Apple Working on Tablet Since At Least 2003

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/10/05/apple-working-on-tablet-since-at-least-2003/)

The New York Times recaps (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/technology/05tablet.html?_r=1) many of the rumors and expectations about the upcoming Apple Tablet, but also introduces a few original sources of information about the tablet project within Apple.

According to former Apple engineer Joshua A. Strickland, Apple had been working on a tablet-based device since at least 2003. According to the newspaper, one 2003 prototype used the PowerPC chip and was so power hungry that it quickly drained the battery:"It couldn’t be built. The battery life wasn't long enough, the graphics performance was not enough to do anything and the components themselves cost more than $500.
Another Apple executive claims that the idea had been shelved a number of times at Apple due to Steve Jobs who questioned "what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."

Whether or not the success of the iPhone has changed the mind of Jobs remains to be seen. In fact, reports (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/29/apple-tablet-to-run-iphone-os-and-launch-in-may-or-june-2010/) have suggested that Jobs has not given final approval of the product yet. As always, the question remains how Apple might expect such a product to fit into people's lifestyles. Back in July, we questioned (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/28/what-will-be-the-killer-feature-of-an-apple-tablet/) what this "killer feature" could be in the Apple tablet.



Article Link: Apple Working on Tablet Since At Least 2003 (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/10/05/apple-working-on-tablet-since-at-least-2003/)

[andylyon]

That's a good 6 years! This thing should be awesome!!

[Memma]

now they are really pressured to show that their tablet is something special

[OllyW]

Another Apple executive claims that the idea had been shelved a number of times at Apple due to Steve Jobs who questioned "what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."

It's nice to know I've got something in common with Steve Jobs. :rolleyes:

[bbnck]

I don't see what these tablets be used for; and if they will be used for general browsing then I expect people be looking for an affordable price tag. If ever this tablet becomes available would anyone actually buy one, truthfully? What would you use it for?

[fluidedge]

another day, another tablet "rumor" *sigh*

When will apple just get on and shelf this idea?

[DipDog3]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

Another Apple executive claims that the idea had been shelved a number of times at Apple due to Steve Jobs who questioned "what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."

It's nice to know I've got something in common with Steve Jobs. :rolleyes:

Isn't that really what the iPhone is really good at?

[gianpan]

I want a tablet that will allow me to take lecture note's easily and quickly and keep them organised in a modern way (I got a billion papers here in my room and it's so annoying - of course after sometime I have to throw away some stuff which I would just keep in an archive in my hard disk!)

Then I also want to be able to share notes and ideas with the rest of the students quickly and easily through it.

Surfing, email etc. will just be there for when I need it.

[devburke]

The iPhone and iPod touch are pretty fantastic at surfing the web in the bathroom!

[devburke]

I want a tablet that will allow me to take lecture note's easily and quickly and keep them organised in a modern way (I got a billion papers here in my room and it's so annoying - of course after sometime I have to throw away some stuff which I would just keep in an archive in my hard disk!)

Then I also want to be able to share notes and ideas with the rest of the students quickly and easily through it.

Surfing, email etc. will just be there for when I need it.

...sounds to me like you need to get yourself a laptop.

[Hattig]

I like the idea of an Apple tablet, and feel that they could bring some interesting and required UI designs into the fray because of it.

However I just don't see any major point to a tablet. Not unless handwriting recognition with a stylus was supported for note taking, or smooth proper jotting support (i.e., what you jot doesn't turn into a series of jerky lines that is unreadable). Then it could be useful for certain niches - students, doctors, etc.

Otherwise it's an advanced digital music/photo/video frame with internet support. If this is released it will be a hobby project like the AppleTV. Hopefully the AppleTV will move from hobby to mainline soon, with a new hardware refresh.

Still, I guess the tablet projects over the years have given Apple a lot of technology like multitouch, so even if it wasn't released, it would still be a worthwhile internal project.

Now where are the new Mac Minis and iMacs?

[guet]

I don't see what these tablets be used for; and if they will be used for general browsing then I expect people be looking for an affordable price tag. If ever this tablet becomes available would anyone actually buy one, truthfully? What would you use it for?

Depends what it's like obviously, but if it is as rumoured, I would buy one. For reading (web, books and email), viewing media (though less so) and taking notes (if the interface is any good).

[NightFox]

... The battery life wasn't long enough, the graphics performance was not enough to do anything and the components themselves cost more than $500.

Poor battery life, weak graphics performance, very expensive? No way Apple would allow anything like that on the market. ;)

[Henk Poley]

Steve Jobs probably saw quite a few of Windows Tablet PCs during his 'medical leave' and questioned himself why they weren't in this business ;-)

Hospitals seem to be one of the few places where Tablet PCs really make sense for replacing all the old paperwork, and simultaneously making access to that information easier for professionals who need it.

[ravenvii]

Poor battery life, weak graphics performance, very expensive? No way Apple would allow anything like that on the market. ;)

Or the battery and graphics performance is *so* bad even Apple wouldn't bring anything like that to market! :D

[ob81]

Apple is a little more mainstream these days. Some products they need to have, just to say that they have them. Working on a product for 6 years? It probably has changed so many times, it has nothing to do with the original concept. I wish Apple would confirm or deny, so we can move on to real apple news.

[NewSc2]

I like the idea of an Apple tablet, and feel that they could bring some interesting and required UI designs into the fray because of it.

However I just don't see any major point to a tablet. Not unless handwriting recognition with a stylus was supported for note taking, or smooth proper jotting support (i.e., what you jot doesn't turn into a series of jerky lines that is unreadable). Then it could be useful for certain niches - students, doctors, etc.

Otherwise it's an advanced digital music/photo/video frame with internet support. If this is released it will be a hobby project like the AppleTV. Hopefully the AppleTV will move from hobby to mainline soon, with a new hardware refresh.

Still, I guess the tablet projects over the years have given Apple a lot of technology like multitouch, so even if it wasn't released, it would still be a worthwhile internal project.

Now where are the new Mac Minis and iMacs?

I'd disagree. The rumors are all pointing at some sort of advanced media device (aka your digital music/photo/video frame), but in my guess it would fit as an enhanced Kindle. Imagine a Kindle, but in color, with video and sound. Newspapers would have animated text/videos, a la Back to the Future :D

I personally hope it would do more than just that, but if it's anything up to Apple's standards I'd probably get it just to use TouchOSC or as some sort of tethered 2nd monitor, or a multitouch trackpad for Logic or Ableton.

[kernkraft]

So, there was Newton and they have been working on this one since 2003. Meanwhile, Jobs has not approved and it seems, that's how they do it in Cupertino.

By the time that thing comes out, I will probably have stopped caring. :mad:



Poor battery life, weak graphics performance, very expensive? No way Apple would allow anything like that on the market. ;)

Exactly my thoughts!

[MikeELL]

I have a feelling this has to be the start of something bigger for Apple. It would make sense that 1Q 2010 is also when they will announce plans for whatever follows Snow Leopard. My bet would be an OS 11 that has much less emphasis on the desktop computer and more emphasis on mobile devices and home networks - ie every home has a server/tablet(s) arrangement which is more flexible as to where you use it. That's how the tablet fits in

If you want to use a keyboard and mouse arrangement, you dock your tablet at your desk, but what sits on your desk is little more than a keyboard, dock and mouse - the server is located elsewhere (say, the living/"media" room). It would take "Where did the computer go?" to a whole new level.

[Jamo12]

My idea of what the tablet will be is a HUGE NEW THING that eventually everyone will have. It will be a digital reader for everything. newspapers will give you subscriptions to digital newspapers. Same with magazines. It will be able to be used as text books for school or home study. Of course because Apple loves music it will be able to do all of the iTunes stuff perfectly fine. Eventually (15 years) everyone will have a piece of technology like this in their home.:apple:

my 2¢

[fswmacguy]

If it has "note taking capabilities", where I can quickly (and sloppily) write down notes, and they're converted to text, then I'll buy.

And I love Steve's comment. :D

[thinkadrian]

I'm sure they've been working on a tablet since the 90s. This isn't news!

[niuniu]

From a small business owner's perspective..

We have a small workforce and need to do a lot of everything ourselves, including customer service, sales, even design and web management. Most of that stuff for a lot modern businesses is handled via the web, most of our enquiries come via email and nearly every single one of those enquiries conclude via the same format.

For me, being away from the desk means I don't know what's going on. When I'm sitting in traffic I try to use the iPhone to catch up, but it's too slow and the screen is just a bit too small to effectively do anything.

If they can produce a snazzy tablet with a decent battery life, or is chargeable through the car, and has fast data transfer and a proper OS, no iPhone OS nonsense as we want to be able to work on files with software we'd have on our Macs, then guys in my position will really get a lot out of it.

Before I was in this position, a Tablet wouldn't have made any sense to me.

[bbydon]

My idea of what the tablet will be is a HUGE NEW THING that eventually everyone will have. It will be a digital reader for everything. newspapers will give you subscriptions to digital newspapers. Same with magazines. It will be able to be used as text books for school or home study. Of course because Apple loves music it will be able to do all of the iTunes stuff perfectly fine. Eventually (15 years) everyone will have a piece of technology like this in their home.:apple:

my 2¢

....but thats what the rumors say it will be.

[bbydon]

I'd say the biggest markets are education / colleges and the Medical field.
A network of tablets in hospitals would be a huge step in streamlining and organization. Also a few good apps might get rid of some really expensive specialized machines.

[Mac4Brains]

So far Apple is botching this netbook issue with a vigor that could not be topped even if they tried to make it worse.

I have an ASUS Eee netbook with a partition for Mac OSX on it. I hate this thing but since I work with an ISP I need the added portability of a laptop this small that offers me 802.11N, RJ-45 port, RGB port, a full keyboard, three USB ports, built in video camera and microphone, 160G hard drive, a battery that lasts 10 hours, all this in a package that, when closed, is only about 6.5 by 11 inches and about a inch thick, runs a full version of a OS, and only costs me $500

The only Macintosh that comes near this is the MacBook Air that since it has a full size screen is no better than carrying around a full laptop, although lighter, I can’t stick it in the cargo pocket of my pants. If I need to use an Ethernet cable, I need an external adapter and take up the only USB port the computer has. I need to carry around an adapter to use the unit with a over head projector, only offers me 5 hours of battery life and costs a whopping $1500.

So as you can see I have been watching the Apple tablet news closely, wringing my hands. But now I am annoyed that this thing will most likely be yet another gismo that is basically an overpriced hand held dashboard only type of device that costs about the same or more then my Hackintosh Netbook. Although I love carrying around an iPod Touch to use in network diagnostics, it can’t do much more then helping me locate the issue, then I need to whip out the Hackintosh to work on it.

