Apple Investigating a Range of Tablet Screens From 4 to 12 Inches?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/04/apple-investigating-a-range-of-tablet-screens-from-4-to-12-inches/)

AppleInsider reports (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/04/apple_evaluated_4__to_12_inch_tablet_screens_report.html) on a research note from analysts at Kaufman Bros. claiming that Apple has investigated a range of tablet screen sizes from 4 to 12 inches over the past several years. Many of the orders have reportedly been large enough to account for small production runs of corresponding devices rather than merely a handful of prototypes each.In a research note issued Tuesday, Kaufman Bros. revealed that Apple has bought screen sizes of 4, 7, 9, 10 and 12 inches over the last two years. Some of the purchases were allegedly of such a large amount that the firm suspects they were for more than a simple sample, but a more significant small production run.

Based on that information, the analysis predicts that Apple will launch at least one -- but possibly multiple -- new devices in the near future.The report suggests based on that evidence that Apple could be considering launching multiple tablet or netbook form factors in the relatively near future, with 2010 being the most likely timeframe for an introduction.

Recent reports have been pointing to an approximately 10-inch screen for Apple's much-rumored tablet, with conflicting information on launch dates suggesting that the new device will make an appearance possibly as soon as September of this year (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/27/apple-tablet-launch-to-coincide-with-itunes-digital-album-enhancements-in-september/) but perhaps not until 2010 (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/24/apple-tablet-to-launch-in-early-2010-using-chip-platform-from-p-a-semi/).

Article Link: Apple Investigating a Range of Tablet Screens From 4 to 12 Inches? (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/04/apple-investigating-a-range-of-tablet-screens-from-4-to-12-inches/)

[ct2k7]

could this be further evidence of a tablet prototype

[sikest]

Once again... if this ends up being simply web and media tablet my wallet will remain closed.

No hand writing recognition will be a show stopper for me. I know Mr. Jobs hates the stylus and the multi button mouse but your consumers don't. No hand writing recognition, no money from my home.

The 10” screen would be awesome, iPod size screens need not apply.

I hope these rumors are true otherwise a Linux tablet will be in my near future. I am sick and tired of waiting for Apple to produce something in this segment.

[nagromme]

I want 7"--double the iPhone. Still very portable. At 10" it would be very cool, but I already have an Air.

[rdowns]

As cool as these sound, I still don't see the killer app here. If, as said, it's a movie/TV player and Internet surfing toy, forget it. I can see it replacing my laptop when it's time but I don't see me buying one in addition to a desktop, laptop and iPhone.

[Full of Win]

I wonder if they are doing this to keep people guessing as to the form factor being used?

[Pooshka]

I hope one these babies can replace my MacBook Pro 2006 one day. :)

[DELLsFan]

I want 7"--double the iPhone. Still very portable. At 10" it would be very cool, but I already have an Air.

That's the spirit! Of course, at least a dozen know-it-alls here will still insist there just isn't a market for this. Fortunately, as the rumors become more credible, more people are praising the idea of more mobile options than not.

[thejadedmonkey]

But then wouldn't you have the issue where developers have to develop at different resolution to support all of the screen sizes?

[Marx55]

Apple should buy OQO and make this thing with Mac OS X inside. The full Mac OS X in your pocket with just 450 g:

OQO model 2+
http://www.oqo.com

[jessica.]

could this be further evidence of a tablet prototype

I want 7"--double the iPhone. Still very portable. At 10" it would be very cool, but I already have an Air.

Exactly. And I'd only buy to replace the Air not in addition to.

[gilkisson]

That's the spirit! Of course, at least a dozen know-it-alls here will still insist there just isn't a market for this. Fortunately, as the rumors become more credible, more people are praising the idea of more mobile options than not.

Tablet, shmablet. Your avatar... inspires my innermost geek.

[cstromme]

I want 7"--double the iPhone. Still very portable. At 10" it would be very cool, but I already have an Air.

That would actually be 4 times the size as we're talking about the diagonal measurement.

[Hattig]

The Q1 2010 rumours could be referring to Apple's financial year, which starts in October I believe. Which puts both rumours at the same time.

(Someone at AppleInsider worked that out, I blindly repeat it.)

9" should be enough (so she said).

[gan6660]

I just dont see why they wouldnt release it before the Holiday season? I mean this could be a big product and the holidays are the best times for release. I believe it will be announced next month at the iPod event.

[Bjohnson33]

I'm really curious to see what Apple is going to do with this. There are a lot of people saying it will have no market, or it just doesn't make sense. I don't think anyone could have predicted how useful and versatile the iPhone would become. Perhaps this will be the same - Apple may have a much grander plan that we can think of thus far.

[Prom1]

I call ********* on a tablet of 4inches.
iPhone and iPod Touch are just about 4inches. Another device in this market segment will pull itself into the grave or kill the iPod Touch.

8"inches or higher is ideal fo ra Tablet screen. Sure multiTouch is standard fanfare from Apple ... but I think InkWell will make its debut for FULL use by the masses and not just Graphire Tablet users or users needing accessibility options.

[drummerlondonw3]

12 inch would be a sweet spot for a personal media device, if there was a choice I would go 12 rather than 10.

[SFStateStudent]

Yup, definitely a plus for 10" MacTablet, anything larger is a MacBook and anything smaller is an iPhone. Anything that can replace my MBP 15" would be very nice; and sync my iPhone would be heavensent....:p

[PinkyMacGodess]

How about an Apple POS system? (Point of Sale)

They have the technology and the niche is currently owned by Symbol (a Motorola division).

That *could* explain the various screen sizes.

Anyone thought of an Apple IP phone? To compete with Cisco? Again, they have the technology and could pull it off...

[londonmystery]

Didn't know there would be an ipod event, If there is they will probably announce that along with details of any bump/price cuts for the imac. All in time for Christmas or what the Americans call "the holidays" :):)

[dernhelm]

This is awesome. More smoke from Cupertino.

No one has any idea what they're releasing anymore. Someone may have guessed correctly, but no one really knows...

How long until the lids off, though? I'm betting late August-early September before a reliable leak surfaces.

[andiwm2003]

those tablets will NEVER replace a notebook. they are in addition to a desktop and an iphone.

they are a toy for all the times you don't want to drag you notebook out of a bag and wait for it start up. and they are for all the applications where the iphone is just too small.

i want one in 8" - 12 " inch. only requirement is that most of the mac application run in some form and that most of the iphone apps run. battery life should be epic, wifi and 3G/4G. great screen, please a stylus, less than $799.

