and even then, it's not a given), but that's fine, that's what larger computers are for.

Actually, this (first picture) would be awesome:
Next Apple moves will be Books and Games…

I agree that books and games are the next focus, but features like DVD drives are dead in the water (look to the Air for confirmation of this). However the general styling (a bigger ipod) isn't too far off probably. There's no way it will run desktop OS X though - aside from the practical reasons noted above they've poured too many resource into Mobile OS X for it to be a sideshow - note the twin tracks at WWDC, and the revenue from mobile devices which is dramatically increasing.

The natural fit for this device is Mobile OS X - I'd go so far as to say that Steve is now bored with the desktop, and you won't see any more shiny new desktop products - the new focus is laptops and mobile.

[yegon]

Maybe this is a stupid question, but do netbooks have 3G like a phone? Never had a netbook before.. not really sure what they do..

Not a stupid question. Some of the newer netbooks have a WWAN slot where you shove a sim card, the older ones you generally use a dongle. The only thing missing, for my usage, from my Samsung NC10 is such a slot.

[iPhoneNYC]

I would like to focus on the size of this theoretical tablet we are discussing. iPods fit everywhere, the Touch and iPhone can fit in one's packet, bag, etc. A tablet could get slightly bigger and fit one's coat pocket but that's not a huge increase in size. A 10" screen turns into a small MacBook. I think we have to agree what Apple has that the others don't is the App Store. So what is the right size?

[freddiecable]

i am also a skeptic. such a device would need a physical keyboard in order to be usable and efficient - even if it has multi-touch back and forth, up and down, in and out. it would become a 10" mac book air. and for under 500 USD? nah :cool:

[JDee]

But a real keyboard, I think. A full-sized virtual keyboard strikes me as only marginally more useful than a miniature one.

$799.

This will definitely not happen with multi touch devices - Steve Jobs was complaing at the official iPhone launch that the keyboard functions were there if you didn't even need them... hense why the iPhone is a touch device where the keyboard changes if you are in Safari, Mail and different applications to suit what application you are running.

I don't know what to think - I should really get off these rumors sites, as much as I love them I am getting far too un-patient to see what Apple are going to release next.

Anyone else with me??

[Winni]

Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone. The screen size is a plus over the iPhone, at the expense of having a device that isn't nearly as portable.

So you are telling me that writing on the iPhone is as comfortable as writing on a real keyboard (as the NetBooks have them) and that you can also run VMWare on an iPhone (as our student at work does it on his EeePC)?

The difference between the iPhone and a netbook is that the iPhone is nothing more than a cool-looking toy with very limited real-world use but a netbook is a fully functioning, but very small computer. Sure, netbooks are not fast (yet), but the point is that they run fully featured operating systems and use input devices that don't keep you from doing real work with them.

[Megadust]

Fingers crossed it's a new touch screen tablet. This is exactly where Apple and the market need to venture. A larger version of the iPhone would be a very east pill to swallow.

[metalmaniac]

For me a mac tablet would be perfect, im sure a bluetooth connection will be included, so mouse and keyboard would be usable, but on the road you just have the screen.

Anyway, from a purely experimental POV (im a science type) I stuck OSX on a toshiba M200 which has the stylus working in OSX much like the modbook, but with a twist out keyboard and trackpad.(Its completely unusable and unstable so dont worry, im not a hackintosh fan or an OSX stealer, i have the licenses etc and now its gone anyway.)

When my m200 is using doze I use MS onenote to take down all my university notes which is great as no longer do i have to lug around pages of loose leaf notes, I just have the tablet.

But Mac offers no discernible method of using a tablet input as a viable note taking app, and if they use multi-touch, I doubt any stylus, or useful handwriting app would exist in an apple tablet.

With stuff like the Newton in the past and the Amazon book reading tablet thing, and the fact onenote is loved by MS haters and fans alike shows that (especially for the student and business markets) that an apple touch tablet with these abilities in an OS thats actually pretty good would rinse the market.


Well, speculation aye, if they do release a tablet capable of virtualisation, Onenote will go on under Unity in VMware (If at all possible) and i'll buy one of those iPhone imitation finger stylus'.

EDIT:
Extra note : I do believe I read somewhere that Apple are updating thier handwriting recognition frameworks for 10.6 which leads my personal speculation to wander that little bit further

[Bigdaddyguido]

First off I would like to say I have no expectations of this new device, I think apple could go a number of different directions.

For one, why do so many people assume this has to be $100-200 more than the iPhone? Let's say they realease an 8" device with a small flash based drive and just wifi. I personally would value my iPhone with all the accelorometers, gps, edge/3g, light sensors, proximity sensors and tiny form factor, not to mention the fact it's my $300 iPod as well. All that junk costs lots of money and pushed the price up. Plus I think most consumers think of the iPhone costing 200-300 since that's what everyone pays. This isn't to say apple won't put out a betyvery tricked out tablet that costs $900, I'm just saying it is feasible to release an apple caliber product for less.

And for everyone saying that no one used tablets, no one used mp3 players until the iPod came out. If apple did a tablet right, one you could take notes on and such, I think they could open a whole new market again. Again, I make no predictions what direction this device will go, but for everyone to pigeon hold this as a $900 piece of junk with less portability and usability than an iPhone or a laptop is ridiculous.

[DELLsFan]

Didn't apple say they weren't interested in the netbook segment? since no one seems to care I'll go ahead and say 'bout time... Everyone else has one and they seem to be popular. I really liked the MacBook Mini hoax on april fools day, looked pretty legit. I'd guess $500 for an apple netbook.

... and shortly thereafter a drop in the Time Capsule prices. Holy MACaroni! Those are just priced too high! :eek:

[swagi]

Before this gets blown totally out of control, repeat after me: there is no such thing as Apple tax. There is no such thing as Apple tax: either you buy an apple or you don't, simple as that. Nobody forces you to buy apple, nobody will send you to behind bars if you don't.


AND, conversely, there is a thing such as an 'MS tax': a tax on my nerves and sanity when IT administrators refuse anything else other than a windows machine on my work network.

"Apple tax" is a very misleading concept, but in itself it is true. Mind you, this comes from someone, who really really really paid Apple tax (can you imagine, that I bought an iBook for more than 2000 $ and a Powerbook for more than 3000 $ in their respective times).

"Apple tax" in itself means, that you pay a premium price for a product, that offers no substantial quality difference with its competitors. Just to put that into some perspective let me tell you:

- Apple does not use significantly better displays in their machines than their competitors.
- Apple does not use higher grade quality HDDs in their machines.
- Apple does not use specially designed high quality graphic solutions in their machines, that other competitors don't use.

In the late 90s, there was a different situation. And I can tell you, as I still refrain from buying an Intel based laptop, as they are all inferior quality to the PPC laptops I own - at least in my perception. In the late 90s Apple used better quality parts.

Today everything in your laptop is generic and cheap except the trackpad. And using standard netbook parts, those machines retail below 500 bucks. Could you really imagine that?

A portable Apple computer that is even cheaper than the Mac mini?

[MrCrowbar]

This is my guess and concept :).

Awesome! Looks very sleek and fit into the current line nicely. I suppose the whole screen is the trackpad, in this case, smooth glass is kind of bad (sticky for sliding actions, shows prints, etc.)

The glass trackpads have the perfect surface IMO, I's use that to cover the display. It would be kind of matte but durable and comfortable to use. You'd have used to get used to using no trackpad button at all.

Actually, I think Apple would rather make it with a big touch screen instead of a keyboard, kind of like a Nintendo DS. This would give you two 10" wide screens. For surfing where you don't really nedd the keyboard, you can just hide it and have another browser window on the bottom screen.

The bad thing about a pocketable tablet would be the exposed display. My iPhone screen is still flawless, even after a year of abuse in my pants pockets though. And you can't really use a tablet on your lap or on a desk.

Anyway, this concept mockup is a winner!

[Lesser Evets]

IiPods fit everywhere, the Touch and iPhone can fit in one's packet, bag, etc. ... A 10" screen turns into a small MacBook. I think we have to agree what Apple has that the others don't is the App Store. So what is the right size?

What is this weird obsession with pocket sizes? I note a good number of people confused over this device not fitting into someone's pocket. It's insane.

The thing will have a 10" screen. It's probably a large iPT that is meant to reshape the netbook market. Final design will probably look like a large iPT.

If Apple is serious they will make it have stylus input for notes and data creation sans finger.

[iMacmatician]

If an iPhone, unsubsidized, runs $499, you can bet this is going to be in the $799 range, which is a good chunk of change.And the 32 GB iPod touch is $399 (which would be the price of a 64 GB in September). The device may not have iPhone features (or have them as BTO).

I'm sure it depends on the features and specs, but I don't see a 32 GB mini-tablet costing anything outrageous.

i wonder what OS it will run, Mac OSX or iPhone OSX...iPhone OS, with additional OS/apps features. Someone in the thread said that mobile Safari can't download files. Maybe an "extended" mobile Safari in the mini-tablet will have that capability.

I am seeing mobile iLife and iWork in the mini-tablet, as well as multitasking/windowed/split-screen functionality.

A tablet with desktop OS X is not going to happen, because…You hit the nail on the head and said it better than I could.

The natural fit for this device is Mobile OS X - I'd go so far as to say that Steve is now bored with the desktop, and you won't see any more shiny new desktop products - the new focus is laptops and mobile.I actually agree here, given certain specification and BTO options on the latest iMacs and Mac Pros.

I would like to focus on the size of this theoretical tablet we are discussing. iPods fit everywhere, the Touch and iPhone can fit in one's packet, bag, etc. A tablet could get slightly bigger and fit one's coat pocket but that's not a huge increase in size. A 10" screen turns into a small MacBook. I think we have to agree what Apple has that the others don't is the App Store. So what is the right size?I don't know, but I carry around my 7.5"x3.25" calculator around everywhere I go. :D (Has a stylus too.)

[Ping Guo]

What is a tablet good for, and why should Apple make one? Isn't operating with a stylus much slower than typing/trackpad? How does one hold and operate a tablet? One hand holding, the other writing? Flat on a table? It seems too big to hold in two hands and thumb type, a la the iPhone.

I'm trying to understand, as I've never seen anybody out and about carrying or using a tablet. Now netbooks... I see plenty of those.

[iMacmatician]

What is this weird obsession with pocket sizes? I note a good number of people confused over this device not fitting into someone's pocket. It's insane.I don't think most netbooks are pocketable either.

[MrCrowbar]

So you are telling me that writing on the iPhone is as comfortable as writing on a real keyboard (as the NetBooks have them) and that you can also run VMWare on an iPhone (as our student at work does it on his EeePC)?

The difference between the iPhone and a netbook is that the iPhone is nothing more than a cool-looking toy with very limited real-world use but a netbook is a fully functioning, but very small computer. Sure, netbooks are not fast (yet), but the point is that they run fully featured operating systems and use input devices that don't keep you from doing real work with them.

Keep in mind that Netbook keyboards are generally smaller and seriously bad quality compared to your average Macbook. I's rather have a wider but thinner notebook than a small but very thick netbook. Makes sense for students too, if they can just put the computer between 2 normal in their bag. Here's an old mockup I made, based on the bluetooth keyboard:

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4411/2351displayaspectratiom.jpg (http://img24.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2351displayaspectratiom.jpg)


Actually, I'd add a glass trackpad on the bottom, maybe 2/3 the size of the one on 13" Macbooks. A little palmrest is always nice anyway so you can balance the think nicely on your lap.

Just think 12" powerbook but in the new notebook design and considerably thinner.

[Lesser Evets]

If the 10" screen has the resolution density of the iPT/iPhone, this thing will score. Bigger isn't necessarily better, but more compact is definitely a plus. Why tote around a current 15" laptop when you can chop off the keyboard, reduce weight to 1/3, and have it all in a 10" screen?

I don't think most netbooks are pocketable either.

I suppose it is a question of "how portable", but why does portability have to go hand in hand with a pocket?

At least a tablet can be used standing up, if the keyboard or control interface works with the two hands holding it. That would be true portability to me. Most likely that is what is being worked on.

[riesvantwisk]

Apple is not going to release a netbook or tablet yet.

Apple is working on Snow Leopard to get all that functionality in for touch screen interface in.
That said, apple will not create a netbook like we currently see (a laptop but smaller). Apple will create a full tabloid the size of half a A4 (or letter) that is just full touch screen. The keyboard will be handled by a virtual keyboard. To protext the display will in bags etc, only a alu cover will close it. So the lid will not contain the screen. The lid can also be folded all the way to the back making it a very flat device. It will have SSD and about 1Gb on boards and will be a fully fledged OSX. They are currently fighting a bit with Intel about licenses to get it all approved, it has a atom processor on board.

There is really no point in making a netbook like we see nowdays because apple has a macbook air.

However, apple needs to way for releasing pointy devices because snowleopard will support that.

Ries

[Journojulz]

I am so excited about this new 'thing'

I reckon we are on the cusp of something as groundbreaking as the ipod or iphone.

Not a breakthrough in technological ability - but a revolution in user friendliness.

When i first picked up my iphone - i thought to myself "the future is here, this what we were promised in the 70s"

Now we will see what comes next - something thrice the size of the iphone would suit me down to the ground.

I have a solution to the virtual keyboard problem if anyone is interested....

If you have taken apart a remote control, you will know the 'click' is a rubber sheet with conductive contacts on it.

Get one of those that lines up with the virtual keys - and there you are.
Looks like a real keyboard, feels like a real keyboard, rolls up into a cigar tube.

[bytethese]

What if a company such as AT&T subsidized the device? Wouldn't this then allow Apple to release a high end product with a lower price tag?

I already have an iPhone, I don't want service on some other device. I just want a smaller notebook to take with me everyday. :)

[Jayomat]

what about a "netbook", with two touchscreens? one instead of the "normal LCD" display and one where the keyboard used to be. if you flip it, you have a convenient screen to read and in "laptop-use", a nice keyboard.

hmm.... :) :apple:

would be cool though :)

i must get some PS skills to make a mockup ;)

[iMav]

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.
Personally, I loved seeing Diamond Dave back with VH. Saw them in Las Vegas and it was a great show. :)

I have an Aspire One and absolutely love it. Great for trips to the datacenter and as a night table middle-of-the-night-web-browsing-session. I also use it as my primary computer when traveling. (coupled with a Verizon data card...and there are mods to put a 3g data card internally)

I think if Apple could put out a netbook with great battery life (use some of the 17" MBP tech to blow other netbook batteries out of the water) and couple it with built in 3g (perhaps another AT&T deal?), and at least one other knock-your-socks-off feature, they would have a winner on their hands.