I would love for Apple to make something that has the functionality and size of the ASUS Eee with the battery life to make it through a workday, and to keep the price down to under $600. I personally know about 50 IT people that would get one and I can see this becoming the laptop of choice for college students, cops, Phone, Cable and Satellite TV repair men, or for that matter anyone who is mobile for a living.

Now six years later I am still waiting for the ever so overpriced, and possibly disappointing, Apple tablet to come out.

[nickXedge]

I'd disagree. The rumors are all pointing at some sort of advanced media device (aka your digital music/photo/video frame), but in my guess it would fit as an enhanced Kindle. Imagine a Kindle, but in color, with video and sound. Newspapers would have animated text/videos, a la Back to the Future :D

I personally hope it would do more than just that, but if it's anything up to Apple's standards I'd probably get it just to use TouchOSC or as some sort of tethered 2nd monitor, or a multitouch trackpad for Logic or Ableton.

I found what you're talking about; a color Kindle enhanced with video/audio. This is Apple's tablet!! (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1910868)

[dernhelm]

another day, another tablet "rumor" *sigh*

When will apple just get on and shelf this idea?

How do you know that Apple hasn't? Just because the press (driven by the popularity of rumor sites like this one) won't let it go, doesn't mean Apple plans on releasing it.

Apple does R&D on a LOT of devices that never see the light of day. Technologies demoed in those devices may get used somewhere, but the device itself may never be released.

[fishmoose]

I will get one if you can install iWork on it, it would rock for school!

[Winni]

"what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."

That is the question, isn't it? I fully understand the purpose of a netbook, but when it comes to a tablet computer, I'm as dumbstruck as Steve Jobs.

[Winni]

I have an ASUS Eee netbook with a partition for Mac OSX on it. I hate this thing but since I work with an ISP I need the added portability of a laptop this small that offers me 802.11N, RJ-45 port, RGB port, a full keyboard, three USB ports, built in video camera and microphone, 160G hard drive, a battery that lasts 10 hours, all this in a package that, when closed, is only about 6.5 by 11 inches and about a inch thick, runs a full version of a OS, and only costs me $500

Sounds pretty awesome to me. What do you hate about it? That it doesn't have a "Designed by Apple in California" sticker on it?

[Marx55]

The Apple Tablet:

- Must be LIGHT and SMALL. The MacBook Air is too heavy and too large!

- Must have Mac inside (Mac OS X Snow Leopard touch). The iPhone and iPod touch are not Macs!

- Must have video-out and USB2 ports for presentations from NATIVE Keynote and PowerPoint files.

[Mac4Brains]

Sounds pretty awesome to me. What do you hate about it? That it doesn't have a "Designed by Apple in California" sticker on it?

No it is that I can't update the OS in a risk that Apple will lock out the Mac bootabilty.

[Neodym]

...sounds to me like you need to get yourself a laptop.

With a notebook there is always the screen between you and anyone who is sitting or standing in front of you, e.g. a teacher holding a lesson. This can distract and also is kind of rude towards the person beyond the opened laptop screen. Instead having a tablet lying on the table before you is very unobtrusive.

This would probably also apply to public, where people sitting in a Cafe or commuting train with an opened laptop often have a kind of "nerd" touch with others (not to mention how awkward it is to use a standard laptop e.g. in a commuting train), whereas people reading a book/magazine/newspaper are considered completely normal. May of course be different in your part of the world...

Some people argue that an iPod touch/iPhone would be pretty fine for "bathroom surfing" (or couch or balcony or garden ...), but fact is that people (not only) in the western hemisphere start to grow older and thus increasingly get problems with the tiny letters on the comparably small iPod/iPhone display (no - zooming in is not an option, as you would scroll all of the time to read the full sentence, not to mention the full paragraph). Also the usability of small virtual buttons like on the touch/iPhone starts to become questionable when your fingers start to tremble a little more etc. As Steve Jobs is growing older himself, he may experience this on his own and thus eventually reconsider.

So one could indeed argue about tablet vs. laptop. I could imagine a couple of possible scenarios (e.g. "silver surfers", hospitals, newspaper/magazines/books, university lectures, commuting etc.) that would allow such a device to find a comfortable niche of the market... if it's done the right way! But out of all the possible criticism of Apple, "doing things _not_ right" is rarely applicable ;-)

[motulist]

Steve Jobs probably saw quite a few of Windows Tablet PCs during his 'medical leave' and questioned himself why they weren't in this business ;-)

Actually, I've spent quite a bit of time in hospitals lately, and I have yet to see a single one.



Hospitals seem to be one of the few places where Tablet PCs really make sense for replacing all the old paperwork, and simultaneously making access to that information easier for professionals who need it.

I agree that to us laymen, it would seem that tablets would be a natural fit in hospital workplaces, but as I said, it definitely is not a widespread practice in the hospital industry at this point. And considering that I've heard several tech stories over many years now about hospitals giving tablets a trial here and there, so I presume that there must be good reason why they have not chosen to implement tablets widespread in hospitals.

[nycinhamburg]

someone please tell me what ever happened to that commercial Apple was filming right before the last media event?? it was in California at some dinner and the owner mentioned that he coulndnt talk about it but that it was a new product. I havent seen a commercial from Apple that looks like it could have been filmed there yet. Any ideas on what it was for? the tablet maybe??:confused:

[motulist]

at some dinner and the owner mentioned that he coulndnt talk about it but that it was a new product.

Hah! Sorry, the owner was talking out the side of his mouth. Apple is NOTORIOUSLY tightlipped about its new products. There's no way in heck that they would've even told this diner owner that the commercial was for a new unspecified product. Or maybe, to be fair to the owner, maybe he was asking honest questions to the people at the shoot and so some video staff person who didn't even have any inside info just made something up to tell him so that he'd go away.

[kdarling]

I want a tablet that will allow me to take lecture note's easily and quickly and keep them organised in a modern way (I got a billion papers here in my room and it's so annoying - of course after sometime I have to throw away some stuff which I would just keep in an archive in my hard disk!)

Then I also want to be able to share notes and ideas with the rest of the students quickly and easily through it.

Sounds like you want EverNote or OneNote (http://lifehacker.com/399556/five-best-notetaking-tools).

[I H8 UM]

They need to take this thing and stick it in a car like Microsoft Sync. Why not?

[Lesser Evets]

The form is not a factor in this device, since notebooks are just popular awkward culture of the past stuck in the present.

It's always about what the device can do. If the tablet can't be productive, it is just an iPod Touch with a bit more screen: not bad, but nothing incredible, and possibly worth $500, but not worth $800.

People need a simple, mobile media/data device they can use as a mobile computer with much but not all the power of a desktop/notebook

[baryon]

I'm sure that IF this tablet ever comes out, it will be as good as the iPhone. So there has to be some special function it fulfils, and not just "Oh wow it's touch screen and so pretty". The iPhone and iPods also have precise functions that make them useful, and at the same time, they're cool to use.

If the Tablet is just one big iPod Touch, then no one will want to use it, since the iPod touch is more practical because it's smaller. So there has to be some killer feature on this that makes it worth using, and I think that's the hard part. What could this Tablet do that the iPhone and iPod Touch couldn't do?

Anyway, it looks like Apple is really working on such a device, but that doesn't mean we'll ever see it. There are probably loads of prototypes that we never even heard about.

Personally, I'd love to have a Tablet which is similar to a real computer, i.e. it runs normal applications and OS X. But who knows whether that's possible, I mean what if running normal applications is just better with a real mouse and a real keyboard, and not your fingers...

[SactoGuy18]

I personally think Apple should build a netbook that has this:

1) Circa 10" (25.4 cm) LED-backlight LCD touchscreen.
2) The latest Intel dual-core Atom N450 CPU using the Pine Trail chipset.
3) MacOS X 10.6.x booting from firmware, with up to 3-4 GB of RAM.
4) Around 128 GB of SSD memory.
5) 802.11b/g/"final" n Wi-Fi support, with optional HSDPA/EVDO cellular network connectivity.

Eventually, the LED-backlit LCD touchscreen will be replaced by a OLED touchscreen.

[dwd3885]

I doubt they make one of these. Who wants an iPhone that you CAN'T fit in your pocket? Very little market for a larger tablet. Maybe in education and medical fields, but since when has Apple catered exclusively to them?

[ipearx]

Here are two ways I'd use a tablet:


As a cookbook whille cooking, usually on a web page recipe
While flying in a glider/aircraft as a moving map, flight computer, and to display navigation charts


Ideally it will have a superb battery life, and a screen you can read outside in sunlight/shade easily.

[dwd3885]

Here are two ways I'd use a tablet:


As a cookbook whille cooking, usually on a web page recipe
While flying in a glider/aircraft as a moving map, flight computer, and to display navigation charts


Ideally it will have a superb battery life, and a screen you can read outside in sunlight/shade easily.

So you would use the touch screen while you have food on your fingers? I can see you having to take it in to the genius bar quickly ;-)

[jmcguckin]

to the people claiming they need one of these to take notes in college- am I the only one who can type close to 3-4x more quickly than I write? oddly enough, even if a professor throws in a diagram every once in awhile, I can just as easily sketch using my MacBook's touchpad as I could with just my finger(s) on a tablet/touch-screen... so at least speaking for myself, I really don't see a tablet being practical for note-taking when I can much more easily type out my notes.

also, now that we know the R&D for this tablet project has been going on for such a prolonged period of time, I get the feeling this thing is quickly going to become the "Chinese Democracy" of electronics... I wonder if we can get Dr. Pepper to work out a deal with Apple, too?

[barkomatic]

I don't see what these tablets be used for; and if they will be used for general browsing then I expect people be looking for an affordable price tag. If ever this tablet becomes available would anyone actually buy one, truthfully? What would you use it for?

I think it would be niche uses. I could use it on the 5-6 hour bus trips I take every month--sometimes twice a month. I like to pack light and rarely do I take something as heavy as a laptop--and I don't need the functionality of a laptop anyway. My iphone plays video great, but after awhile I can't take the small screen anymore.

So, for me a tablet would be nice. Basically, a larger screened entertainment device that I could use for videos and web access. If I didn't take those bus trips, I probably wouldn't get it however.

[Tiffy]

It just has to be a giant Iphone to be interesting for me. The Iphone is too small to allow easy Excel/Word editing, work on photos, etc. but with a larger touchscreen and maybe additional I/Os (ethernet, USB) it could become an interesting tool. Something between the Iphone and the MacBook.

