Apple Tablet Rumors Revived: February 2010 Launch? P.A. Semi Processor?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/15/apple-tablet-rumors-revived-february-2010-launch-p-a-semi-processor/)

After several quiet weeks on the tablet rumor front as it became clear that no such device would be introduced at Apple's "It's Only Rock and Roll" media event, a new report (http://cens.com//cens/html/en/news/news_inner_29201.html) from Taiwan Economic News revives rumor discussions by claiming that Apple's tablet computer will launch in February 2010 at a price point between $799 and $999. The report also claims that the tablet will utilize a P.A. Semi-engineered processor and will contain built-in 3G wireless connectivity. A 9.6-inch touch screen and an extended-life battery round out the claimed details.As Apple Inc. will launch its newest tablet PCs next February, a couple of Taiwanese suppliers of PC parts and components have managed to join the supply chain and will start delivery to Apple in December, according to industry sources.

The tablet PC features a 9.6-inch screen, finger-touch function and built-in HSPDA (high speed download packet access) module, and adopts a P.A. SEMI processor chip and long lasting battery pack, selling for between US$799 and US$999.The report claims that Dynapack has won a contract to supply up to 300,000 batteries per month for the new unit and notes that Wintek, Apple's current iPhone screen supplier, will supply touchscreens for the new device.

The claims echo a previous report (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/13/apple-touchscreen-netbook-to-launch-in-october-at-800/) by Taiwanese media several months ago, although that report had pointed to an October 2009 launch for the tablet. Other reports (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/24/apple-tablet-to-launch-in-early-2010-using-chip-platform-from-p-a-semi/) have also pointed to an early 2010 launch, as well as the inclusion of a chip platform from P.A. Semi. The chipmaker, which was acquired by Apple (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/04/23/apple-to-acquire-chipmaker-p-a-semi-for-278-million/) in April 2008, has been rumored to have been divided into two teams: one focused on iPhone and iPod touch projects and the other working on tablet computers.

A recent report (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/24/steve-jobs-almost-entirely-focused-on-tablet-project/) has suggested that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been almost singularly focused on the much-rumored tablet since his return from a medical leave of absence in late June, suggesting the product may be in the final design stages after several years of fits and starts.

Article Link: Apple Tablet Rumors Revived: February 2010 Launch? P.A. Semi Processor? (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/15/apple-tablet-rumors-revived-february-2010-launch-p-a-semi-processor/)

[Plutonius]

But will it have a camera in it :) ?

[lostngone]

I think we are going to will this rumor into existence

[thermal]

I'll watch with interest.

I suspect it will either be revolutionary or a relative disappointment... no middle ground.

[dwhittington]

Sweet! Can't wait! (again)

[acurafan]

I'll watch with interest.

I suspect it will either be revolutionary or a relative disappointment... no middle ground.
disappointment. no one has produced a catch-on tablet in 20 years, apple won't be the first. estimated $999 with an unknown proc, it'll be another overpriced luxury - i said it first.

[mrgreen4242]

10" is too big. 6-7" would be ideal, imo. Anything bigger and I'll just carry a laptop or netbook.

[tremlock]

some one copy this article, so in March we can just cut and paste September over February...etc

[olternaut]

I'll watch with interest.

I suspect it will either be revolutionary or a relative disappointment... no middle ground.

I concur. There will be no middle ground with this device. It will either bomb or be an revolutionary/evolutionary step forward in personal computer design theory.
I think everyone (perhaps including Apple) has underestimated this device. It just may be potentially more important to the tech world than the original iphone itself!

Furthermore, February sounds about right and goes along with the rumors from a few weeks ago that said Steve Jobs was pleased enough with the project to green light it for launch in the beginning of 2010.

EDIT: Oh, and only idiot fanboys and babies who weren't paying attention to the analysis of ongoing rumors actually still expected the tablet to show up at the September ipod event.

Once it came out that Steve Jobs green lighted the tablet for launch in 2010 nobody should have expected it for September.....except for the babies that is.

[MrM]

I think we are going to will this rumor into existence

Seriously. I still do not see a point in having a 10" (or so) screen as a computer. I would think you're going to have a massive kink in your neck from always looking down at it. On top of that, you wouldn't really be able to see the screen when you're typing on it unless you do a "hunt & pick" style of typing. I see very little that is productive about this proposed toy.

[MasterDev]

I SO hope it has a built in coffee maker.

[Chintan100]

I SO hope it has a built in coffee maker.

Built in blue ray support is also apparent... :D

[jlanuez]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7C144 Safari/528.16)

What is this rumored processor equal to in today's mac lineup? As powerful to a mini? A macbookair?

[blueflame]

I think the iTablet has made more newspapers and "analysts: NOT made that is ever could be when in production. goes to show any news is good news.

I think the macbook should become the air, and the tablet will probably be slightly more than a giant ipod touch, slightly more software features that are device locked.

[ravenvii]

I'm not so sure about the built-in 3G. Is it popular in netbooks? Personally I wouldn't want to add yet another bill to my monthly expenses.

[andy721]

man I prey to god it's not single processor and I don't believe in god.
Anyways It better have dual or QUAD in it, I swear Apple does this on purpose and watch a few years after this one comes out there will be a dual. I hate that crap:mad:

I'm not so sure about the built-in 3G. Is it popular in netbooks? Personally I wouldn't want to add yet another bill to my monthly expenses.

Then use wifi. I bet AT&T will have to charge you extra if you want 3G instead of using your iphone account I hate ATT They are so corrupt.

[zap2]

interested to see what it ends up as....I'll be in the market for a laptop come December, but I'm planning on waiting for an upgrade any way. I'll be interested to see if its a "computer tablet" or "tablet for media"


Interesting times! Also redo the MacBook while you're at it Apple!

If Apple is focusing on media, a lower powered chip wouldn't shock me...they likely want a long battery life. Hopefully AT&T and Apple will come up with a nice tether method for iPhone owns, would be cool(and support that ecosystem they are always talking about)

[bfc]

I find it amusing that Apple dissed netbooks because they couldn't fit in your pocket.

err... the tablet won't fit in your pocket either. I wonder how they are going to spin this.

[itouch rulz]

I think it will run mobile Safari like the iphone, except snappier - lol

[Warbrain]

man I prey to god it's not single processor and I don't believe in god.
Anyways It better have dual or QUAD in it, I swear Apple does this on purpose and watch a few years after this one comes out there will be a dual. I hate that crap:mad:

I don't know about you but I don't want a quad core processor in a tablet. That thing is going to run extremely hot.

I really don't see this rumor being true. No one has pulled off a tablet and I honestly don't think Apple can pull of a tablet good enough to make people enjoy using one.

Also, remember this, they really pushed the iPod touch as a computer this time, not just a game console. Granted, it was geared more towards netbooks but still...Apple is saying that they've got their cheap, portable computer and it's an iPod touch. We all know it's not really that but I doubt Apple will make a tablet just to fill that segment.

[Warbrain]

I'm not so sure about the built-in 3G. Is it popular in netbooks? Personally I wouldn't want to add yet another bill to my monthly expenses.

It's offered but I think most consumers are smart enough that it's really ridiculously expensive to get a netbook that's tied into a contract.

[Surely]

But will it have a camera in it :) ?

I'm sure it will have room for a camera in it.....

[bmorris]

cmon let it go.
this tablet rumor is so old.
im tired of it.

yeah theyve been working on one.
it'll come out eventually, if at all.

stop bringing this thing up so much.

[Ishbar]

The only recurring image I get is a glorified iPod Touch.
Just some monstrous, cumbersome, beast of a product - one with no practical application.

I feel that a "Tablet" computer, MUST have a functional keyboard/body.
With all the gloss and shimmer Apple needs to put on its products, even a matte finish on the back will cause the lkeyboardless device to slip and slide.

For this device to be successful (because no doubt it will be - simply due to this 'First of it's kind' appeal) - but I mean TRULY successful, not a Spring fling; Apple needs to put in a Keyboard which acts as a base, and allows 180Degree swivel rotation and the ability to lay flush.

It will give the device enough width / edge to be held with ease.
It will allow more room for larger batteries / more powerful hardware.
Increase use functionality (as great as the touch capable products Apple makes ARE, you wouldn't get caught dead writing anything of MAJOR significance on one) The same can be said for their tablet if it is sold as many are predicting it to be.
It will place it into a RECOGNIZED category, as opposed to one of it's own. As alien as Netbooks felt, the idea catched on and companies ran with it.

As a Tablet Computer, Apples next product cannot simply be a slab of hardware packed into a pretty, over glossed display. No company will mimic this design as it is clearly superfluous to itself, therefore it WONT catch on - this failed concept can be seen in the glimmer of what once were MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices)

While companies will pump one or two out a year, they have such a marginal presence in the every day (US at least) - that it only taunts the meek existence they had when "Popular".
My 2Cents.

[Eidorian]

I don't like the lack of x86. I know that everyone is going to scream battery life at me.

It'll just be a giant iPod Touch with 3G then.

[MacMini2009]

If this is true, I think Apple will have a February 2010 event where they will release new iMacs and maybe new Mac Minis. Then at the end of the event, there will be a "One more thing" slide where Steve Jobs will introduce the Tablet. I hope the tablet will come with an Intel processor so it will run Snow Leopard. I don't want these semi chips what ever they are, those are meant for the iPod Touches and iPhones.

[ShiftyPig]

I keep coming back to a simple question - why? ... and the more complex question - what market, excluding the FB market, does this target?

Just because something is physically possible to build and is cool doesn't make it a viable commercial product. See Segway.

[Nermal]

I'm not so sure about the built-in 3G. Is it popular in netbooks? Personally I wouldn't want to add yet another bill to my monthly expenses.

Having kept my MBP tethered to my phone for pretty much the last 2 days straight while at a conference, I'd be happy to see a built in HSPA modem. I'm pretty sure that I'd be able to get a second SIM that ties into my existing mobile data package without another monthly fee. I'd be very surprised if you're forced into using the data connection.

[itouch rulz]

Personally, I'd like a tablet that could just be lying on the sofa. It would let me; check something on the net while watching TV, internet banking, read and reply to forums, check email (and do short reply), Skype client, read recipe in the kitchen, control my appleTV, play some 'app' style games. I don't need a full Macbook for this.

I wouldn't see it as a computer replacement in the house and it may be all that is necessary on the road, but as a consumer product not for business. If you need a laptop for business a tablet (as above) would be **** - unless all you need is glorified PDA functionality, ie, email, calender, internet, simple word/excel docs.