[Shake-N-Bake]

As cool as these sound, I still don't see the killer app here. If, as said, it's a movie/TV player and Internet surfing toy, forget it. I can see it replacing my laptop when it's time but I don't see me buying one in addition to a desktop, laptop and iPhone.



What I am thinking a killer app for a larger iPhone/Tablet would be is as a peripheral device for your primary computer... thnk of it as a "keyboard" from the future, completely customizable and that has actual computing power in addition.... oh yeah.. and on top of that, while you aren't using it as a peripheral it would also be the ideal personal media player available.

What I am thinking is that if you just try to market this Mac Tablet as a pure media device it seems kind of redundant to a laptop or even your primary PC. BUT if you market it as primarily an interface device that you use with your current computer.. be it Mac or pc then you have a killer app for this device. And this is on top of all the things it can do that the iPhone and iPod can do as well.

So when I say use it as a peripheral let me flesh that out a bit. let's say you are a film student.. and in your spare time you make a lot of student films. You know how there are those machines editors use when making films that have all kinds of buttons and sliders to make editing more efficient and easily controlled? They have the same thing for audio editors too.. like a big panel with all kinds of sliders etc.

Well.. the iPhone touch interface in a tablet form would be the PERFECT interactive canvas for making all kinds of customizable interfaces for this purpose. Any application you could think of you could have a custom control panel designed to use in conjunction with your primary computer. And the great thing about this is that rather than having this tablet that is JUST a low tier laptop.. instead you have something that can be used with your primary computer to make it more powerful and easier to use.

Basically, I view this as being an attachment for your computer, be it apple or PC, that makes it better and more usable.. whether it is by making a custom control panel with all different kinds of controls.. or as an input device for drawing OR just as a way of multitasking. Rather than having to upgrade our computer the tablet is a way of adding another monitor.. or another control method or just more RAM for multitasking.

So you could attach the tablet to your computer and it works in conjunction with it communicating and controlling it or working in tandem with it. Imagine you want to use your primary PC for some big task like rendering something.. your tablet could work in conjunction with your PC to play music so as not to sap your main computers resources. But what makes it so great is that it is connected to your computer rather than just isolated.

My only questions are whether Jobs WOULD do this.. would he make a device that works with Windows machines? And could he do this.. is it logistically possible to make a device like this that could work seamlessly with both macs and PCs as a peripheral for all different kinds of apps. If Jobs isn't going this route that I envision is it possible the Mac touch tablet could later be modified and customized for this purpose contrary to Apple's plans or in addition to them?

[xsecretfiles]

I would love to get my hands on a 12 inch one!

[Prom1]

How about an Apple POS system? (Point of Sale)

They have the technology and the niche is currently owned by Symbol (a Motorola division).

That *could* explain the various screen sizes.

Anyone thought of an Apple IP phone? To compete with Cisco? Again, they have the technology and could pull it off...

Woah! Hold your horses there buddy.

1. POS system. Are we talking static system in stores or portable? Its not just Symbol that offers them and not all are PPC devices, most or pure WinCE or worse. Also, getting into such a market means replacing the wireless link, the database in use, servers, links to other corporations and their DB for the orders or shipments received. More than you thought of. However, Apple does use their iMacs for their stores for static point of sale terminals.

2. Go up against CISCO?!! You realize that the whole PBX, IPSEC is CISCO's bread and butter right? This is industry standard technologies. Apple in the past is known for mixing standard tech with their own proprietary tech =/ never good for business.

Avaya also participates heavy in this industry. And its more than just the "iphone" that users or corporate business' wish to use their smartphones to have 1 line with - personal out of WLAN range, corporate line when in range.

To get into this corporate business Apple is up against:
Microsoft (Exchange is going pure Unified Communications)
IBM (again UC via Lotus Notes/Domino and sub applications)
Avaya (PBX phones, terminals)
CISCO (same as Avaya - larger margins larger customer base)
Polygon (VoIP ... Video/Voice over IP with HD definition).
etc etc.

I like your thinking ... and Apple SHOULD for the love of god start catering to the corporate world too. I still feel Jobs is scorned due to that Lemons commecial long ago.

[londonmystery]

I would love to get my hands on a 12 inch one!

Now thats funny, lmao. :):)

[rdowns]

How about an Apple POS system? (Point of Sale)

They have the technology and the niche is currently owned by Symbol (a Motorola division).

That *could* explain the various screen sizes.

Anyone thought of an Apple IP phone? To compete with Cisco? Again, they have the technology and could pull it off...


Really grasping at straws here. Apple is a consumer electronics company. They are hardly entering the retail POS or IP phone markets.

To me, the questions are whether they position this product an as iPod or as a computer and whether it will run iPhone OS or OS X.

The marketer in me says it will be tied to the App Store where development will explode even further and Apple can start raking in some cash from app sales. Apple didn't open the App Store to sell 99¢ and free applications.

[mdriftmeyer]

How about an Apple POS system? (Point of Sale)

They have the technology and the niche is currently owned by Symbol (a Motorola division).

That *could* explain the various screen sizes.

Anyone thought of an Apple IP phone? To compete with Cisco? Again, they have the technology and could pull it off...

Well said.

[o0samotech0o]

Isn't it about time Apple made a really revolutionary product, like the iPhone was when it came out. All it seems to be now with apple is product revisions. If this tablet is 'normal' i'll be a bit miffed..That is if it really is actually real.

Haven't felt the feeling like when the iPhone was unveiled for ages.. :(

-Sam

[SandynJosh]

How about an Apple POS system? (Point of Sale)

Uhmmm...there's an app for that.

On the idea of Apple picking one product out of several different size screens, What if they are planning on coming out with a couple size choices, both having the same form factor as the iTouch/Phone, just scaled up.

The current iPhone/Touch software allows for auto-scaling, so it would be a no-brainer to suddenly have a family of devices, not just a single tablet.

[Razeus]

This tablet rumor is getting out of hand. I'm putting this up there with the iPhone Nano. Ridiculous.

[pelicanflip]

:Dthose tablets will NEVER replace a notebook. they are in addition to a desktop and an iphone.

they are a toy for all the times you don't want to drag you notebook out of a bag and wait for it start up. and they are for all the applications where the iphone is just too small.

i want one in 8" - 12 " inch. only requirement is that most of the mac application run in some form and that most of the iphone apps run. battery life should be epic, wifi and 3G/4G. great screen, please a stylus, less than $799.

obviously it's not meant to replace a notebook or any other laptop. Same thing as the Macbook Air, it's just a nice thing to have, but by no means an actual replacement for a much more powerful laptop like the MBP.