The larger screen could be used to display an enhanced homepage :
- icons for most often used applications
- icons for documents recently used
- some post-its
- Calendar with today's tasks displayed
- Summary view of the last e-mails received
- Summary view of the last voice messages received

The problem is : it cannot really replace an Iphone, so it would be necessary to have a second SIM card (for free) for the Apple Tablet and have a way to setup the reception of phone calls (on the tablet OR on the Iphone).

The USB port could be used to connect a Midi interface. I dream of a sequencer with which I could move the notes on the score with my finger, or even just draw them !

[MikeDTyke]

It just has to be a giant Iphone to be interesting for me. The Iphone is too small to allow easy Excel/Word editing, work on photos, etc. but with a larger touchscreen and maybe additional I/Os (ethernet, USB) it could become an interesting tool. Something between the Iphone and the MacBook.

The larger screen could be used to display an enhanced homepage :
- icons for most often used applications
- icons for documents recently used
- some post-its
- Calendar with today's tasks displayed
- Summary view of the last e-mails received
- Summary view of the last voice messages received

The problem is : it cannot really replace an Iphone, so it would be necessary to have a second SIM card (for free) for the Apple Tablet and have a way to setup the reception of phone calls (on the tablet OR on the Iphone).
!

Unlike a lot of MS haters, i've found the courier videos to be quite compelling.
I just imagine the default screen on this device could look like a analog journal, with post its, todays schedule, emails in inbox. Turn it sideways and you get to see 2 pages, which would make it easy to drag things from today to tomorrow or beyond. Use a multifinger gesture like a four finger drag to move the journal off the display and see an enhanced springboard in it's place.

Note, whilst i believe Apple will sell it with a 3G sim and contract, i also think there'll be a bluetooth tethering capability to use iPhone or other mobile connection.

[skate71290]

I don't see what these tablets be used for; and if they will be used for general browsing then I expect people be looking for an affordable price tag. If ever this tablet becomes available would anyone actually buy one, truthfully? What would you use it for?

I'm guessing it will be a freakishly large iPod touch, with 3G optional and it will be able to play 720p movies and can be used as an eBook reader in addition to all the standard things the iPod Touch can do

[Porco]

Surely we all know deep down that this PPC 'tablet' from 2003 was a prototype PowerBook G5... codenamed 'Tuesday' ;)

[polaris20]

It's nice to know I've got something in common with Steve Jobs. :rolleyes:

That's what I was going to say; Steve knows me all too well. :D

[jamesarm97]

Maybe they will make it big enough that if you are surfing in the bathroom and drop it, it will not submerge all the way in the toilet.

[Cabbit]

What i really want is a magazine sized colour e-ink ebook reader that downloads the latest issue of my magazine and i can type in a books ISBN number to buy it and automatically download it. Make it so that you flick your finger on the edges of the screen to change the page and perhaps 4 fingers up to get to the chapter list.

[wakemac]

I know I am one of the minority, but I actually run my small business on OSX, and believe this product could be extremely useful. SL Server already integrates very well with iPhones in the field, and this product could really take that to the next level, especially for an office like mine that tries to eliminate as much paper as possible.

[sushi]

I believe that Apple learned from the Newton. The final version of the Newtion, the 2100, was a fantastic device for it's time.

The problem was the original Newton and the 110 were limited. Handwriting recognition was terrible and very slow. Then came the Newton 120 and 130. Big improvements, but the form factor was too small to be effective. Then came the Newton 2000. While a nice improvement over the 130, unfortunately the 2000 had some limits which were solved with the updated 2100 model.

I remember I was at a conference when the Newton was cancelled by Steve Jobs. A sad time for me but I understood his efforts in focusing the company which at the time was going too many ways at once.

At the conference members of my team were Pocket PC and Palm Pilot users. With the news, many expressed interest in my Newton 2100. So I provided them a great demo on what it could do and it's handwriting recognition. In short, they were impressed and surprised why Apple cancelled it.

The problem was that the Newton was introduced to the market before prime time and it never overcame the negative reputation. Had the Newton 2100 been the original model introduced to the market, I firmly believe that the Newton would have been a huge success.

Looking back at the lessons learned, Apple definitely doesn't want to repeat the Newton experience when it introduces the Tablet computer. The 64 dollar question is who will use the tablet and what will be it's purpose.

I could see the tablet being a huge success if it has these features:
- Runs Mac OS X (Snow Leopard)
- Support all iPhone/iPod touch apps.
- 10.4 inch screen.
- Long battery life.
- USB port.
- Mini DisplayPort.
- BlueTooth
- WiFi
- Optional slot for 3G receiver or tethered to an iPhone.

A device such as this would support full Mac OS X compliant applications in addition to being able to run iPhone/iPod touch apps. The Mini DisplayPort would allow for easy connecting to an external device to show a PowerPoint presentation, movie, pics, etc.

Add pen support to the already good touch interface and you have the best of both worlds for data input. Plus with Bluetooth, an external keyboard and mouse could easily be used if needed.

A device like this could be used for so many things, replacing a laptop in many cases for those who don't need the specific features of a laptop that are not supported with the tablet.

I understand Apple's caution on getting it right this time. I would rather wait and have a solid device than go through the same stages that we did with the Newton.

[str1f3]

I doubt they make one of these. Who wants an iPhone that you CAN'T fit in your pocket? Very little market for a larger tablet. Maybe in education and medical fields, but since when has Apple catered exclusively to them?

I used to agree with you but I think you are missing it. 95% of all computer users use it for only the most basic of abilities. The same goes for many students as well and the laptop is still not the perfect solution for note-taking in lectures.

It remains to be seen what how deep this OS is. I doubt it will have OS X but I do believe it will be more powerful than the iPhone OS. Will it run iTunes? It's hard for me to believe that it will be a 10 inch screen that you will have to sync to a Mac.

I look at what the Courier video is offering and I believe that is where we are headed.

[Bigdaddyguido]

I never understand how everyone strggled to find a niche for this product. Like all successful computers, it needs to be a Jack of all trades.

First off, it needs to appeal to those who already own macs. This is clearly the market which will build your device some positive press. While they are no way a majority, they do control mindshare, which is the biggest battle for new devices.

All macs come with an iLife suite, all good programs begging for better user controlled manipulation. Start with iPhoto, allow you to make adjustments to photos using virtual sliders. This device would be perfect for photo manipulation, with a large flat screen you can rest in your lap and play with. Suddenly playing with your photos will be much more tactile and fun.

Then GarageBand is the most obvious beneficiary in my mind. GarageBand is great, but for all of us who have been mixing on huge tables for years, the trackpad and keys are not elegant solutions. Give us a full page layout with our tracks and effects laud out as handy sliders that we can flick with our fingers. Add in a software drum machine, a perfect match for a tablet form figure, now the drum sounds themselves can be represented on the digital buttons. Allow third party develoiersbto make spinning dj wheels, what a wonderful toy.

iMovie again begs for a more tactile contoll method, slide over video clips with our finger, drag and drop frames where you need them. Everything nice easy and fluid.

Then just add an app store full of games, add text documents and textbooks to iTunes, continue HD movies and shows, and bam you have a device most mac owners could cherish.

Now at first, you'll have to target consumer level artists, hobbyists, a large portion of apples demographic. Give it a couple of years as more powerful tech is available for the form factor and the software irons out and then release a pro model fit for all the professional artists who want to expand their art.

People seem to think the laptop form factor is pennultimate, but honestly the clamshell design has many drawbacks when your doing anything that doesn't require typing. Keyboard shortcuts are no match for a well laid out GUI with touch controls.

[Stately]

If they can produce a snazzy tablet with a decent battery life, or is chargeable through the car, and has fast data transfer and a proper OS, no iPhone OS nonsense as we want to be able to work on files with software we'd have on our Macs, then guys in my position will really get a lot out of it.



Full OS is a must.

[Stately]

The Apple Tablet:

The iPhone and iPod touch are not Macs!



Hey . . hey! Watch the irreverence lol. No but seriously, I agree with you on your other points. :D

[sterlingindigo]

the bathroom right now!:p

[Rocketman]

I have an ASUS Eee netbook with a partition for Mac OSX on it. I hate this thing but since I work with an ISP I need the added portability of a laptop this small that offers me 802.11N, RJ-45 port, RGB port, a full keyboard, three USB ports, built in video camera and microphone, 160G hard drive, a battery that lasts 10 hours, all this in a package that, when closed, is only about 6.5 by 11 inches and about a inch thick, runs a full version of a OS, and only costs me $500

I hear you. Would it work for you to have a dock or dongle with RJ-45, VGA, USB, additional storage, and have the device have video camera with microphone and speaker, 64GB SSD drive, network storage?

I presume a soft keyboard and a bluetooth keyboard for "special times" would actually do it. You don't need the RJ-45, VGA or keyboard in the car, and you cannot do without it at the site, well unless the display was better than VGA which is likely.

For the Full OS is a must crowd, iPhone OSX IS OSX. It will run MS Office just fine. Now all you need is a mouse, a keyboard and a WXGA display. Office 2008 is NOT rewritten for touch screens.

So you will need some form of pointer, soft or hard keyboard, and the predicted 720p resolution.

Rocketman

[asrai]

So you would use the touch screen while you have food on your fingers? I can see you having to take it in to the genius bar quickly ;-)

Heck just make it a true multitasker and make it big enough to use as a cutting board -- with your recipes in full view of course. ;)

[Boghog]

Everytime a new piece of tablet rumor comes to light we get the same people asking the same question: What is it good for? Why not use a laptop instead?
The answer: Because a laptop is a flawd concept. It forces you to sit down, at a table (because the one place you can't use laptops over any significans period of time is your lap), hunch over and type.
Now although Steve Jobs has said that reading is dead, people read a lot - even the web is mostly text (in terms of time spent by users). But we want to red standing up or lounged back comfortably in a chair. We can do that with books & notepads. But we can't with a computer. Unless it has the form factor of a notepad - ta dah: the tablet.

[klrobinson999]

If anyone can revolutionize the traditional print industries, it is Apple. A 10-inch reader seems ideal for magazine and newspaper reading. The touch technology will make one able to "flip" the pages, as someone else noted above. It will also be full color, unlike the Amazon Kindle.

The tablet will also surely become a gaming machine, beyond the obvious web browsing and media use.

Think of it as an e-reader/portable game system/movie player/media player all-in-one. I think it will be a success.

[klrobinson999]

count me in the crew that wants the thing to come with a writing instrument/stylus.... the ability to take hand-written notes would be welcome.