I'd buy one, but then again, I have full desktops at home and at work to do the really productive (boring) stuff. The idea of a big ipod touch actually appeals to me.

[Thex1138]

Marking Time... waiting for the day...

[dagamer34]

I could have told you this a year and a half ago when they bought the company. Why buy a company with expertise in making low power chips unless... you're going to design low power chips!

[Billy_ca]

Real Soon Now™.

[mac442]

Although the tablet could easily compete (dominate?) in the netbook market, they should have tried for a pre holiday release to accelerate the marketshare.

Oh and speaking of cameras, not only is there room for one... but can anyone say Front Facing Camera? This would be the perfect platform for video chat!

I doubt think they will be going for a super powered processor, to save on battery life. It most likely will not need one since I would expect a slimmed down OS running alot less processes.

[gianly1985]

Here we go again....

[SandynJosh]

I see very little that is productive about this proposed toy.

Steve Ballmore will agree with you until it's a success and then he'll copy it in the old clumsy MS way.

[nfl46]

Hmm, this thing is going to cost a nice penny. I wish Apple lowered their prices...gosh. They should have a low end Macbook for around $699 or $799. I am a poor college student with two jobs...I can't justify spending that much for a Apple tablet.

[chr1s60]

We keep seeing the same crap when it comes to this mythical tablet. Apple has continually said they are not making one, but we continue to see rumors saying it will be announced. The projected announcement date comes and goes with no announcement. Maybe Apple is being serious and really isn't going to make a tablet. Something I think might be a good idea.

[RazHyena]

Steve Ballmore will agree with you until it's a success and then he'll copy it in the old clumsy MS way.

If Apple can find a way to make useful tablet, then....great?

I honestly don't know what market it would be for, and I've personally haven't seen a tablet ANYTHING in years...except for touchscreen laptops.

[djchuckc27]

wouldn't it be a cool if AT&T enabled the 3G you get on your iPhone to work on an AT&T tablet? At no extra cost??? ...just link the two devices and your done!

[dissdnt]

I think it will be successful if there is something you can only get with it. Meaning maybe it will deliver a digital version of popular newspapers daily, or some other wow factor that will make people want it.

Just having a touch device isn't going to cut it.

[Jurassic Park]

i reiterate my previous desires for the apple table re: my love life and botanical inquiries

[designgeek]

Here we go again....

OMG I know right? I hope this happens so we can stop hearing about this #$%&!*@ tablet.

[J the Ninja]

I don't like the lack of x86. I know that everyone is going to scream battery life at me.

It'll just be a giant iPod Touch with 3G then.

Unless.....it's a PPC chip, not an ARM chip. Remember, PA Semi's big product was a PowerPC part. We really have no idea. The rumor mill has been pretty quiet on the tablet's ISA. Who knows what we are getting? All we really know is that it probably isn't x86, because Apple would just use the Atom if they wanted that.

[Peace]

It could be a dual-core arm processor Apple is developing.

Perhaps running a different/hybrid embedded O/S.

[roski11]

At no extra cost???

That would NEVER happen.

[omahajim]

removed

[thinkadrian]

Just to make sure that Mr. Jobs might see this. Again, please - WACOM functionality!

[Povilas]

disappointment. no one has produced a catch-on tablet in 20 years, apple won't be the first. estimated $999 with an unknown proc, it'll be another overpriced luxury - i said it first.

That's the point ;). If you want a cheap tablet it's not Apple.

[roski11]

Just to make sure that Mr. Jobs might see this. Again, please - WACOM functionality!

ohhhh nice, if it had that i might be able to justify buying it.

[georgemann]

A 800-1000 dollar 10-inch tablet is not interesting and I agree with others here that it will fail.

Even HP has already come out with a dozen different Netbook models and the newest top of the line 12-inch HP Netbook sells for $399.

Apple better wake up soon, or this 25 year Mac user (and I suspect others feel the same) is defecting to the dark side for portable use.

[Povilas]

I don't like the lack of x86. I know that everyone is going to scream battery life at me.

It'll just be a giant iPod Touch with 3G then.

What woud you suggest for it not to be a giant iPod Touch. You know that it must be flat with widescreen aspect ratio? So in that way all tablets are giant iPod Touches and we don't have an idea to speculate ;) What's wrong with that? I've seen pretty awesome mockups.

[Mackan]

But will it have a camera in it :) ?

No, not at launch. But the updated revision one year later will have one. To make you buy a new one. Everyone should know how it works by now...

[Povilas]

A 800-1000 dollar 10-inch tablet is not interesting and I agree with others here that it will fail.

Even HP has already come out with a dozen different Netbook models and the newest top of the line 12-inch HP Netbook sells for $399.

Apple better wake up soon, or this 25 year Mac user (and I suspect others feel the same) is defecting to the dark side for portable use.

Let me explain. If you want it badly you will buy it. If you can't afford it you will not. It's bad I can't buy rolex with diamonds for 1000 bucks type complain. What we know about that tablet? Nothing. We can speculate, but that's it. Let's judge after Apple presents it? This is how it shall come to pass.

[robsaskibum]

Ugh.... I want an Apple tablet so bad, but why a 3G chip? I understand how nice internet everywhere is, but I already pay too much for my iPhone bill. I definitely will not be getting one if some sort of phone carrier plan is involved. :mad:

[Bonte]

I find it amusing that Apple dissed netbooks because they couldn't fit in your pocket.

err... the tablet won't fit in your pocket either. I wonder how they are going to spin this.

I hope Apple uses the same Dell photo but with there own tablet, would be a nice joke.

$699 - $999 is very expensive for a 9.6-inch netbook, if Apple is pricing it that high its probably because they can't produce enough to satisfy projected demand. 300.000 a month seems like a low figure.

[paul4339]

I think the iTablet has made more newspapers and "analysts: NOT made that is ever could be when in production. goes to show any news is good news.

I think the macbook should become the air, and the tablet will probably be slightly more than a giant ipod touch, slightly more software features that are device locked.

My guess is that the tablet will be the new MacBook (and eventually come in various sizes); and the white MacBook will be retired in 2010.

[Tmlcky]

Seriously. I still do not see a point in having a 10" (or so) screen as a computer. I would think you're going to have a massive kink in your neck from always looking down at it. On top of that, you wouldn't really be able to see the screen when you're typing on it unless you do a "hunt & pick" style of typing. I see very little that is productive about this proposed toy.

It will be a reader, not a writer, right?
A LED touch screen would be quite slim and light.

How much slim could be instead an E-ink touch screen?
Does sombody know?

[talkingfuture]

Ugh.... I want an Apple tablet so bad, but why a 3G chip? I understand how nice internet everywhere is, but I already pay too much for my iPhone bill. I definitely will not be getting one if some sort of phone carrier plan is involved. :mad:

I echo that. I love the idea of a tablet, but I'll be happy with wifi. I absolutely don't want a data contract.

[Tmlcky]

A 800-1000 dollar 10-inch tablet is not interesting and I agree with others here that it will fail.

Even HP has already come out with a dozen different Netbook models and the newest top of the line 12-inch HP Netbook sells for $399.

Apple better wake up soon, or this 25 year Mac user (and I suspect others feel the same) is defecting to the dark side for portable use.

I would buy a very light 10" tablet, provided it has E-ink touch screen. Thus I can bring with me a huge number of pdf I need to read. I can read them everywhere: no heavy paper piles, no fatigued eyes, no need to reprint pdf, etc. Very useful to me.
I suppose such a tablet, would be much appreciated by elder people than the younger.

[theBigD23]

The big question for me is iPhone OS or true OS X? If it's OS X SL, I'll buy it day 1. If it's the iPhone OS, I may have to reconsider. I already have an iPhone.

[andy721]

I don't know about you but I don't want a quad core processor in a tablet. That thing is going to run extremely hot.

I really don't see this rumor being true. No one has pulled off a tablet and I honestly don't think Apple can pull of a tablet good enough to make people enjoy using one.

Also, remember this, they really pushed the iPod touch as a computer this time, not just a game console. Granted, it was geared more towards netbooks but still...Apple is saying that they've got their cheap, portable computer and it's an iPod touch. We all know it's not really that but I doubt Apple will make a tablet just to fill that segment.

well either way they should make a dual processor at least hot or not they should fix that rather then twiddling their thumbs.

As Jobs said there's going to be some cool stuff coming but I yet to see any tablets so you're probably right on this false accusation rumor to be. Or maybe not. If it's not the Tablet then it's the dual processor iPhone for sure.

What's the point of an iPod touch? if you want to be cheap n not have the phone with better OPEN GL and processor. I guess it holds more space but thats about it.

Anyways, I love my iPhone but they're going too far with this whole updating firmwares for jailbreakers for the iPhone just so people won't be able to fully access their iphone or iPod touches. It's a shame they have to battle that and pretty pathetic.

[andy721]

The big question for me is iPhone OS or true OS X? If it's OS X SL, I'll buy it day 1. If it's the iPhone OS, I may have to reconsider. I already have an iPhone.

I wonder how that's going to be with FLASH which is out for the iPhone but they don't want to give this one guy credit because it's under ADOBE/APPLE.
COMMIES.
Anyways just jailbreak it use JAADU for now it's the same thing.

[Coroe]

No OLED no buy.

[sMiK]

I don't want to believe this mac tablet netbook thingie anymore. It's been going on for so long that it just gets boring... With the fact that it never comes true with another keynote. Best off just wait and see...

[Mr. Gates]

Every time this dumb Tablet thing is mentioned , it's like I just pointed out the Tail to my Dog ......

its getting weird .

For some reason I think this one is a wild goose chase.

[BillyBobBongo]

Here we go again! :p

[MattInOz]

So any app that runs on the machine will need to be built for Snow Leopard with LLVM compiler and preferablely already incorporating Grand Central Dispatch, so it can run "standard" OS X apps on a multicore ARM processor backed by a maybe multicore version of the iPod Touch GPU as well.

I guess Grand Central on this device also acts as the power manager?
Only turning on a core when it decides it could make good use of another thread. Otherwise pulling way back to save battery.

Sounds like a great way to improve the next iPhone double or triple the number of cores each running slower and cooler.

When enough software make use of GCD that style of Power Management will be pretty spiffy in laptops as well.

[Marx55]

Mac inside.
300 g (as light as possible).
Pocketable (as small as possible).
Video-out.
USB ports.

For the ultimate Keynote and PowerPoint videopresentation pocket computer. WITH SUCH SPECS, YOU WILL ALWAYS CARRY IT WITH YOU. THAT IS THE REVOLUTION. On your pocket, bag or purse. ALWAYS.