[Nausicaa]

I still think that with an associated app store and open sdk, an Apple tablet computer would be a huge hit. I'm convined the iPhone app store is a large reason for its success. The possibilities would be nearly endless - especially with the added screen size and (likely) processing power.

I do wonder if the technology is there yet. For a device like this to be successful it needs to be light-weight, reasonably powerful, and not to expensive. Too heavy and slow, and it won't be dynamic enough to meet it's potential. Too expensive and it will only find a niche audience - limiting the potential for an app store.

Other than that, I don't see too many reasons why people wouldn't get a well-designed tablet over a more conventional laptop. It will of course need a more robust OS than the iPhone, and perhaps some native software apple can use to show off its potential (see iWork/iLife - perhaps with a new app for artists and designers). As an artist myself I'd appreciate some way to recognize pressure sensitivity, but I'm not holding my breath. The main drawback is the lack of a keyboard. But aside from lengthy word processing, I imagine Apple has a completely workable solution for text input.

Some people have been looking at this as a media device or a universal remote. That sort of functionality seems way too limited for the likely cost of such a device (I think $700-800 is totally unrealistic).

[QCassidy352]

so we've moved from rumors of a tablet to rumors of several tablets. now that's what I call progress.

(FWIW, I think there's no way apple will release more than one size of this thing, whatever it is, at least at first. they'll keep it simple at first and expand the line later if there's demand for it.)

[profets]

What I am thinking a killer app for a larger iPhone/Tablet would be is as a peripheral device for your primary computer... thnk of it as a "keyboard" from the future, completely customizable and that has actual computing power in addition.... oh yeah.. and on top of that, while you aren't using it as a peripheral it would also be the ideal personal media player available.

What I am thinking is that if you just try to market this Mac Tablet as a pure media device it seems kind of redundant to a laptop or even your primary PC. BUT if you market it as primarily an interface device that you use with your current computer.. be it Mac or pc then you have a killer app for this device. And this is on top of all the things it can do that the iPhone and iPod can do as well.

So when I say use it as a peripheral let me flesh that out a bit. let's say you are a film student.. and in your spare time you make a lot of student films. You know how there are those machines editors use when making films that have all kinds of buttons and sliders to make editing more efficient and easily controlled? They have the same thing for audio editors too.. like a big panel with all kinds of sliders etc.

Well.. the iPhone touch interface in a tablet form would be the PERFECT interactive canvas for making all kinds of customizable interfaces for this purpose. Any application you could think of you could have a custom control panel designed to use in conjunction with your primary computer. And the great thing about this is that rather than having this tablet that is JUST a low tier laptop.. instead you have something that can be used with your primary computer to make it more powerful and easier to use.

Basically, I view this as being an attachment for your computer, be it apple or PC, that makes it better and more usable.. whether it is by making a custom control panel with all different kinds of controls.. or as an input device for drawing OR just as a way of multitasking. Rather than having to upgrade our computer the tablet is a way of adding another monitor.. or another control method or just more RAM for multitasking.

So you could attach the tablet to your computer and it works in conjunction with it communicating and controlling it or working in tandem with it. Imagine you want to use your primary PC for some big task like rendering something.. your tablet could work in conjunction with your PC to play music so as not to sap your main computers resources. But what makes it so great is that it is connected to your computer rather than just isolated.

My only questions are whether Jobs WOULD do this.. would he make a device that works with Windows machines? And could he do this.. is it logistically possible to make a device like this that could work seamlessly with both macs and PCs as a peripheral for all different kinds of apps. If Jobs isn't going this route that I envision is it possible the Mac touch tablet could later be modified and customized for this purpose contrary to Apple's plans or in addition to them?

you have some very interesting ideas there, and i like them quite a bit. but i don't see apple selling a device this complex.. if they were to sell, i would think its something that people would buy and can use out of the box without worrying about a computer

[AidenShaw]

Apple should buy OQO and make this thing with Mac OS X inside. The full Mac OS X in your pocket with just 450 g:

OQO model 2+
http://www.oqo.com

Note the 3G on the OQO:

Integrated Gobi worldwide 3G EV-DO Rev. A / HSPA

The future of global connectivity has arrived. Qualcomm's Gobi™ Global Mobile Internet is the first embedded multi-mode solution that supports both of the world's leading 3G cellular standards (EV-DO/HSPA). The OQO model 2+ incorporates a proprietary penta-band antenna for broad international coverage and is operable as an open-SIM device on GRPS/EDGE, UMTS, and HSPA.

When traveling internationally, you can switch from one network to another by acquiring a new SIM card from a local carrier. As well, the OQO model 2+ can be used on both Sprint and Verizon wireless networks.

A key benefit is that the 2+ with embedded Gobi is not locked to any particular carrier. You can change carriers at any time. Gobi can help streamline your asset management with a single global SKU that can be used with multiple carriers and geographies.

Gobi modules are capable of speeds up to 7.2Mbps and upload speeds up to 2.0Mbps.



Think that Apple could do that - let their customers choose any 3G carrier that they want?

http://www.oqo.com/images/products/features_gobi.jpg

[mdriftmeyer]

Really grasping at straws here. Apple is a consumer electronics company. They are hardly entering the retail POS or IP phone markets.

To me, the questions are whether they position this product an as iPod or as a computer and whether it will run iPhone OS or OS X.

The marketer in me says it will be tied to the App Store where development will explode even further and Apple can start raking in some cash from app sales. Apple didn't open the App Store to sell 99¢ and free applications.

Research more. Apple doesn't sell 99c and free apps. Developers do that. Developers also sell apps for > $50 on the App store.

[Ericatomars]

hmmm... is bigger always better?

please the last thing i wanna see is a bunch of dudes carrying man bags... they are never appealing or cute :eek:

[wigby]

this is such a bogus story that apple deliberately told kaufman bros. or someone near them who spread it around. apple does not want too many sources pinpointing one tablet size with one set of specs so they are spread misinformation.

apple did the same thing right before the iphone 3gs. remember all the conflicting stories? some were from apple. some were from "journalists" and some were from fanboys. put all those sources together and you get a website like this one.

not that theres anything wrong with macrumors

[biscuitboy]

;) Hopefully it'll be large enough to accomodate an Apple designed e-reader for books available thru iTunes.

[RyanR.]

I feel a iTab & a iTab Pro in the near future. I'm really looking forward to this thing. Now I just need some money :)

[Macman1993]

I would love to get my hands on a 12 inch one!

Sorry can't resist: Thats what she said!