[ShiftyPig]

Everytime a new piece of tablet rumor comes to light we get the same people asking the same question: What is it good for? Why not use a laptop instead?
The answer: Because a laptop is a flawd concept. It forces you to sit down, at a table (because the one place you can't use laptops over any significans period of time is your lap), hunch over and type.
Now although Steve Jobs has said that reading is dead, people read a lot - even the web is mostly text (in terms of time spent by users). But we want to red standing up or lounged back comfortably in a chair. We can do that with books & notepads. But we can't with a computer. Unless it has the form factor of a notepad - ta dah: the tablet.

http://forum.football365.com/images/smiley_icons/post-5758-1225601204.gif

You do realize that the root of the word laptop is lap, no?

[KnightWRX]

For me, being away from the desk means I don't know what's going on. When I'm sitting in traffic I try to use the iPhone to catch up, but it's too slow and the screen is just a bit too small to effectively do anything.

If they can produce a snazzy tablet with a decent battery life, or is chargeable through the car, and has fast data transfer and a proper OS, no iPhone OS nonsense as we want to be able to work on files with software we'd have on our Macs, then guys in my position will really get a lot out of it.

Before I was in this position, a Tablet wouldn't have made any sense to me.

And now that you're in this position, a Tablet still doesn't make sense. When driving your car, pay attention to what you're doing, not to your iPhone or tablet or 3G enabled laptop.

I can't believe we have to remind people of this simple concept. Cars don't have auto-drives yet.

[j33pd0g]

I don't have much use for a tablet. Though I think I would maybe consider it if it were more of a multi-touch terminal that would run the OS off my MacPro. Back to my Mac, or some sort of zero config VNC style - except with support for full audio/video streaming. Maybe even multiple logins to Users accounts - simultaneously connected to the same computer. In truth, a laptop could just be fitted to do all that anyway. I guess I fail to see what the tablet form factor has to offer other than the latest and greatest cool.

[aduzik]

It's funny reading these threads and the specific "killer features" that various people identify. Nine times out of ten, those features are "killer" only for that person or a small niche group.

My interest in the Apple tablet is more what Apple finally figured out to do with the form factor rather than solving any particular need or desire I may have. I mean, sure, having a web browser and movie player on a Kindle-sized device would be pretty neat, but I'm with Steve on this: I can't see what use it is other than surfing the web on the can. And now I have an iPhone for that, so do I really need another device?

This product will never see the light of day unless Apple comes up with some other compelling use for it. What could a tablet do that you just can't do at all on an iPhone?

[iSee]

Heck just make it a true multitasker and make it big enough to use as a cutting board -- with your recipes in full view of course. ;)

^^^

Yes, exactly ;)

----

There's no rumor here, right? Apple -- and other companies of its sort -- surely have all kinds of interesting non-products in R & D. The idea is to be ready to go if/when such a product becomes viable in the marketplace. E.g., even the old PPC-based tablet might have been viable if some breakthrough in battery power had occured.

A difference between Apple and others is that Apple seems to want to be much more sure a product has a place in the market before releasing it as a product. Other companies perfer to thow their research projects out to the market to see what works.

It would be a much more interesting rumor if it said that Apple hadn't had a tablet in development -- would have indicated a dysfunctional R & D facet of the business (obviously, not a problem at Apple).

[Hitch08]

I could see the tablet being a huge success if it has these features:
- Runs Mac OS X (Snow Leopard)
- Support all iPhone/iPod touch apps.
- 10.4 inch screen.
- Long battery life.
- USB port.
- Mini DisplayPort.
- BlueTooth
- WiFi
- Optional slot for 3G receiver or tethered to an iPhone.


This is my issue. With all of the recurring monthly charges that we all pay these days, I really hope that this unit - whatever it is - doesn't force us into yet another new monthly charge. I already pay AT&T over $200/month. Add in Comcast (cable TV, telephone, internet), TIVO, NetFlix, ugh! Hopefully it will either tether or can be used with WiFi only.

[Stately]

I'm sure that IF this tablet ever comes out, it will be as good as the iPhone. So there has to be some special function it fulfils, and not just "Oh wow it's touch screen and so pretty". The iPhone and iPods also have precise functions that make them useful, and at the same time, they're cool to use.

If the Tablet is just one big iPod Touch, then no one will want to use it, since the iPod touch is more practical because it's smaller. So there has to be some killer feature on this that makes it worth using, and I think that's the hard part. What could this Tablet do that the iPhone and iPod Touch couldn't do?

Anyway, it looks like Apple is really working on such a device, but that doesn't mean we'll ever see it. There are probably loads of prototypes that we never even heard about.



Personally, I'd love to have a Tablet which is similar to a real computer, i.e. it runs normal applications and OS X. But who knows whether that's possible, I mean what if running normal applications is just better with a real mouse and a real keyboard, and not your fingers...

It's funny, I've taken it into consideration whether or not it would be difficult to use a tablet for regular computing. We already use a track pad for everything and if you notice, on the newest Macs, the track pad even reacts as a button itself. There is no more button underneath it. I'm sure if they wanted to implement a track pad button on the tablet, we would probably just hold our finger in one place a little longer to activate it and then tap it. Notice the complete progression towards buttonless computing? In terms of large OSX apps like designing apps for example, there are tools to select from, and most people use the mouse to select and then use them. So as long as one has a track pad I think any app would be simple to use on a tablet. Think of the iphone and the progression of the track pad on the larger Macs as training lol.

[dwd3885]

I used to agree with you but I think you are missing it. 95% of all computer users use it for only the most basic of abilities. The same goes for many students as well and the laptop is still not the perfect solution for note-taking in lectures.

It remains to be seen what how deep this OS is. I doubt it will have OS X but I do believe it will be more powerful than the iPhone OS. Will it run iTunes? It's hard for me to believe that it will be a 10 inch screen that you will have to sync to a Mac.

I look at what the Courier video is offering and I believe that is where we are headed.

hmm..I do not know. I don't think students would buy a device that is basically a note taker, even if you can put all your books on it. If you think about it, they won't buy a tablet AND a laptop. And they need the laptop to type papers and whatnot, so a tablet is an extra expense. The average college student has money for a computer and an ipod or zune, that's about it. They don't have an extra wad of cash to spend on a secondary device.

[dwd3885]

This is my issue. With all of the recurring monthly charges that we all pay these days, I really hope that this unit - whatever it is - doesn't force us into yet another new monthly charge. I already pay AT&T over $200/month. Add in Comcast (cable TV, telephone, internet), TIVO, NetFlix, ugh! Hopefully it will either tether or can be used with WiFi only.

The only way this device is any good is if it is networked with 3G or something. But then again, I don't think this is a device anybody wants. They might think they want it, but they really don't.

[Carl Abudephane]

.

[Stately]

Everytime a new piece of tablet rumor comes to light we get the same people asking the same question: What is it good for? Why not use a laptop instead?
The answer: Because a laptop is a flawd concept. It forces you to sit down, at a table (because the one place you can't use laptops over any significans period of time is your lap), hunch over and type.
Now although Steve Jobs has said that reading is dead, people read a lot - even the web is mostly text (in terms of time spent by users). But we want to red standing up or lounged back comfortably in a chair. We can do that with books & notepads. But we can't with a computer. Unless it has the form factor of a notepad - ta dah: the tablet.

Some people are just stuck in a rut, they are too set in their ways. This is understood with some things, but there's just no room for it in terms of tech development. With tech we obviously want to progress. Look where we would be if we didn't. It just doesn't make sense to naysay. Which would you prefer?

[star-fish]

Everytime a new piece of tablet rumor comes to light we get the same people asking the same question: What is it good for? Why not use a laptop instead?
The answer: Because a laptop is a flawd concept. It forces you to sit down, at a table (because the one place you can't use laptops over any significans period of time is your lap), hunch over and type.
Now although Steve Jobs has said that reading is dead, people read a lot - even the web is mostly text (in terms of time spent by users). But we want to red standing up or lounged back comfortably in a chair. We can do that with books & notepads. But we can't with a computer. Unless it has the form factor of a notepad - ta dah: the tablet.

And I suppose you want humans to grow an extra hand as well, to be able to hold the tablet and type at the same time - standing up like you say - without resting it on something?

Why would I want to read standing up, particularly for long periods of time? My university had specific limited-use computers, and they purposely didn't have chairs. Why? So people would use them quickly and not linger.

I use a laptop on my lap - I put a thick hardback or tray or something underneath if I really have to. I can lounge with my laptop on my bed, or on my sofa, or on my chair. My laptop never gets so hot it's dangerous (for itself or me). I rarely use my laptop at a desk, and when I do it's much more uncomfortable - especially as I've been sitting in that position all day.

The flaw with a tablet is that it has to be well-designed enough not to crack, or scratch, or break, or bend, or a million other things, because it doesn't have a lid to protect it. Someone's already mentioned using it in the kitchen (fingerprints, ingredients, sauces, kitchen appliances, that dirty spoon are all hazards). What about things like pets, children, crowds (if using in a backpack/bag) etc etc etc? Some people already complain that they get a couple of smudges on their iMac screen.

The main problem with tablets (other than that they don't really provide a mainstream use) is bigger than the main problem with laptops.

[dwd3885]

Some people are just stuck in a rut, they are too set in their ways. This is understood with some things, but there's just no room for it in terms of tech development. With tech we obviously want to progress. Look where we would be if we didn't. It just doesn't make sense to naysay. Which would you prefer?

Except the tablet isn't really progress. I can lounge back in my chair and easily read on a laptop, don't need a tablet for that. And who wants to read standing up? If we wanted a tablet, we would've used the many Windows tablets that are available. Point is, people don't want a tablet, they want an APPLE Tablet..Why? Because Apple would make it and people think it would be the greatest thing ever for no rational reason at all, but just because Apple makes it and so that's what they should buy.

[xhambonex]

I'm constantly amazed at how rarely the idea of using a tablet(potentially)for digital drawing/painting is mentioned. Is it simply that not a lot of folks(around here at least)use their Macs for sketching and 'digital art'?

I've seen a couple of mentions for using the tablet possibly with something like Sketchbook Pro in another thread, and in a recent issue of the UK magazine MacUser they had an editorial basically saying that if the tablet were available in different sizes, possibly up to 15", then they believe Apple would be on to a winner, pulling in the sizable creative industries just for that usage alone - a digital sketching/art/design device.

However, not a lot besides that really.
Unfortunately I think a larger tablet, ideally 15", is not likely to be released. I think there is a large gap out there for a true 'digital sketchbook'. One that can be held just as one would hold a sketchbook.
The Wacom 13" is, obviously, tethered to the computer, but even if it were portable, the screen size(for me at least)is just that little bit too small.