[ThomasJL]

The Apple Tablet is actually a Rev B PowerBook G5. :)

[Full of Win]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7C144 Safari/528.16)

What is this rumored processor equal to in today's mac lineup? As powerful to a mini? A macbookair?

I heard it has the computing power of the Apollo Spacecraft. :eek:

If it got us to the moon, think what it can do for you!

[koobcamuk]

I find it amusing that Apple dissed netbooks because they couldn't fit in your pocket.

err... the tablet won't fit in your pocket either. I wonder how they are going to spin this.

They'll sell it with "Apple Pants" that have HUUUuuuge pockets.

[Bonte]

No OLED no buy.

I don't think that OLED is ready to be used in a multi-million market product. Currently LG has a production of 2,5 million screens a year but that is not enough for current demand, mass production for AMOLED will start in second half of 2010.

[MorphingDragon]

A 800-1000 dollar 10-inch tablet is not interesting and I agree with others here that it will fail.

Even HP has already come out with a dozen different Netbook models and the newest top of the line 12-inch HP Netbook sells for $399.

Apple better wake up soon, or this 25 year Mac user (and I suspect others feel the same) is defecting to the dark side for portable use.

Buy a Dell Mini 9 and Do a Type 11 install.

[MorphingDragon]

I heard it has the computing power of the Apollo Spacecraft. :eek:

If it got us to the moon, think what it can do for you!

The could make it the thickness of the Air and Nobody will care. Could use that extra space for some of that battery love...

[jeep]

a simple device for videoconferencing/web surfing/movie watching/book reading and note taking (handwriting would make it a one of its kind, clear distinction with laptops). Hope they'll manage the stand issue though.

[idmc]

3g capability is intriguing, so will this mean another subscription to a cell company?

Part of me isn't super thrilled at this as I already have an iPhone = miniature tablet ALREADY !

Hope I'm not depressing the anticipation for this product, however, if it's anything like the apple I know and work for then it's going to have to be truely groundbreaking as well as made with such flair that people will simply <gasp> when they pick it up!!

Hoping it IS the product of our dreams !:p

[meagain]

I'll watch with interest.

I suspect it will either be revolutionary or a relative disappointment... no middle ground.

I'll bet you my house, the former.

Games Games Games (and the coolest in-car nav/ready to go carputer)

[bmk]

The big question for me is iPhone OS or true OS X? If it's OS X SL, I'll buy it day 1. If it's the iPhone OS, I may have to reconsider. I already have an iPhone.

This is really the key issue. Most people have been concentrating on the form factor of the tablet, but what will provide its killer app functionality (if it has one) will not be whether it has a 6 inch or 10 inch screen it will be how you interact with its UI. The problem with it using OS X is that OS X is essentially a UI geared around a keyboard and a mouse/touchpad. Try disconnecting your keyboard and using your Mac - you'll quickly realise that no tablet is going to succeed if it is based on OS X. Which means it will have to have either an adapted iPhone OS...or a totally new OS to give it the interactive features and functions that would be really revolutionary. Maybe...just maybe the reason why OS X has, relatively speaking, seemed to have stalled in the area of new developments is that a new UI and OS is being developed with full touch/other interactive capabilities. That said, Apple are really going to have to shift the paradigm if the tablet is not just going to end up, as people have been saying, as a clunky big iPod Touch.

[jeep]

Mac inside.
300 g (as light as possible).
Pocketable (as small as possible).
Video-out.
USB ports.

For the ultimate Keynote and PowerPoint videopresentation pocket computer. WITH SUCH SPECS, YOU WILL ALWAYS CARRY IT WITH YOU. THAT IS THE REVOLUTION. On your pocket, bag or purse. ALWAYS.

Interesting, but why would people continue buying MacBooks? No, I think the tablet will be for leisure, exclusively

[jeep]

(...)The problem with it using OS X is that OS X is essentially a UI geared around a keyboard and a mouse/touchpad. Try disconnecting your keyboard and using your Mac - you'll quickly realise that no tablet is going to succeed if it is based on OS X. (...)

And what about the new on-screen keyboard feature in Snow Leopard?

[Ruben M]

These rumors are starting to make me sick.

''A Tablet can't fit in your pocket'' :D

[acidfast7]

if it has turbo3g-capability (at a minimum and hopefully more), it will fly off the shelfs over here. at 799€ it would be quite the bargain (compared to an unsubsidized I phone at 499€).

an large ipod touch (6-9in screen) with 3g+ connectivity would be perfect for most commuters in europe. in sweden, they'd sell out quite quickly, as we seem to be quite mac-friendly.

perfect for the train or subway during the morning commute.

please release one as I am moving and will have a longer commute (in Germany) and would love to work on the train.

[arkitect]

some one copy this article, so in March we can just cut and paste September over February...etc
That is the voice of reason and experience. :D

These rumors are starting to make me sick.

''A Tablet can't fit in your pocket'' :D

I was wondering about that during the September iTunes/iPod presentation when Jobs did his hatchet job on the netbook competition… the picture of the torn jeans pocket… and I was wondering how Apple are going to spin that when they release the tablet.

[The Phazer]

The leaked OS (which I think was real) seemed an awful lot like a big clunky Touch.

In which case I'm afraid I'm not interested. There's no way I'd spend a grand on something like this unless it was a laptop replacement, and if it is I need it to run Photoshop (not well, but run it).

Phazer

[ss957916]

I still think that, for a tablet to work, it needs to have some feature/use that no-one had ever thought of.

If it's just a touchscreen laptop then that'll be rubbish - it'll be a pain to use as when on your lap or a table, it'll be at an awkward angle to use, so you'll need to hold it meaning having only one hand with which to type.

If it's a digital notepad and laptop, then I might be interested. I take my laptop to all my meetings but it generally stays in my bag because scribbling notes and diagrams on a notepad is much easier. If I could call-up diagrams and scribble notes onto them then that'd be great.

[jsnuff1]

I heard it has the computing power of the Apollo Spacecraft. :eek:

If it got us to the moon, think what it can do for you!

funny thing the computing power of the navigation equipment aboard the apollo was equivalent to i believe todays calculator watches...


sad thing is the more technology we get the less we do with it...

[bobob]

The only recurring image I get is a glorified iPod Touch.
Just some monstrous, cumbersome, beast of a product - one with no practical application.

I feel that a "Tablet" computer, MUST have a functional keyboard/body.
With all the gloss and shimmer Apple needs to put on its products, even a matte finish on the back will cause the lkeyboardless device to slip and slide.

For this device to be successful (because no doubt it will be - simply due to this 'First of it's kind' appeal) - but I mean TRULY successful, not a Spring fling; Apple needs to put in a Keyboard which acts as a base, and allows 180Degree swivel rotation and the ability to lay flush.

It will give the device enough width / edge to be held with ease.
It will allow more room for larger batteries / more powerful hardware.
Increase use functionality (as great as the touch capable products Apple makes ARE, you wouldn't get caught dead writing anything of MAJOR significance on one) The same can be said for their tablet if it is sold as many are predicting it to be.
It will place it into a RECOGNIZED category, as opposed to one of it's own. As alien as Netbooks felt, the idea catched on and companies ran with it.

As a Tablet Computer, Apples next product cannot simply be a slab of hardware packed into a pretty, over glossed display. No company will mimic this design as it is clearly superfluous to itself, therefore it WONT catch on - this failed concept can be seen in the glimmer of what once were MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices)

While companies will pump one or two out a year, they have such a marginal presence in the every day (US at least) - that it only taunts the meek existence they had when "Popular".
My 2Cents.

QFT

I haven't seen all the ignorance about the future of Apple's tablet as nicely summarized as this.

It will be most enjoyable to look back on this post in the years to come!

[MorphingDragon]

Why is it still alive!?

[dernhelm]

3g capability is intriguing, so will this mean another subscription to a cell company?

Part of me isn't super thrilled at this as I already have an iPhone = miniature tablet ALREADY !

Hope I'm not depressing the anticipation for this product, however, if it's anything like the apple I know and work for then it's going to have to be truely groundbreaking as well as made with such flair that people will simply <gasp> when they pick it up!!

Hoping it IS the product of our dreams !:p

If the device is subsidized, which means another monthly bill for data access privileges from a specific carrier (even if it is Verizon), then forget it. They'll lose a lot of sales. If 3G is an add-on, with a place to plug in a card from your favorite carrier, they'll have something.

[Cambrian]

Here's wishing for an 8/9" tablet, with webcam for iChat.

I'd also hope for a dock so that it could be placed on a desk with a BT keyboard a mouse, and connected to peripherals.

I'd settle for th iPhone OS, because as long as I could surf, email, iChat and keep a calendar etc then I'd be very happy. Full OS X would be ideal though.

[ob81]

YES! I hope. These guys refresh their prediction every quarter. SOmething is going on at Apple HQ. Not sure if it is a tablet, but it is surely something big. A traditional tablet wouldn't take them so long to release.

[ob81]

Here's wishing for an 8/9" tablet, with webcam for iChat.

I'd also hope for a dock so that it could be placed on a desk with a BT keyboard a mouse, and connected to peripherals.

I'd settle for th iPhone OS, because as long as I could surf, email, iChat and keep a calendar etc then I'd be very happy. Full OS X would be ideal though.

Well, I could settle for iPhone OS if this thing came with built in 3G wireless or something. Apps on the go would be great. Simple financial management, tasks, etc right on the tablet. Not sure about docking, but that is a personal opinion. Some people probably could make it a primary computer at school, or at an office.

I am expecting a lot from this machine. Hope it lives up to the hype. I also hope it doesn't come out at a ridiculous price like the MBA, and hurt it's potential.

[ox4dboy]

Features that will trigger sales:

Video Out
Runs Snow Leopard
get this on Verizon for relaible phone calls (Vz ought to be updated by then)
Blu Ray (slick with slot loaded)
USB input for keyboard/mouse (USB3)
less than $899 - has to compare cost/feature-wise w/ existing $399 netbooks that will be more powerful and cheaper by Feb. 2010.
wireless sync with Apple TV and other Macs

[Slurpy2k8]

disappointment. no one has produced a catch-on tablet in 20 years, apple won't be the first. estimated $999 with an unknown proc, it'll be another overpriced luxury - i said it first.

Why the hell not? Could you name a company that has more chance of 'being the first', if you believe Apple has no chance to do so? Its not like Apple consistently succeeds in making new technologies mainstream where other companies fail or anything, right?

If ANYONE has a chance to make a tablet successful, its Apple. Their marketing and their ability to distill what the avergae consumer might want is second to none. If they're unsuccessful in making a touchscreen tablet successful, odds are noone can.