I think that a 12 inch tablet would be to much but a 7-10 inch screen with multi touch and maybe a stylus for handwriting would be nice. I think if apple put a virtual keyboard on a device that big it would have to be pressure sensing screen. If it didn't people wouldn't be able to rest their fingers on the "A S D F J K L ;" keys as they just start typing. I know when I type I often leave fingers sitting on a key or 2 especially when I am just starting typing. Although some software might be able to fix this for most situations what if a user wants to set some hotkeys then they wouldn't work, so if apple were to build in pressure sensors then for typing the device would know only to type that key if the same amount of pressure as you put on a key to push it down when typing. That way people can leave their fingers sitting on the device and still be able to type easily.

[shiftmx05]

That would actually be 4 times the size as we're talking about the diagonal measurement.


Well actually...
He said he wants double the size of the iPhone
so if the iPhone screen is 3.5 inches Diagonally...
Im pretty sure that double that is 7 inches :/

[brandonzar]

As a grad-student who walks around campus all the time I would love for Apple to release a 9-10 inch tablet to replace my 15" MBP. The MBP is more than I need most of the time and I can always use my iMac at home or one of the computers in the lab if I need more computing power.

In order for the tablet to replace the MBP though it is going to need a few things:
-Has to run full Mac OSX, the iPhone OS would be a waste of my time because I have several specialty programs that I doubt will show up in the app store and if it can only run 1 app at a time it would be useless
-Must have a dock so that I can use a USB or bluetooth keyboard while at my desk
-Adobe Flash
-An SDHC card slot like the new new MBP's, extra space for music and movies and a way to get content (like PDFs) on the device without having to download it from the internet or use email (this is sorely missing on the iPhone)
-Speech to text input and handwriting recognition with a stylus
-processing power equal to the MacBook Air
-Not tied to a mobile phone carrier, it's bad enough having Apple tell me what I can use the device for without someone else chiming in

I'm guessing this is way to much to ask for from Apple though as I'm sure that they are more interested in producing the next media marvel because that is where they make their money (I can't really blame them as they do need to make money). Whatever it is that they release, it will likely be hamstrung with hardware and software limitations just like the iPhone.

Sorry for the pessimism but I'm getting really frustrated with the iPhone's limitations as the novelty has worn off and I'm trying to get some work done on it.

[mixel]

I know the chances are slim to non-existant, but i'd really like wacom/pressure sensitive input support in any tablet machine.

Without it the machine would likely be a gimmick to me.. With that it could be a godsend.

[Roy Hobbs]

;) Hopefully it'll be large enough to accomodate an Apple designed e-reader for books available thru iTunes.

I don't see an iTunes eBooks store happening. Why compete with the Amazon Kindle Store and the Barnes and Noble store?

If the could strike a deal for in app purchases from Amazon that would be perfect, Apple gets a cut and I can re use my Kindle purchases on the new tablet.

[Shake-N-Bake]

you have some very interesting ideas there, and i like them quite a bit. but i don't see apple selling a device this complex.. if they were to sell, i would think its something that people would buy and can use out of the box without worrying about a computer

Thanks! I think you may be right. I could see Jobs approaching this as you say.. I know he likes simplicity and a simple sales pitch.. BUT what I think seperates this product is that unlike a laptop, or a desktop, this touch tablet is believed to not be powerful enough to be a real stand alone computer. So, when you consider that, I think you need this synergy with your desktop to be really successful. I also think it would be kind of crazy to have such a revolutionary and expensive product and use it in such a limited fashion. But, it would require a huge amount of R&D to develop this concept. So it's possible they could let this use for it grow organically on it's own when users get their hands on it.

Here are some more thoughts I have on this concept of using the touch tablet as an interface device/peripheral..

The problems as I see it is demand for such an input device is near zero today.

I agree there is little to no demand here right now. But I believe this is because people don't realize the capabilities. If they did I think they would go nuts over this idea.

A good way to think of this is as a SUPER customizable keyboard... I have seen a lot of hype for a keyboard that had customizeable OLED buttons. This touch interface would kick that things butt so bad it's not even funny.

BUT.. on top of that great feature.. you can also use it for tons of other things... AND it allows you to use that extra power it provides on the go as a modular computer to make your home system more powerful by adding multitasking. It takes something that is completely redundant and a luxury on it''s own.. and then by allowing it to work with your computer makes it extremely valuable and useful.


On top of that I don't see a general way to use a tablet with desktop apps.

I have a lot of questions about the logistics of it. How efficient would it be? Would it slow your computer and user interface down?

But if that wasn't an issue I can see COUNTLESS uses for this. Think of it this way... the ONLY use for your normal keyboard would be for text editing. But for EVERYTHING else I could see this tablet interface as being incredibly efficient. Think of when you are using photoshop.. you could use your main monitor for all kinds of reference images or for storing color palettes but do all your image manipulating on your touch screen. Or if you are editing video you would have your playback image all on your main monitor and then use your touch interfacer for all the manipulating and control.

I do think it would take a lot of time to really understand how to use a system like this efficiently and intuitively.. lots and lots of R&D.. but the reason for that is all the capabilities and new possibilities this kind of interface would provide. The possibilities are limitless IMO.


Also.. imagine using MULTIPLE of these Mac tablets in this fashion. You could have all kinds of interactive control mechanism or display mechanism for different element of your computer. The possibilities are truly incredible.. but it requires actually playing with them to explore those possibilities fully I think.

This actually makes me wonder if we will see Apple move away from the iMac design and move to a central appliance like system. So you would have your central brain computer and then multiple modular visual/touch pads people use for monitoring and controlling their computer.. all working together and interacting.. like parts of one large brain.

If you want more capabilities or control you buy another tablet and it grows organically.

[Full of Win]

I know the chances are slim to non-existant, but i'd really like wacom/pressure sensitive input support in any tablet machine.

Without it the machine would likely be a gimmick to me.. With that it could be a godsend.

As an owner of a Tablet PC since 2004, I'm also for this as well. However, I think we have a better chance of seeing an Apple-Microsoft merger than this happening. Besides, the aftermarket has provided us with other options, albeit expensive ones.

[wwooden]

I would love to get my hands on a 12 inch one!

That's what she said.......

[iMacmatician]

Here are some more thoughts I have on this concept of using the touch tablet as an interface device/peripheral..

Also.. imagine using MULTIPLE of these Mac tablets in this fashion. You could have all kinds of interactive control mechanism or display mechanism for different element of your computer. The possibilities are truly incredible.. but it requires actually playing with them to explore those possibilities fully I think.