There simply isn't a digital sketchbook available, anywhere.
Whoever, eventually, releases a beautifully designed, light, and usable digital sketchbook that doesn't cost the earth, will be onto a winner.
Yeah I know there's the Modbook, but it certainly ain't beautifully designed, light(as a sketchbook needs to be), and it does cost the earth(well, almost!).

Obviously a 15" tablet would be pushing the price up further, but as an option, I think it would find a sizeable market willing to pay the price.

I think its mentioned, or at least I have been mentioning this from the beginning. 15" would be a bit big...I think 13" would be more realistic (size of a 8.5x11 roughly). But yes, I'm all for it. Autodesk just recently released Sketchbook Mobile, don't think they are just fooling around with the idea. Sure sketching with your finger isn't great, but the program works fantastic and is easily the best drawing app for the iPhone. Now if I could have either a full version or a better mobile version for a tablet then I'd consider buying one.

I doubt Apple will release this type of product, even though it would sell really well, I hope someone works with Wacom and gets on this concept. We now have the technology to make this work really well and I would love to see it happen soon.

[TheSpaz]

I have a feelling this has to be the start of something bigger for Apple. It would make sense that 1Q 2010 is also when they will announce plans for whatever follows Snow Leopard. My bet would be an OS 11 that has much less emphasis on the desktop computer and more emphasis on mobile devices and home networks - ie every home has a server/tablet(s) arrangement which is more flexible as to where you use it. That's how the tablet fits in

If you want to use a keyboard and mouse arrangement, you dock your tablet at your desk, but what sits on your desk is little more than a keyboard, dock and mouse - the server is located elsewhere (say, the living/"media" room). It would take "Where did the computer go?" to a whole new level.

That's a really cool idea. However, it wouldn't work very well when you leave the house.

[sushi]

This is my issue. With all of the recurring monthly charges that we all pay these days, I really hope that this unit - whatever it is - doesn't force us into yet another new monthly charge. I already pay AT&T over $200/month. Add in Comcast (cable TV, telephone, internet), TIVO, NetFlix, ugh! Hopefully it will either tether or can be used with WiFi only.
I think that built in WiFi is a given considering the iPod touch, iPhone, and all Macs these days.

Tethering would be nice for those on the go. Agree with you that data plans can add up.

I see a tablet as a wonderful device to read content.

[Stately]

Except the tablet isn't really progress. I can lounge back in my chair and easily read on a laptop, don't need a tablet for that. And who wants to read standing up? If we wanted a tablet, we would've used the many Windows tablets that are available. Point is, people don't want a tablet, they want an APPLE Tablet..Why? Because Apple would make it and people think it would be the greatest thing ever for no rational reason at all, but just because Apple makes it and so that's what they should buy.

I think people want a tablet from Apple because we are all waiting to see what the next big thing to come out of their house will be. We all know that when Apple does things, they do things correctly. So it is exciting to anticipate what is to come. I have a feeling that it will be great. I doubt very highly that they would just release an oversized ipod/iphone just to say they made a tablet. If that was the case, I think they would just increase the specs of the iphone and call it a day. The fact that they are going out of their way to design an official tablet causes antennae to raise.

[guzhogi]

Would be cool, I guess. If this comes true, I would like it to have both multitouch input as well as stylus input for writing things down quickly.

I could see this becoming something like a PADD from Star Trek or something. Couple of USB ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, maybe DVD/Blu-Ray.

For the people saying a beefed up Kindle, maybe. I could see that. Add highlighting, bookmarking, and jotting notes in the margins or something & it'll be great. If it adds sounds/movies, even better. This kinda reminds me of the newspapers in Harry Potter.

[sers]

I don't get it. Why would I want a tablet? My iPhone does everything I want it to do (including surfing the web in the bathroom), plus it's ultra portable. My iPhone is perfect because I can stuff it in my pocket, my backpack, clip it to my belt, whatever, and haul it around with ease. I don't think it would be that easy with a tablet. Might as well get a laptop. If it comes out, it will definitely be a niche product; I wouldn't consider.

[powers74]

I don't see what these tablets be used for; and if they will be used for general browsing then I expect people be looking for an affordable price tag. If ever this tablet becomes available would anyone actually buy one, truthfully? What would you use it for?


Like myself would use it for sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching .............

[TheSpaz]

I don't get it. Why would I want a tablet? My iPhone does everything I want it to do (including surfing the web in the bathroom), plus it's ultra portable. My iPhone is perfect because I can stuff it in my pocket, my backpack, clip it to my belt, whatever, and haul it around with ease. I don't think it would be that easy with a tablet. Might as well get a laptop. If it comes out, it will definitely be a niche product; I wouldn't consider.

Then a tablet is obviously not for you. You know, you don't have to like every product that Apple comes out with. A lot of people don't like having a desktop computer, but Apple still makes those... why? Because people still want them. Just because you don't see the point of a tablet, doesn't mean that it doesn't have a market.

[dwd3885]

Like myself would use it for sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching sketching .............

If it's only for sketching, that is a VERY niche market. I realize Apple has relied on niche markets, but I don't think at this point in its existence, that it can release such a niche product and make it a success.

Think about it..The iMac isn't a niche product, it's a computer, everyone needs one. The MacBook isn't a niche product. iPhone isn't a niche product, it's a phone, and everyone needs a phone.

The AppleTV is a niche product, and it has bombed. The people who have it love and hate it at the same time.. But it hasn't been adopted by the masses and probably never will. The supposed Apple Tablet would be a niche product, and I think it will be in the same class as the AppleTV. People who have them will love them, but it will be a VERY small percentage of people who actually have one.

[xhambonex]

If it's only for sketching, that is a VERY niche market. I realize Apple has relied on niche markets, but I don't think at this point in its existence, that it can release such a niche product and make it a success.

Think about it..The iMac isn't a niche product, it's a computer, everyone needs one. The MacBook isn't a niche product. iPhone isn't a niche product, it's a phone, and everyone needs a phone.

The AppleTV is a niche product, and it has bombed. The people who have it love and hate it at the same time.. But it hasn't been adopted by the masses and probably never will. The supposed Apple Tablet would be a niche product, and I think it will be in the same class as the AppleTV. People who have them will love them, but it will be a VERY small percentage of people who actually have one.

Ha everyone doesn't need a phone, let alone a smartphone, or for that matter an iPhone. Not everyone needs a mac either, these are all choices we make in consumer electronics. There are alway cheaper alternatives in our world. One could even argue that any Mac is a niche market...

The tablet, just like the MBA will be a niche market type thing. Especially at its rumored price (upwards of $500 closer to $1k), you can expect this thing not to be a mass market product. The point about a digital sketchbook is pretty simple, give me the OPTION to use it as a digital sketchbook...market it for whatever you want, but I'd like the option to have precision pen input with pressure sensitivity and sketchbook style software. Its not a whole lot to ask for really...

[whooleytoo]

I'm constantly amazed at how rarely the idea of using a tablet(potentially)for digital drawing/painting is mentioned. Is it simply that not a lot of folks(around here at least)use their Macs for sketching and 'digital art'?

Partly, because there are some usability issues with using a tablet for such purposes.

- A 10" (or so) is too small for a lot of people to draw on. A larger tablet would be difficult to carry around.

- A tablet wouldn't be as easy to use as a pen pad. With a pen pad you're drawing with your hand but watching the computer screen, so your hand & the pen isn't obscuring what you're drawing, not so on an Apple tablet. Also, with a pen pad, your 'aim' could be accurate to the pixel; with a stylus on an Apple tablet, you can never be that accurate since the stylus tip is much larger than that.

- A glass/plastic screen isn't the easiest to draw on; and tends to get very smudged.

And the great-grand-daddy of tablet usability issues: A horizontal screen is bad for your back & neck. A vertical touch-input device is bad for your arms & wrists. For that reason, combining an input device with a screen is only good for occasional, casual use; or for very small devices that can be easily held in one hand and adjusted constantly. Thus an artwork tablet would have to be small enough to be used while held in one hand, not laid down on the desk.

[Mac4Brains]

I hear you. Would it work for you to have a dock or dongle with RJ-45, VGA, USB, additional storage, and have the device have video camera with microphone and speaker, 64GB SSD drive, network storage?

I presume a soft keyboard and a bluetooth keyboard for "special times" would actually do it. You don't need the RJ-45, VGA or keyboard in the car, and you cannot do without it at the site, well unless the display was better than VGA which is likely.

For the Full OS is a must crowd, iPhone OSX IS OSX. It will run MS Office just fine. Now all you need is a mouse, a keyboard and a WXGA display. Office 2008 is NOT rewritten for touch screens.

So you will need some form of pointer, soft or hard keyboard, and the predicted 720p resolution.

Rocketman

I would prefer that I don't need anything that is external is any way. Most of the time I am standing in a wiring closet holding the Netbook with one hand as I do my work. Since I am using it mostly to access an admin config with a browser, or terminal I don't need a laptop with the best CPU or GPU. It's used as a utility tool not an entertainment device. However sometimes I need to show someone in the office (off site) what I am looking at, so having the video conferencing ability does come in handy form time to time. basically this Hacintosh Netbook works for my needs but I am just unable to update anything and have several driver issues like in Mac mode I can't use the RGB port and I get no sound. When I set up the Hacintosh I had issues with the KB and Trackpad. So if I run an update and it kills the Mac bootabilty, I will be spending the nest three days getting the dam thing work with Mac OS.

[ELScorcho9]

If it's only for sketching, that is a VERY niche market. I realize Apple has relied on niche markets, but I don't think at this point in its existence, that it can release such a niche product and make it a success.

Think about it..The iMac isn't a niche product, it's a computer, everyone needs one. The MacBook isn't a niche product. iPhone isn't a niche product, it's a phone, and everyone needs a phone.

The AppleTV is a niche product, and it has bombed. The people who have it love and hate it at the same time.. But it hasn't been adopted by the masses and probably never will. The supposed Apple Tablet would be a niche product, and I think it will be in the same class as the AppleTV. People who have them will love them, but it will be a VERY small percentage of people who actually have one.


Exactly. That's why I think they're going to aim at making this an all-in-one media device thing. They're not going to spend 6 years developing something for only a fraction of the consumers. They want to make something revolutionary that anyone can buy and anyone can use.

This is Apple. They're not dumb. This is not going to be an ordinary tablet thing. This will be unique in some way.

[puckhead193]

Another Apple executive claims that the idea had been shelved a number of times at Apple due to Steve Jobs who questioned "what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."



There is nothing wrong with browsing the 'net while sitting. (especially after eating taco bell :p)

[RoboCop001]

And now, for another exciting episode of.... Inside the Apple Studio

Phil: Your investors, whom I represent, are deeply concerned. If it's not up to their expectations in 48 hours, we'll shut you down, Steve.