I'd certainly buy one.

[iMacmatician]

Apple is working on Snow Leopard to get all that functionality in for touch screen interface in.Interestingly, the only multi-touch functionality I've heard so far in Snow Leopard is for the trackpad—not the display.

They are currently fighting a bit with Intel about licenses to get it all approved, it has a atom processor on board.Quite interesting. So I guess the old AppleInsider rumor about Atom making its way into Apple's product line may be true?

[Vulpinemac]

Didn't apple say they weren't interested in the netbook segment? since no one seems to care I'll go ahead and say 'bout time... Everyone else has one and they seem to be popular. I really liked the MacBook Mini hoax on april fools day, looked pretty legit. I'd guess $500 for an apple netbook.

Actually, Apple said they weren't interested in Netbooks, but that had some ideas for the segment.

I, personally, don't like the netbook concept. I understand it's great for some people, but if you're going to have something that portable, why limit the device to having to put it down on something to use it?

[iMacoo7]

This is my guess and concept :).

I really like this!

[nado]

A touch device based on Mac OS X would require a lot of reworking the underlying GUI. Such a device can't really be "released to the masses" without developer input and retooling.

The iPod touch and iPhone are based on Mac OS X!

[koobcamuk]

In the Windows world, people seem to love tablets that are for writing on - using a type of pen.

A Mac tablet would have multitouch, which would be great for a number of things, but typing on a device that's flat on a table top isn't going to be very elegant.

The current design of laptop, with keyboard at the bottom and a perpendicular screen is pretty ergonomic.

Does anyone have an idea of how a Mac tablet would either function, or be ergonomic enough to use for more than just a big remote?

The iPhone works because you can hold it in your hands to type... a 10" tablet would need a real keyboard... agreed?

[Vulpinemac]

Keep in mind that Netbook keyboards are generally smaller and seriously bad quality compared to your average Macbook. I's rather have a wider but thinner notebook than a small but very thick netbook. Makes sense for students too, if they can just put the computer between 2 normal in their bag. Here's an old mockup I made, based on the bluetooth keyboard:
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4411/2351displayaspectratiom.jpg (http://img24.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2351displayaspectratiom.jpg)
Actually, I'd add a glass trackpad on the bottom, maybe 2/3 the size of the one on 13" Macbooks. A little palmrest is always nice anyway so you can balance the think nicely on your lap.
Just think 12" powerbook but in the new notebook design and considerably thinner.

Actually, while your concept is pretty, it falls into the same major drawback as all the other netbooks: lack of usability. If you have to put the thing down to use it, what purpose is there to such extreme portability? Why not make it so you can hold it in one hand and actually work it with the other? I don't deny you might work faster two-handed, but sometimes you need to write and walk at the same time. This is why clipboards and legal pads are so ubiquitous in the workplace... easy to carry and use at the same time.

No, while I accept that tablet computers have been available for years now, even a tablet mod for Apple laptops, they have not been truly useful as a means to an end. Knowing Apple, this device will be as revolutionary as the iPod and iPhone and even the iMac were; taking an existing technology and making it something anybody could use and would want to use.

Apple is not just aesthetics, as the one Microsoft commercial commented, but rather, Apple is usability. They don't just make it look good, they make it work right.

[fleshman03]

Why would Apple sell a larger more powerful machine - one that is not tied to a lengthy expensive contract - for the same price as the iPhone or Touch?

iPod Touch isn't tied to a lengthy contract and can be had for $229. (8gb.)

We're talking about a glorified screen w/ wifi 4gb SSD and 1/2gb RAM. Nothing too fancy.

They would really do it at $300 and get decent profit margins.

Also:
The iPhone is a phone + iPod.

The iPod Touch is an iPod.

The iTablet is an internet tablet.

Different products for different people (or uses). You're not going to talk around with an iTablet in your pocket. You will walk around with it to class, read eBooks on it, go web surfing, look up TV info while sitting on the couch...

[Marx55]

Nice dreaming, but I don't see all of that happening. I would LOVE to see it, but I'm only hoping for half of it.

Yeah, but if at least it runs Keynote and PowerPoint for presentations, that will do for now!

[Vulpinemac]

"Apple tax" in itself means, that you pay a premium price for a product, that offers no substantial quality difference with its competitors. Just to put that into some perspective let me tell you:

- Apple does not use significantly better displays in their machines than their competitors.
- Apple does not use higher grade quality HDDs in their machines.
- Apple does not use specially designed high quality graphic solutions in their machines, that other competitors don't use.


Actually, while you may be partially correct, you're also missing a very important thing, despite what you later say.

Yes, Apple does tend to use the same basic components as their competitors. What you don't see is just how tightly they control those components. Having worked for one of Apple's component manufacturers, I can tell you that if a certain very narrow maximum percentage of a component order fell 'out of spec,' the entire shipment was returned to be 100% tested to remove the out-of-spec components and supplemented by more product, also 100% tested. Any Apple rejects would be either destroyed or added to a similar shipment going to a competitor, depending on how extreme the failed component was.

I don't think Apple would drop that high standard just to make a cheaper product.

[mjstew33]

My 'theory' is that there is no question whether or not Apple has been working on a device... that is quite clear. The real question, however, is whether or not Apple a) like's the idea and b) will ever release one. It's quite possible they won't.

[Marx55]

A tablet with desktop OS X is not going to happen, because you can't have a purely touch screen interface with current OS X apps and APIs - it just won't work, no matter what the resolution. There are too many assumptions made about the nature of the pointing device (i.e. not a finger covering the item you're looking at), many controls are too small, no control click, menus would be too fiddly etc etc.

Mobile OS X is the future of the mobile platform, and will be used for their future tablet (suspect a tablet rather than a netbook). It could easily run keynote/powerpoint presentations, with a bit of work, but I doubt very much that would be a priority. You are describing an edge case, and building a product around it (presenting on a portable tablet). They may migrate the iWork apps to it, but not on the first iteration - the first iteration will be a bigger ipod, featuring mail, surfing, maps, photos etc. All the Apple apps adapted slightly to run on a higher res screen (wouldn't take much).

A tablet would make sense for gaming, internet, email, reading. Pretty much all the activities that people use netbooks for. It would *not* make sense for extensive data input, or manipulation (without a paired bluetooth keyboard, and even then, it's not a given), but that's fine, that's what larger computers are for.



I agree that books and games are the next focus, but features like DVD drives are dead in the water (look to the Air for confirmation of this). However the general styling (a bigger ipod) isn't too far off probably. There's no way it will run desktop OS X though - aside from the practical reasons noted above they've poured too many resource into Mobile OS X for it to be a sideshow - note the twin tracks at WWDC, and the revenue from mobile devices which is dramatically increasing.

The natural fit for this device is Mobile OS X - I'd go so far as to say that Steve is now bored with the desktop, and you won't see any more shiny new desktop products - the new focus is laptops and mobile.

Basically I agree with you. Hopefully it will run Keynote and PowerPoint for the preseantations on videoprojectors, which is our main request on this kind of device.

[jouster]

Keep in mind that Netbook keyboards are generally smaller and seriously bad quality compared to your average Macbook. I's rather have a wider but thinner notebook than a small but very thick netbook. Makes sense for students too, if they can just put the computer between 2 normal in their bag. Here's an old mockup I made, based on the bluetooth keyboard:

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4411/2351displayaspectratiom.jpg (http://img24.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2351displayaspectratiom.jpg)


Actually, I'd add a glass trackpad on the bottom, maybe 2/3 the size of the one on 13" Macbooks. A little palmrest is always nice anyway so you can balance the think nicely on your lap.

Just think 12" powerbook but in the new notebook design and considerably thinner.

Mmm...I've wanted something like this since back in the day! Here's how it looked then, thanks to some anonymous person and Photoshop:

[sidelarge]

I don't understand those who say a tablet can be a substitute for a netbook. It can't. Or it can only for a small number of people. I guess they've never owned one.

All the netbook makers are moving toward 10"+ models (except for Sony, who officially does NOT make any notebook, as their Vaio Type P is quite different from your typical netbook), abandoning the smaller ones, precisely because the biggest complaint from their customers was the size of the keyboards. Heck, the whole point of Sony's Vaio Type P is that you can have (nearly) full-sized keyboards in that very small and light body. And since Sony has already done it, I doubt Apple would ever decide to take that same route. They'd rather die than do that.

At the end of the day, the customers cared a lot about productivity. Imagine how they would feel about virtual keyboards.

A tablet would NOT be able to appeal that well to the netbook customer base. If Apple ever makes one, it will be marketed as something completely different.

[bobob]

ah the gratuitous tablet rumor of the week

Life is good : )

I could read this discussion a hundred times...

:)

[jouster]

I don't understand those who say a tablet can be a substitute for a netbook. It can't. Or it can only for a small number of people. I guess they've never owned one.

All the netbook makers are moving toward 10"+ models (except for Sony, who officially does NOT make any notebook, as their Vaio Type P is quite different from your typical netbook), abandoning the smaller ones, precisely because the biggest complaint from their customers was the size of the keyboards. Heck, the whole point of Sony's Vaio Type P is that you can have (nearly) full-sized keyboards in that very small and light body. And since Sony has already done it, I doubt Apple would ever decide to take that same route. They'd rather die than do that.

At the end of the day, the customers cared a lot about productivity. Imagine how they would feel about virtual keyboards.

A tablet would NOT be able to appeal that well to the netbook customer base. If Apple ever makes one, it will be marketed as something completely different.

Possibly. But tablets function perfectly well as a laptop replacement if they allow a standalone keyboard to be used when needed. Of course, they also give you the option to leave the keyboard and have a more compact device if you wish. For this to succeed, though, they need a different UI/user experience when they are in tablet mode. It seems to me that the iPhone UI would be an excellent start in that area.

[Journojulz]

A tablet would NOT be able to appeal that well to the netbook customer base.

I am not sure - apple has a way of giving you something before you know you want it. :D

If anyone could make a tablet capable of converting the nebook userbase - its apple.

I am looking forward to multi-hand multi-touch. :D

[sidelarge]

Possibly. But tablets function perfectly well as a laptop replacement if they allow a standalone keyboard to be used when needed. Of course, they also give you the option to leave the keyboard and have a more compact device if you wish. For this to succeed, though, they need a different UI/user experience when they are in tablet mode. It seems to me that the iPhone UI would be an excellent start in that area.

Carrying around both the tablet and a separate keyboard would be such a drag, though. I think people misunderstand how people use their netbooks. I have no official stats, but I suspect many of those who also own the "main" computer, be it a full laptop or a desktop, spend even more time with their netbook than with the "main" one. They might not admit it, because that sounds cheap. But when your netbook can do pretty much everything you ever do with a computer (including typing, a lot), and when you have all the motives in the world to carry around your netbook instead of your "main" laptop (much more portable, so cheap that you wouldn't mind it that much if it's damaged, etc.), that's just a natural consequence.

I think people type on their netbook a LOT more frequently than you think. The netbook is effectively their main computer in so many cases.

[iMacmatician]

The iPod touch and iPhone are based on Mac OS X!True, but I think he was referring to desktop Mac OS X.

Hopefully it will run Keynote and PowerPoint for the preseantations on videoprojectors, which is our main request on this kind of device.Agreed here too. I think some advanced effects and such may be disabled during playback, but that's the case with some older Macs too.

Carrying around both the tablet and a separate keyboard would be such a drag, though.I wonder if the keyboard can be clipped on the tablet.

[jouster]

Carrying around both the tablet and a separate keyboard would be such a drag, though. I think people misunderstand how people use their netbooks. I have no official stats, but I suspect many of those who also own the "main" computer, be it a full laptop or a desktop, spend even more time with their netbook than with the "main" one. They might not admit it, because that sounds cheap. But when your netbook can do pretty much everything you ever do with a computer, and when you have all the motives in the world to carry around your netbook instead of your "main" laptop (much more portable, so cheap that you wouldn't mind it that much if it's damaged, etc.), that's just a natural consequence.

I think people type on their netbook a LOT more frequently than you think. The netbook is effectively their main computer in so many cases.

True on the keyboard. But it's doable: I used to travel with a Palm and a standalone KB. I could check the KB and keep the palm in my pocket, obviating the need for a laptop in a briefcase. And, of course, you can still do light work on a screen-based KB if necessary. Even on my iPhone, I can get useful stuff done, albeit slowly.

I certainly believe many people use a netbook as a main computer; I would if Apple made one. For me, the best form factor would be the old TiBook/new MacBook in the pictures above. For Office and e-mail and browsing (the vast majority of what I do) it would be ideal, and it would be narrow enough to fit in my coat pocket.

[hutchitl]

This is my prediction.
10 inch tablet
I could see it being called something like Ipod Life, or Ipod Pro because this will be about everything we need in life in a small light package.
no optical drive
Ideal for streaming media, and itunes content
1 usb port
Mobile OSX with flash
This device will be not about writing, or productivity but rather for streaming media, photos, internet, games, reading, video chatting, etc.
Itunes will expand the Itunes store to have a section for Ebooks/newspapers.

[ditzy]

Different products for different people (or uses). You're not going to talk around with an iTablet in your pocket. You will walk around with it to class, read eBooks on it, go web surfing, look up TV info while sitting on the couch...

I see the argument for a tablet/netbook I really do. However what you said you would use the tablet for, I can honestly say, that my iPhone gets used for all of those things. It does it pretty well. What the iPhone/iPod touch can't do is write/ edit a document. That is what I'd want a tablet/netbook for. I'm thinking of buying a macbook but am having a hard time justifying the cost since I'd probably only use it four or five times a year. Most of the time the iPhone is enough as I only have to view a document. But for when the iPhone isn't enough I could do with a small lower cost, (I'm not expecting low cost apple remember.) netbook.

[GanleyBurger]

IT'S ALL ABOUT OUR KIDS...

I just want something smaller/cheaper that my kids can use Garageband, Photobooth, iphoto, and Safari on.

A small, kids, portable MAC... Hello....

:rolleyes:

[oTaRu]

I am very curious on what Apple can do to have a share in netbook market... I wish it is very affordable in price...

[TheRogue]

If apple were to come out with a Tablet I would love to be able to use it as an artpad or something and use a digital pen or whatever to draw directly onto the screen. Is this even possible with multitouch?