This actually makes me wonder if we will see Apple move away from the iMac design and move to a central appliance like system. So you would have your central brain computer and then multiple modular visual/touch pads people use for monitoring and controlling their computer.. all working together and interacting.. like parts of one large brain.

If you want more capabilities or control you buy another tablet and it grows organically.Exactly what I have been thinking for a while…good ideas there.

[mac jones]

I wonder if they are doing this to keep people guessing as to the form factor being used?


That's what I thought.

It that's true it's perhaps smart of them.

Give a range of just about every different size makes a moving target.

Also, you've got to love the theatre. It's a fun show regardless. :)

[Boghog]

What I am thinking a killer app for a larger iPhone/Tablet would be is as a peripheral device for your primary computer...

I like the idea. And I hope you're right.
But for my money the killer app is: Bonjour. The ability of these devices to detect one aynother and create their own little network. Seemlessly, without hassle or servers. Imagine a writing pad that really allows you to interact with everybody else in the room - or on the other side of the world if you so wish.
I think soon schoolchildren at most schools will be required to have one of these. No more paper writing pads, no more printed textbooks, no more loose sheets flying around in bags or classrooms, getting lost.

Picture a scene from a classroom:
"Good morning, class. Here's the scene from 'Romeo and Juliet' we're going to work on today." [with a flick of the wrist the teacher passes a copy to each student] "Tom, you'll read the part of Romeo. Lisa, you'll be Juliet." [sends them a special copy with their lines highlighted] "We'll start here." [points to a line, which is imediately marked in every student's copy]
[after reading] "Now I'd like you to sketch out the scene as you would direct it on the stage. Where is your balcony? Where does Romeo hide etc? When you're done, hand it in by dropping the paper on my icon"

And I believe that it won't be just schools that find good use for this. Every meeting I've ever been to could have been improved and streamlined, made more creative if people had had such an iPad.
Sure, you could do all that with laptops, but you don't quickly sketch down ideas with a laptop, you don't doodle in the margins of a brief. And I always feel that in meetings where many people have laptops with their screens folded up you tend not to work with each other, you don't look onto each other's screen or share papers on the fly. It's like a game of Poker. This device will eliminate the laptop from all interactive work environments. It could be the first successful stab at the paperless office.

[DELLsFan]

Tablet, shmablet. Your avatar... inspires my innermost geek.

Well thanks ... I think. You may feel differently after the new Precious is released. And speaking of released ... it's ok to let your geek come out for some air ... into the light ... the Green light. :D

http://www.seanpaune.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/greenlantern.jpg

[toadsprocket]

A while back we saw a rumor about the integrated docking station for an apple laptop. Basically a slot in the side of an iMac (or something similar) that you would slide your laptop into.

Maybe this is the next generation of that rumor.

[gilkisson]

Well thanks ... I think. You may feel differently after the new Precious is released. And speaking of released ... it's ok to let your geek come out for some air ... into the light ... the Green light. :D

http://www.seanpaune.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/greenlantern.jpg

In brightest day,
in darkest night,
My GL T-Shirt, hid from Her sight,
She has said, "that shirt ain't right"
Fear her power, an old geek's wife.

I know, it does not rhyme, but it's true. I can get away with my old disreputable hats, torn-up flannels, raggedy shorts, whatever. But I'm not to wear my old Green Lantern T-Shirt when out with her. Never. Noooo.

What does all this have to do with tablets? Not a darn thing. Except for one thing: As of right now, Green Lantern is far more real than any new Apple tablet.

[Mac4Brains]

the big question is what OS will the tablet use? Something like a overblown iPod/iPhone or Mac OSX. It is sure bet that Apple is going to massively over charge for it anyway. I wold love to get my hands on a 10 inch tablet that runs a full OSX. I work in IT and having a computer that small would be massively handy.

:DThis way I can ditch my Hackintosh Acer Netbook.:D

[puffnstuff]

12" for photoshop , illustrator,etc

4" for pocketable porn on the go


Yes please! I really do think they need to bump up the touchs screen as long as it's below 5" it is still pocketable.

[deputy_doofy]

...I still feel Jobs is scorned due to that Lemons commecial long ago.

FYI: Lemmings, not Lemons.

[crees!]

The marketer in me says it will be tied to the App Store where development will explode even further and Apple can start raking in some cash from app sales. Apple didn't open the App Store to sell 99¢ and free applications.

The device will not have a CD/DVD drive. If you're installing at home from a disk you'd do it as a mounted installer from another machine over the network (a la MBAir). If Apple is looking into a purchase system similar to PayPal then application developers might hook to a purchase system built where Software Update is responsible for those downloads/updates.

[Shake-N-Bake]

And I believe that it won't be just schools that find good use for this. Every meeting I've ever been to could have been improved and streamlined, made more creative if people had had such an iPad.

I agree 100%. I have been dying for a tablet for this reason. I think people don't realize it but we need a more intuitive interface allowing people to interact with computers more easily. I just don't think it's been done properly or the technology has been developed until now. The multi touch is a big part of that. Then add it to Apple's killer UI development and that is why I think this could be so huge right now. The more powerful the hardware and batteries the more likely this is to work, too. It appears we have reached the boiling point for all these factors.. HOPEFULLY!

[eastercat]

I like the idea of two different sizes. But I'd rather have 10" for the larger one and 5" for the smaller one.
12" for photoshop , illustrator,etc

4" for pocketable porn on the go


Yes please! I really do think they need to bump up the touchs screen as long as it's below 5" it is still pocketable.

[Shake-N-Bake]

Exactly what I have been thinking for a while…good ideas there.

Thanks Imacmatician. I appreciate the feedback. :) Usually you only hear the negative when you throw some crazy sounding ideas out there.

[currentinterest]

The killer app is portability with a larger screen combined with Keynote. Almost everyone at my company would jump at having a slim, light weight, sexy device for media, e-books, email, web, simple document editing, and most of all Keynote. Being able to tote around a light tablet rather than even a Macbook Air would be a home run. No handwriting recognition necessary, but a front facing camera for iChat and a 3G option (hopefully not restricted to a single carrier) would be ideal. That's it, anything else would be gravy as my grandmother used to say. They will sell a billion of them. I will buy 4 myself.

[I WAS the one]

I will be very sad if Steve just make a big iPod touch... I am waiting for a full TOUCH Mac OS to be able to do my work, and not my Video or Graphic Designs... just powerful enough to do my work and use my main productive apps. if Apple bring that miracle up I will be buying two, one for my wife and one for me, thats a promise.

[Droid13]

I mean, I have no need to buy anything at all just yet, but I am curious to see how things come along. Investigating lots of screen sizes is odd, especially the smaller ones.

