Say Hello to iTablet

[Tanker-X]

The hell with Iwalk and Ipod, Say hello to iTablet. This is definitly the time and the place for this bad boy. With the advent of Windows XP tablet edition. Don't you think Apple would benefit from a tablet computer. Perfect for Photoshop and Illustrator. You could paint right on the screen!. Maybe Steve was right, PDA's have been cornered, its time for tablets! OSX tablet edition. Think about it, why wouldn't they do this!?

[swannman]

.

[Tanker-X]

Do a sense a bit of sarcasim?:rolleyes:

[swannman]

.

[strider42]

Originally posted by Tanker-X
Think about it, why wouldn't they do this!?

hmmm, a computer thats less functional, harder to input stuff into (typing will always be faster), that's too bulky to be really portable. And it needs to have its batteries charged, probably fairly frequently. Sorry, i really don't see the appeal of tablets. The only people who ever talk about them is microsoft. I think they are trying to create a market in hopes that no one will notice that no one actually needs these things (much like palm did). When someone explains to me why a tablet is better than a laptop, maybe I'll reconsider.

As for use with photoshop, etc, I'm thinking its probably not a big enough screen for the pros, that the screen would get ruined very quickly by "painting" on it, and it would presumably be less powerful than a desktop, which leaves it where exactly?

[beatle888]

i think something like this would be good for
doctors, foremen, teachers....but the general
public....naw, just my opinion. even if certain
industries did find a device like this useful i feel
potential customers would really like it to be
touch screen so they can launch a keyboard
and type right on the screen...virtual keyboard...
or awesome voice recognition or both.

[Tanker-X]

It would be touch screen and have voice recognition. I personally have an ibook and have to lug around the 6 lb dead weight everywhere I go. I much rather have something like a ditial clipboard that weighs only 2lbs. I'm not looking to play unreal on it, just work. I think PDA's suck because of the limited OS's and memory. This device could sinc up to your computer and immediatly transfer information, have built in 802.11b and bluetooth(slow anyway). I still see no downside. What makes an ibook better? The fact it has a keyboard? There are many protoype tablets with built in keyboards on the reverse side that can flip around to simulate a laptop. I still see more positives than negatives. On November 7th Microsoft will release all their tablets into the market, I guess we will have to wait and see what type of response it will have. Believe me Apple has made worse mistakes than the iTablet. Don't even get me started on the eMate.:o

[strider42]

Originally posted by Tanker-X
It would be touch screen and have voice recognition. I personally have an ibook and have to lug around the 6 lb dead weight everywhere I go. I much rather have something like a ditial clipboard that weighs only 2lbs. I'm not looking to play unreal on it, just work. I think PDA's suck because of the limited OS's and memory. This device could sinc up to your computer and immediatly transfer information, have built in 802.11b and bluetooth(slow anyway). I still see no downside. What makes an ibook better? The fact it has a keyboard? There are many protoype tablets with built in keyboards on the reverse side that can flip around to simulate a laptop. I still see more positives than negatives. On November 7th Microsoft will release all their tablets into the market, I guess we will have to wait and see what type of response it will have. Believe me Apple has made worse mistakes than the iTablet. Don't even get me started on the eMate.:o

industries that need tablet PC's already have them, and have had them for years and years. doctors use them, I'm sure plenty of others do as well. Heck, just look at those things UPS guys carry around to sign for packages (its bulky, but it does the job). I don't know what work you intend on doing on something like this, but it would certainly be very limited.

What makes an iBook better. well, its got an optical drive, keyboard, better processor than a tablet would probably sport, more ports for making it useful for other things. it folds up at least as small as this thing is, probably more so. the screen is protected when a laptop is closed, this thing is open all the time. a tablet is just a giant PDA, without the convience of size. considering you could get a PC notebook for probably the same price and one thats very light (like the sony vaio's without the optical drives), whats the point. frankly I don't see a single postitive to a tablet that would make it actually better than a laptop (not necessarily the iBook which is fairly heavy, but laptops in general). you could integrate a touchscreen and voice recognition into a laptop if you wanted (neither of which I think are all that great for a variety of reasons)

Would it be the worst mistake apple ever made, probably not. But it would fail I'm willing to bet.