[oTaRu]

one more thing... currently, i am hunting for a netbook and i hope Apple wont disappoint me when comparing with other brands and keeping the price low...

[ibgarrett]

- Full Mac OS X inside (not the limited OS X found on iPhone or iPod touch). For full blown Keynote and PowerPoint videoprojector presentations from NATIVE files (no conversion required) with animations, transitions, etc. The same experience as when doing it from a laptop.

- Light (400 or less), handheld and pocketable. The device is not to work on it, but for the presentations. Because even the MacBook Air is too large and heavy for us. Just make the presentation on your computer, move it to the iTablet and carry it in your pocket to the classroom, scientific meeting, corporate meeting, any meeting with family and friends, etc. See OQO model 2+
http://www.oqo.com

- VGA-out for the wired videoprojector (most videoprojectors are not wireless), Firewire, Ethernet and at least two USB2 ports for wireless remote control presentations with Keyspan Presentation Remote (now part of Tripp Lite as Keyspan-by-Tripp Lite Presentation Remote Control):
http://www.keyspan.com
http://www.tripplite.com/EN/lp/keyspan
http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/product-series.cfm?txtSeriesID=517&EID=13372

The idea is something similar to Impatica ShowMate, but using the much better Mac OS X inside a handheld pocketable iTablet:
http://www.impatica.com/showmate

Actually, this (first picture) would be awesome:
Next Apple moves will be Books and Games…
http://spidouz.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/next-apple-moves-will-be-books-and-games

Can Apple deliver? We need thousands for our University. The price is not a problem.

I think you're missing the point on what a tablet "should" do. Firewire? Ethernet? USB? Full-blown OS? If you think about it, these are the types of things you need on a desktop or a regular laptop because you're producing work that requires that type of I/O. With something like the iTablet (as we are calling it), this would be merely a consumption of information type device, with some light work. You're not going to edit video on it, you're not going to use it to create heavy-duty graphics. You'll use this for reading web pages, some light text work, reading books, listening to pod-casts. Basically it's what the Kindle should be, but more. The "Ethernet" comes from Wi-fi and USB - Bluetooth.

I can totally see something like that working well. Just think about how you (or other people) use their iPhones when removing the "phone" functionality from the device. The amount of functionality you get out of an iPhone is vast, but one of it's main limiting factors is the display size. If that were to be increased, along with processor speed, memory and battery life (because the screen size will have the current battery for lunch), that's a product that most consumers would be able to use. This isn't a device for production, but more on the other end of things.

I was at the Doctors office with my wife the other day and they were all running around with this awkward notebooks in their hands, using the keyboard to type on and having to balance it in the other palm of their hand just to use it. What if you removed the hard keyboard and made it an optional "soft" keyboard the way the iPhone works. This truly would be a useful device at that point in time.

[Trajectory]

The new device may be released right before college kids go back to school, so I think they will be the primary target for either a netbook or tablet.

It could also be a netbook/tablet hybrid with a detachable keboard and touchscreen. Snow Leopard will have everything necessary to use OSX on multitouch devices. That's my prediction.

[PaulSorensen]

i wonder what OS it will run, Mac OSX or iPhone OSX...

Mac OS/X and the iPhone OS are actually pretty much the same underneath. The user interface layer is the main difference - Cocoa in Mac OS/X and Cocoa Touch in iPhone OS. If this device is real, then most of the changes will be in this layer.

And I would TOTALLY buy one!

[Evangelion]

Actually, while your concept is pretty, it falls into the same major drawback as all the other netbooks: lack of usability. If you have to put the thing down to use it, what purpose is there to such extreme portability?

You need to put laptops down to use them as well, so why does Apple try to make their laptops as portable as possible?

And by your logic, normal laptops have poor usabiliti as well, since netbooks and laptops are so similar. Yes, in many ways their usabiliti does suck. But soe does the usability of the iPhone. They just suck in different ways.

Why not make it so you can hold it in one hand and actually work it with the other?

because actually working with two hands is faster and more efficient that working with just one hand?

I don't deny you might work faster two-handed, but sometimes you need to write and walk at the same time.

A touch-enabled netbook would make that possible. Hell, you could hold the machine with one hand, and use the keyboard with the other if you wanted to. If you just had a tablet, you wouldn't have proper way of doing data-entry. The machine would be about consuming content, it would be next to impossible to create content with it.

Partially off-topic, but.... related to the comments about "Apple has dismissed netbooks in the past".... this (http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits/2005/09/1314.ars) is an insightful commentary about it, from 2005.

[ibgarrett]

Instead of it being more resembling an iPhone, what if it was more geared toward the Kindle methodology? What if it had a great iPhone UI, but was geared for medium consumption such as websites, newspapers, magazines and books? What if it had multi-media features to it such as streaming video, quicktime, FLASH (a biggie really), and even, with the right I/O connection, iChat Video we all keep hearing about?

Instead of the phone companies subsidizing the device, how about the newspapers? The cost to produce and deliver newspapers is ridiculous, and it would be in their best interests to provide a medium of real-time delivery to consumers to keep their subscription numbers up while being able to provide advertising streams to their revenue generators and significantly reducing their infrastructure costs all at the same time. It would be in their best interests to do so. So what if the device could be used for other purposes? I say take a page out of the cell phone companies playbook and offer a subscription-based service where you subscribe to "X" newspaper or magazine for 2 years for a reduced rate in the hardware, and then have a monthly subscription rate of another "X" dollars a month to cover the cost of delivery. Amazon builds the cost of delivery of their books, magazines and newspapers into their subscriptions, why couldn't the newspapers do the same thing?

It would use the same 2G/3G network of delivery of the content that the Kindle uses (or whatever method that may be), and if the user wants a more richer experience, they simply use their Wi-Fi function to broaden the experience?

In my mind it's a win-win-win experience for everyone. The device cost is significantly reduced, the consumer gets a great device to do more than just read the newspaper/magazine and the print company can remain in business, producing their product at a fraction of the cost while retaining their subscriber base.

If someone can find a flaw in this thought process, please let me know... I'm interesting in getting feedback on this method of delivery.

[sushi]

If the tablet is something along like the OQO Model 2 Plus, in that it will run the full Mac OS, be touch enabled, I think that it would sell well.

Note, when I say along the lines of the OQO Model 2 Plus, I don't mean with a physical keyboard. I don't believe Apple will include a physical keyboard with a tablet computer. Netbook, yes. Tablet, no.

[ThunderSkunk]

Apple making a tablet, right now, doesn't make a ton of sense.
Apple making a netbook doesn't make a lot of sense either.

I guess we'll be surprised.

I'm anticipating a new form factor. ...but something tells me to get what I need, I'll still wind up shelling out $6,000 for: http://axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbookpro

[kornyboy]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I'll believe this one when I see it. There has been a lot of speculation about a Mac tablet lately. I'm not too sure if Apple is heading in that direction. I guess we will know soon enough.

[zedsdead]

Based on Job's comments about netbooks, I am leaning toward Apple making a larger iPod/Tablet type Touch Device.

Either way, it should be very interesting...and likely to cause my wallet some hurt.;)

[BTW]

It would be cool, in the not too distant future, to have a device that has a roll-out screen. It would be similar to unrolling a scroll. For an example and where I got the idea, look up the series Earth Final Conflict. Every episode had the aliens' human agent toting one of the devices. With flexible screens coming about it is just a matter of time before such a device is feasible. Apple may be the one to bring it to market as the iPhone 6th generation device.

A netbook thinner than a Macbook Air with a 10" LED screen and flash memory in 32Gb and 64Gb offerings would be just as neat. Allow for a 3G cellular card and subsidize it via AT&T, Verizon, et al and you have a winner.

[ljocampo]

....A tablet would make sense for gaming, internet, email, reading. Pretty much all the activities that people use netbooks for. It would *not* make sense for extensive data input, or manipulation (without a paired bluetooth keyboard, and even then, it's not a given), but that's fine, that's what larger computers are for.

You'd probably be right on this if you only think consumer markets, but I can think of many places in business that could use a small touch screen tablet based data entry device. For example, Mac Donald's was one the first companies to use this method to take orders. They eventually made all their cash registers this way. FedEx and UPS use proprietary devices that work the same way. Plant operators, security guard stations, etc etc.

The key factor and benefit of these devices are programmability. This programmability has moved to the consumer with the iPod Touch, its App store, and freely available intuitive development tools. Apple has made this opportunity for average people to become the developers using their innovation and need. Small business is a hugh market place.

[Saturn1217]

Carrying around both the tablet and a separate keyboard would be such a drag, though. I think people misunderstand how people use their netbooks. I have no official stats, but I suspect many of those who also own the "main" computer, be it a full laptop or a desktop, spend even more time with their netbook than with the "main" one. They might not admit it, because that sounds cheap. But when your netbook can do pretty much everything you ever do with a computer (including typing, a lot), and when you have all the motives in the world to carry around your netbook instead of your "main" laptop (much more portable, so cheap that you wouldn't mind it that much if it's damaged, etc.), that's just a natural consequence.

I think people type on their netbook a LOT more frequently than you think. The netbook is effectively their main computer in so many cases.

Yeah typing this from my netbook. I didn't even like the concept of netbooks when they first came out (I wanted a macbook) but the netbook has become my main work machine. I think it is for exactly this reason that apple won't make a traditional netbook. It would cannibalize regular macbook sales too much.

[LukeW16]

the new tablet/netbook will look like a large iphone but with a full slide out keyboard (landscape) ;)

[theheadguy]

i really hope this is true, and they announce it in june. i'm guessing $600-700 range though
I'd love to be wrong here but with Apple's prices, and the admitted Apple tax (which I happily pay), why do people think Apple would release something for $300 - 700?? I'm sure Apple thinks $799 is insanely cheap... I can see that price point but not much less.

[organerito]

I would like an ipod touch with a bigger screen and other extra stuff. Iphone OS 3.0 will bring accesories. We can have a bluetooth keyboard just in case. Camera and good speakers area a must-have feature. GPS would sweet but I doubt it. It has to be a complete experience. Otherwise it won't have a chance against all of the good netbooks available. 8Gb would be very difficult to convince someone that it is higher product than the ipod touch. Perhaps, the Ipod touch will be 8,16 and 32Gb. The tablet might start at 32Gb and another model with 64GB.

[Mister Snitch]

Wirelessly posted (Apple iPhone 3G 16GB White: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I'd be really interested at what price point they would offer such a device. Netbooks usually fall in the $300 price range. A multi touch netbook would surely cost more than that.

The myth of netbooks, which I think Jobs and Apple are about to explode, is that they're mainly about price. They're not. Oh, presently they're all within a certain range, and they're all cheaper than laptops. But that's not the entirety of their appeal. Their primary appeal is portability.

Let's face it: A laptop is portable, but it's nowhere near as portable as a cell phone or a pocket camera. Think of how often you have your laptop with you. Then consider how often you have your cell phone with you. The cell phone wins every time.

The problem with substituting an iPhone for a laptop is that the iPhone is too cramped a working environment. A netbook is a compromise: Big enough for a decent working environment, compared to an iPhone, but more portable than a laptop (and therefore more likely to be with you when you need it).

Clearly the marketplace has spoken here. It wants a product of a certain size and portability. It also expects that product to be cheaper than the average laptop, but there's nothing holy about the $2-300 range these things seem to sell in. Apple could sell a low-end model for $600 or so, and a high-end for $1000, and find a market for the product. All it needs to do is offer a superior user experience. You know how the typical Apple customer rolls.

Of course, I've been saying this since they discontinued the (MY) Newton. But (sigh) the world has always had to catch up to me...

[Bubba Satori]

Based on Job's comments about netbooks, I am leaning toward Apple making a larger iPod/Tablet type Touch Device.

Either way, it should be very interesting...and likely to cause my wallet some hurt.;)


Agreed. 7"-9" screen, slide out keyboard.

[eastercat]

Instead of it being more resembling an iPhone, what if it was more geared toward the Kindle methodology? What if it had a great iPhone UI, but was geared for medium consumption such as websites, newspapers, magazines and books? What if it had multi-media features to it such as streaming video, quicktime, FLASH (a biggie really), and even, with the right I/O connection, iChat Video we all keep hearing about?
Now, this is a sensible idea that makes more sense than Apple going the netbook route. Because if they released an expensive netbook, you know MS would probably release another one of their Apple Tax commercials. Also, you'd hear the bitching of fan boys (and girls) everywhere. :rolleyes:
As far as newspapers subsidizing the price, that seems unlikely. You may not have seen the reports of newspapers either folding or going online altogether. Even the papers owned by the big publishing companies, are seeing cuts. Its owners are not likely to spend that kind of money to subsidize a Mac Tablet.
Also, corporations are greedy (just in case you didn't hear about AIG, Halliburton, etc.). They'd probably charge more to use their services on the tablet than for a print copy of their product. It sucks, but that's capitalism for you.

[nefster]

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.

Your right in pointing out you don't see many people with these type of machines and that's because it just hasn't been done well yet. I'm in a huge industry (medicine) that is dying for these kind of devices, particularly a tablet with a really thin form-factor. Right now my particular team is using iPod Touch devices for data entry on our patients, but a tablet would make the user experience that much better. So here's my run-down on the markets for this product:

1. Medicine (Electronic Medical Records, Data entry)
2. Education (University students - books, notes, online or closed network exams)
3. Tech-oriented Home Users (Quick web-searching, control iTunes, Apple TV)
4. Pharmaceutical Reps (Data entry, drug promotion)
5. Business (any basic data entry needs in the field)

The interesting thing I have also found in my own use of technology is that while I crave convergence, I also often crave pieces of equipment that just perform certain functions well. So, sometimes I hate having to go to my iMac or MacBook Pro to look up the latest Mets score - so I go to the Touch. But often I am frustrated by the lack of screen real estate. So, for home I could really use a larger tablet device that sits on my coffee table to complement my desktop, laptop, Touch (and hopefully one day iPhone).

[firewood]

Apple making a tablet, right now, doesn't make a ton of sense.

Apple makes a tablet right now. It's called an iPod Touch, and they've sold over 13 million of the things.

Of course, they're portable music players. But an interesting hidden secret may be that several million of them have no music on them and are never carried in pockets. So what are these iPod Touches being used for? And could millions more new customers find similar uses, and more, if the display were a few times larger?