[danerh]

Firstly I hope this thing runs a Full OS and not a mobile variety, and if they do run full OSX, then I see them making it able to be used in conjunction with the cinema display (or any other with a mini display port adapter - or just a stand for it) and bluetooth keyboard and mouse... Then you've got a tablet for when you're on the go, or surfing on the sofa or whatever, and you'll still be able to take it to your desk and use it there as well to do any serious typing required.
This thing would then be great for people who are able to compromise on high specs for portability, much like the macbook air, but if its a touch screen and as sexy as david duchovny as well, I think more people would be willing make that compromise (but only if it does it all... ).
If its not able to perform most tasks people expect of a computer, then I can't see many people being able to justify a shiny toy that doesn't replace any of their others, and also doesnt offer anything new... I already have a macbook that satisfies my computer needs, a phone for calls and portable internet stuff/music etc, and there's no product category I require in between.... If its just some kind of big iphone with iphone OS, well I'd get an iphone that can fit in my pocket. If its a replacement for my macbook, which it COULD be if it could also be used with bluetooth peripherals and screen (or a stand), then I'd consider it far more carefully...

[Cambrian]

Well, I could settle for iPhone OS if this thing came with built in 3G wireless or something. Apps on the go would be great. Simple financial management, tasks, etc right on the tablet. Not sure about docking, but that is a personal opinion. Some people probably could make it a primary computer at school, or at an office.

I am expecting a lot from this machine. Hope it lives up to the hype. I also hope it doesn't come out at a ridiculous price like the MBA, and hurt it's potential.

I think the dock would be essential, at least for charging the unit, but would be ideal as a physical connection to printers etc. Or maybe the dock could act as a wireless connection to USB peripherals?

I really don't think you'd want a drive on something like this, due to the drain on the battery, and heat. But a 3G connection option would be great.

For me, I could see this tablet as being used in the main living area for everyone's use, and would be a great hub for iphoto and itunes libraries. Perfect for casual surfing and receing ichat calls.

[realgenius]

The only recurring image I get is a glorified iPod Touch.
Just some monstrous, cumbersome, beast of a product - one with no practical application.

I feel that a "Tablet" computer, MUST have a functional keyboard/body.

I would never buy a tablet with a built in keyboard. I actually just want a larger, more powerful iPod Touch. Really, that thing does all I want it to already; I just want to be able to see it as I get older.

But I think that is exactly why the tablet is so hit and miss and is taking so long to produce. We are pretty much at opposites on what we want in that form factor. To be successful, Apple (or anyone) has to create something that fits us both. And that ain't gonna be easy.

[fswmacguy]

Here's what I think:

A 10" screen 16:10, of course LED-backlit, sounds about right.

An iPhone-ish processor would suffice. I mean, have you ever maxed out your iPhone's CPU? If we see a brand processor in that thing, I'm looking at Intel Atom. I'll be surprised if they turn up something with the C2D.

This "tablet" of sorts should run Snow Leopard, but chances are Apple will chop together a sort of giant iPhone OS.

The device will have Bluetooth, allowing us to connect our wireless Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. If this is the case, it better damn well be running Snow Leopard.

[whooleytoo]

Apple already has two tablet devices selling well (iPhone & iTouch), so it's hardly beyond the bounds of possibility they could produce a larger form-factor tablet.

They already have a mass-market touch-screen OS (iPhone OS), a market-leading app distribution system (iTunes), and a home media solution to tie into (Mac, iTunes, AppleTV), so it's a lot easier for Apple to make a tablet now, than it would have been for other companies in the past.

I reckon this time next year, we'll be browsing our media collections on the tablet on our couch, the tablet will ring and we'll take a video call on it.. Except most of that can already be done, it's having bigger screen iPhone gaming, and home-oriented iPhone apps on a big-screen tablet that interests me.

[talkingfuture]

Got to say I am fairly disappointed by the February date. I feel the need to buy some Apple hardware soon.

On a serious note I will be happy with an iPod touch on a larger scale experience. I think the new iTunes LP's and Films with extra features will work well on it.

[DipDog3]

I'll take one or two.

This year or next?

[gnasher729]

I don't know about you but I don't want a quad core processor in a tablet. That thing is going to run extremely hot.

I want a quad core processor so it can run really cool. Power consumption grows with the square of the clock speed. Four cores running at a quarter of the clock speed have 1/16th of the power consumption each of a single core running at full speed, and 1 quarter of the power consumption total. Add technology like GCD (Grand Central Dispatch) that makes it easy to use multiple cores, and you have great power reduction. Eight cores would be even better.

[twoodcc]

can't wait for it!

[gnasher729]

Unless.....it's a PPC chip, not an ARM chip. Remember, PA Semi's big product was a PowerPC part. We really have no idea. The rumor mill has been pretty quiet on the tablet's ISA. Who knows what we are getting? All we really know is that it probably isn't x86, because Apple would just use the Atom if they wanted that.

From Apple's point of view, they could create a completely new processor with a completely new instruction set if they like. They have the compiler tool chain, and nobody actually cares what processor is in any device as long as it is fast enough to do the job.

[Hellhammer]

IMO, it'll fail, totally. Market for that kinda luxury product is tiny at the moment. I'd like to see 600-800$ MacBook instead...

[whooleytoo]

From Apple's point of view, they could create a completely new processor with a completely new instruction set if they like. They have the compiler tool chain, and nobody actually cares what processor is in any device as long as it is fast enough to do the job.

True, but if it's a new processor, and runs Mac/iPhone apps, every single one of those would need to be recompiled. Not that it's difficult, but still a PITA.

[dicklacara]

A 800-1000 dollar 10-inch tablet is not interesting and I agree with others here that it will fail.

Even HP has already come out with a dozen different Netbook models and the newest top of the line 12-inch HP Netbook sells for $399.

Apple better wake up soon, or this 25 year Mac user (and I suspect others feel the same) is defecting to the dark side for portable use.

Except, that your original Mac was:

8 MHz 68000
128 KB RAM
512 x 342 pixel display
400 KB floppy disk
3 apps: MacWrite, MacPaint, MacDraw

--No HDD, WiFi, GPS, BlueTooth, cell radio, GPU, Color Display, MultiTouch, Battery, Camera, Compass...

All this for $2495 in 1984 dollars-- over $5,000 in 2009 dollars

Today's iPhone/iPod Touch is far superior at less than 1/5 the cost.

A tablet at $800-$999 (2009 dollars) would be a bargain, IMO.

*

[Lesser Evets]

Apple=Fail.

I mean, I just don't understand how anyone thinks this tablet device will work.

1) It doesn't have a keyboard, so you will spend all day looking around for where the keyboard is and trying to unfold it.
2) It doesn't fit snuggly in a packback, so it will rattle around and break.
3) Dell already makes products. So why buy something from Apple?
4) Nothing like this ever existed, so this thing will never exist in the future.

Just wanted to make that clear. /sarcasm

[talkingfuture]

Apple=Fail.

I mean, I just don't understand how anyone thinks this tablet device will work.

1) It doesn't have a keyboard, so you will spend all day looking around for where the keyboard is and trying to unfold it.
2) It doesn't fit snuggly in a packback, so it will rattle around and break.
3) Dell already makes products. So why buy something from Apple?
4) Nothing like this ever existed, so this thing will never exist in the future.

Just wanted to make that clear. /sarcasm

Thats quite funny.

[DELTAsnake]

I am so sick of hearing about this tablet. Till Steve Jobs says "it's available today", I DON'T CARE ANYMORE.

[fswmacguy]

IMO, it'll fail, totally. Market for that kinda luxury product is tiny at the moment. I'd like to see 600-800$ MacBook instead...
A-men.

I would undoubtedly pay for a $600 MacBook. Hell, I'd buy five or six for my family and friends.

[neutrino23]

Seems odd that the Taiwanese would have an idea of the MSRP.

[iOrlando]

I am so sick of hearing about this tablet. Till Steve Jobs says "it's available today", I DON'T CARE ANYMORE.

yeah you are saying that now, but if the only way you put dinner on the table was publishing apple rumors...you would be happy for any rumor you can get your snow leopard paws on.

[Gunga Din]

I'm actually thinking this will happen. I have an iPod Touch and MBP but find issues with using either in my house at times. The Touch is just a pain to surf the web with and its screen is just too small to enjoy watching video. My MBP is mostly being used on the desktop hooked up to a ACD. I get annoyed having to move it back and forth plus I'd like something a bit lighter to carry around the house. The MBP isnt huge but I would like more freedom carrying something around the house.

A tablet would be the exactly what i'm looking for. The superior mobility of the Touch with the size close to the Macbook Air. I was actually thinking of getting an Air.

So basically something in between the Touch and Air. Thats what i'm looking for myself.

Guess we will just have to wait and see. In the meantime i'll just set aside some cash each month and wait to see what develops.

[Chimpy]

It sounds like the ultimate ebook reader - if it does PDFs well I'm in.

[guet]

I feel that a "Tablet" computer, MUST have a functional keyboard/body.

All those grousing about running photoshop, having a keyboard, etc, etc - you already have such a computer available - it's called a laptop.

Some other people want something else without a hardware keyboard and heavy duty processor which is used for consuming media rather than creating it - this is generally referred to as a Tablet. There is no way this device will have a keyboard, or run full OS X, it will however have a nice full colour screen and make web browsing (for example) a dream with a huge input area and fluid gestures to scroll etc.

Can't wait to see what Apple comes up with in this space, and I suspect it will be a game-changer, as much as the original iPod was in its day. Something has to replace our books/laptops for reading, and this could be it.

[Santabean2000]

The only recurring image I get is a glorified iPod Touch.
Just some monstrous, cumbersome, beast of a product - one with no practical application.

Can't help but agree. Love the idea of it, but can't for the life of me see what I might I'd use it for - guess that's why I don't work at Apple... They'll tell me why, and I'll prob buy it, (if I can slip it by the wife).

Soooo pleased their are smarter people in the world than I.

My best guess for the "killer feature" is just how amazing and varied the integration will be with other Apple products. There you have it, the beans are spilt...

[peepboon]

we need pics ;D lolz

[mac jones]

I find it amusing that Apple dissed netbooks because they couldn't fit in your pocket.

err... the tablet won't fit in your pocket either. I wonder how they are going to spin this.

That's why this is hard to believe. At the keynote they had a picture of a Dell netbook (with a about a 10 inch screen) and depicted it as a joke so why would they go this route.

None of this makes sense and frankly the buzz about this sounds weird to me-like the musings of geeks.