Steve: Phil, in 48 hours, I'll be accepting your apology.

[time passes]

Ives: He did it... that crazy son of a b*tch, he actually did it.

Phil: How did you do this?

Steve: I'll show you. Phil, my dear Ives, welcome... to the Apple Tablet.

[Jurassic Park theme] do dooooooooooooo do dooooooooooooooo dodo dooooooo do dooooo do dooooooooooooo

[Rocketman]

I would prefer that I don't need anything that is external is any way. Most of the time I am standing in a wiring closet holding the Netbook with one hand as I do my work.
That's what I don't get. I am using you as a proxy for hundreds like you, sorry. If you have an Ethernet cable going to your iTablet (ATNN) anyway, or a VGA cable, why not to a dock/dongle that is plugged into the device? You want what you want, but let's not forget Steve, the guy who decides what it WILL be, has very clearly stated and SHOWN it will be a one port device, or as close as possible.

So some people want Ethernet and VGA, others want serial and DVI, others still want Firewire and several USB ports, and there's always someone who wants component video out. Dongle/dock. Heck if only it could be done entirely over 802.11N to the dongle/dock, you would be in actual heaven, right? The wires have to plug into SOMETHING. Darn wires.

Rocketman

[xhambonex]

Partly, because there are some usability issues with using a tablet for such purposes.

- A 10" (or so) is too small for a lot of people to draw on. A larger tablet would be difficult to carry around.

- A tablet wouldn't be as easy to use as a pen pad. With a pen pad you're drawing with your hand but watching the computer screen, so your hand & the pen isn't obscuring what you're drawing, not so on an Apple tablet. Also, with a pen pad, your 'aim' could be accurate to the pixel; with a stylus on an Apple tablet, you can never be that accurate since the stylus tip is much larger than that.

- A glass/plastic screen isn't the easiest to draw on; and tends to get very smudged.

And the great-grand-daddy of tablet usability issues: A horizontal screen is bad for your back & neck. A vertical touch-input device is bad for your arms & wrists. For that reason, combining an input device with a screen is only good for occasional, casual use; or for very small devices that can be easily held in one hand and adjusted constantly. Thus an artwork tablet would have to be small enough to be used while held in one hand, not laid down on the desk.

10" is close to too small however many Wacom tablets have less than a 10" active area, so it really isn't as big of a problem as you think. In fact, I'd say its not an issue since you can virtual control the size of your canvas.

By pen pad, I assume you mean tablet (like a Wacom tablet) in which case I'd ask you if you have ever heard of a Cintiq...they make them in 20" and 12" models where draw directly on the screen. Its the best way to digitally sketch. When you draw by hand you hand obscures your view of what your drawing, its absolutely no different drawing on a screen then a piece of paper. Its not an issue. Guarantee they can adjust pen input to be accurate enough since its being done by Wacom right now.

Again, check out the Cintiq line, its really not an issue.

My physical sketchbook is 10x14" or larger. Its not a problem to hold that and draw. I don't think a 10" tablet would be an issue. Even better if it was able to sit flat on a desk. Its much more efficient to stand over something and draw, but really it could go either way.

Exactly. That's why I think they're going to aim at making this an all-in-one media device thing. They're not going to spend 6 years developing something for only a fraction of the consumers. They want to make something revolutionary that anyone can buy and anyone can use.

This is Apple. They're not dumb. This is not going to be an ordinary tablet thing. This will be unique in some way.

All you would have to have is pen input and one application running on the apple tablet and you'd have a digital sketchbook. The rest could be all media and e-reader stuff or whatever. A digital sketchbook is just one application of a tablet...its not limiting the device to just that application. Pen input is good for other things besides drawing on that form factor.

The MBA, Apple TV, there are Apple products that only apply to a niche group of people. This tablet will be one of them. That's not stopping them and I think its pretty clear its been years in development because technology hasn't been there for them to make this device. However, now its very plausible and they can finally get serious about it.

[Ping Guo]

Cupertino has what could be a dynamite new product...

Guess what?! I got a fever, and the only prescription... IS MORE TABLET RUMORS! :D

http://www.methodshop.com/video/reviews/cowbell/fever.jpg

[SandynJosh]

ITEM:
Steve Jobs who questioned "what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."

ITEM:
A recent look at public library books determined that they are the most viral/bacteria-ridden object you can hold in your hands.
REASON: Most people who use them, read them in the bathroom or while recovering from an illness.

ITEM: As population density increases, the transmission of diseases will become a greater significant problem. Already Hospital-borne Infections are a serious issue. While 5% of all deaths can be prevented with good immediate health care; the same can be said of deaths directly attributed to entering a hospital.

ITEM: Another major cause of disease transmission is the movement of electronic equipment between patients. This includes the laptop computer many doctors carry with them from room to room. There is no good way to clean keyboards of micro-organisms.

ITEM: Readers of Macintosh Rumor Boards cannot see what unique advantage a tablet might bring to the market.. Hmmmm...

[starcrossed]

I'm surprised the article named the ex Apple employee who provided them the info I would assumed Apple would still have a non-disclosure agreement still in tact with these type of positions. I had a job in the past that still every once in a while mails me a copy of the agreement I signed as a way to I guess remind me to not talk about their trade secrets.

[kdarling]

A few random thoughts to throw into the fray:

1) Kitchen usage isn't a problem. Our kitchen has an HP TouchSmart for use by the family for browsing, kid games, looking up addresses or menus, video Skyping, picture or TV viewing, etc. Cleaning is just a matter of wiping the screen and keyboard.

One thing I wish every touch screen had though, was a cleaning mode. On phones, you can turn them off. On other devices, wiping it clean can sometimes launch an app or move an icon, which is quite annoying.

2) I'd like to see Apple do a kitchen computer. It has so many uses, and can become the Grand Central Station in a home.

(I can just imagine Apple putting moisture detectors in a kitchen computer, though. Sigh.)

3) A stylus is a good thing to support for sketching. For one thing, you often rest your palm on the screen while drawing. The stylus helps differentiate what is being touched.

4) Always Innovating has a "Touch Book" (http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/gallery.htm) which can fit into a keyboard dock or stick onto the fridge with magnets. They've even ported an iPhone game over. (See video)

[Mac4Brains]

That's what I don't get. I am using you as a proxy for hundreds like you, sorry. If you have an Ethernet cable going to your iTablet (ATNN) anyway, or a VGA cable, why not to a dock/dongle that is plugged into the device? You want what you want, but let's not forget Steve, the guy who decides what it WILL be, has very clearly stated and SHOWN it will be a one port device, or as close as possible.

So some people want Ethernet and VGA, others want serial and DVI, others still want Firewire and several USB ports, and there's always someone who wants component video out. Dongle/dock. Heck if only it could be done entirely over 802.11N to the dongle/dock, you would be in actual heaven, right? The wires have to plug into SOMETHING. Darn wires.

Rocketman

its just that when I need to carry around a tool belt full of stuff like crimper and heads and lotsa other stuff, the less I need to carry the happier I am. All that junk gets in the way when you need to worm around a cramped wiring closet and your 6'6". Its bad enough that I need to where cargo pants all the time to carry my Hackintosh, I don't want to be carrying around all the extra stuff I would need for a $1500 MacBook Air. The ASUS Eee has all these thing built in and I only paid $500 for mine, the entry model was only $300. This compared to the larger MacBook Air that would also require me to carry around a bunch of adapters with it as well. and since my Hackintosh gets 10 hours of battery, I don't need to carry around the power adapter when I am at work, i just leave it in the truck in case I do need it. The Macbook Air would require me to carry that around all the time as well with only 5 hours of battery life (2.8 if the airport card is turned on).

It seams to make since to me that people would love to have a 9 inch MacBook Air. That I would get the day it came out.

[TheSpaz]

its just that when I need to carry around a tool belt full of stuff like crimper and heads and lotsa other stuff, the less I need to carry the happier I am. All that junk gets in the way when you need to worm around a cramped wiring closet and your 6'6". Its bad enough that I need to where cargo pants all the time to carry my Hackintosh, I don't want to be carrying around all the extra stuff I would need for a $1500 MacBook Air. The ASUS Eee has all these thing built in and I only paid $500 for mine, the entry model was only $300. This compared to the larger MacBook Air that would also require me to carry around a bunch of adapters with it as well. and since my Hackintosh gets 10 hours of battery, I don't need to carry around the power adapter when I am at work, i just leave it in the truck in case I do need it. The Macbook Air would require me to carry that around all the time as well with only 5 hours of battery life (2.8 if the airport card is turned on).

It seams to make since to me that people would love to have a 9 inch MacBook Air. That I would get the day it came out.

If I had your job... I wouldn't be carrying around an Apple device... I'd be too worried about damaging it. I think your netbook works just fine for your field. Like you said... it has everything you need... so why would you buy an Apple Tablet? It most likely won't have all the features that your netbook has.

[firewood]

I don't see what these tablets be used for; and if they will be used for general browsing then I expect people be looking for an affordable price tag. If ever this tablet becomes available would anyone actually buy one, truthfully? What would you use it for?

Same type of people who would buy an iPod Touch for reading/browsing/apps, except that the display on the Touch is too small for them to use extensively without (maybe extra strong) reading glasses.

[MacFly123]

Well at least all you doubters now know that Steve actually wants this thing to be useful in your life in more than one way!

And what is the difference now as apposed to back in 2003? What is the "killer feature"? Like the article says, THE APP STORE! :D That and iTunes LP & Extras. Those 3 things have changed the entire concept and made it possible! :)

[MikeDTyke]

Well at least all you doubters now know that Steve actually wants this thing to be useful in your life in more than one way!

And what is the difference now as apposed to back in 2003? What is the "killer feature"? Like the article says, THE APP STORE! :D That and iTunes LP & Extras. Those 3 things have changed the entire concept and made it possible! :)

Most people would only count that as 2 things. iTunes LP & Movie Extras are really just the same technology, a local static web page, linked to media in the iTunes Library.

Personally i think we need a re-emergence of eInk. 'Smart eInk', whereby the AI has a go at converting it into text but stores it in a meta database, so you can spotlight search all the notes you made over the years, on all those endless post-it notes and abandoned notepads. The number of times that i 'know' i've written something down somewhere and yet can't find the blessed thing. A self cataloging knowledgebase of notes/URLs/mindmaps/chicken scratchings, would be an absolute blessing.

Note i'm not advocating full character recognition as the tech has never made it beyond 70-80% accuracy and certainly not even that high with my poor excuse for handwriting. What would be useful is if it challenged me on words it had no idea what they were, but were long enough and a complex enough structure to be potential metadata points to go in the DB. ie. names.