The App store itself is a billion dollar business. Could App Store app developers do even more really cool things if the greater area for a thin battery under a larger display allowed much faster multi-core ARM CPUs?

e?

[tibi08]

Don't people realise... it's just an Apple iPhoto Frame they're working on..... ;)

[iMacmatician]

I'd love to be wrong here but with Apple's prices, and the admitted Apple tax (which I happily pay), why do people think Apple would release something for $300 - 700?? I'm sure Apple thinks $799 is insanely cheap... I can see that price point but not much less.The iPod touch is $229~$399. A mini-tablet's price would depend highly on specs and features, but given iPod touch prices, I don't think it's too far out that at least one model will be $699 or less, especially if it had less flash memory than the highest-capacity iPod touch at that time.

[Bonte]

$499 is the sweet spot, it would sell more that the iphone. Same specs as the ipod Touch but a bit faster and a bigger screen, extra profit would then be generated via the Appstore. I really can't see Apple producing a touch device without the Appstore, it's perfect for there business and we get apps specially geared towards a touch interface on a small screen.

[leez]

So, my 3 words to the discussion. Do you remember, while ago, someone found TV out API in the iPhone SDK. It could be used in this rumored tablet, besides, I can see a lack of such a device in the market as well (something between iPhone and MacBook Air - small enough to fit in your pocket and powerful enough to fulfill your more complex needs :) ).

[azjosho]

I just want a 10" Macbook

[Gold89]

I like the thinking behind the idea of a slightly bigger iphone with a bigger screen and perhaps a slide/fold out keyboard.

This answers the critics of the iphone for email and business use and turns it into a real blackberry competitor.

The existing iphone can then perhaps be slimmed up slightly (perhaps without camera or something) and be turned into the iphone nano.


There is not enough room between the Macbook/Air and iPhone to make a tablet viable, perhaps a slight increase in iPhone screen size but the market for a tablet does not fit in between the existing products in terms of price and usability.

[Eric S.]

Apple making a tablet, right now, doesn't make a ton of sense.
Apple making a netbook doesn't make a lot of sense either.

That's my thinking too. Neither could find a price point that would satisfy Apple's profit margin structure.

Apple makes a tablet right now. It's called an iPod Touch, and they've sold over 13 million of the things.

Of course, they're portable music players. But an interesting hidden secret may be that several million of them have no music on them and are never carried in pockets. So what are these iPod Touches being used for? And could millions more new customers find similar uses, and more, if the display were a few times larger?

They'd have to be priced such that a regular Macbook would be a better option. It's a Catch-22.

[fleshman03]

I see the argument for a tablet/netbook I really do. However what you said you would use the tablet for, I can honestly say, that my iPhone gets used for all of those things. It does it pretty well. What the iPhone/iPod touch can't do is write/ edit a document. That is what I'd want a tablet/netbook for. I'm thinking of buying a macbook but am having a hard time justifying the cost since I'd probably only use it four or five times a year. Most of the time the iPhone is enough as I only have to view a document. But for when the iPhone isn't enough I could do with a small lower cost, (I'm not expecting low cost apple remember.) netbook.

Well that is a software issue.

Imagine that the web tablet has a USB or Bluetooth. You could then use Google Docs, ZoHo, Office Online...

I can't imagine adding a USB port or Bluetooth would add more than $5 to the bottom line.

[olternaut]

Why would Apple sell a larger more powerful machine - one that is not tied to a lengthy expensive contract - for the same price as the iPhone or Touch?

Who said it was going to be for the same price?

[wizard]

Exactly, the price of the iphone/ipod touch should give a great guide to the price of the tablet.

Not really. Let's face it Touch retails for a bit less than iPhone does retail. Dramatically less actually and does not reflect the extra hardware in the iPhone. IPhone's sticker price, free of contract, is just a number Apple pulled out of a hat. That price point could easily be replaced with something else and a more realistic tag applied to a reved iPhone.

I want the tablet instead of the netbook we saw a few days back. It's more 'Apple like' for them to show consumers how a netbook should be done. Not to mention it shows everyone how much better Apple knows multi-touch technology.

A netbook is an entirely different device than a tablet. Frankly they don't even serve the same purposes. I'm not sure where the idea of a tablet being a competitor to a netbook comes from. That is like saying my iPhone competes with my laptop.

Actually I hope that Apple has several products lined up for delivery this year. Mainly because I don't want a MacOS tablet and would rather see a Touch tablet in the 7 inch size.


Dave

[linuxophile]

You need to put laptops down to use them as well, so why does Apple try to make their laptops as portable as possible?

And by your logic, normal laptops have poor usabiliti as well, since netbooks and laptops are so similar. Yes, in many ways their usabiliti does suck. But soe does the usability of the iPhone. They just suck in different ways.



because actually working with two hands is faster and more efficient that working with just one hand?



A touch-enabled netbook would make that possible. Hell, you could hold the machine with one hand, and use the keyboard with the other if you wanted to. If you just had a tablet, you wouldn't have proper way of doing data-entry. The machine would be about consuming content, it would be next to impossible to create content with it.

Partially off-topic, but.... related to the comments about "Apple has dismissed netbooks in the past".... this (http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits/2005/09/1314.ars) is an insightful commentary about it, from 2005.

I read the link: very condivisible.
It seems that we are in step 5 for the netbook/tablet.

On the other hand, I just bought a netbook (eee1000he) and I am quite happy. I WAS waiting for Apple (which rumoredly will have one this year), but I got simply fed up (the last mac-mini update had about a year of rumors announcing it or the demise of the mini).

Since I am a rather un-impulsive buyer (I mulled about it for 6 months at least), I can estimate that many more people are buying netbooks and this niche market will become increasingly harder to break through by Apple, the longer they wait.

[Stately]

I'm not even going to speculate anymore. Like I said a million times, this device is going to be craaazy . . Even the tablet nay sayers will want one, the same way people laughed at the people that waited in line for the iphone when it was first released and then went and bought one 2 months later lol. :rolleyes:

[wizard]

I say "crippled" because the actual hardware is capable of much, much more than firmware 2.2.1 allows. Only a fool would deny that.

This really isn't the case at all, the SDK allows for a wide range of apps. Yes Apple has restrictions but so what it is a cell phone. There is nothing to keep Apple from removing those reseictions on other devices.


Yes, mobile OS is revolutionary...for a cellphone. It would be laughable in a netbook.

I thought we where focused on tablets here. Apparently not, in any event Mobile OS is suitable for any device that runs on ARM. If this combo can run for days on a recharge then it would fill a role in the market place.


Would you want a netbook that couldn't download files from Safari, could only install certain Apple-approved apps, didn't have file manager?

Nope! But why do you assume that the apps would be exactly the same. For example there is nothing in the SDK that prevents an app from saving data. The feature set of the Apps can be easily adjusted to work better with the underlying hardware.

As to app store I think it would be a fantastic feature for a netbook or larger tablet. Do I like the limitation - NO - but it can be easily put up with. Remember a tablet isn't the place where you would run a SETI app or some other odd piece of software. If you try to make it into a document production machine then you have things wrong. Rather tablets are primarily focused on consumption.

The idea here is to wake up in the morning and to go to your tablet to read the latest local and national news. Same thing for periodicals and other publications, E-Mails too. Likewise you might log on to a server to check it's status. A tablet or netbook for that matter is not a place to compose a 200k of code or a multi page document. In essence the usage is just an expanded version of what gets done on iPhone today.

Now to the finder issue, I'd be the first to admit that Apple is missing the boat here. I can only hope that they wise up. The ability to manage files is critical but is not impossible to implement. I don't think Apple will mis this capability but I'm not willing to bet on it either.



Dave

[Stately]

Worth mentioning the Crunchpad.

Picture:
http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2009/04/09/photo3_2.jpg

Specs:
Atom
512 Ram
4gb SSD
WiFi

Price? $300.

Forum link for that discussion.
(http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7448395#post7448395)
I think something like this is what Apple make. Slap an Apple logo on it, iPhone OS and a dock connector. Sell it for $399-$499 and we're good.

No more, No less.

Somehow, I don't think it will nearly as big and certainly not as thick and clunky as that thing. I don't get it, some of you actually think iphones are ugly but think something like a modbook looks good ? Wow.

[Stately]

What if a company such as AT&T subsidized the device? Wouldn't this then allow Apple to release a high end product with a lower price tag?

Gosh, did you really have to mention, the "A" word lol. :rolleyes:

[firewood]

They'd have to be priced such that a regular Macbook would be a better option. It's a Catch-22.

Apple likely already has market studies on how much iPod Touch sales cut into MacBook sales. They might be able to easily build this small amount of lost profit into any new device to offset the potential loss, which is probably small, given that an OS X Touch/UIKit device really doesn't compete with the bulk of the market for OS X Cocoa/Appkit portables with keyboards.

The idea might be to find a new market segment of people who don't currently buy netbooks or MacBooks, but need and can afford something a bit more upscale than a next next gen Touch.

imho

[Stately]

This is my guess and concept :).

Try the top half of that . . :cool:

[Schizoid]

This is gonna be great!
I bet ol' Steve is working on this from his hospital bed, It's gonna be awesome!
Like an IPhone, but slightly bigger, but not as big as my MacBook, BRILLIANT!
I, for one, can't wait to see what other devices we'll surely need next year...
166862

[Stately]

Your right in pointing out you don't see many people with these type of machines and that's because it just hasn't been done well yet. I'm in a huge industry (medicine) that is dying for these kind of devices, particularly a tablet with a really thin form-factor. Right now my particular team is using iPod Touch devices for data entry on our patients, but a tablet would make the user experience that much better. So here's my run-down on the markets for this product:

1. Medicine (Electronic Medical Records, Data entry)
2. Education (University students - books, notes, online or closed network exams)
3. Tech-oriented Home Users (Quick web-searching, control iTunes, Apple TV)
4. Pharmaceutical Reps (Data entry, drug promotion)
5. Business (any basic data entry needs in the field)

The interesting thing I have also found in my own use of technology is that while I crave convergence, I also often crave pieces of equipment that just perform certain functions well. So, sometimes I hate having to go to my iMac or MacBook Pro to look up the latest Mets score - so I go to the Touch. But often I am frustrated by the lack of screen real estate. So, for home I could really use a larger tablet device that sits on my coffee table to complement my desktop, laptop, Touch (and hopefully one day iPhone).

Exaaactly . . Hey don't forget designers lol. but I really think it will be a device fit for everyone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyQ_NWt_sjA

[iMacmatician]

I'm not even going to speculate anymore. Like I said a million times, this device is going to be craaazy . . Even the tablet nay sayers will want one, the same way people laughed at the people that waited in line for the iphone when it was first released and then went and bought one 2 months later lol. :rolleyes:And then complained when the price was dropped a few days later? :D

Why the assumption that Mobile OS would maintain those restrictions.Probably because of the assumption that the rumored iPhone OS mini-tablet = larger iPod touch. That's not necessarily the case and I would be surprised and disappointed if all the mini-tablet ends up being is a 8" iPod touch.

Nope! But why do you assume that the apps would be exactly the same. For example there is nothing in the SDK that prevents an app from saving data. The feature set of the Apps can be easily adjusted to work better with the underlying hardware.Save capability, more editing features, more features in general, and some sort of multi-window/tab approach would be nice for this device. I would also expect a few more apps too.

[Trajectory]

If the tablet device can do more than my desktop -- such as controlling my Apple TV or even other devices around the house -- that would be a very useful tool. Handwriting and voice-recognition would also be important for a device like this, I don't see how a keyboard of any kind would work well with a tablet because you need one hand to hold the thing.

[Lesser Evets]

I don't get it, some of you actually think iphones are ugly but think something like a modbook looks good ? Wow.

You think that's bad? In one of the past threads about a tablet, one person was having a meltdown because he couldn't figure out how you can hold it, type in anything, and actually use touchscreen while mobile...

It was like that fool never saw an iPhone, or maybe his hands are so tiny he can't imaging how you would use a tablet with touch screen.

Some posters are plain dull.

[blybug]

i wonder what OS it will run, Mac OSX or iPhone OSX...

I've thought for a long time that Mac OS X "widgets" feel very similar to iPhone Apps. Wonder if with Snow Leopard they could merge the two, so that "Dashboard" could include App Store applications. Best of both worlds, and iPhone Apps would not have to be reworked for a higher resolution device.

[kcroy]

I find the entire idea very exciting and I love reading all the speculation.

I really hope whatever the device is or whatever it will be called it incorporates: SPEECH RECOGNITION and HANDWRITING RECOGNITION along with the present multitouch screen and gestures, and a physical keyboard. And before al the naysayers jump in, we know that Apple is interested in both and when they're ready it will be done the right way.

I would love to have a bluetooth headset and have the tablet record my dictation, podcast, email, etc. A physical keyboard to work on projects, and writing recognition.....ah I could keep going.

Okay, start ripping on me about handwriting recognition and speech recognition. I'm ready... :D

[Topher15]

I really hope this isn't a lame 10" multi-touch only device just to stream media. Multi-touch is great for handheld devices, but for any useful/serious work or web browsing you need a keyboard, trackpad/mouse and a proper OS, along with the ability to use it like an actual laptop (i.e. rest it on your lap or table). How would you even operate a 10" tablet anyway... you couldn't use it outside/walking like you can an iPhone and if you use it inside you might as well have a netbook. Honestly the whole concept of a bigger iPhone/iPod touch just doesn't work for me. For what the iPhone/iPod touch does it doesn't need to be bigger than it is.

I'd like to see something that fills the gap between the iPhone and the Mac and employs elements of both. I'm thinking of a 10" netbook with a multi-touch screen that can swivel around to fold into a tablet. Have both Mac OS and iPhone OS on it. Maybe the iPhone OS is activated in tablet mode, or maybe it is activated manually like Front Row. That would be an amazing product, but I expect it would inflate the price.

Failing that I like to see a cheap Apple netbook (and by cheap I mean in Apple pricing). I can easily see myself buying that; I mostly only use my MacBook outside the house (and even then only when I have to) so a smaller/lighter Mac would be ideal. I'd probably take it out far more.

Apple said they have interesting ideas for netbooks, so maybe them saying they were not interested was to throw people off the trail? The netbook market it getting bigger and Apple can't just ignore it.