One thing I am thinking about, considering the rumours we've had recently about cameras in the iPods, iPod changes, mini-projectors in an Apple device (that was a while back but Nikon just used one in a camera, hence it is on my mind again) and little-to-medium screens has me thinking...

Maybe one of the panel sizes is intended as a sort of portable screen unit for the iPods for showing films or something? And one of the others is as a tablet computer in full? Will either the iPod or the Tablet be able to project images? This is all unsubstantiated conjecture, I know... but that makes it fun!

Guess we'll find out soon enough...

[ibjoshua]

Anyone willing to speculate on a name?
iTablet is a bit naff - although iPhone was too but now it has simply entered the vernacular.

I'm not married to these but how about:
Page, Slate, iPod Slate or Touch Slate.

[iMacmatician]

The smaller display sizes are interesting since they are not likely sizes for Mac OS X. If it's true that the tablet will come in a range of sizes, maybe that increases the likelihood that a variant of iPhone OS will be on it. On the other hand, if it'll only be one size, maybe they settled on 10" because they want Mac OS X on it.

Maybe the tablet this year will only be 10", with additional (larger and/or smaller) sizes in 2010.

[Shake-N-Bake]

I like the names iAlloy and iInterface because I view this device as something that would meld with your primary PC and allow you to interact with it in a completely new way.

iGlass might be cool too.. as in "eyeglass" -- looking glass.

[rdowns]

Anyone willing to speculate on a name?
iTablet is a bit naff - although iPhone was too but now it has simply entered the vernacular.

I'm not married to these but how about:
Page, Slate, iPod Slate or Touch Slate.


iGottaHaveIt :D

Depending on where they position it, it will use either the Mac or iPod as part of its name. In other words, if it runs OS X, it will have Mac in its name and if it runs iPhone OS, it will have iPod in its name.

[Stately]

I hope one these babies can replace my MacBook Pro 2006 one day. :)

Yup I'm with you on that one. But like I said, I will not speculate until I feel this rumor may actually be real this time. I want hard evidence ! :D

[smiddlehurst]

those tablets will NEVER replace a notebook. they are in addition to a desktop and an iphone.

they are a toy for all the times you don't want to drag you notebook out of a bag and wait for it start up. and they are for all the applications where the iphone is just too small.

Tish, nonsense and all that jazz. For the more geeky of us then yes, we need the flexibility of a notebook and full-fledged desktop OS but consider, for a moment, the typical parent or, for that matter, non-geek. What do they actually DO with their computers right now? E-mail and internet would be the highest entries by a long, long way. Probably a little document creation but most of it could probably be done in a simple rich text editor. Image manipulation? Yes, but again only on a very basic iPhoto level and the same for video which Apple already showed CAN be done to an acceptable degree on the iPhone for many, possibly the majority, of consumers. Then you've got music, movies (both local and internet-based) and viewing photos rather than editing them.

I wonder, looking at all the rumours flying around, if Apple isn't thinking something like this: A typical household probably needs one computer with a metric ton of storage. This is for those times when you need the desktop OS and serving up media. There may be a requirement to do this work on the go so that computer may be a laptop with network storage but whatever. Everyone also has an iDevice, whether iPod, iPhone or iTablet that has an AppleTV-style software package to allow easy simple streaming from that computer as well as obtaining new media from the iTunes Store. In the house it all works over the wi-fi network and outside of it there'd be an option like the PS3 / PSP remote play functionality to allow you to stream over the net to your registered devices. Throw in some nice auto-scale software so an app is an app and can scale up or down for whatever device it's running on (within reason obviously), enough graphics grunt to outperform the PSP and enough local storage to carry a decent chunk of your library around with you (the larger tablets could use SSD hard drives especially if they keep dropping in price).

Hey presto, instant eco-system where everyone has the basics that they do for 90%+ of their computing time covered. Hell, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool geek and my 17" MBP spends most of its time these days browsing the net in one form or another.

[ImNoSuperMan]

4inches:eek:Too small for comfort I`d say:rolleyes:

[mambodancer]

But then wouldn't you have the issue where developers have to develop at different resolution to support all of the screen sizes?

How is that any different from application development on a computer where the monitor resolution can be anything from 12" to 30" or more?

[WLS]

I would love to get my hands on a 12 inch one!

That's what she said!

[WLS]

Anyone willing to speculate on a name?
iTablet is a bit naff - although iPhone was too but now it has simply entered the vernacular.

I'm not married to these but how about:
Page, Slate, iPod Slate or Touch Slate.

clearly the Itouch AIR should be a contender. :D

[wepew]

What I am thinking a killer app for a larger iPhone/Tablet would be is as a peripheral device for your primary computer... thnk of it as a "keyboard" from the future, completely customizable and that has actual computing power in addition.... oh yeah.. and on top of that, while you aren't using it as a peripheral it would also be the ideal personal media player available.

What I am thinking is that if you just try to market this Mac Tablet as a pure media device it seems kind of redundant to a laptop or even your primary PC. BUT if you market it as primarily an interface device that you use with your current computer.. be it Mac or pc then you have a killer app for this device. And this is on top of all the things it can do that the iPhone and iPod can do as well.

So when I say use it as a peripheral let me flesh that out a bit. let's say you are a film student.. and in your spare time you make a lot of student films. You know how there are those machines editors use when making films that have all kinds of buttons and sliders to make editing more efficient and easily controlled? They have the same thing for audio editors too.. like a big panel with all kinds of sliders etc.

Well.. the iPhone touch interface in a tablet form would be the PERFECT interactive canvas for making all kinds of customizable interfaces for this purpose. Any application you could think of you could have a custom control panel designed to use in conjunction with your primary computer. And the great thing about this is that rather than having this tablet that is JUST a low tier laptop.. instead you have something that can be used with your primary computer to make it more powerful and easier to use.

Basically, I view this as being an attachment for your computer, be it apple or PC, that makes it better and more usable.. whether it is by making a custom control panel with all different kinds of controls.. or as an input device for drawing OR just as a way of multitasking. Rather than having to upgrade our computer the tablet is a way of adding another monitor.. or another control method or just more RAM for multitasking.

So you could attach the tablet to your computer and it works in conjunction with it communicating and controlling it or working in tandem with it. Imagine you want to use your primary PC for some big task like rendering something.. your tablet could work in conjunction with your PC to play music so as not to sap your main computers resources. But what makes it so great is that it is connected to your computer rather than just isolated.