I suppose it's possible that they have actively orchestrated disinformation but that would be extreme even for Apple

[moracity]

I don't know about you but I don't want a quad core processor in a tablet. That thing is going to run extremely hot.

I really don't see this rumor being true. No one has pulled off a tablet and I honestly don't think Apple can pull of a tablet good enough to make people enjoy using one.

Also, remember this, they really pushed the iPod touch as a computer this time, not just a game console. Granted, it was geared more towards netbooks but still...Apple is saying that they've got their cheap, portable computer and it's an iPod touch. We all know it's not really that but I doubt Apple will make a tablet just to fill that segment.

That's because they are setting up a larger device. They want people to view the iPhone and the Touch as more than phones and iPods. Without that shift, people won't "get" it. I have a iphone, but I consider it my mobile computing device. I used 6 minutes of talk time last month. For me, this tablet would replace my phone. Phones are quickly becoming outmoded.

[whooleytoo]

I find it amusing that Apple dissed netbooks because they couldn't fit in your pocket.

err... the tablet won't fit in your pocket either. I wonder how they are going to spin this.

Perhaps Apple aren't looking for a "take/use anywhere" device. The iPhone/iTouch already serve the pocket-size market quite well.

Perhaps a tablet is a living room device. A media-rich remote, mail/web browser, gaming console, audio/video phone device, which you leave on your couch/coffee table/bedside table; which isn't designed to be carried around with you when you leave the house.

[andiwm2003]

A 10 inch tablet would work great for me. I just hope it gets a better OS than the iPod touch/iPhone because I would need a real file system and some sort of Powerpoint, Word, Excel and iWork capabilities. And at a pricepoint of 800-1000 dollar it better has a great screen, long battery life and a SD Card slot.:D

I find it amusing that Apple dissed netbooks because they couldn't fit in your pocket.

err... the tablet won't fit in your pocket either. I wonder how they are going to spin this.

well, leave it in the car, take it to the office where I have no Mac and no Wifi. I usually have a bag with me when I go somewhere (beach, gym or daytrip to NY) or I use my car.

[Thomas Davie]

It sounds like the ultimate ebook reader - if it does PDFs well I'm in.

It ain't the ulrimate ebook reader unless it has e-ink with a backlight for low illumination conditions. And I bet it won't have e-ink.

Tom

[jaison13]

9.6" is a little bit larger than i was hoping. i was hoping 2 sizes. 6" and 8"

if it has built in 3G do you think you may be able to get cell phone as well as data plan? for most that may not work with the size, but i carry a bag everywhere i go and i mean everywhere. so i'd love it to replace my iphone. iphone is awesome, but if i could have 1 device to replace my phone and powerbook that would be outstanding!! i already type at least 50% faster on my iphone with 2 thumbs than i do on a keyboard and probably 75% faster then on my powerbook. if it could run some real app, even just iwork and lower level ilife(itunes, iphoto and imovie) and have the app store apps run on it too that would be amazing. front and back cam to ichat or take pictures/movies. at least 64GB of memory 100GB even better. hd quality screen for watching movies/podcasts.

i know that would be asking for an awful lot but wow! that would be a real game changer. i don't care if a crap netbook is $399, i'd pay double for a device like i just described.

it would be like have a phone, ipod, movie player, web browser,video phone, laptop, game system in one very nice sized device. i'm about to climax... just kidding (not really)

[jaison13]

oops, i forgot, i could also read books and comic books. i read some comics on my iphone when bored out somewhere, but a 9.6" screen would be almost as big as a real comic book.

[iGod 2.0]

Well, I can't wait for it to come out. Steve has been working really hard on this project for a couple years now, just like the article states. This project has been trashed and recycled a numeous amount of times during the past decade. This has to be one of Steve's most difficult projects yet. Never worked over there in Cupertino, but when working on a project with Steve, everything has to be exactly how he envisions it. It could be the littlest thing, like toughness of a design of a product, if it's not tough enough, Steve will go right back to the drawing board to see what he could do. If there's no solution, time to put the project on hold and wait. Steve that precise. I don't think he will disappoint with this project. He hardly ever does.

[jaison13]

has jobs ever created a real dud?? i can't think of one.
he has either produced or backed winners every time. he turned an 80 million dollar investment in a struggling company, pixar, into a giant. what did disney pay to acquire it? 8 billion i think. now jobs is on the board of disney and owns a nice chunk. they just bought marvel comics, which i would imagine means marvel studios. o they have the rights to most of the movie franchises except spiderman.

jobs is the real king midas!! everything he touches turns to gold!!

[pcp_ip]

has jobs ever created a real dud?? i can't think of one.

The cube

[abergou]

has jobs ever created a real dud?? i can't think of one.
he has either produced or backed winners every time. he turned an 80 million dollar investment in a struggling company, pixar, into a giant. what did disney pay to acquire it? 8 billion i think. now jobs is on the board of disney and owns a nice chunk. they just bought marvel comics, which i would imagine means marvel studios. o they have the rights to most of the movie franchises except spiderman.

jobs is the real king midas!! everything he touches turns to gold!!

The apple TV.

[whooleytoo]

oops, i forgot, i could also read books and comic books. i read some comics on my iphone when bored out somewhere, but a 9.6" screen would be almost as big as a real comic book.

Comics.. interesting, considering Jobs is a Disney director and they bought Marvel.

[whooleytoo]

has jobs ever created a real dud?? i can't think of one.

Fairplay? :p

[thejadedmonkey]

Am I the only one who doesn't really like the idea of a touch based interface?

[x13gamer]

The software for this has to be either OSX Snow leopard or something that is custom build from the iPhone/iPod touch. Can you imagine what kind of user interface you would have on a device this large and your still using the iPhone software? Its going to suck! they must be developing a new version of software that is between the iphone os and OSX 10.6.1.

[AidenShaw]

has jobs ever created a real dud?? i can't think of one.

The cube

Ipod HiFi.

[achtung!]

(post deleted by user)

[Darth.Titan]

has jobs ever created a real dud??

The Apple III
The Lisa
:D

[Rocketman]

Except, that your original Mac was:

8 MHz 68000
128 KB RAM
512 x 342 pixel display
400 KB floppy disk
3 apps: MacWrite, MacPaint, MacDraw

A tablet at $800-$999 (2009 dollars) would be a bargain, IMO.


Right. I hope the tablet has Mac Draw too. :) Really. MacDraw was a truly convenient and simple way to do very useful things.

Apple has been "working" on a tablet now since before the Newton. Technology has finally caught up with several of the "killer apps" of the device. True multi-homing internet access, big dense displays, low power components and chips, price concessions by suppliers from adequate volumes and market share.

Then we have the form factor studies. We had Newton, the Duo. the iPhone, the PowerBook. This device is likely to have "accessories" (handtop, desktop, laptop, couchtop, headtop) to provide functionality beyond a mere mobile full HD handtop experience.

ATNN, here we come!

Please just throw MacDraw on there too. It really is useful. What comes around, goes around. :D

Jerry

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=PA6T-1682M&aq=f&aqi=g-m1&oq=&fp=ee36edbd3c16a1c5

[WestonHarvey1]

The tablet will feature a rubberized enclosure containing an air bladder that automatically inflates, creating a stand that allows for easy viewing and typing on desks and airline tray tables.

[alent1234]

has jobs ever created a real dud?? i can't think of one.
he has either produced or backed winners every time. he turned an 80 million dollar investment in a struggling company, pixar, into a giant. what did disney pay to acquire it? 8 billion i think. now jobs is on the board of disney and owns a nice chunk. they just bought marvel comics, which i would imagine means marvel studios. o they have the rights to most of the movie franchises except spiderman.

jobs is the real king midas!! everything he touches turns to gold!!

Motorola Rokr, but that was designed by Moto

in the last year i read an article about all the duds that Apple ever produced including when Jobs was there and it was a lengthy list. Like a lot of successful companies, Apple kills off the dud products right away.

the original iPhone was close to being a dud until Apple and AT&T lowered the price and they added all the features in iPhone OS 2 that other phones already had. but i remember reading the sales reports in late 2007 and it was selling below expectations.

[jmoore5196]

I'm sure this will be a lovely device, but the $799 to $999 pricepoint is too high ... at least to me. I'll stick with my MBA and lug the extra pound or two.

[alent1234]

From Apple's point of view, they could create a completely new processor with a completely new instruction set if they like. They have the compiler tool chain, and nobody actually cares what processor is in any device as long as it is fast enough to do the job.

they will then have to write a virtual machine like JVM or .NET for people to port the code easily. no one is going to spend a lot of time writing code unless they are sure to make money

[jaison13]

Ipod HiFi.

the hi-fi is an accessory. i'll buy the cube as a fail. and the apple tv isn't huge but not really a dud. it's a pretty good tivo.

[gnasher729]

True, but if it's a new processor, and runs Mac/iPhone apps, every single one of those would need to be recompiled. Not that it's difficult, but still a PITA.

Many would need to be recompiled anyway because of the different screen size. Of course it is entirely possible to write an iPhone app to work correctly whatever the screen size is, but many developers won't.

they will then have to write a virtual machine like JVM or .NET for people to port the code easily. no one is going to spend a lot of time writing code unless they are sure to make money

Not at all. Nobody writes code for an ARM processor. People write code for C, or C++, or Objective-C. Compile it and it works. The iPhone simulator is actually running plain x86 code and using MacOS X libraries. I bet most iPhone developers have not even checked personally whether there is really an ARM processor in the iPhone or not. Programmers don't even care whether their code runs on a CPU or a GPU, why should they care which kind of CPU it is? Nobody is rewriting any code.

[Eric S.]

It's been at least two days since a major Apple announcement, so crank up the tablet rumors again! I'll believe it when I see it. (And how many times have I said that?)

[avvpiras]

I don't think Steve has been working hardly on this project for two or three years, only to make a gigantic iPhone / iPod Touch.

Consider also that a virtual touch keyboard on a 8~9" screen is easy to use ony when the device is on a table, because otherwise you can't use fingers of both hands.

So I guess we'll see the rebirth of most, if not all, revolutionary features of the Newton:

1) Handwirting recognition. User will be able to choose between a virtual touch keyboard, or handwriting with some kind of electronic stylus/pen (as the screen, I presume, will be glass-covered, like the iPhone/iPod Touch).

2) Recognition and resolution of handwritten formulas and equations (was in develop process for the Newton).

3) Assisted drawing, with recognition and cleaning up into perfect vector representations (with modifiable control points and defined vertices) of what the user is attempting to draw by hand with the electronic stylus.

4) Creating and archiving of "Tablet" documents, and the possibility to attach them to a contact / calendar event / to-do item.

5) printing and faxing.