I'm to the point where I'm less interested in what Apple is going to release & more concerned with when are they going to address their antiquated pricing structure. Everyone knows that 99% of their hardware is the exact same thing all other manufacturers are using, & unfortunately for us we're still paying proprietary prices. I got so excited when Apple went to an Intel chip thinking that I'd see a reduction in prices across the board, but that never occurred. Every product that they've updated, upgraded or introduced recently has been a good 30% over other similar products. I don't mind paying extra for good construction, looks & the OS X operating system but come on this is getting ridiculous.
Totally agree. Whatever this product is if Apple want to grab new customers then they have to make it as cheap as possible (i.e. as close to PC netbooks). And if they want to get people to switch to Mac then it has to be a proper Mac, not the iPhones bigger brother. The iPhone experience has virtually nothing to do with the Mac OS user experience. If they can get people over to the Mac with a cheap netbook and they will certainly increase their user base.

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.
They seem to be quite popular with journalists. I can easily imagine someone who travels a lot for business wanting one. Students who only use their computers for essays/web/music would be another target.

Just look at Apple's effect on the smart phone market: touch screen, app stores, innovative UI. Now everyone is doing that, and the amount of people buying smart phones has increased. I'm sure if they come out with an netbook it would be unique in some way.

Why would Apple sell a larger more powerful machine - one that is not tied to a lengthy expensive contract - for the same price as the iPhone or Touch?
Because one is a phone/iPod, the other is a computer. If this new device is just a sexed up iPhone, then you have a point, but if it's a MacBook Mini then there's no comparison (although then we could ask why would they release a Mac that costs the same as as an iPod/iPhone?)

Apple iTablet to be a hit if it has:

- Full Mac OS X inside (not the limited OS X found on iPhone or iPod touch). For full blown Keynote and PowerPoint videoprojector presentations from NATIVE files (no conversion required) with animations, transitions, etc. The same experience as when doing it from a laptop.

- Light (400 or less), handheld and pocketable. The device is not to work on it, but for the presentations. Because even the MacBook Air is too large and heavy for us. Just make the presentation on your computer, move it to the iTablet and carry it in your pocket to the classroom, scientific meeting, corporate meeting, any meeting with family and friends, etc. See OQO model 2+

- VGA-out for the wired videoprojector (most videoprojectors are not wireless), Firewire, Ethernet and at least two USB2 ports for wireless remote control presentations with Keyspan Presentation Remote (now part of Tripp Lite as Keyspan-by-Tripp Lite Presentation Remote Control):
A device just for presentations. iKeynote? Seems rather pointless.

Also, if it's not to work on why have the full OS X?

[Richdmoore]

If indeed Apple does make a netbook I have no doubt it's going to revolutionary. If I was michael dell right now, i'd be working on making a sleek $300 stacked netbook that can easily be hacked to run OS X. He'll sell more macs* than apple will.

Funny thing, I am reading this on a Dell 9 Mini with Leopard OS on it. I will wait and see what apple delivers.

P.S. It took an hour to put on OSX, I just followed the recipe. OSX runs good, HD video skips a little bit, but SD video runs well.

[WLS]

Apple likely already has market studies on how much iPod Touch sales cut into MacBook sales. They might be able to easily build this small amount of lost profit into any new device to offset the potential loss, which is probably small, given that an OS X Touch/UIKit device really doesn't compete with the bulk of the market for OS X Cocoa/Appkit portables with keyboards.

The idea might be to find a new market segment of people who don't currently buy netbooks or MacBooks, but need and can afford something a bit more upscale than a next next gen Touch.

imho
Apple is NOT going to produce a netbook but it seems clear that they could and will produce a new Touch with a larger screen but still linked to and part of the profit model of the Itunes distribution mechanism. A Touch with a 25% to 40% larger screen would be a natural replacement for the current Touch and probably be priced 1-2 hundred dollars higher. It is what I expect to see happen and I hope it will be announced in June.

[DaBrain]

I'm no fan of the MBA but I'd buy one in a heartbeat if there was a 10" model, irregardless of price. That's unlikely to happen though, so in the long term I'd seriously consider a Vaio P once they've beefed up the specs to a 2ghz Atom, 2gb RAM, 128gb SSD and Windows 7 is standard.

Yes a 10 inch MacBook Air would be great, count me in. However, if they come out with some iPhone OSX tied to some dumb ass service contract, then NO Way!

I could see a 10 inch tablet also, for general surfing, email, media control and an eBook Reader, but again if there's a service contract involved IM not game. Just another's opinion and ya know what they say about opinions?--))) ;)

[jimmy101]

A tablet multitouch computer would be usless, how much more productive do you plan on being on a 10 inch touch screen, how would you hold it? buy a iphone....dont get me wrong itd be really sweet but for the price, and if it didnt have a physical keyboard there's no point.

[fleshman03]

Somehow, I don't think it will nearly as big and certainly not as thick and clunky as that thing. I don't get it, some of you actually think iphones are ugly but think something like a modbook looks good ? Wow.

What are you talking about? No one said that or the iPhone was ugly. The product above isn't even an Apple product. Although Apple could/should make something similar.

Hell, make as thin as the iPod Touch, 10" (about is 13") and sell it for $399-$499. Done.

(The iPod touch is 3.5")

Just imagine an product like that, running the iPhone OS + AppStore. Sold!

[addtoqueue]

An iTablet? Or an iPad? iSlate?

[Sehnsucht]

Please, every MacRumors newbie, member, regular, 6502a, and beyond! Listen and heed my cry:

THE APPLE NETBOOK/TABLET "THINGY": IF IT IS INDEED REAL AND SOON TO BE RELEASED, PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING SIX THINGS IN MIND:


It will be expensive.
It may even be more than you can afford.
It will probably be more than many people can afford.
In spite of the first 3, it will still sell very well and be profitable for Apple.
Did I mention it will be expensive?
It will be expensive.


So, pleaaaaaaaase, I beg of everyone, for the sake of sanity, DO NOT log in to MacRumors and spill gallons of virtual ink complaining on page after endless forum page about how expensive the "iTablet" is. :eek: It's going to be about $500 more than you'd like to pay, so just consider yourselves warned. :D

:cool:

[firewood]

...if it didnt have a physical keyboard there's no point.

That's probably exactly what some executives were saying at RIM, Nokia, Samsung, Palm, Nintendo, etc. a couple years ago. Then the iPhone and iPod Touch came along, and sold 30M+.

[powers74]

Tablet=Lame.

Netbook=Cool-ish.

all things are IMO of course

Nah, see I'm the other way 'round. This will be a great gap filler for me. Something between the MP and the iPhone. Something I can tote around without a lot of trouble and sketch on. For me:

iPhone = too small to sketch on

netbook = pointless because of iPhone

laptop = nice but huge

I would freaking LOVE a portable OSX sketchbook, so:

10" :apple: tablet = perfect.

I bet Ive has been using one of these for years now!

Oh, right, IMO!

[powers74]

So, pleaaaaaaaase, I beg of everyone, for the sake of sanity, DO NOT log in to MacRumors and spill gallons of virtual ink complaining on page after endless forum page about how expensive the "iTablet" is. :eek: It's going to be about $500 more than you'd like to pay, so just consider yourselves warned. :D

:cool:

Thank you.

[Topher15]

Apple is NOT going to produce a netbook but it seems clear that they could and will produce a new Touch with a larger screen but still linked to and part of the profit model of the Itunes distribution mechanism. A Touch with a 25% to 40% larger screen would be a natural replacement for the current Touch and probably be priced 1-2 hundred dollars higher. It is what I expect to see happen and I hope it will be announced in June.
Unfortunately I you might be right. :( A bigger iPod touch would be the dumbest thing ever... too big to be a useful iPod, too small and awkward to be a useful computer!!

It would probably be one of Apple's biggest mistakes of all time if they do not release a price-competitive netbook. They can go after all those who pine for a mini MacBook (like the 12" PowerBook), they can get into the growing netbook market and they can grab new users due to an attractive price. Why would they NOT do this?

[JeffLubowski]

I'm amazed that there are over 175 comments yet no mention of the Kindle. I've got to thing this new thing will be kind of a coffee table tablet. You can read books with it (Apple will try to do to books why they did to music) or pick it up when you are lying on the couch to surf the web or play games. In the morning you can use it to read the paper and when driving you can load a video on it to keep the kids entertained. And on planes you will have your own inflight entertainment system. I doubt this will be an earth-shattering device but it will make several everyday tasks more enjoyable.

[CyberBob859]

I don't think Apple will introduce a netbook or a tablet. I think all they're going to do is introduce a keyboard and bigger screen to hook up to an iPod Touch or iPhone, similar to what Palm tried (and failed) to do with their Treos a couple of years ago. It was called the Foleo, and while the execution was bad, the idea was interesting.

iPhone 3.0 introduces the idea of hooking up external devices. So, what if you have a device that looks like a very, very thin netbook with a keyboard and 9" touchscreen, but hook that up to your iPhone or iPod Touch? And all you're doing is controlling the iPhone/iPod Touch with the external keyboard and touchscreen?

It solves a lot of problems:

With no memory, hard drive, and main microprocessor, it could be cheap - well within netbook range. All the power is in the iPhone or iPod Touch.

There is no confusing it with a regular laptop, so there won't be cannibalising of MacBook sales.

It would leverage everything they have done to date with the iPhone and iPod Touch, including the App Store, while solving the two main problems with the iPhone - bigger screen for better web surfing and physical keyboard for email and messaging.

The device would be instant on - something very few netbooks can achieve now.

They can target consumers - Apple's main focus - and sell to their huge existing iPhone/iPod touch base, while attracting new customers who may be considering a netbook.

For consumers, they don't have to buy yet another expensive device, and try to sync their information and keep everything up to date.

FInally - and I think this is important - it will be different and nothing like it in the market.

[flooce]

So, what if you have a device that looks like a very, very thin netbook with a keyboard and 9" touchscreen, but hook that up to your iPhone or iPod Touch?

like this?

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4887/101308oloiphonenetbook.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/tag/iphone+netbook/)

[Marx55]

I really hope this isn't a lame 10" multi-touch only device just to stream media. Multi-touch is great for handheld devices, but for any useful/serious work or web browsing you need a keyboard, trackpad/mouse and a proper OS, along with the ability to use it like an actual laptop (i.e. rest it on your lap or table). How would you even operate a 10" tablet anyway... you couldn't use it outside/walking like you can an iPhone and if you use it inside you might as well have a netbook. Honestly the whole concept of a bigger iPhone/iPod touch just doesn't work for me. For what the iPhone/iPod touch does it doesn't need to be bigger than it is.

I'd like to see something that fills the gap between the iPhone and the Mac and employs elements of both. I'm thinking of a 10" netbook with a multi-touch screen that can swivel around to fold into a tablet. Have both Mac OS and iPhone OS on it. Maybe the iPhone OS is activated in tablet mode, or maybe it is activated manually like Front Row. That would be an amazing product, but I expect it would inflate the price.

Failing that I like to see a cheap Apple netbook (and by cheap I mean in Apple pricing). I can easily see myself buying that; I mostly only use my MacBook outside the house (and even then only when I have to) so a smaller/lighter Mac would be ideal. I'd probably take it out far more.

Apple said they have interesting ideas for netbooks, so maybe them saying they were not interested was to throw people off the trail? The netbook market it getting bigger and Apple can't just ignore it.


Totally agree. Whatever this product is if Apple want to grab new customers then they have to make it as cheap as possible (i.e. as close to PC netbooks). And if they want to get people to switch to Mac then it has to be a proper Mac, not the iPhones bigger brother. The iPhone experience has virtually nothing to do with the Mac OS user experience. If they can get people over to the Mac with a cheap netbook and they will certainly increase their user base.


They seem to be quite popular with journalists. I can easily imagine someone who travels a lot for business wanting one. Students who only use their computers for essays/web/music would be another target.

Just look at Apple's effect on the smart phone market: touch screen, app stores, innovative UI. Now everyone is doing that, and the amount of people buying smart phones has increased. I'm sure if they come out with an netbook it would be unique in some way.


Because one is a phone/iPod, the other is a computer. If this new device is just a sexed up iPhone, then you have a point, but if it's a MacBook Mini then there's no comparison (although then we could ask why would they release a Mac that costs the same as as an iPod/iPhone?)


A device just for presentations. iKeynote? Seems rather pointless.

Also, if it's not to work on why have the full OS X?

Quite useful if you devote 50% of your time to presentations and do not want to carry a heavy laptop (even the MacBook Air plus related luggage et al is too heavy and large to carry in a pocket).

The full Mac OS X (not full OS X, which is what have the iPhone and iPod touch inside) is just and only just to allow installing and opening Keynote and PowerPoint, and thus allow the full blown presentation.

The halo effect would be tremendous on all academic, corporate and domestic-personal markets, thus Apple will sell not only many more iTablets, but also more Macs, iPods, iPhones, etc.

Here is the idea-concept. Search for "No Baggage" here and watch the 30 seconds commercial:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us

Likewise, the Impatica ShowMate:
http://www.impatica.com/showmate

See also the OQO model 2+ at:
http://www.oqo.com

[nutritious]

I wish someone besides Steve Jobs with a little more technical knowledge would have the final say on products.

For example, the macbook screens are horrible, but steve probably thinks they're great because they're so glossy and bright. He doesn't know/notice things like viewing angles. If he did understand it, I doubt he'd let these crappy screens get into the macbooks, or even the TN panel on the 20" imac. We all know steve demands quality.

Sure, Steve makes sure things are sexy and easy to use, but really, he isn't the end all when it comes to making sure a product is a full quality product. Yes, steve wants quality, but he isn't always so sure what quality is.

[scottness]

I wish someone besides Steve Jobs with a little more technical knowledge would have the final say on products.

For example, the macbook screens are horrible, but steve probably thinks they're great because they're so glossy and bright. He doesn't know/notice things like viewing angles. If he did understand it, I doubt he'd let these crappy screens get into the macbooks, or even the TN panel on the 20" imac. We all know steve demands quality.

Sure, Steve makes sure things are sexy and easy to use, but really, he isn't the end all when it comes to making sure a product is a full quality product. Yes, steve wants quality, but he isn't always so sure what quality is.

You've got a great point, though I think overall, it's been Steve J who's brought Apple to where it is today. You and I probably wouldn't be on this Forum had it not been for Steve. He's not a total technical moron. He's incredible at what he does. But I still agree, you have a point.

[Topher15]

Quite useful if you devote 50% of your time to presentations and do not want to carry a heavy laptop (even the MacBook Air plus related luggage et al is too heavy and large to carry in a pocket).