[fjpoblam]

It works for us. One is, lots of cat hairs and cookie crumbs: with a tablet, no need to worry about cleaning behind the keyboard in the next two instances.

The tablet is ideal when we travel. We're using an iPod Touch these days, when we travel, to check email, and to share photos with friends. A bit larger screen would be quite a boon. A bit smaller than our MBP (or smaller than even a souped-up new 13" MBP or a nice thin Air, ugh) would be a nice travelmate. Great for carry-on, robust against off-road driving.

The tablet would be ideal for aged mother-in-law. She uses a computer for checking email from kids (well, we've reached seniority, but we're "kids" to her) and looking at photos. The GUI is simple and unintimidating: just what an 85-year-old woman needs. Heck, we might even get her to check the weather and her stocks and bonds! And read a book! Imagine that!

I think this is not exactly a niche use. There might well be other folks in one or both of these categories.

[earthsaver]

Am I the only person who remembers the defunct rumor site MacWhispers, which pointed toward an Apple tablet with an 8" screen back around 2003? I remember thinking about it in the dining hall my senior year at Ithaca College.

[Rocketman]

Most people's lives center around documents. Viewing them, editing them, sending them, printing them, creating them, filling in fields, static content, dynamic content, hyperlinked content.

A larger display device lends itself to document management.

In the range of dynamic content we increasingly have movies, not mere images as an element to a document. It is not limited to medical applications. Tooling, machines, fashion, food, and a variety of other things rely on dynamic content to convey a message.

There are some vertical markets suited to such a tool such as medical care, retail inventory control, mid-level management document management, etc.

Rocketman

[BlueRevolution]

to the people claiming they need one of these to take notes in college- am I the only one who can type close to 3-4x more quickly than I write?

I can type more quickly than I can write, but I can't organize my thoughts as well on a computer as on a written page.

If it doesn't have a stylus, or runs a scaled-up version of the iPhone OS, I'm not buying. I don't have any use for an iPod Touch XXXL.

[RazHyena]

"what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."

No, not just the bathroom, Steve. You can even surf the web.....IN THE BATHTUB!!1 :eek:

Seriously, this tablet mania needs to die.

[Ironduke]

lol there is noway osx will be on this device, it would require serious modifying for touch and so would most apps.

Where as an iPhoneOS hybrid would need little work.

[wizard]

I don't see what these tablets be used for; and if they will be used for general browsing then I expect people be looking for an affordable price tag. If ever this tablet becomes available would anyone actually buy one, truthfully? What would you use it for?

My biggest issue right now is that the rumors are actually pointing to a tablet that in my mind would be to big and not portable enough. Thus I'm likely to be resistant to purchasing such a tablet. All I'm really looking for is the portability of a paperback and good battery life times.

It isn't like the current iPods are all that bad performance wise. Of course better performance is always welcomed. Basically the desire is to have an iPod Touch with a larger screen and a bit better performance, but remain highly portable. Thus when I hear about ten inchers I get a little put off because that isn't exactly portable.

It is interesting that many of these prototypes have been canceled by Jobs due to the question of what do you do with it. Frankly this is a sign of one smart cookie as many people on this forum have the expectation that they will be able to use a tablet in ways that frankly are impossible. To be successful the tablets need a way of being useful to the user that makes them more useful than a clam shell laptop/netbook/whatever. I really believe this means the tablet becomes a way to consume content, be it E-Books, Movies, TV shows, web sites or whatever. People running about with visions of document creation on these devices will be very disappointed once they actually try to do that on a tablet.

Apple might have a saving tech here with alternative input methods, maybe even going back to handwriting recognition. It would have to be vastly improved though. Another possibility is voice input and transcription but I've heard nothing rumor wise about this. Without something new in the way of inputing text the devices only hope is as a consumer of content.

Dave

[kdarling]

lol there is noway osx will be on this device, it would require serious modifying for touch and so would most apps.

Again, that's where a stylus comes in handy... it works well with legacy apps.

[NXTMIKE]

That's sort of scary how long they were supposedly working on it. Hoepfully this will bring a longly needed refresh to Apple's inspiration and ideas.

But I'm pretty darn excited.

[KnightWRX]

The current tablet market shows that just a "notes taking device that can read media and browse the web" is not enough to sell the form factor to folks. Tablets come in all sizes and with all kinds of OSes already.

We'll see if Apple really is going to enter that market, and what they'll bring to the table but as it stands, a laptop is a better tool for most uses people in this forum can dream up for a tablet.

[Takuta-Nui]

Hah, so all those rumours since 2003 actually had some basis! I became involved in the Apple scene only a few months ago so it seemed to me like the tablet rumours had only just started up.

If it's taken that long... better be something special.

[twoodcc]

i remember older rumors about it. i got excited then for nothing. hopefully that won't be the case this time

[Number 41]

People are missing the obvious here -- especially with the patent filings the other day about mutli-touch input interface for desktop computers. The "killer feature" of the iTablet is that you'll be able to connect it to a desktop computer and use it is a secondary input device.

[DisMyMac]

The tablet should function as a document scanner. Simply place it face-down on a page, and press a button.

That's what I call a killer app waiting to be done.

[gentleman00]

Many followers and fans of Apple do not see the potential of an Apple tablet. Of course, the Apple tablet will be worthless if it only replicates the functions that exist in the current line up of Apple products, namely, ipod touch, iphone, and macbooks. Many do not grasp Steve Job's future vision of releasing An apple tablet, which would be to extend and tap into new markets including the news media and magazines, and the health and business industry. If the apple tablet is limited to gaming and existing functions found in the current line up of Apple products, then there is no reason to release a tablet. Apple is looking for new markets, not to flood the markets with a new device that will only devalue the iphone and the macbook line of products. It would make sense for apple to enter the news media market, now that it has a strong foothold in the music market. Perhaps we will see a new version of itunes like imedia that will allow consumers to subscribe to magazines and newspapers. But simply releasing a device because they can, and that will have the same functionalities of the current line of apple products is bad business. Apple and Steve Jobs have a larger mission: to extend the global reach of the company into untapped markets. So we wont see a itablet that would resemble a macbook without the physical keyboards nor we would we see a iphone/itouch device that duplicates the same functions of these products, but perhaps an evolutionary device similar to kindle, but with more potential.

[TheSpaz]

Many followers and fans of Apple do not see the potential of an Apple tablet. Of course, the Apple tablet will be worthless if it only replicates the functions that exist in the current line up of Apple products, namely, ipod touch, iphone, and macbooks. Many do not grasp Steve Job's future vision of releasing An apple tablet, which would be to extend and tap into new markets including the news media and magazines, and the health and business industry. If the apple tablet is limited to gaming and existing functions found in the current line up of Apple products, then there is no reason to release a tablet. Apple is looking for new markets, not to flood the markets with a new device that will only devalue the iphone and the macbook line of products. It would make sense for apple to enter the news media market, now that it has a strong foothold in the music market. Perhaps we will see a new version of itunes like imedia that will allow consumers to subscribe to magazines and newspapers. But simply releasing a device because they can, and that will have the same functionalities of the current line of apple products is bad business. Apple and Steve Jobs have a larger mission: to extend the global reach of the company into untapped markets. So we wont see a itablet that would resemble a macbook without the physical keyboards nor we would we see a iphone/itouch device that duplicates the same functions of these products, but perhaps an evolutionary device similar to kindle, but with more potential.

That post made my brain hurt

[xhambonex]

Many followers and fans of Apple do not see the potential of an Apple tablet. Of course, the Apple tablet will be worthless if it only replicates the functions that exist in the current line up of Apple products, namely, ipod touch, iphone, and macbooks. Many do not grasp Steve Job's future vision of releasing An apple tablet, which would be to extend and tap into new markets including the news media and magazines, and the health and business industry. If the apple tablet is limited to gaming and existing functions found in the current line up of Apple products, then there is no reason to release a tablet. Apple is looking for new markets, not to flood the markets with a new device that will only devalue the iphone and the macbook line of products. It would make sense for apple to enter the news media market, now that it has a strong foothold in the music market. Perhaps we will see a new version of itunes like imedia that will allow consumers to subscribe to magazines and newspapers. But simply releasing a device because they can, and that will have the same functionalities of the current line of apple products is bad business. Apple and Steve Jobs have a larger mission: to extend the global reach of the company into untapped markets. So we wont see a itablet that would resemble a macbook without the physical keyboards nor we would we see a iphone/itouch device that duplicates the same functions of these products, but perhaps an evolutionary device similar to kindle, but with more potential.

However none of that is exclusive to a tablet. I doubt they would offer such services only to a tablet product when you would expect to get the same treatment on OS X and the iPhone OS. I am not disagreeing with your concept, in fact I think its pretty likely, I just don't see that as a revolutionary device as much of a revolutionary service, like iTunes.

For this tablet to be super succesfull (no doubt people will buy it, its an Apple product), it will have to offer something that can't be replicated on other devices...emedia would work on handhelds and computers, but what advantages do I get owning a tablet that I don't get owning my laptop? I already have a laptop with me almost always...I need to be sold into buying another device. As of now, all I hear is a cross between the kindle and an iPod Touch at double the cost.

[zepharus]

The iPhone and iPod touch are pretty fantastic at surfing the web in the bathroom!

I drop a "bomb on Nagasaki" in the bathroom, not surf the web...

although I have been know to shoot a few webs in there....

[spillproof]

I'd say the biggest markets are education / colleges and the Medical field.
A network of tablets in hospitals would be a huge step in streamlining and organization. Also a few good apps might get rid of some really expensive specialized machines.

That is what I was thinking. If the tablet was reasonably priced compared to the ones I see on TV shows, it could change the medical field and offer a new digital textbook age.

[celtikmind]

ITEM:
Steve Jobs who questioned "what they were good for besides surfing the Web in the bathroom."

ITEM:
A recent look at public library books determined that they are the most viral/bacteria-ridden object you can hold in your hands.
REASON: Most people who use them, read them in the bathroom or while recovering from an illness.

ITEM: As population density increases, the transmission of diseases will become a greater significant problem. Already Hospital-borne Infections are a serious issue. While 5% of all deaths can be prevented with good immediate health care; the same can be said of deaths directly attributed to entering a hospital.

ITEM: Another major cause of disease transmission is the movement of electronic equipment between patients. This includes the laptop computer many doctors carry with them from room to room. There is no good way to clean keyboards of micro-organisms.

ITEM: Readers of Macintosh Rumor Boards cannot see what unique advantage a tablet might bring to the market.. Hmmmm...

Oh dear, the whole swine flu thing must really freak you out, doesn't it?