I hope that the "Tablet" will be also a voice cellphone, using the iPhone earbuds with microphone. If you are out with your tablet, why carry also your iPhone?

Of course, if the "Tablet" will have all these features, I think it will be a huge success.

[sishaw]

disappointment. no one has produced a catch-on tablet in 20 years, apple won't be the first. estimated $999 with an unknown proc, it'll be another overpriced luxury - i said it first.

When .mp3 players were in their infancy, and the choice was between a crappy solid-state player that could hold a handful of songs at a low bit-rate or a hard-drive based player that could double as a boat anchor, people said the exact same thing about the iPod. Thousands of people. They all said it first, and they were all wrong.

[sishaw]

The tablet will feature a rubberized enclosure containing an air bladder that automatically inflates, creating a stand that allows for easy viewing and typing on desks and airline tray tables.

What are you talking about, dude? It's going to have anti-gravity!

[Rocketman]

9.6" screen
By my rough estimate (using MacDraw :) ) That is about 8.75 x 4.92" at HD 16:9 aspect ratio. If you put a passport in your front LEVIS (industry standard) jeans pocket sideways, that is about 5", and it fits.

We'll see.

Rocketman

[alent1234]

Many would need to be recompiled anyway because of the different screen size. Of course it is entirely possible to write an iPhone app to work correctly whatever the screen size is, but many developers won't.



Not at all. Nobody writes code for an ARM processor. People write code for C, or C++, or Objective-C. Compile it and it works. The iPhone simulator is actually running plain x86 code and using MacOS X libraries. I bet most iPhone developers have not even checked personally whether there is really an ARM processor in the iPhone or not. Programmers don't even care whether their code runs on a CPU or a GPU, why should they care which kind of CPU it is? Nobody is rewriting any code.

even with DirectX and only 2 major GPU makers, devs have to code for different GPU's. once in a while i read the change logs of nvidia and ATI driver updates and they are always fixing problems with specific games on some GPU models. same thing intel and AMD where intel has MMX or whatever they call it and AMD has SSE. developers have to code for the capabilities of the CPU in their apps

[corinhorn]

And what about the new on-screen keyboard feature in Snow Leopard?

That's not new. The on-screenn keyboard has been in OS X for some time now. It's used for accessibility purposes for those with special needs.

[whooleytoo]

Many would need to be recompiled anyway because of the different screen size. Of course it is entirely possible to write an iPhone app to work correctly whatever the screen size is, but many developers won't.

True. (Unless they keep the same resolution but bump the screensize.. shudder!! :) )


Not at all. Nobody writes code for an ARM processor. People write code for C, or C++, or Objective-C. Compile it and it works. The iPhone simulator is actually running plain x86 code and using MacOS X libraries. I bet most iPhone developers have not even checked personally whether there is really an ARM processor in the iPhone or not. Programmers don't even care whether their code runs on a CPU or a GPU, why should they care which kind of CPU it is? Nobody is rewriting any code.

True. The only possible exception is performance optimisation - if the tablet runs the iPhone OS on an entirely different h/w architecture, it's possible that performance in different areas varies greatly.. Perhaps some games might need graphics/poly count to be scaled back if the tablet is slower, or it's even possible that some apps might run into timing issues if the tablet is much faster (none that are well written though! :) )

[rhomsy]

If this new device requires a contract with a cellular provider, then it will fail miserably. Only if a data contract is optional, or not included at all, can this product succeed. Nobody is looking for new monthly fees added to their lives at this point in time.


What I am expecting from this product is something that will replace the pen and paper at meetings. Laptops don't succeed with this because you need the ability to quickly jot down stuff anywhere on the page without regard for formatting, and be able to diagram and draw lines connecting things. If this type of data can be captured as effortlessly as the pen and paper, and yet keep it digital so that you always have your notes, then this product can succeed. In fact, it will get them more entrenched in the corporate world.

Of course, it needs to also be a media pad with the expected media applications.

Nobody has been able to build a product that does this yet because nobody can figure out how to beat the pen and paper. If Apple does, they will win.

[Mattie Num Nums]

Am I the only one here who sees this as just another platform for Apple to whore out the App store?

Glorified iPod Touch anyone?

PC's have had touchscreen laptops for years now, their is just really no practical market for it.

[avvpiras]

What I am expecting from this product is something that will replace the pen and paper at meetings. Laptops don't succeed with this because you need the ability to quickly jot down stuff anywhere on the page without regard for formatting, and be able to diagram and draw lines connecting things. If this type of data can be captured as effortlessly as the pen and paper, and yet keep it digital so that you always have your notes, then this product can succeed. In fact, it will get them more entrenched in the corporate world.

Nobody has been able to build a product that does this yet because nobody can figure out how to beat the pen and paper. If Apple does, they will win.

Apple has been able yet to "figure out how to beat the pen and paper", with the Newton MessagePad in the mid nineties. It was too much expensive and somehow ahead of his time. See my previous post labeled "Newton" on this same tread.

[iMacmatician]

And what about the new on-screen keyboard feature in Snow Leopard?Remember all the other mostly unchanged GUI elements in Snow Leopard.

Some other people want something else without a hardware keyboard and heavy duty processor which is used for consuming media rather than creating it - this is generally referred to as a Tablet. I think it will also have some basic creating/editing features.

That's because they are setting up a larger device. They want people to view the iPhone and the Touch as more than phones and iPods. Without that shift, people won't "get" it.Interesting idea, reminds me of one post not long ago which was about the possibility that the iPod touch could become the smallest device in a line of tablets (3.5", ≈7", 10").

[rhomsy]

Apple has been able yet to "figure out how to beat the pen and paper", with the Newton MessagePad in the mid nineties. It was too much expensive and somehow ahead of his time. See my previous post labeled "Newton" on this same tread.

I don't think the Newton succeeded at this at all. Input on the Newton was far more difficult than a pen and paper. I owned two Newtons (original and MessagePad 3100 I believe), and I never felt they lived up to their billings. Part of the reason was technological, and part was interface decisions. The handwriting recognition was slow and inaccurate. If you left your writing in "digital-ink", then you couldn't fit more than 3 words on a line since the screen was so small, and the resolution was poor. Plus each note could only hold so much data before you had to create a new one. There just wasn't enough room or freedom to leave things in digital ink. Plus it's sync with the Mac wasn't in great in that you were not left with documents that were particularly useful on the desktop as far as I can remember.

I eventually installed graffiti on my Newton to make it useful.

I really wanted my Newton to replace pen and paper, but when it came time to get work really done, I didn't want to be hindered by the Newton's interface and clunckyness.

I still have my MessagePad 3100 somewhere in my house. I wonder if it is a collector's item. I certainly was never a great note-taker.

[whooleytoo]

Am I the only one here who sees this as just another platform for Apple to whore out the App store?

Glorified iPod Touch anyone?

PC's have had touchscreen laptops for years now, their is just really no practical market for it.

I'm not so sure. PC makers are typically building a PC laptop without a keyboard; with a desktop OS and a stylus. It's essentially a laptop, but more difficult to use.

The iPhone OS is a simplified OS designed specifically for mobile, small-screen, keyboard-less, stylus-less devices; like a tablet. Apple already has a library of 75,000 3rd party applications, each of which was built specifically for small, touchscreen devices, like a tablet.

So they have a new OS, optimised for a tablet, which users are already familiar with; and a huge library of apps, each optimised for a tablet. I don't know if Apple will release one, but - unlike others - they already have a fantastic foundation to start from.

[Eidorian]

Unless.....it's a PPC chip, not an ARM chip. Remember, PA Semi's big product was a PowerPC part. We really have no idea. The rumor mill has been pretty quiet on the tablet's ISA. Who knows what we are getting? All we really know is that it probably isn't x86, because Apple would just use the Atom if they wanted that.PowerPC isn't necessarily a step in the right direction either.

What woud you suggest for it not to be a giant iPod Touch. You know that it must be flat with widescreen aspect ratio? So in that way all tablets are giant iPod Touches and we don't have an idea to speculate ;) What's wrong with that? I've seen pretty awesome mockups.Uh x86? You can make all the fancy mockups you want.

[Xavier]

If Apple were to ever release this device, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[gohanmzt]

A 800-1000 dollar 10-inch tablet is not interesting and I agree with others here that it will fail.

(Darth Vader's Voice) Do not underestimate the POWER of the Fanboi

[pmjoe]

Am I the only one here who sees this as just another platform for Apple to whore out the App store?
I think that is exactly the risk here.

I suspect Apple will model this off the iPhone way too much.

I do not see people subscribing to a 2nd (3rd?) 3G data plan for this, even if it knocks $200 off the price.

I do not see major developers buying into yet another App Store, closed development platform. I'm already floored they let Apple skim 30% off the top of their hard work. Apple will not sell millions of these. While you may be able to run iPhone apps on the tablet, I assume there will be a whole class of tablet specific apps that will not see the same volume of sales (low volume will equal higher cost, and the percent Apple skims off the top will count more).

[colinmack]

...I do not see major developers buying into yet another App Store, closed development platform. I'm already floored they let Apple skim 30% off the top of their hard work. Apple will not sell millions of these. While you may be able to run iPhone apps on the tablet, I assume there will be a whole class of tablet specific apps that will not see the same volume of sales (low volume will equal higher cost, and the percent Apple skims off the top will count more).

Unless the same App can be sold to both tablet and Apple TV users without any changes (assuming the output dimensions would be similar for both devices). That by itself would be a huge incentive for developers to update their apps - it would unlock two platforms and target markets at the same time.

(the Apple TV could easily benefit from some sort of App Store integration as well - with a bit of a hardware refresh, it would make it a far more usable device to be able to play simple games, have weather/news apps, etc...)

In my mind, that would be a great extension of the App Store ecosystem, and would probably have a ton of developers ready to jump in, ready to kill two birds with one stone.

[FCPnewbie]

It just won't die!!!

I don't think calling this device a tablet is doing it any justice. Tablets conjure up ideas of clunky crippled laptops. If this thing ever does see the light of day it'll be much more usable than old tablets due to advances in UI thanks to the iPhone.

[michael.lauden]

If Apple were to ever release this device, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

i think everyone would. if this is a new marketing strategy to plant hints so people talk about them for years on end - it's working.

[bretm]

If this new device requires a contract with a cellular provider, then it will fail miserably. Only if a data contract is optional, or not included at all, can this product succeed. Nobody is looking for new monthly fees added to their lives at this point in time.