My only questions are whether Jobs WOULD do this.. would he make a device that works with Windows machines? And could he do this.. is it logistically possible to make a device like this that could work seamlessly with both macs and PCs as a peripheral for all different kinds of apps. If Jobs isn't going this route that I envision is it possible the Mac touch tablet could later be modified and customized for this purpose contrary to Apple's plans or in addition to them?

That sounds really cool. What if it could even act as simply a touch screen for your main computer displaying just what was on the screen but essentially be a touch pad (a really big one). This would allow you to have the benefit of the multitouch, but use the power from your main computer.

Oh... And of course that would only be part of it. As you said it could be customizable so it would do everything else you mentioned too.:confused::D

[Lesser Evets]

Can't wait to see what appears... watch it be a dodecahedron with a different size screen on each size. Just because.

This tablet rumor is getting out of hand. I'm putting this up there with the iPhone Nano. Ridiculous.

I wish this forum would quit posting rumors about stuff I don't like, and that they start posting ONLY rumors I like. TOO.

[TheSlush]

I say the bigger the better! Give me a 12-inch tablet screen! Yum.

[Shake-N-Bake]

That sounds really cool. What if it could even act as simply a touch screen for your main computer displaying just what was on the screen but essentially be a touch pad (a really big one). This would allow you to have the benefit of the multitouch, but use the power from your main computer.

Oh... And of course that would only be part of it. As you said it could be customizable so it would do everything else you mentioned too.:confused::D

Exactly! It could do both. I really hope they can do this. I think it takes something that is a luxury item and really makes it a necessity because of all the functionality it would provide by using these capabilities.



Also! Another way to look at this is to view this "i Interface" -- touch tablet as an Apple Parasite for Windows PCs.

Think of it like a parasite that comes along and takes control of a larger creature and controls it. So you have the power of the larger Windows computer but you TAME it with Macs brains -- Macs brilliant user interface, that is even more enhanced by the new iPhone touch/sketch interface.

Wouldn't all Windows users be willing to pay for this? And it would be a way for Apple to tap into the Windows market without them having to switch over completely.

Think of it this way.. who WOULDN'T want one of these if it worked this way? Every windows and Mac user would want one of these things.

It's a way for Windows PC owners to get the full Mac experience. I have 2 Windows machines myself and I use a program called Synergy to use one keyboard and mouse for both machines.. I wish I had the Mac touch tablet to control everything in the same way Synergy does but even better -- with the mac UI too!

[ArkabaS]

Haven't read pages 2-3, so my apologies if this has already been asked, but...

Will this tablet be an entertainment device (i.e., toy) running iPhone OS like the iPod or will it be a real computer running full Mac OS X? I would oh-so-love to own a small (<10in) full Mac OS X computer and carry it to work/school when needed. Something that runs Office, full Mail, etc. Lugging around my 15" MBP is simply not practical, and my EeePC, well, it's OK and it definitely does the job, but I just don't like Windows very much. In short, any chance for an Apple branded netbook?

[puffnstuff]

I don't know why people see iPhone OS as a toy. It is just restricted if they opened it up it would be perfect for a small screen. It would be annoying to try and tap on things with OSX on a 10" screen.

[AidenShaw]

This would allow you to have the benefit of the multitouch, but use the power from your main computer.

But my Windows computer already has pervasive multi-touch - why would I want an add-on wart for that?


...view this "i Interface" -- touch tablet as an Apple Parasite for Windows PCs...

We already have that parasite - the bloatware called Itunes.


Wouldn't all Windows users be willing to pay for this? And it would be a way for Apple to tap into the Windows market without them having to switch over completely.

Why bother, when multi-touch is native throughout Windows?

Apple insists on an alien interface that abuses all standard Windows UI conventions - that makes their stuff rather difficult to use and look at.

Why would Windows users want to buy an alien HID from Apple? Look at the poor support Windows users get from Apple - why would they expect an HID to be any better? (Poor support - Itunes not ready when Vista released, "Boot Camp" drivers always a day late and usually a dollar short. Itunes bloat, QuickTime....)


I don't know why people see iPhone OS as a toy. It is just restricted if they opened it up it would be perfect for a small screen. It would be annoying to try and tap on things with OSX on a 10" screen.

Windows handles this problem with:

- the "10 foot UI" in Windows Media Center. Objects/icons are very big, and "next" and "back" are the best navigational tools.

- the resolution independence in Windows 7 makes it easy to make screen elements bigger - 125% is about right for my 12" multi-touch notebook. (You are right though - if you don't use a stylus you don't want buttons and icons to be much smaller than a fingertip.)
________

The iProd will be very interesting if Apple puts an "Iphone OS" as the default desktop - but you can minimize that "10' UI" and get to OSX underneath. The Iphone UI doesn't require the Iphone OS to be running underneath it.

[twoodcc]

well i sure apple has finally figured it out, and releases it next month. one can only hope

[Shake-N-Bake]

But my main computer already has pervasive multi-touch - why would I want an add-on wart for that?




We already have that parasite - the bloatware called Itunes.




Why bother, when multi-touch is native throughout Windows?

Apple insists on an alien interface that abuses all standard Windows UI conventions - that makes their stuff rather difficult to use and look at.

Why would Windows users want to buy an alien HID from Apple? Look at the poor support Windows users get from Apple - why would they expect an HID to be any better. (Poor support - Itunes not ready when Vista released, "Boot Camp" drivers always a day late and usually a dollar short. Itunes bloat, QuickTime....)

Honestly, you might be right for all I know. I haven't worked with Macs.. but I always hear how great the UI is compared to windows. Maybe this would be a good way to find out though, if it would work.

From what I have seen of Macs though I have been impressed by the aesthetics of both their devices and their UIs. This is why I have been hoping they would make a tablet for so long. I have no real need for a laptop but I have been wanting a sketch input device so I haven't been able to justify buying one. Having one with all the capabilities of the iPhone/Ipod, and sketch capabilities, would be a great excuse to finally get a tablet and a Mac.

For some reason it is hard for me to imagine a UI worse than Windows. But I put up with it because I really can't afford Mac stuff. Ideally I would have both because both systems seem to have their own benefits and drawbacks. I think this system I proposed could be the best of both worlds.

[hyroboarder]

resolution independence. If the device runs the iPhone OS, app store devs could make resolution independent programs to run on ipt/iphone sized screens as well as the proposed 10" tablet sized screen. Also, the only devices we've seen the iPhone OS on are the iphone and the touch. Who knows if the OS is scalable? Didn't Jobs say that iphone OS is essentially OSX when he first unveiled the originial iPhone? It won't be crippled by a 3.5 inch screen if they implement it into this tablet.