Why do you think the modern age human has a far less resistant immune system than someone from 'the dark ages'? Or youths versus middle-aged adults?

The reason I (or anyone) would buy an expensive tablet from Apple, according to you, is because I might get bacteria from a book borrowed at the library?

Eh... no. Never. :D :D

[kdarling]

ITEM: Another major cause of disease transmission is the movement of electronic equipment between patients. This includes the laptop computer many doctors carry with them from room to room. There is no good way to clean keyboards of micro-organisms.

You can use almost any disinfectant to effectively clean hospital keyboards, according to this study (http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/531019).

Tablets meant for medical use, are advertised as complying with standards for protection against foreign dust/liquid ingress, so that they can be quickly decontaminated... especially if bodily fluids get on them.

As far as the iPhone went, Apple didn't protect against ingress, but instead put moisture detectors. A tablet would probably not have special protection either.

[gentleman00]

but what advantages do I get owning a tablet that I don't get owning my laptop? I already have a laptop with me almost always...I need to be sold into buying another device. As of now, all I hear is a cross between the kindle and an iPod Touch at double the cost.


If you are a professor/academic and present at conferences, you can read your paper using an itablet. A macbook is difficult, if not impossible.

If you are in the nursing/medical profession, an itablet would be much easier to read patient information than a macbook.

If you are a student, taking notes on an itablet ( with hand recognition technology) would be much easier than typing on a macbook, and it is less distracting.

And, of course, the biggest potential market for Apple is the news media. This is where the media industry and Apple will have to work things out in terms of control and access to information, much like itunes. I think this is where Apple is headed. Apple has learned from its past experience with the failed Newton device, which did not catch on.

But you cannot expect the itablet to be everything for everyone, if it will thinner and lighter than the macbook. And, lets not forget battery consumption for such a device.

I think the itablet would be a crossover between the ipod touch and the macbook air, and don't expect it to fit into your pocket. There will be two versions of it: one pro ( with access to 3G/4G network, wireless, bluetooth, and other capabilities), and another stripped down version more suitable for gaming much like the ipod touch.

[xhambonex]

If you are a professor/academic and present at conferences, you can read your paper using an itablet. A macbook is difficult, if not impossible.

If you are in the nursing/medical profession, an itablet would be much easier to read patient information than a macbook.

If you are a student, taking notes on an itablet ( with hand recognition technology) would be much easier than typing on a macbook, and it is less distracting.

And, of course, the biggest potential market for Apple is the news media. This is where the media industry and Apple will have to work things out in terms of control and access to information, much like itunes. I think this is where Apple is headed. Apple has learned from its past experience with the failed Newton device, which did not catch on.

But you cannot expect the itablet to be everything for everyone, if it will thinner and lighter than the macbook. And, lets not forget battery consumption for such a device.

I think the itablet would be a crossover between the ipod touch and the macbook air, and don't expect it to fit into your pocket. There will be two versions of it: one pro ( with access to 3G/4G network, wireless, bluetooth, and other capabilities), and another stripped down version more suitable for gaming much like the ipod touch.

How is Apple going to convince me to buy something that is duplicating features I have already invested in like an iPhone/touch or computer? That's why I think they have to offer something beyond the media for this device...

I can't imagine them only offering new media to the tablet, and since most of us have computers or phones that can receive this media, I would find it hard to justify buying this device for this specific feature. I see the benefits for niche markets here and there, personally I'd love a digital sketchpad and I think designers would buy that in a heartbeat. I guess I'm missing the big picture. But that's what I love about Apple, they always have something different in mind.

I'm hoping for a digital sketchbook with whatever else. It's fun to follow these rumors and I can't wait to see what it ends up being. :D

[Pommy]

hmm..I do not know. I don't think students would buy a device that is basically a note taker, even if you can put all your books on it. If you think about it, they won't buy a tablet AND a laptop. And they need the laptop to type papers and whatnot, so a tablet is an extra expense. The average college student has money for a computer and an ipod or zune, that's about it. They don't have an extra wad of cash to spend on a secondary device.

If the tablet is a convertible tablet like every other existing tablet PC out there (i.e. a laptop that's a tablet) then there's no problem.

I'm a student, I have an X61t, and it sits on my desk during lectures and I take notes on it doing exactly what some people in this thread have mentioned (using OneNote), etc. It's awesome. Vista's tablet and handwriting recognition features are pretty solid.

And yet tablet PCs remain wobbly niche products mainly because they have never found a consistent segment to aim at nor have they been priced at a point that would allow them to hit or expand at such a segment. I picked mine up at $650 on clearance. If it hadn't been on clearance but had been at its regular $1300+ price I probably wouldn't have gotten it.

[gentleman00]

If the tablet is a convertible tablet like every other existing tablet PC out there (i.e. a laptop that's a tablet) then there's no problem.

I'm a student, I have an X61t, and it sits on my desk during lectures and I take notes on it doing exactly what some people in this thread have mentioned (using OneNote), etc. It's awesome. Vista's tablet and handwriting recognition features are pretty solid.

And yet tablet PCs remain wobbly niche products mainly because they have never found a consistent segment to aim at nor have they been priced at a point that would allow them to hit or expand at such a segment. I picked mine up at $650 on clearance. If it hadn't been on clearance but had been at its regular $1300+ price I probably wouldn't have gotten it.


I can see apple developing the macbook air into a itablet. Its thin enough, and like the design of current PC tablets they can make the keyboard twist, fold, and hidden behind the screen or vice versa

[hardliner]

I got info, that they finished the progaganda videos for this tablet. And it's on post-production now. Word is, that Apple will promote the tablet with "education is power"-like slogan. WSJ, nytimes on your tablet, harvard podcasts and keynotes, etc. Then your media like music, videos, Internet. There is also a 3G Version where you can phone with your headset.

It will comes also with a docking station. it really looks like big iPod Touch in a dock. That slim. With a matte alu back, like the first iPhone.

[iMacmatician]

Makes sense to me.

[maveness]

hmm..I do not know. I don't think students would buy a device that is basically a note taker, even if you can put all your books on it. If you think about it, they won't buy a tablet AND a laptop. And they need the laptop to type papers and whatnot, so a tablet is an extra expense. The average college student has money for a computer and an ipod or zune, that's about it. They don't have an extra wad of cash to spend on a secondary device.

Surely an optional wireless keyboard could be available for this thing...

[maveness]

Partly, because there are some usability issues with using a tablet for such purposes.

- A 10" (or so) is too small for a lot of people to draw on. A larger tablet would be difficult to carry around.

- A tablet wouldn't be as easy to use as a pen pad. With a pen pad you're drawing with your hand but watching the computer screen, so your hand & the pen isn't obscuring what you're drawing, not so on an Apple tablet. Also, with a pen pad, your 'aim' could be accurate to the pixel; with a stylus on an Apple tablet, you can never be that accurate since the stylus tip is much larger than that.

- A glass/plastic screen isn't the easiest to draw on; and tends to get very smudged.

And the great-grand-daddy of tablet usability issues: A horizontal screen is bad for your back & neck. A vertical touch-input device is bad for your arms & wrists. For that reason, combining an input device with a screen is only good for occasional, casual use; or for very small devices that can be easily held in one hand and adjusted constantly. Thus an artwork tablet would have to be small enough to be used while held in one hand, not laid down on the desk.

You are aware that people somehow wrote and drew on pads of paper for centuries without crippling themselves, right?

[Sherwinator]

There's always rumors

[aquintanilla]

Perhaps the tablet could function similarly to an enlarged iPod Touch but also include ebook reader functionality? I think, though, this would have to involve a screen that could "look like a piece of paper" and not fatigue the eyes. Also, it would require Apple to introduce a method of putting books onto it. Come to think of it, the device just seems unlikely overall, unless the ebook reader idea is combined with it. :p

[naman34]

I'll explain a UI that would be perfect for the tablet, or if not for the next iPhone (with multitasking.. finally)

first off I think its obvious that the tablet needs to have multitasking to make it sell at all.

Also after the success of the app store, I think apple doesn't want an open system, and wants the tablet to have an appstore as well, so it can not have the simple finder of OS X, (cuz then you can download apps and open them.

OK the interface:
imagine a 10 inch screen in landscape mode. with one 'home' button.

The left half of the device has section that looks and behaves like the iphone, with a grid of apps, and swipe to change pages.
The bottom has a screen wide dock for quick access to favorite apps.
the rest right side of the 2/3 of the screen will have something like a finder, with space for two windows at a time. A desktop with customizable background (support for a dynamic one!)
when you open an app, it opens full screen like the iphone.
However, there's a close app button in the top left..
When you press the home button, you go into expose, which shows all windows of all open apps. You can flick this down to access the home screen and launch more stuff.

Finally to fix the app store problem, and its contradiction to a finder.
There is a provision that lets you download whatever, but here's the deal, you can only open files in the finder with an app. So the general finder cannot hold an app at all.
Thats it..

It can work well for the iphone as well.

However to make it a good tablet.. We need:
iWork, full iTunes that can sync our ipods, A good sketching app, hand writing recognition.

A killer handwriting app:
it should be like a ruled notebook, so we can write on the lines. (lots of people still like writing by hand.) also the killer feature will be ability to draw by hand inline and make awesome notes.
Additional awesome features. A virtual ruler to make straight lines. You touch ad move it around and when you use the stylus pen to make a line it automatically snaps to the edge! (similar other instruments.. compass, divider etc....)

Also it WILL have e-book functionality. awesome web experience (with flash please!)

Put a touch friendly imovie (if not atleast trimming) and iphoto(easily a barebones version is easy) and it does everything a laptop can do, only in a different way and not nearly as powerful.
and thats it. It does everything you want a computer to do, but in a different way, and its VERY doable.

it'll do what courier wants to do. But this is way easier to understand, (really who wants right click type of menus popping up on a touch screen?)
It'll completely replace all paper notebooks and books. everything becomes digital. Really really valuable in education.

WHat say people? maybe we can take this idea to apple somehow!

[abthegreat]

This believable?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8LKy7fsVws

[nickXedge]

This believable?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8LKy7fsVws

IMO, laughable. I can think of no other word to describe it. A far cry from believable.

[JohnCalvi]

I would like to see the iTablet as a secondary display/input device to a desk bound Mac when at home or in the office, then as mobile work tool /plaything on the go.

While paired up with an iMac the iTablet would be a duel display with multi touch interface and virtual keyboard if needed. The option of pairing the iTablet with wireless new Mighter Mouse and keyboard made available for classic keyboarding skills. Have the best of both worlds !

When out and about, take notes, surf the net, read your favorite publications then sync the lot via mobileme or once home.

I would definitely like to get my hands on a lighter than air iTablet !!