What I am expecting from this product is something that will replace the pen and paper at meetings. Laptops don't succeed with this because you need the ability to quickly jot down stuff anywhere on the page without regard for formatting, and be able to diagram and draw lines connecting things. If this type of data can be captured as effortlessly as the pen and paper, and yet keep it digital so that you always have your notes, then this product can succeed. In fact, it will get them more entrenched in the corporate world.

Of course, it needs to also be a media pad with the expected media applications.

Nobody has been able to build a product that does this yet because nobody can figure out how to beat the pen and paper. If Apple does, they will win.

Well there was the Newton, and it functioned exactly as you describe. Still didn't beat pen and paper. It was however better received than crayons and cardboard.

[spatlese44]

...I hope that the "Tablet" will be also a voice cellphone, using the iPhone earbuds with microphone. If you are out with your tablet, why carry also your iPhone?


I searched the whole thread to find if anyone was thinking the same thing I was. Yes: It is an iPhone. Albeit a big one. It's not to work with your iPhone, it's going to replace it.

[pags]

I've been hoping for a tablet for years to lighten the load in my briefcase. I'd gladly pay $999 for a tablet that could:

1. Let me store, organize, view, and annotate pdf documents in something roughly 8 1/2 x 11 in size (or a little smaller);

2. Let me read e-books;

3. Let me read electronic versions of magazines (like zinio's) and newspapers

4. Let me to use handwriting to take and organize meeting notes and drawings

5. Let me surf the web

6. Let me send and receive e-mail.

If it had music and photo features too, that would be icing on the cake.

This is wishful thinking, but I believe this may be the type of product that is coming. I've gotta think there's a market for this for office professionals, and for students too--especially as I see my kids destroy their backpacks with the sheer weight of books and related supplies they haul around every day.

[mcmlxix]

10" is too big. 6-7" would be ideal, imo. Anything bigger and I'll just carry a laptop or netbook.

agree

[Mattie Num Nums]

Unless the same App can be sold to both tablet and Apple TV users without any changes (assuming the output dimensions would be similar for both devices). That by itself would be a huge incentive for developers to update their apps - it would unlock two platforms and target markets at the same time.

(the Apple TV could easily benefit from some sort of App Store integration as well - with a bit of a hardware refresh, it would make it a far more usable device to be able to play simple games, have weather/news apps, etc...)

In my mind, that would be a great extension of the App Store ecosystem, and would probably have a ton of developers ready to jump in, ready to kill two birds with one stone.

I agree however, this thing needs to be revolutionary. I big iPod Touch would be far from it. This Tablet needs to not only break the mold, it needs to be the foundation for a new mold.

[michael.lauden]

I searched the whole thread to find if anyone was thinking the same thing I was. Yes: It is an iPhone. Albeit a big one. It's not to work with your iPhone, it's going to replace it.

i highly doubt a giant 7-10" screen will replace an iPhone

[eastercat]

No OLED no buy.
You don't think that would up the cost of the tablet? I think it would.

In which case I'm afraid I'm not interested. There's no way I'd spend a grand on something like this unless it was a laptop replacement, and if it is I need it to run Photoshop (not well, but run it).

While I don't know if the tablet is going to be like a netbook in terms of processing power, I doubt it's likely to have the processing power to even think about running Photoshop (though it'd be cool if it did).

i highly doubt a giant 7-10" screen will replace an iPhone
We might as well go back to those brick cell phones while we're at it. My hands are too small to even hold such a device as a phone. :eek:

[rtdunham]

10" is too big. 6-7" would be ideal, imo. Anything bigger and I'll just carry a laptop or netbook.

let's just keep in mind that would give the product dimensions of around 6 x 9...meaning slightly more than half the footprint of a 13" MBP. I think that's a meaningful difference.

If it's running a very competent OS and can talk to a BT keyboard, I'm in.

[avvpiras]

I don't think the Newton succeeded at this at all.
Input on the Newton was far more difficult than a pen and paper. I owned two Newtons (original and MessagePad 3100 I believe), and I never felt they lived up to their billings. Part of the reason was technological, and part was interface decisions. The handwriting recognition was slow and inaccurate. If you left your writing in "digital-ink", then you couldn't fit more than 3 words on a line since the screen was so small, and the resolution was poor. Plus each note could only hold so much data before you had to create a new one. There just wasn't enough room or freedom to leave things in digital ink. Plus it's sync with the Mac wasn't in great in that you were not left with documents that were particularly useful on the desktop as far as I can remember.


Of course, the Newton was too ahead of his time, mainly for computing power, memory and storage contraints of his years. More than a decade has passed. Also, the tablet screen will be at least 9" (I hope less than 10", to be really portable), of course with today's pixel count and color quality. And will benefit of current Apple syncing technology.

But the Newton demostrates that Apple KNOWS how.

I'm sure the "iTablet" will realize all the dreams of the Newton project.

[alent1234]

I think that is exactly the risk here.

I suspect Apple will model this off the iPhone way too much.

I do not see people subscribing to a 2nd (3rd?) 3G data plan for this, even if it knocks $200 off the price.

I do not see major developers buying into yet another App Store, closed development platform. I'm already floored they let Apple skim 30% off the top of their hard work. Apple will not sell millions of these. While you may be able to run iPhone apps on the tablet, I assume there will be a whole class of tablet specific apps that will not see the same volume of sales (low volume will equal higher cost, and the percent Apple skims off the top will count more).

and if you write an app that is sold at retail how much do you think publishers and best buy will take? 30% of revenue is cheap

[rtdunham]

...how to beat the pen and paper...

what if apple found a way to incorporate some of this product's features into a new tablet and its (hand)writing device?

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/macsimum_review_livescribe_pulse_combo_innovative_though_not_for_everyone/

[NeGRit0]

Interesting, I have a friend that works at VZW(Verizon Wireless) and he keeps telling me i better be saving for a Mac net book type device that should be released her pretty soon. I wonder if this is it...

[borcanm]

This thing better be amazing if Apple expects people to pay that much for an ebook reader.

[Bevz]

I still just wanna hear those magic little words... "It runs OSX".... ;)

[CylonGlitch]

I still just wanna hear those magic little words... "It runs OSX".... ;)

That is all that matters to me.

[Ironduke]

Cant see this device running OSX

Imagine Typing Pages Documents & Numbers sheets on a touch screen, you would lose half the screen Yuk.

The Price for this device will put it alongside the Macbook Air, all Style not much substance

[sranger]

I find it odd that people think you cannot design a good touch screen only user interface. I have been doing that for the last 20 years. I design and build user interfaces for machine control. About 80% of these installations are touch screen only. We design them with the ability to to view PDF, Drawings, Video ( repair/service), web pages, historical trends, etc....

I have never found an app that I could not modify to work with pop-up on screen keyboards. Some Run Windows CE and others run XP Pro Embedded.

I am sure the mac OS would be easily modified to suit a touch only interface.

My biggest problem is switching from one of our machine interfaces back to a laptop as I keep poking the screen and wondering why the keyboard did not pop up...:o

I honestly think Apple can pull it off, Their touch technology is far superior to what we work with and we manage to make our systems quite user friendly...

[spatlese44]

We might as well go back to those brick cell phones while we're at it. My hands are too small to even hold such a device as a phone. :eek:

What if it were to have a camera and allow video calling? How cool would that be? And no, you wouldn't put it up to your head. People would only use the bluetooth headset or the video chat. No, this would not be a phone for everyone, but some people send text, email, twitter, facebook, etc. so much that they would want something like this with them all the time.

Design it right and you wouldn't have to take it out of your bag to use it. Just voice command the person you want to call into the headset. No big deal. It also creates a new product so Apple can team up with Verizon and keep their sweet deal they have with AT&T. How about that?

pfft, iPhone? Bigger is better! Maybe I want an iTablet phone. Five years from now, phones that don't do video chat will be obsolete.

[tiguk]

Cant see this device running OSX

Imagine Typing Pages Documents & Numbers sheets on a touch screen, you would lose half the screen Yuk.

The Price for this device will put it alongside the Macbook Air, all Style not much substance

If it ran full OSX, then you would be able to use a bluetooth keyboard if you wanted.

[NeGRit0]

I still just wanna hear those magic little words... "It runs OSX".... ;)

That is all that matters to me.

I agree with you two...

Cant see this device running OSX


and i bet before the iPhone was released you couldnt see Apple mass producing a phone of any sort.

[Ironduke]

If it ran full OSX, then you would be able to use a bluetooth keyboard if you wanted.

Turning it into a desktop but with a tiny screen and with a cpu that would cry for help nice:rolleyes:

[Ironduke]

I agree with you two...




and i bet before the iPhone was released you couldnt see Apple mass producing a phone of any sort.


keep hoping reality says no

[MorphingDragon]

The Apple III
The Lisa
:D

The Lisa project was taken off Steve Jobs, It was then the price went up in smoke.

Get your facts right man.

[ncbill]

eMate 2009?

[MattInOz]

they will then have to write a virtual machine like JVM or .NET for people to port the code easily. no one is going to spend a lot of time writing code unless they are sure to make money

They could just use LLVM(Low Level Virtual Machine) and build a processor that runs the intermediate comply code as its native.

After all they have been putting a lot of work in to that compiler chain and all the new features in Snow Leopard are targeted there first. It maybe be Open source but with the major players in house they still have full control.

[olternaut]

I find it amusing that Apple dissed netbooks because they couldn't fit in your pocket.

err... the tablet won't fit in your pocket either. I wonder how they are going to spin this.

Apple knew what they were doing when they put that pic up on the screen at the September event.
Perhaps Apple has figured out how to make a tablet pocketable.

We'll find out soon enough.

[Stately]

10" is too big. 6-7" would be ideal, imo. Anything bigger and I'll just carry a laptop or netbook.

I agree, unless of course they develop some sort of OLED screen that can shrink down and open up at a whim for full screen use and not be sectioned off at all with any sort of plastic separators to enable folding which would make it sloppy.

[firewood]

Seriously. I still do not see a point in having a 10" (or so) screen as a computer. I would think you're going to have a massive kink in your neck from always looking down at it. On top of that, you wouldn't really be able to see the screen when you're typing on it unless you do a "hunt & pick" style of typing. I see very little that is productive about this proposed toy.

What have people been using for centuries and still buy orders of magnitude more than any netbook?

Books and paper pads... far less likely to cause kinks in ones neck than any laptop.

Steve said that people don't read books anymore. But this might just be Kindle, not just for books, but for Wikipedia, Google, web apps, short youtube videos, and iPhone apps, and thus outsell Kindle enough be to a pretty decent success.

If you have good eyes, then you can do this already on an iPod Touch. But most people don't have eyes good enough to comfortably read full size pages on such a tiny screen.