[cubist]

... of graffiti is acceptable, but I still have considerable errors. Newton 1.3 was laughably bad. Sometimes it'd recognize words and not have even one letter in common. It was completely unusable. I recently got a Newton 2100 with 2.1 OS on it and guess what? It's still terrible. For word processing it's got to be 99.99% or better - Graffiti is around 95%, and Newton 2.1 is around 70% if that. Even a stretched Palm would be slammed in the press. There is no substitute for a keyboard.

Now if you're going to just draw on the thing, or turn off the recognition and save it as an image, that's a little different. Letter size is too big; palm is too small. What you need is something in between, around the size of... you know... a previous Apple product:D

[multifinder]

I can't imagine why anyone outside a small niche would buy a tablet computer, so I can't believe Apple would bother. Bill Gates may think tablets are the wave of the future, but I see them dying like "internet appliances" did, because no one would buy what's basically an extremely limited laptop.

[MacCoaster]

Source of that image:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/features/11-13tabletpc2.jpg

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/features/11-13tabletpc2.jpg

How lame, copying Microsoft!

[scem0]

Originally posted by MacCoaster
Source of that image:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/features/11-13tabletpc2.jpg

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/features/11-13tabletpc2.jpg

How lame, copying Microsoft!

I couldn't agree more. I would never expect apple to copy microsoft by copying microsoft because the copied apple. That didn't make the slightest bit of sense. It is 2 in the morning, I can't help it... ;)

[medea]

Steve Jobs said himself "who wants to handwrite all of their emails" when talking about tablet pc's, perhaps a union of the laptop and the tablet type screen or an iMac even.
Apple did bring back Newtons handwriting recognition software for something and I doubt it was for third-party pads.

[Moonlight]

Originally posted by cubist
... of graffiti is acceptable, but I still have considerable errors. Newton 1.3 was laughably bad. Sometimes it'd recognize words and not have even one letter in common. It was completely unusable. I recently got a Newton 2100 with 2.1 OS on it and guess what? It's still terrible. For word processing it's got to be 99.99% or better - Graffiti is around 95%, and Newton 2.1 is around 70% if that. Even a stretched Palm would be slammed in the press. There is no substitute for a keyboard.

You must have some "interesting" handwriting for the newton 2.1 not to work very well for you.....Mine is like scratch from a chicken inside a coffin, but the Newton 2100 and Inkwell know what I am saying 95% of the time...not bad

[G5orbust]

DUDE! I love tehse things! If it has optional airport capabilitites, you can play UT in the crapper or while crusing around the office!

Yes, i came up with those a few months ago, when i first saw these types of threads.

[knighthawk]

Be prepared for a rehash of all of the old jokes...

I knew this guy who was so dumb that he tried to use whiteout on his tablet.

[MacCoaster]

Originally posted by knighthawk
Be prepared for a rehash of all of the old jokes...

I knew this guy who was so dumb that he tried to use whiteout on his tablet.
*gasp!* Why a guy instead of a blonde gal. ;)

[pimentoLoaf]

Doesn't Wacom make something like this already? You know, the Cintiq (http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index.cfm).

Apple could just license the device the way Radio Shack does for its products -- my RS dx-398 shortwave receiver is a Sangean ats-909 with a slightly different look, though nothing is changed on the inside.

[BMWJ24]

Why is everyone so down of the idea of a tablet pc?

If it was less than 3lbs, had a fast G3, airport/bluetooth, gigawire, great video card, Ti res screen, and was 3/4inX12.5inX8.5in.

I would buy it in a second. I'm a student but I can't imagine who wouldn't use one if it could be had for +/-$1200.

If you don't like the idea of not having a keyboard, get a portalbe usb/bluetooth keyboard and mouse, use a built in stand for the screen and you're all set -- and think of all the times you could get away with just the pen. Audio/Video, Checking email, proofing documnets, class/meeting notes, w/ gps option map navigation, etc.

PDA's don't cut it b/c they are too small and slow to do real work, and notebooks are too big to carry and use in many situations.

[cb911]

that tablet thing would be way too expensive, better off just to get a good tablet.

[peter2002]

This tablet PC is just a repackage of the tablet PC of 10 years ago. Nobody bought it then, and nobody will buy it now.