The full Mac OS X (not full OS X, which is what have the iPhone and iPod touch inside) is just and only just to allow installing and opening Keynote and PowerPoint, and thus allow the full blown presentation.

The halo effect would be tremendous on all academic, corporate and domestic-personal markets, thus Apple will sell not only many more iTablets, but also more Macs, iPods, iPhones, etc.

Here is the idea-concept. Search for "No Baggage" here and watch the 30 seconds commercial:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us

Likewise, the Impatica ShowMate:
http://www.impatica.com/showmate

See also the OQO model 2+ at:
http://www.oqo.com
I can see your point but I doubt Apple would release such a specialised product. I mean, how many people do so many presentations that it warrants a specific piece of kit. Hardly that many to require a what you're proposing IMO. It seems to me that a netbook would be sufficient and would benefit others too.

[scottness]

I can see your point but I doubt Apple would release such a specialised product. I mean, how many people do so many presentations that it warrants a specific piece of kit. Hardly that many to require a what you're proposing IMO. It seems to me that a netbook would be sufficient and would benefit others too.

Yea, I could totally use it, but have to concede it wouldn't be readily embraced by most.

[iSamurai]

The iPod touch is $229~$399. A mini-tablet's price would depend highly on specs and features, but given iPod touch prices, I don't think it's too far out that at least one model will be $699 or less, especially if it had less flash memory than the highest-capacity iPod touch at that time.

if they scale the iphone up to 10", it'll cost about 7-800 range. if they scale the macbook down to 10", it'll probably cost 500. sounds weird, but downsizing a laptop you have all the components out there already e.g. intel atom and the rest of the hardware you just puzzle them together (like what *cough* HP, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Dell, MSI etc etc have done).

all i want is a nice and simple 10", lightweight macbook that i can actually get some work done on i.e. word processing. no fancy touch screen please (touch screen ramps up the price). it's nice on phones coz space is limited, but you can at least fit a keyboard that's efficient to input text on a 10 incher -- let's get back to basics, interaction with a computer is input/output. if input is compromised, you aren't gonna get much work done, i.e. the macbook wheel.

[milani]

I'd rather have an Apple netbook than an Apple tablet device. It's hard to say which direction Apple would (potentially) go though.

[asphyxiafeeling]

That's probably exactly what some executives were saying at RIM, Nokia, Samsung, Palm, Nintendo, etc. a couple years ago. Then the iPhone and iPod Touch came along, and sold 30M+.

the Nintendo DS had been using a touchscreen (albeit with a stylus) 3 years before the iPhone was released.

i agree with your statement 100% but i think the nintendo bit should be cut out. as far as risk taking/innovating they lead the way in the gaming industry IMO.

[asphyxiafeeling]

I wish someone besides Steve Jobs with a little more technical knowledge would have the final say on products.

For example, the macbook screens are horrible, but steve probably thinks they're great because they're so glossy and bright. He doesn't know/notice things like viewing angles. If he did understand it, I doubt he'd let these crappy screens get into the macbooks, or even the TN panel on the 20" imac. We all know steve demands quality.

Sure, Steve makes sure things are sexy and easy to use, but really, he isn't the end all when it comes to making sure a product is a full quality product. Yes, steve wants quality, but he isn't always so sure what quality is.

i think you underestimate Steve Jobs.

i'm not some crazy pro-steve guy, but i mean who are you to say he's not a technical person? are you the CEO of of a huge tech company? :D

(sorry for the double post)

[yegon]

I wish someone besides Steve Jobs with a little more technical knowledge would have the final say on products.

For example, the macbook screens are horrible, but steve probably thinks they're great because they're so glossy and bright. He doesn't know/notice things like viewing angles. If he did understand it, I doubt he'd let these crappy screens get into the macbooks, or even the TN panel on the 20" imac. We all know steve demands quality.

Sure, Steve makes sure things are sexy and easy to use, but really, he isn't the end all when it comes to making sure a product is a full quality product. Yes, steve wants quality, but he isn't always so sure what quality is.

Hmm, glossy/matte is completely subjective, but Steve Jobs knows exactly what he's doing with the shortcomings of the MB's screen re: viewing angle etc. They maximise profit by putting low res, low quality screens in, and get away with it, it's that simple. Plus, it forces people who desire a better display to the higher models; if the UMB had the same quality screen as the UMBP I may have bought the former. Instead, I was effectively forced to buy a 15" - not a great hardship, but for my usage a UMB would probably have sufficed. I've rarely used the 9600GT tbh but really didn't want a 1280x800 low q display.

[Marx55]

I can see your point but I doubt Apple would release such a specialised product. I mean, how many people do so many presentations that it warrants a specific piece of kit. Hardly that many to require a what you're proposing IMO. It seems to me that a netbook would be sufficient and would benefit others too.

A netbook (or tablet) would be just great, as far as it is not as large and as heavy as the MacBook Air. Say, 300 to 400 g would be great. A tablet or something like this (pocketable handheld and light):

UMID Mbook M1 review
http://www.oqotalk.com/index.php/topic,3671.0.html

[jouster]

I'm amazed that there are over 175 comments yet no mention of the Kindle. I've got to thing this new thing will be kind of a coffee table tablet. You can read books with it (Apple will try to do to books why they did to music) or pick it up when you are lying on the couch to surf the web or play games. In the morning you can use it to read the paper and when driving you can load a video on it to keep the kids entertained. And on planes you will have your own inflight entertainment system. I doubt this will be an earth-shattering device but it will make several everyday tasks more enjoyable.

Then the only thing it will share with the Kindle will be the form factor, since the Kindle has none of the multimedia capabilities you mention, and is the most basic browsing (barely usable) device imaginable. Also, the putative Apple device will fall far short of the Kindle's memory and readability in direct sunlight, two of its biggest advantages.

[niuniu]

^^ You'll find that most people generally hate reading e-books on their laptops..

[extrovertus]

I cannot see Apple launching a traditional netbook - there are too many players already.

Apple excel at usability, desirability and the ability to maximise revenue streams.

Unless they launch something innovative they won't bother. A shrunken notebook is not exciting enough.

I expect a paperback-sized scaled up iPod Touch with mobile connectivity. It will rely on the cloud for services and will form a control surface for other Apple products. I expect them to follow their minimalistic approach - no fancy slide out keyboards - but will interface to peripherals like BT keyboards and headsets. It will be extensible by apps that will create a new price band in the iTunes App store. You will need a subscription to get the most out of it.

[L3X]

This is my guess and concept :).

Very nice concept. I like it and would buy it. Although, they would never call it "MacDiary" - that would not sit well with many of their target audience.

Perhaps, MacBook Slim, or MacBook Ultra.

[iMacmatician]

if they scale the iphone up to 10", it'll cost about 7-800 range. if they scale the macbook down to 10", it'll probably cost 500. Everything else equal (including touchscreen), I think a 10" MacBook will cost more than a 10" iPod touch.

sounds weird, but downsizing a laptop you have all the components out there already e.g. intel atom and the rest of the hardware you just puzzle them together (like what *cough* HP, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Dell, MSI etc etc have done).Don't those components cost more than the ones used in the iPod touch? Or am I wrong?

[W1LLk]

Make pockets bigger???

Wait, there's one more thing...


Introducing...

the iPants.

56% bigger pockets, a hole for the AC adapter, buttsweat proof...

[Krafty]

Wait, there's one more thing...


Introducing...

the iPants.

56% bigger pockets, a hole for the AC adapter, buttsweat proof...
$259.99 each.

[Sehnsucht]

I thought Apple already had a netbook. You know, something called the MacBook Air.

True enough, but the Air isn't considered a true netbook because it starts at $1,800. For some reason, people expect "real netbooks" to be cheap. :rolleyes:

[Harmush]

The macbook air is more of a laptop still. its pretty big compared to some "netbooks", even though its light and extremely thin. a netbook from apple will probably be like a bigger iphone. in my opinion.
I am wondering if there really is a market for it though? is the iphone and ipod touch realy not good enough for small internet browsing sessions and send/receive emails?

[nutritious]

Hmm, glossy/matte is completely subjective, but Steve Jobs knows exactly what he's doing with the shortcomings of the MB's screen re: viewing angle etc. They maximise profit by putting low res, low quality screens in, and get away with it, it's that simple. Plus, it forces people who desire a better display to the higher models; if the UMB had the same quality screen as the UMBP I may have bought the former. Instead, I was effectively forced to buy a 15" - not a great hardship, but for my usage a UMB would probably have sufficed. I've rarely used the 9600GT tbh but really didn't want a 1280x800 low q display.

I don't buy that. The engineers, yes, but not jobs. It would literally cost no more than $30-50 for them to put in a higher quality display.

And if that were actually true, maybe steve jobs isn't as awesome as people think he is.

[Roessnakhan]

True enough, but the Air isn't considered a true netbook because it starts at $1,800. For some reason, people expect "real netbooks" to be cheap. :rolleyes:

The MBA is not a netbook. Netbooks are typically smaller than the average laptop (i.e. screen size is <10".) The only thing the MBA has going for it that's netbook-esque is its weight.

[firewood]

A bigger iPod touch would be the dumbest thing ever...

The perfect product to in which to invest R&D is something all your competition thinks is the dumbest thing ever. Make it work; then make it sell; and you've just stomped all your naysaying competition.

It would probably be one of Apple's biggest mistakes of all time if they do not release a price-competitive netbook. ... Why would they NOT do this?

Not enough profits. Competing with Acer on price is not any way to make money.

i

[farmboy]

A tablet with desktop OS X is not going to happen, because you can't have a purely touch screen interface with current OS X apps and APIs - it just won't work, no matter what the resolution. There are too many assumptions made about the nature of the pointing device (i.e. not a finger covering the item you're looking at), many controls are too small, no control click, menus would be too fiddly etc etc.

I pretty much agree with the whole post. However, I think Apple is giving an indication of how they might deal with some of the touch screen limitations in the iPhone 3 software. A modified desktop OS X is certainly possible. Lots of what you need for a very portable computer are definitely do-able on a touch screen, either with multi-touch gestures or small contextual buttons that appear as needed. Not that you'd want to do it all day on huge Excel spreadsheets / word-processing intensive documents, or Final Cut Pro, but I can see how it could work without too much aggravation. Pleasing the customers with usable software is going to be easier than meeting their unrealistic hardware spec dreams. But that's why Apple has a building full of engineers.

[farmboy]

I find the entire idea very exciting and I love reading all the speculation.

I really hope whatever the device is or whatever it will be called it incorporates: SPEECH RECOGNITION and HANDWRITING RECOGNITION along with the present multitouch screen and gestures, and a physical keyboard. And before al the naysayers jump in, we know that Apple is interested in both and when they're ready it will be done the right way.

I would love to have a bluetooth headset and have the tablet record my dictation, podcast, email, etc. A physical keyboard to work on projects, and writing recognition.....ah I could keep going.

Okay, start ripping on me about handwriting recognition and speech recognition. I'm ready... :D

I think most people would think handwriting and speech recognition is cool enough---but do you really want to be surrounded with people on the bus, at lunch, etc. dictating email, notes, letters, sales figures, etc? Aren't cell phones obnoxious enough?

[farmboy]

I don't buy that. The engineers, yes, but not jobs. It would literally cost no more than $30-50 for them to put in a higher quality display.

And if that were actually true, maybe steve jobs isn't as awesome as people think he is.

We've been through the glossy/matte discussion in a few hundred forums. People either love them and are not distracted by what others perceive as glare, or they can't get past the glare. I grew up with glossy screens, all our work Macs are glossy, and everybody loves them. Your mileage may vary but that doesn't mean it's stupid engineering, just not good for you.

And most people shouldn't put out OEM cost figures unless you're in the business, as most costs are task and volume dependent.

[DaBrain]

Wait, there's one more thing...


Introducing...

the iPants.

56% bigger pockets, a hole for the AC adapter, buttsweat proof...

WRONG! They are going to be iDepends, they will be disposable, thus we get to buy them again and again!--))) ;):D

[WLS]

I cannot see Apple launching a traditional netbook - there are too many players already.

Apple excel at usability, desirability and the ability to maximise revenue streams.

Unless they launch something innovative they won't bother. A shrunken notebook is not exciting enough.

I expect a paperback-sized scaled up iPod Touch with mobile connectivity. It will rely on the cloud for services and will form a control surface for other Apple products. I expect them to follow their minimalistic approach - no fancy slide out keyboards - but will interface to peripherals like BT keyboards and headsets. It will be extensible by apps that will create a new price band in the iTunes App store. You will need a subscription to get the most out of it.
I agree any new device is going to be along these lines. The new level of App pricing is the handwriting on the wall for those who will look beyond their own fantasies. This is Apple setting up an ecosystem for developers who have more elaborate products in mind that will have to run on a new device.

[spritelyjim]

As has been mentioned, Steve Jobs is very good at insulting an idea right up until the moment that Apple releases that exact thing. I could see them doing a netbook or tablet, maybe, but considering the Apple tradition of taking crappy consumer electronics (such as mp3 players and phones) and making them awesome, I could see Apple fulfilling the past rumor of making a kindle-like device, with a lot more functionality than just an e-book reader. You could then sell stuff for it from iTunes, which would of course make them a lot of money.

[yegon]

I don't buy that. The engineers, yes, but not jobs. It would literally cost no more than $30-50 for them to put in a higher quality display.

And if that were actually true, maybe steve jobs isn't as awesome as people think he is.

He's a shrewd, hard nosed business man, that's another $30-50 profit right there. The UMB is a nice piece of kit but the screen does not live up to the rest of it's build quality, of that there is little doubt. Hell, the screen on this cheapy Samsung NC10 I'm typing this on has better viewing angles!

Steve Jobs may not pay attention to every component in Apple products, but I'm pretty sure he's fully aware of something as significant as the displays they use.

[nutritious]

We've been through the glossy/matte discussion in a few hundred forums. People either love them and are not distracted by what others perceive as glare, or they can't get past the glare. I grew up with glossy screens, all our work Macs are glossy, and everybody loves them. Your mileage may vary but that doesn't mean it's stupid engineering, just not good for you.

And most people shouldn't put out OEM cost figures unless you're in the business, as most costs are task and volume dependent.

I wasn't bitching about glossy displays. In fact, I don't have a problem with glossy displays.

I said steve jobs just thinks the screens look good because they are glossy and bright. Where did I say glossy sucks?