As for uses for this thing, I could see apps being made that will directly communicate with your computer. Garageband, for example. Need a keyboard? Get the app. Connect the tablet via usb/bluetooth/wifi to your mac and presto.

Maybe, the iphone and ipod touch were just products to test the waters to see how the app store would take off. You get tons of devs writing applications for these devices, and then the big product comes along. More power, more screen, more everything. Just my .02

[Shake-N-Bake]

Good post, hyroboarder! I hope you are right! Would USB or wifi be fast enough/powerful enough to control big apps with no latency though? Or would Firewire be best?

[hyroboarder]

Good point. bluetooth most certainly would not in terms of large programs. Yeah i suppose FW could work.

How about a Numark Digital DJ mixer app for their mac/pc music suites?

Or a keyboard app with all those cool colored keys used for high end movie editing? The possibilities are endless! :)

[jouster]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A400 Safari/528.16)

I would love to get my hands on a 12 inch one!

That's what she said.......

Well spotted. I doubt if the double entendre occurred to the OP.

:rolleyes:

[Shake-N-Bake]

Good point. bluetooth most certainly would not in terms of large programs. Yeah i suppose FW could work.

How about a Numark Digital DJ mixer app for their mac/pc music suites?

Or a keyboard app with all those cool colored keys used for high end movie editing? The possibilities are endless! :)

I know.. I really really hope Apple has this same idea. Imagine having multiple tablets, too? Especially when these things get really cheap.. then you could have them configured for your ideal setup. Each person could have their own custom display and control setup for the projects they do. I wish I worked at Apple on a project like this. It would be so much fun to explore this concept.

[rtdunham]

But then wouldn't you have the issue where developers have to develop at different resolution to support all of the screen sizes?

yep. that's why all those different OSs for the 13, 15 and 17" MBPs are so annoying. :p

[rtdunham]

Isn't it about time Apple made a really revolutionary product, like the iPhone was when it came out. All it seems to be now with apple is product revisions.

Haven't felt the feeling like when the iPhone was unveiled for ages.. :(


actually, you haven't had that feeling for two years.

we might be expecting "revolutionary" a bit too quickly, you think? (although i'm hoping for it too)

[rtdunham]

...I'm not married to these but how about:
Page, Slate, iPod Slate or Touch Slate.

well, "slate" implies a writing surface, and if one important function of a new device is as a media viewer, "slate" doesn't sound adequately descriptive. On the other hand, "touch" doesn't exactly describe the iPod touch, either--it describes how you use it, not what it does. True, the touchscreen was an exciting innovation but it's the means, not the end.

So what about the iConduit, to describe what the product actually does:

It's your conduit into viewing movies, tv shows. Your conduit to your contacts, your email, your document files and photos. Your conduit to books. Your conduit to your life; your conduit to the future.

Or substitute "iPortal" for "iConduit". The point remains the same.

As an aside, I'm hoping for something with either its own OS or the full MacOSX. I find the idea of developers pitching hundreds of computer (not phone) apps at me very appealing.

[rtdunham]

...Look at the poor support Windows users get from Apple - why would they expect an HID to be any better? (Poor support - Itunes not ready when Vista released, "Boot Camp" drivers always a day late and usually a dollar short. Itunes bloat, QuickTime....)

it sounds like apple's support for windows users has deteriorated to the level of, what, Microsoft support for Windows users? Have you read either of Mossberg's recent columns about the intro of the new Windows version? It's amazing the contortions (and expenses) Windows users tolerate.

That said, i'm not thrilled by the support Apple users sometimes get from apple, either. There are embarrassing flaws in Mail and iCal, given that they're the only choices that integrate fully with MobileMe, the iPhone, etc. If there were other choices for those tasks with full integration, it would be easier to say, "well, apple's offerings suck but it doesn't really matter." Given the actual circumstances, it does suck. And I'm a fanboy!

[MattInOz]

That would actually be 4 times the size as we're talking about the diagonal measurement.

and at the same resolution would allow three standard iPhone apps to run side by side with a 12 icon dock along the bottom. Which would a great set up for multi tasking.

[spillproof]

I'd like to see something with a screen size of 10 or 12 inches.

[firewood]

As cool as these sound, I still don't see the killer app here. If, as said, it's a movie/TV player and Internet surfing toy, forget it. I can see it replacing my laptop when it's time but I don't see me buying one in addition to a desktop, laptop and iPhone.

It's not for people who have decent laptop or an iPhone. It's for people for whom an iPod Touch is too small, and a MacBook is too big/heavy/expensive and maybe even too hard-to-maintain. There are millions of potential customers who don't currently own any of those Apple products (except maybe an older iPod for music). Figure out what to sell these people, and it could be a killer hit, even if most MacForum regulars absolutely hate it.

[Prom1]

Well thanks ... I think. You may feel differently after the new Precious is released. And speaking of released ... it's ok to let your geek come out for some air ... into the light ... the Green light. :D

http://www.seanpaune.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/greenlantern.jpg


"In brightest day
in blackest night
no evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
beware my power...
Green Lantern's light!"

Ahhh yeah another GL fan. Saw the animated movie and I'm surprised at how raw it really is. Liked it.

Too bad that this just cannot be made into a successful real life movie, yet.

[askthedust]

it has a docking station that positions it like a monitor or laptop screen. this docking station can connect to a keyboard but there is an onscreen keyboard when it isn't docked.

[JFreak]

I would love to get my hands on a 12 inch one!

Yea, one that can be used for 12 hours full throttle. If that's the case, then I'm interested ;)

[carmenodie]

I can't wait.
MS is just getting around to making a near decent looking mp3 player while Apple is already about to throw cameras in theirs. Not to mention the touch has internet, movies,apps and music out the freaking box!
As for the rumored Apple pad? DAMN!!!
If it happens, I can't wait to be in grad school doing biophysics with that thing by my side. SWEEEEET!!!!

[WoodstockRog]

For me the only point is the big screen. Thousands of entrepreneurs will design killer apps through the app store. No PC tablet can match that!

I hope they extend this to touchscreen MacBooks. I'd pay $2,000 for a tablet / MacBook Air.

[mac jones]

I'm wondering, why everyone is so sure this is a tablet?

Seems like there's a niche in the smaller Mac category. Not a Netbook as that implies cheap, but a smaller Mac

Who knows, maybe small is "In", in other words, maybe Apple is gambling that it isn't just the price but the form factor and want to introduce an upscale version.

Something they are good at.

[macerroneous]

If it's 10 inches, and it's an iPod:

iPod MAXIMUS