[JohnDoe98]

But what we really need is to be able to read and take notes straight on the page and in the margin when we are reading, which is why the kindle sucks. The Apple Tablet really would benefit if it had a wacom digitizer built-in and allowed you to take notes, while reading a book and underlining passages, or for the purposes of sketching more generally. If you really want a winner, adapt or build a program that incorporates Pages (word processor), sketching, viewing of PDFs or eBooks, all the while allowing one to add handwritten information to any file opened within the program.

[MikeELL]

Interesting times! Also redo the MacBook while you're at it Apple!

I've said it before
(http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7651496#post7651496)

and I'll say it again:

The tablet *is* the next generation Macbook. The MBP will remain as a traditional laptop - these upcoming Macbook updates will be minor, and it will be relaunched as a tablet in 2010.

[MikeELL]

Let's be clear:

(1) Apple has stated multiple times that they do not think they can currently offer anything in that market segment, for that price range, using current technology that is worth having.

(2) All you *cough* unimaginative *cough* people who are saying this will fail are basing your ideas on the assumption that they will be doing exactly that.

So what kinds of future technologies might they use?

Apple Patent number 1: A display that has sensor technology -
http://www.macrumors.com/2006/01/13/apple-integrated-sensing-display/
it can act as a camera for video chat, or alternatively, detect what your finger is hovering over before you press it.

Apple Patent number 2: Integrated solar panel *in* the screen -
http://www.macrumors.com/2008/05/26/solar-lcd-powered-ipods-iphones-and-laptops/
Combined with their new battery technologies equals longer time between changes.

Add P.A semi's low power CPUs to that, ability to use App store apps, iTunes media, Internet connectivity and add ebooks for the heck of it. This is your ultimate casual computing device we're looking at here and it will eat netbooks for breakfast.

And like I said above, I'd bet money that it will be called the MacBook.

[MikeDTyke]

I'm not so sure about the built-in 3G. Is it popular in netbooks? Personally I wouldn't want to add yet another bill to my monthly expenses.

It's relatively new as a built-in option. But when you consider that you can buy a hspda usb dongle for < 30 quid, building it into every tablet would be a small expense. Offer it through cell companies discounted with a plan or full price via the Apple Store or other retailers. Then if the user decides they want remote access in the future they pick up a payg sim and slot it in.

Everybody's happy.

[silentnite]

Seriously, I can't see apple producing a tablet at 10" or less, when for one, people complain about the screen size of the Mac Pro 13" being to small.

The price would have to be in the $500 - $600 range in order to compete with anything on the market and that price is way to high for a consumer net book. Most of all the price is way to low for apple to sell a net book of quality. I would just stick with the next best thing, a 13" Mac Pro. :confused:

[MikeDTyke]

a simple device for videoconferencing/web surfing/movie watching/book reading and note taking (handwriting would make it a one of its kind, clear distinction with laptops). Hope they'll manage the stand issue though.

I suspect the dock will be a stand, either with a physical connection or wireless, similar to how the Pre can charge from a touchstone.

That way when it's charging beside your bed it can be a picture frame/bedside clock/internet connected applet display (weather/news/stocks). Beside your computer it could be a secondary display or flat as an oversized touchpad. In the kitchen as an interactive recipe book. In the living room it's the same as the bedroom plus massive AppleTV remote. :D

[MikeDTyke]

Seems odd that the Taiwanese would have an idea of the MSRP.

They seemed to leave a wide enough margin for error. $799 to $999.

Basically they know how much it'll cost to build. Add 30-40% and round up to the next big figure minus a dollar. :D

[Coruscanti]

Reitarating -
The question isn't "which flavor of OS X will it run?" because it will run both.

The tablet will have both an x86 chip (an Atom, dual-core (N330) as an option) and an custom ARM SOC (system on a chip). You'll be able to hot-switch between a modified iPhone OS and touch-optimized 10.6. However, the hot switch may or may not involve booting the Atom system as once it boots, if you switch to the ARM chip, the Atom side will go into Sleep (10.6 has Sleep optimization, so it'll be nice and smooth).

The "iPhone" OS version for the tablet will be, of course, optimized for the tablet and able to run current iPhone software, and not just one at a time. However, if the users wishes to do more complex work and needs more processing power, they can boot up the Atom system. The SOC will continue to run as it requires very little power, and will communicate things like push messages to the Atom side, per user settings.

Once the Atom system is booted (and it will boot fast, SSD + 10.6), the transition will be very smooth between the two.

Proper iTunes sync will, of course, work, but it can, if the user so wishes, keep the Mail apps of both simultaneous, as well as some others. The Atom side will be able to update the SOC as well as restore it - no need for another computer. Critical software update on the road? No problem. Need to install 10.6.2? You can tell the tablet to not sleep the Atom side while you continue working on iPhone OS.

Apple has never liked using a separate partitions for data and applications (many PC users do this so they can completely wipe and reinstall their OS of choice (be it Linux, Windows or another) without losing all their documents and photos in the process).
The SOC will have its own memory, as very fast sync removes the need of accessing the other side's drives (and the issues that come along with that). Files will be duplicated between the two systems, though the user is in power to choose what the SOC side has.

Only the Atom system will have access to the tablet's ports (except, of course, the 3.5mm jack). The user will be able to pick which system is using the stereo speakers/audio jack - so music can continue to come from iPhone OS while the user switches back and forth accomplishing different tasks.

Due to tech constraints the two systems will have separate Wi-Fi antennae. Although this can be a very slight nuisance for the user, it means that they can save power by killing AirPort on the Atom side and only browsing on the SOC. It also means they can use two networks at the same time on the tablet. The Atom side's antenna will be more powerful.

From here. (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=8217907#post8217907)

[firewood]

Seriously, I can't see apple producing a tablet at 10" or less, when for one, people complain about the screen size of the Mac Pro 13" being to small.

Apple already produces a tablet with a smaller screen; and it outsells all MacBook Pros by a huge ratio. It's called an iPod Touch.

But it's screen is smaller than a paperback book, which is usually the smallest book that millions of people carry and read every day. A device the size of a paperback or hardcover would be huge in comparison to the current Touch/iPhone.

Just the opposite of too small.

[whooleytoo]

Seriously, I can't see apple producing a tablet at 10" or less, when for one, people complain about the screen size of the Mac Pro 13" being to small.

Tablets are typically used being held in one hand, and used with the other; which obviously would limit the practical size and weight of the device. You don't want a big screen device which would topple out of your hand.

[chris7777]

But what we really need is to be able to read and take notes straight on the page and in the margin when we are reading, which is why the kindle sucks. The Apple Tablet really would benefit if it had a wacom digitizer built-in and allowed you to take notes, while reading a book and underlining passages, or for the purposes of sketching more generally. If you really want a winner, adapt or build a program that incorporates Pages (word processor), sketching, viewing of PDFs or eBooks, all the while allowing one to add handwritten information to any file opened within the program.

If only some manufacturer besides wacom saw the potential in this.

Cintiq but as the whole unit.

[chris7777]

I've said it before
(http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7651496#post7651496)

and I'll say it again:

The tablet *is* the next generation Macbook. The MBP will remain as a traditional laptop - these upcoming Macbook updates will be minor, and it will be relaunched as a tablet in 2010.

I agree and have said similar myself.

But I had expected them to have something to market sooner.

I also have begun wondering if a polycarbonate update is actually a good idea.

otherwise you have only pro offerings for a traditional laptop.
It just depends on how they want to tier things.
this upgrade should be the tell, though.

[daneo933]

can't wait!! these will be sick!!

[celtikmind]

Apple already produces a tablet with a smaller screen; and it outsells all MacBook Pros by a huge ratio. It's called an iPod Touch.

But it's screen is smaller than a paperback book, which is usually the smallest book that millions of people carry and read every day. A device the size of a paperback or hardcover would be huge in comparison to the current Touch/iPhone.

Just the opposite of too small.

Tablets are typically used being held in one hand, and used with the other; which obviously would limit the practical size and weight of the device. You don't want a big screen device which would topple out of your hand.

Because it all has to be in one unit? And the whole screen has to be hardware?

All the iPhone usage starting to show? :eek:

People had greater visions of things possible in the eighties than today. Think new and different, not larger and faster.

[firewood]

People had greater visions of things possible in the eighties than today. Think new and different, not larger and faster.

Actually, Star Trek showed people walking around with tablet devices, no devices as primitive as a laptop or netbook in sight.

The next step might be something more like Geordi's googles, or heads-up display that would interface with your contact lenses.

But technology may limit us to something more like thin and light book-sized tablets for a few more years.

[SactoGuy18]

I think Apple right now is deciding what operating system the tablet computer will use.

If it's based on the MacOS X variant used on the iPhone, it will use a souped-up ARM processor from a PA Semiconductor design. But if it's based on a MacOS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard") variant, then there's actually a really good chance it will use the new Intel Atom N450 dual-core CPU.

Because MacOS X 10.6 will work on the Atom CPU with no need for code changes, it means you can easily very easy to port the current MacOS X version to a tablet computer running the Atom N450 CPU. Because of its lower chip count and switching to a four-layer circuit board, any tablet using the Atom N450 will be very power efficient, which means longer battery life.

[Ironduke]

For the people saying that the tablet will replace the 13" macbook?

LOL VIOLENTLY @ YOU.

Why because the iPhone is touch screen and sell's more, dont be silly people what the iPhone Does compared to a macbook is very basic, its application are built for simplicity.

Imagine trying to create one of those beautiful documents in Pages on a 9.6 inch version of the iPhone, sure it would be fun for a bit moving images around with yer Finger, but the process would take so much longer you would scream for a real mac.

This Device has to be user friendly for its purpose, apple wont give this device OSX features that would give the user a poor experience.

And that is why I Forsee this device as a Jumped up iPod Touch with more power and having its own Section on the App Store.

Email, Browsing, Media will be the forte of this device, productivity or applications involving extensive keying in of data wont.

I expect this device to mirror the Touch for Memory.

It will probably come with a 3g chip but thats upto you if you wish to activate it and enter a contract.

Infact I would wager this device will be so similar to Ipod Touch that 3rd Party Vendors will not have much problem quickly converting their apps and games to operate in the Tablets Higher Resolution.

[Marx55]

Imagine this without the phone and with Mac inside:

xpPhone
http://www.xpphone.com/en/product/configuration.html

ROCKING!

[newrigel]

disappointment. no one has produced a catch-on tablet in 20 years, apple won't be the first. estimated $999 with an unknown proc, it'll be another overpriced luxury - i said it first.
Yeah... that YOU can't afford! :D:D:D