Peter

[Spike Spiegel]

is it just me, or do people tend toward the bitter side at 2 in the morning?
side note: off topic, but go see the Ring, its really creepy

[wrylachlan]

I don't think I'd go for a full-sized tablet at 1200-1500. Too expensive and too big to carry around.

However... One of the things I'd be really interested in if the price was right, would be something with a screen the size of a hardcover novel but extremely thin and light. Like an e-book device, but with the added abilities of a pda.

Here's how apple could leverage their technology to make this a seller.
1) Get partnership deals with as many different ebook vendors as possible and create iBookshelf app with central repository for all your books, magazines, etc.
2) Build firewire into the device so it can connect to your iMac.
3) Via rendezvous, you plug it into your mac at night, when you wake up in the morning, your new york times, etc. etc. is in the "EBook"
4)A sherlock-like search engine would automatically cross-reference all your news. You read a story on corporate fraud in the NY Times, and a simple click takes you to the corresponding story in the Wall Street Journal.

5)While reading on it, you get the urge to take notes... done via inkwell.
6) Rolodex? Yup. Calendar? Yup. To Do list? yup.

And one more thing.

7) Automatically syncs with iphoto so you have your photo albumn on the go. You get to work, put the unit standing up on your desk and there's your wife's picture.

Oh, and one more thing...

8)With rendezvous and bluetooth, it could check email on the go by rendezvousing with your bluetooth cell-phone.

There are no other comparable devices in this space. The Franklin eBookman has the pda functions, but the screen is crap. The Gemstar device has a great screen, but no PDA functions. None of them have anything like sherlock. Nor iPhoto. And wireless e-mail? Totally unique. Also, the process of getting info into other e-book devises is cumbersome, to which Apple could apply their simplicty magic.

And finally, the market demographics are the same. The people who are buying e-book devices, are the same people who are buying Macs, are the same people who are buying high-end PDAs.

If they could bring a device like this to market at around $700 I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

[big]

it should discipline my kids & walk the dog too!

hell, think I could get an iBot in the future?

[wrylachlan]

Originally posted by big
it should discipline my kids & walk the dog too!

hell, think I could get an iBot in the future?

My point was that, like the iPod with the Mp3 space, there is an opportunity to bring something unique to the eBook space. Certainly more unique than anything Apple could bring to the tablet space.

Tablet = expensive full-featured PC
eBook = low cost reader with a few perks

[big]

I don't know, I want something that can do it all (almost)

I see it working with your iPod in your bookbag through bluetooth, for file transfer, or use the iPod as a major harddrive. you could easily download your books to read on it & save your emails & other files on the iPod....

so I want something I could use to "sketch" pictures on, read novels, write email, take class notes, etc etc...

infact, class notes could be very very cool. never having to remember if you have the right folder, and being able to print from any printer at school, especially if you had inadvertantly forgot to print your assignment before getting to class.

but that may be too fancy huh? you'd certainly wouldn't have extra paper to lend out

[wrylachlan]

Originally posted by big
I don't know, I want something that can do it all (almost)

so I want something I could use to "sketch" pictures on, read novels, write email, take class notes, etc etc...

infact, class notes could be very very cool. never having to remember if you have the right folder, and being able to print from any printer at school, especially if you had inadvertantly forgot to print your assignment before getting to class.

but that may be too fancy huh? you'd certainly wouldn't have extra paper to lend out

I totally agree, taking notes, email, sketching, etc. But for me, I don't need a 14" or even 12" screen to take notes on. I usually take notes on a small scratch-pad. So I would rather have an eBook size screen. Maybe 10" or 9" diagonally. This would cut down on the cost and also the power drain.

I also wouldn't need enough power to run a ton of programs. I'm not going to be compositing video on my sketch-pad. Come to think of it, it might not even need enough power to do the handwriting recognition. It could just save the raw images and let your main computer translate it when you get home. You could still page through the handwritten notes on the go.

From a retailer's perspective, this makes more sense too. If you offer a full-featured tablet, you run the risk of cannibalizing the sales of your core systems (iMac, iBook). If you sell a less expensive iPad that adds to the functionality of your core system you gain iPad sales and iMac sales.

[big]

naw... its needs to have the world's leading hand writing /reading technology

[wrylachlan]

In a wierd bit of synchronicity, just after I started thinking about an apple eBook a thread apears talking about an new iBrary i-app... coincidence? I think not.