Really the displays suck because they have poor viewing angles, a horrible contrast ratio, etc--not because they're glossy.

In fact, I think the 24" glossy led acd has one of the most beautiful pictures of any monitor i've seen.

[coleridge78]

Netbooks can run any apps that you can run on a normal computer, smartphones can not. Hell, you could do 3D-rendering on a netbook if you wanted to! To claim that "iPhone can do anything a netbook can do" is 100% false.

Hype and propaganda. There is no netbook that can do 3D rendering, unless you're running a 1997 copy of Bryce. If you think otherwise, pony up some evidence.

I'm in an Master of Science program in software engineering. About half of my colleagues in the program have netbooks that they bring to class. They are ok for browsing, e-mail, and note taking in a text editor. All of them (mostly EEE PCs and Dell minis, with a few others) are total dogs with Word or OpenOffice. Nobody bothers after the fourth or fifth time they try. Couple the craptasticness of a real word processor with the keyboards that are too cramped to type comfortably on for long, and nobody is even using them for "real word processing", which is allegedly the big advantage of a netbook over a smartphone.

My impression after a year of watching people use them for eight hours a day is that they're a toy. Most of the owners readily admit that, especially after they discover the limitations.

[DaoFerret]

Look. Apple. I understand the Netbook market is exploading - I'm even considering a Win XP machine right now. The point is, we pay around £250 for one in the UK. If Apple were to make one, they'd charge around £500. It would only be successful with a percentage of the already existing mac fan base. I.e. A very small market.

If you can't make it £300 - don't bother.

Not to sound sacrilegious but that was one of the reasons I went with a Dell Mini9.

It runs OSX almost flawlessly, comes with bluetooth, WiFi (and MobileBroadband if you spend the money), had a user serviceable battery, RAM and SSD (good for upgrading the SSD and RAM before installing OSX).

Base mini9 (w/Bluetooth and 1.3MP WebCam) ~ $300
2GB RAM upgrade (after purchase) ~$30
32GB SSD upgrade (after purchase) ~$120
Total ~ $450
throw in another $120 for a retail copy of OSX, and you're at ~ $570 for a subsidy free netbook, running OSX.
(add another $100 if you want 3G included in the netbook, an option you can't get included, even in a MacBook Air)

There are other OSX running Netbooks out there, take a look at the comparison chart from Boing Boing: http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/12/17/osx-netbook-compatib.html

Or the Gizmodo article http://i.gizmodo.com/5156903/how-to-hackintosh-a-Dell-mini-9-into-the-ultimate-os-x-netbook

I appreciate the Dell Mini9 community that insists on purchasing a retail copy of OSX for installation, instead of supporting copyright violation by using hacked ISOs. (I hear the Lenovo S10 is supposed to be a pretty good choice also, and offers a 10" screen instead of the Mini9's 9", as well as a better keyboard)

If you DO go that route though, the procedure has streamlined quite a bit since even the Gizmodo article, so I'd suggest checking out the MyDellMini OSX forum directly (link at the bottom of Gizmodo's article)

Considering the popularity of running OSX on Netbooks, I wonder just how much Apple might be missing the boat by not releasing a product in the space (even if they choose to redefine the space).

[fleshman03]

Just to give an idea of what we're hopefully going to be owning come this summer:

http://9to5mac.com/files/image/00000/10585wm6.jpg

THE ABOVE IMAGE IS NOT REAL.

This is from 9to5mac.com (http://www.9to5mac.com/fke-tablet-34565) as a "what if."

[AidenShaw]

Just to give an idea of what we're hopefully going to be owning come this summer:

http://9to5mac.com/files/image/00000/10585wm6.jpg

THE ABOVE IMAGE IS NOT REAL.

This is from 9to5mac.com (http://www.9to5mac.com/fke-tablet-34565) as a "what if."


First thing that comes to mind looking at that mockup is

"when is Apple going to get rid of the tacky white plastic cables and accessories???"...

[sushi]

Just to give an idea of what we're hopefully going to be owning come this summer:

http://9to5mac.com/files/image/00000/10585wm6.jpg
Something like this with a nice docking station for desk side use would be wonderful.

A long time ago, Apple had the Duo concept. Concept wise it was great.

A modern day version would be cool. When on the go you have a touch tablet with Mac OS X and the ability to use an external wireless (BT) keyboard and mouse. Then upon return to home/office, you plug it into the cradle and now you have your desktop computer with all it's resources (monitor, HDs, keyboard, mouse, etc.).

[Eric S.]

Just to give an idea of what we're hopefully going to be owning come this summer:

...

This is from 9to5mac.com (http://www.9to5mac.com/fke-tablet-34565) as a "what if."

I wouldn't trade my Macbook for it.

[Roessnakhan]

Just to give an idea of what we're hopefully going to be owning come this summer:

http://9to5mac.com/files/image/00000/10585wm6.jpg

THE ABOVE IMAGE IS NOT REAL.

This is from 9to5mac.com (http://www.9to5mac.com/fke-tablet-34565) as a "what if."

That's actually pretty cool, it wouldn't be a laptop replacement, but could definitely have its uses.

[iansilv]

UNLESS.................,

unless Steve is able to solve this problem and somehow make this device have a larger screen AND still be very pocketable. Oh my, how would one be able to make such a device? *puts finger to lips like dr. evil* :D

How about two screens, that can be opened up to show one larger screen, and with the tap of an icon / button a multi-touch keyboard appears, like with the iphone?
:)

Oh- and it slides in to an imac like doc.

[fleshman03]

First thing that comes to mind looking at that mockup is

"when is Apple going to get rid of the tacky white plastic cables and accessories???"...

Very True. but what color should they be? Silver or Black?


Something like this with a nice docking station for desk side use would be wonderful.

A long time ago, Apple had the Duo concept. Concept wise it was great.

A modern day version would be cool. When on the go you have a touch tablet with Mac OS X and the ability to use an external wireless (BT) keyboard and mouse. Then upon return to home/office, you plug it into the cradle and now you have your desktop computer with all it's resources (monitor, HDs, keyboard, mouse, etc.).


Funny you said that.

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2008/01/imac-dock3.jpg

That is from a patent Apple filed last year...
(http://gizmodo.com/339918/apple-docking-patent-works-perfectly-with-ultra+slim-macbook)

Imagine something like that, with an extra CPU, HD and GPU inside of it. It would actually use a lot of OSX core services. Time Machine, Grand Central, Open GL...


I wouldn't trade my Macbook for it.


Combine it with what's above. It would really be only for mobile note taking, word processing, music/movies...

Still not a complete replacement, but close.

That's actually pretty cool, it wouldn't be a laptop replacement, but could definitely have its uses.

Yeah, my point exactly.


That Mockup and patent are kind of a fanboy wet dream, but it seems a lot of the tech is coming into place for something like that...

[sushi]

Funny you said that.

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2008/01/imac-dock3.jpg

That is from a patent Apple filed last year...
(http://gizmodo.com/339918/apple-docking-patent-works-perfectly-with-ultra+slim-macbook)

Imagine something like that, with an extra CPU, HD and GPU inside of it. It would actually use a lot of OSX core services. Time Machine, Grand Central, Open GL...
Yes, seen similar before. Interesting idea. The technology to make this a feasible option is available. Of course there will be compromises. For many, the end result may be a good fit in that they have their desktop, but can take their tablet for on the go purposes.

[mac88]

like this?

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4887/101308oloiphonenetbook.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/tag/iphone+netbook/)

That has some possibilities. Would be great to use for a dock to watch iTunes movies on a bigger screen.

[PaperMacWriter]

What I would like to see coming out of Cupertino is an ePod - an iPod Touch on steroids aimed at the education market(k-12). It would have a 10" screen, and would run a slightly tweaked iPhone OS. Apple would include a word processor so you could use it for writing school documents, safari to do some research, and either an Apple included or 3rd party app to make a textbook-reader. I don't think this is enough for collage kids, so it would not decrease MacBook sales, but would add a whole new market. This would be amazing, especially for the textbooks - those things are heavy! And of course, there would need to be a , 3rd party or Apple brand, non-cramped, non-bluetooth physical keyboard. It would have a little hinge between the keyboard and the ePos so that it looks like a netbook (a very nice one).
Of course, this is more likely to be called an iProd (perhaps for prodigy?) as discovered in iPhone OS 3.0 beta. This is just my two cents, though.
SG :apple:

[AidenShaw]

Very True. but what color should they be? Silver or Black?

Graphite.

Like the Ipod in the picture...

[jons]

Wirelessly posted (Apple iPhone 3G 16GB White: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I'd be really interested at what price point they would offer such a device. Netbooks usually fall in the $300 price range. A multi touch netbook would surely cost more than that.

$999

[bobob]

If apple were to come out with a Tablet I would love to be able to use it as an artpad or something and use a digital pen or whatever to draw directly onto the screen. Is this even possible with multitouch?

How about a clamshell design that opens sideways - - two screens - - one multitouch, the other a cintiq type stylus artpad/handwriting one.

[fleshman03]

How about a clamshell design that opens sideways - - two screens - - one multitouch, the other a cintiq type stylus artpad/handwriting one.

Don't want to dash your dreams, but that would double the thickness for something that could be done on-screen.

[Stately]

If Apple makes a tablet, it will most likely look like this. It will not be some huge, clunky, heavy machine that only functions as one thing. It will look like this and be for those in a variety of fields.

[fleshman03]

If Apple makes a tablet, it will most likely look like this. It will not be some huge, clunky, heavy machine that only functions as one thing. It will look like this and be for those in a variety of fields.

And you reconcile that with a massive order of 10" touch screens how?

[Aqueus]

And you reconcile that with a massive order of 10" touch screens how?

Apple joins force with failing GM to produce built in computer lol :apple:

[abriwin]

If Psion could bring out the 3c (how many years ago) with a little keyboard and Acer can do a netbook running Ubuntu at under 300€ I see no reason why Apple cant make an iPhone type machine with a 9" touch screen running full MacOSX so it synchs perfectly with my 15" MacBook, my wife and daughters 12" iBooks and my loverly new iMac. (oh and my trusty Palm Tungsten T5 which will be binned as soon as someone brings out something to travel easy with that synchs properly with a Mac)

If they don't bring something out PDQ then PearC will and pull the rug from under Apple's feet.

By the way, whoever said the Netbook market is overstated should come to Portugal and see how many folks are buying them to lug around instead of anything 13" and upwards. Not only that, see how many Eeec and Acer have moved in just 9 months, millions.

[Stately]

And you reconcile that with a massive order of 10" touch screens how?

When did I say anything about the 10" screens that Apple ordered? Also do you have some inside info that the rest of us don't? Did Apple tell only you, that they are definitely going to release a tablet in June and not later and that those screens are meant for it? What's the point in arguing? It seems to me we come here to speculate not necessarily give fact as I'm sure you do not work for Apple. Join in on the fun, don't be so brash.

[PaperMacWriter]

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=167054&stc=1&d=1239713503
I could see this, but I think it would run the iPhone OS, simply for the reason that Apple won't cannibalize sales of its other products. Something running the iPhone OS would not be a full portable computer, but it would do what people want from a cheaper device - check e-mail, browse the web, and if I'm right, function as a word processor.

jons said:
$999

At $1,000, no one will chose a tablet over a MacBook. I could see this all be priced at around $600, because Apple is not playing the low price game, but it's not outrageous either. At this price its still a netbook, just a very classy netbook. Hey, look at Sonys prices for their VAIO lifestyle netbook - $900! For $100 more, you could get a MacBook!
SG :apple:

[Mrmacfreek]

Didn't apple say they weren't interested in the netbook segment? since no one seems to care I'll go ahead and say 'bout time... Everyone else has one and they seem to be popular. I really liked the MacBook Mini hoax on april fools day, looked pretty legit. I'd guess $500 for an apple netbook.
See the thing is that Apple likes to say that they are not intrested in many products, then the next year they start working on the product because everyone is all exited about it, same thing happened with the iPhone if you don't recall

[hashholly]

With the Asus N10J (w 9300gs graphics) ringing up at almost $700.00 and the sony vaio p (w/ ULV core 2 duo proccessor) coming in at $900.00 iI think all this crap about apple needing to sell a netbook for under 500 bucks is pure crap.

If apple releases anything thats 10" it will more than likely be a tablet with these specs:

CPU: Intel Dual Core Atom or Core 2 Duo ULV
Memory: 2GB ram
Harddrive:120GB Sata/32gb ssd/64gb ssd
Display: 10" LED Backlit Screen, Glossy, 1366 x 768 resolution, mulitouch w/pen input
Graphics: 9400M
Misc: Wireless N, Bluetooth, 3.2mp camera ff, GPS, 3G, Mini-Display Port, 1 usb port.
OS: Snow Leopard

Base Price: $699.99, released right before back to school in August.

First off, i think this thing will be released along with Snow Leopard to take advantage of the new touch/mulittouch improvements. I think this thing will run full osx, with a combination of touch os w/apps in the app store maybe running in the dashboard (im thinking the same apps on the phone can be used, they'll just look smaller in the screen, just like how most of the osx widgets aren't full screen resolution apps.)

This thing wont have a keyboard, just like the Iphone you will have the virtual keyboard, however it'll come with a dock (or maybe an accessory) so that you can rest it upright in landscape mode and use a bluetooth mouse/keyboard when your at a desk/table.

I think it'll include 3g which will allow it to be subsidized for around $299.99 by AT&T w/unlimited monthly internet. 3G may also allow newspaper organizations to subsidize the price of the tablet w/monthly charge for instant newspaper deliveries to your tablet (lets be honest, print newspapers are on their last leg, great way to save themselves, and cut the costs of printing newspapers while locking in subscriptions for 2 years)

3.2mp will be used for HD Video iChat (in HD over wi-fi, think hospitals etc)

Multitouch HD LED Screen; great for watching movies, ability to use Apps from the App store just like you would, and also have the ability to use normal os with a pen for doing things like taking notes.

Great for education, think about universities dropping books all together, and instead you take one of these around and download the specific app textbook, maybe even on subscription so you can own the book for the semester at a reduced cost, also allows books to be interactive vs static as they are now.

This is my dream tablet, and i think even at $699.99 it would sell pretty darn well.

[Eric S.]

If apple releases anything thats 10" it will more than likely be a tablet with these specs:

CPU: Intel Dual Core Atom or Core 2 Duo ULV
Memory: 2GB ram
Harddrive:120GB Sata/32gb ssd/64gb ssd
Display: 10" LED Backlit Screen, Glossy, 1366 x 768 resolution, mulitouch w/pen input
Graphics: 9400M
Misc: Wireless N, Bluetooth, 3.2mp camera ff, GPS, 3G, Mini-Display Port, 1 usb port.
OS: Snow Leopard

Base Price: $699.99, released right before back to school in August.

You think Apple would price that product at almost $300 less than a white Macbook? I don't see that happening.

[hashholly]

You think Apple would price that product at almost $300 less than a white Macbook? I don't see that happening.

I do because i think they will get rid of the white macbook and sell only one 13" macbook, with illuminated keyboard, 2.4ghz processor, 2ghz ddr3 ram, and 9400m graphics, for the price of the current 2.0 Unibody.

[PaperMacWriter]

With the Asus N10J (w 9300gs graphics) ringing up at almost $700.00 and the sony vaio p (w/ ULV core 2 duo proccessor) coming in at $900.00 iI think all this crap about apple needing to sell a netbook for under 500 bucks is pure crap. Agreed

If apple releases anything thats 10" it will more than likely be a tablet with these specs:

CPU: Intel Dual Core Atom or Core 2 Duo ULV
Memory: 2GB ram
Harddrive:120GB Sata/32gb ssd/64gb ssd
Display: 10" LED Backlit Screen, Glossy, 1366 x 768 resolution, mulitouch w/pen input
Graphics: 9400M
Misc: Wireless N, Bluetooth, 3.2mp camera ff, GPS, 3G, Mini-Display Port, 1 usb port.
OS: Snow Leopard

Base Price: $699.99, released right before back to school in August.

First off, i think this thing will be released along with Snow Leopard to take advantage of the new touch/mulittouch improvements. I think this thing will run full osx, with a combination of touch os w/apps in the app store maybe running in the dashboard (im thinking the same apps on the phone can be used, they'll just look smaller in the screen, just like how most of the osx widgets aren't full screen resolution apps.)

This thing wont have a keyboard, just like the Iphone you will have the virtual keyboard, however it'll come with a dock (or maybe an accessory) so that you can rest it upright in landscape mode and use a bluetooth mouse/keyboard when your at a desk/table.

I think it'll include 3g which will allow it to be subsidized for around $299.99 by AT&T w/unlimited monthly internet. 3G may also allow newspaper organizations to subsidize the price of the tablet w/monthly charge for instant newspaper deliveries to your tablet (lets be honest, print newspapers are on their last leg, great way to save themselves, and cut the costs of printing newspapers while locking in subscriptions for 2 years)

3.2mp will be used for HD Video iChat (in HD over wi-fi, think hospitals etc)
More likely 5MP, Apple ordered some of those

Multitouch HD LED Screen; great for watching movies, ability to use Apps from the App store just like you would, and also have the ability to use normal os with a pen for doing things like taking notes.

Great for education, think about universities dropping books all together, and instead you take one of these around and download the specific app textbook, maybe even on subscription so you can own the book for the semester at a reduced cost, also allows books to be interactive vs static as they are now.

This is my dream tablet, and i think even at $699.99 it would sell pretty darn well.

Kind of like what I said, but I predict the iPhone OS, simply because it is not a full computer. That is all I could see from this. I would expect/demand that someone makes a keyboard for it, but I cant see this as a netbook. Just a big iPod touch with possible 3G service, but even that isn't likely to be built in. If it had enough Apps for education(like textbooks/e-readers) then they could be offered to schools at a discount bulk price and loan them to students for maybe $100 a year(random estimate, seems good if Apple had school price at $500, make a good deal of money back). I'd say reg. price of $700-800.
It lacks just the right amount of features and has just enough extras to make students want/need this AND a MacBook, creating extra sales, the real goal of any product.
SG :apple:

[Eric S.]

I do because i think they will get rid of the white macbook and sell only one 13" macbook, with illuminated keyboard, 2.4ghz processor, 2ghz ddr3 ram, and 9400m graphics, for the price of the current 2.0 Unibody.

If they get rid of the white macbook I think they'd be more likely to move the product you propose into that price slot, i.e., just under $1000 rather than $700. But I'll still believe a Mac tablet only when I see it.

[Topher15]

I cannot see Apple launching a traditional netbook - there are too many players already.

Apple excel at usability, desirability and the ability to maximise revenue streams.

Unless they launch something innovative they won't bother. A shrunken notebook is not exciting enough.

I expect a paperback-sized scaled up iPod Touch with mobile connectivity. It will rely on the cloud for services and will form a control surface for other Apple products. I expect them to follow their minimalistic approach - no fancy slide out keyboards - but will interface to peripherals like BT keyboards and headsets. It will be extensible by apps that will create a new price band in the iTunes App store. You will need a subscription to get the most out of it.
If they release this I'll go on record saying it's gonna flop. I just don't see how a extra large iPod Touch is going to have much usability to be honest.

Having a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (and presumably a stand) wouldn't be that usable IMO. It would work when inside at a desk, but when you lift the device from the stand you just have a clunky viewing/media device for which the iPod Touch is better (more portable). What do you do if you want to work while your out, in a cab, at a conference, media event, or lecture, etc? It seems to loose the ability and purpose of such a device to be used anywhere other that at a docking station, in which case just get a laptop or netbook. That's why an Apple netbook (or netbook/tablet combo) would be useful: it's small and portable but it still useful, anywhere.

The iPod Touch and iPhone does the job of a media viewing device in a far more useful way. A 10" media device would just be replicating that but removing all the benefits of portability and usability. It sounds like it would also be trying to replicate the use of a netbook without being as useful.

Also, making it a subscription-based platform probably would harm it too.

[Stately]

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=167054&stc=1&d=1239713503
I could see this, but I think it would run the iPhone OS, simply for the reason that Apple won't cannibalize sales of its other products. Something running the iPhone OS would not be a full portable computer, but it would do what people want from a cheaper device - check e-mail, browse the web, and if I'm right, function as a word processor.

jons said:
$999

At $1,000, no one will chose a tablet over a MacBook. I could see this all be priced at around $600, because Apple is not playing the low price game, but it's not outrageous either. At this price its still a netbook, just a very classy netbook. Hey, look at Sonys prices for their VAIO lifestyle netbook - $900! For $100 more, you could get a MacBook!
SG :apple:

I wish they would create something in that form factor that would run full OS. I see what you mean about having an effect on MB / MBP sales if it did but man I want something like that lol.

[PaperMacWriter]

I wish they would create something in that form factor that would run full OS. I see what you mean about having an effect on MB / MBP sales if it did but man I want something like that lol.
Well, yeah I WANT it to run OS X, but I dont see that happing. Sniff sniff:(
Still would be an awesome product, though.
SG :apple:

[sushi]

If Apple makes a tablet, it will most likely look like this.
Something like this would be nice.

I could see this, but I think it would run the iPhone OS, simply for the reason that Apple won't cannibalize sales of its other products. Something running the iPhone OS would not be a full portable computer, but it would do what people want from a cheaper device - check e-mail, browse the web, and if I'm right, function as a word processor.
Interesting comment.

I can see a device that runs Mac OS applications as well as runs/supports existing and future iPhone/touch applications.

I wish they would create something in that form factor that would run full OS.
Likewise.

I don't see this type of device cannibalizing the laptop sales. Individuals who need a laptop probably would not be satisfied with this device as a replacement. No keyboard, small screen, etc.

However, someone who has a desktop that wants to have some functionality while on the road, and does not want to carry a laptop and is looking for something like a netbook, then this device would fill that niche.

[jeanlouisb]

If apple releases anything thats 10" it will more than likely be a tablet with these specs:

CPU: Intel Dual Core Atom or Core 2 Duo ULV
Memory: 2GB ram
Harddrive:120GB Sata/32gb ssd/64gb ssd
Display: 10" LED Backlit Screen, Glossy, 1366 x 768 resolution, mulitouch w/pen input
Graphics: 9400M
Misc: Wireless N, Bluetooth, 3.2mp camera ff, GPS, 3G, Mini-Display Port, 1 usb port.
OS: Snow Leopard

Base Price: $699.99, released right before back to school in August.

...

This thing wont have a keyboard, just like the Iphone you will have the virtual keyboard, however it'll come with a dock (or maybe an accessory) so that you can rest it upright in landscape mode and use a bluetooth mouse/keyboard when your at a desk/table.

I think it'll include 3g which will allow it to be subsidized for around $299.99 by AT&T w/unlimited monthly internet. 3G may also allow newspaper organizations to subsidize the price of the tablet w/monthly charge for instant newspaper deliveries to your tablet (lets be honest, print newspapers are on their last leg, great way to save themselves, and cut the costs of printing newspapers while locking in subscriptions for 2 years)

3.2mp will be used for HD Video iChat (in HD over wi-fi, think hospitals etc)

Multitouch HD LED Screen; great for watching movies, ability to use Apps from the App store just like you would, and also have the ability to use normal os with a pen for doing things like taking notes.

Great for education, think about universities dropping books all together, and instead you take one of these around and download the specific app textbook, maybe even on subscription so you can own the book for the semester at a reduced cost, also allows books to be interactive vs static as they are now.

This is my dream tablet, and i think even at $699.99 it would sell pretty darn well.

Kind of like what I said, but I predict the iPhone OS, simply because it is not a full computer. That is all I could see from this. I would expect/demand that someone makes a keyboard for it, but I cant see this as a netbook. Just a big iPod touch with possible 3G service, but even that isn't likely to be built in. If it had enough Apps for education(like textbooks/e-readers) then they could be offered to schools at a discount bulk price and loan them to students for maybe $100 a year(random estimate, seems good if Apple had school price at $500, make a good deal of money back). I'd say reg. price of $700-800.
It lacks just the right amount of features and has just enough extras to make students want/need this AND a MacBook, creating extra sales, the real goal of any product.
SG :apple:

I agree partially with PaperMacWriter about Apple using iPhone OS 3.0 for this new tablet/iBook. But it will probably not have 3G. That's why you will want to tether to your iPhone to use 3G. As it has been said before in this thread, this new device is an enlarged iPod Touch with a bigger screen, HD capability, and better suited to many current and future uses of the iPhone or iPod Touch. But the cost has to go lower in order to compete with other devices such as the Kindle.

The AppStore/iTunes business model still holds perfectly. And this could definitely kill the Kindle2 if Apple can improve readability (in direct sunlight, especially) and battery life. I'd love to get my newspaper on it every morning, read it at breakfast and while commuting on the train. All developers would probably welcome the opportunity to sell new HD versions of their software so that I could also kill some time. This could definitely become a very nice media access device, be it for music, videos (HD or otherwise), images, text (i.e. books), etc. All accessible through network access if not already "on" the device, thanks to iTune. And you can use it for (light) messaging.

It is not as portable as the iPhone, but it is certainly transportable. And it will look nice and could be very useful on the kitchen table, on the coffee table in the den or on various "stands" around the house or the office. Even in the car (to entertain my children) or to assist me finding directions if I can find an appropriate stand for it.

If you do the math and compare, it works (under my assumptions :-) :

...............................iPod Touch...........Kindle 2..............iTablet

Size (H-W-D).............4.3-2.4-0.33.........8.0-5.3-0.33.......8.5-5.6-0.33
Weight......................4 on....................10.2 on..............12-15 on. ?
Display size (diag.)......3.5" ....................6" .....................9"
Resolution..................480x320 .............800x600 .............1360x768
HD capable.................No .....................No ....................Yes

CONNECTIONS:
USB.........................No ......................Yes ...................Yes
WiFi ........................Yes .....................No ....................Yes
WiFi-N .....................No ......................No ....................Yes
Bluetooth .................Yes .....................No ....................Yes
3G...........................Yes .....................Limited * ............Tethering **

Camera ....................2.0 mp ................NO .....................3.2 or 5.0 mp

PRICE:
.................16 GB ... 299 ........... 2 GB .. 359 .........16 GB.. 499/299***
.................32 GB ... 399 .....................................32 GB.. 599/399***
.........................................................................64 GB.. 759/559***

(*) No service plan to pay. Used by Amazon to download to the device or by user to surf on Amazon store or on Wikipedia. Can also received documents (PDF) sent to your e-mail at Amazon.

(**) Capability introduced with OS 3.0. Connect to the phone through USB or Bluetooth. You provide the phone (iPhone or other) and pay for 3G uasge as per your plan.

(***) My assumption is that the device could somehow be partly subsidized by the wireless carriers (don't forget they want an extension to their exclusivity deals) and by editors of newspapers, magazines, books, etc. Besides, if Apple maintains its 30% margin on anything purchased through its AppStore (let's rename it the Apple Store), they probably have enough margin to pay for part or the iTablet.


But don't forget, all this is based on rumors... and a little imagination :-)

[tubbymac]

If Apple makes a tablet, it will most likely look like this. It will not be some huge, clunky, heavy machine that only functions as one thing. It will look like this and be for those in a variety of fields.

I want that machine so bad. Gimme it now, Apple.

[fleshman03]

When did I say anything about the 10" screens that Apple ordered? Also do you have some inside info that the rest of us don't? Did Apple tell only you, that they are definitely going to release a tablet in June and not later and that those screens are meant for it? What's the point in arguing? It seems to me we come here to speculate not necessarily give fact as I'm sure you do not work for Apple. Join in on the fun, don't be so brash.

Hey -- I just wanted to say that I was making a joke and I didn't mean for what I said to "sound" how it did. My bad.

And sorry it took so long for me to get back to this post. (End of the semester stuff...)

I don't really know what the 10" touch screens are for.

They would be used as a secondary display on a laptop?
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/12/w700ds2.jpg

Removing all physical keys from a keyboard?
http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/6355-optitacttext.jpg

I just think both seem far less likely than a tablet. If they do go the cheap ($300-$600) web tablet idea, then they would be competing the the "netbook" market in a very Apply fashion.

I will honestly try to be less brash.

[sbb155]

Getting back to the title of the article - jobs overseeing it? YEAH RIGHT.
He has PANCREATIC CANCER
He is having serious complications.
I bet he is as involved as WOZ is.
Gimme a break
Sorry to say, as good as dead
But at least we'll get a two button mouse out of it finally.
Wish steve the best... in retirement.

[NT1440]

He has PANCREATIC CANCER
.

Yea, about that, no he doesnt. At least not anymore.