Apple Prepping iPhone OS 4.0 Beta? SDK to Include Tablet 'Simulator' Tools?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/04/apple-prepping-iphone-os-4-0-beta-sdk-to-include-tablet-simulator-tools/)

In a brief report (http://www.mac4ever.com/news/50793/special_event_iphone_os4_et_simulateur/) [Google translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.mac4ever.com/news/50793/special_event_iphone_os4_et_simulateur/&hl=en&langpair=auto|en)], French site Mac4Ever claims that Apple's special media event now reportedly scheduled for January 27th (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/04/major-new-apple-product-on-january-27th/) will see both the introduction of the company's much-rumored tablet device and the launch of beta versions of iPhone OS 4.0 and the associated Software Development Kit for developers.

According to the report, the SDK will include a "simulator" to assist developers in adapting their existing App Store applications to support the tablet's screen resolution. The deployment of tools for supporting multiple screen resolutions could also pave the way for a higher-resolution iPhone in the future.Several of our sources give us two pieces of information concerning the famous Apple tablet: In late January, in addition to its tablet, Cupertino should have a beta of iPhone OS 4, accompanied by an SDK. Our informants also tell us of a "simulator" specifically adapted for the tablet. Evidently, the major novelty of the SDK therefore concerns the interface, making it easier for developers to adapt to different screen resolutions. The new iPhone could also benefit from a higher pixel density.Mac4Ever is careful to note, however, that the information should be taken with a grain of salt, suggesting that it is not entirely confident in the claims. The site has, however, been remarkably accurate recently, nailing (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/25/next-generation-imac-with-sd-slot-quad-core-possible-xeon-new-mouse-and-remote-in-pipeline/) several of the details of Apple's new iMac models and peripherals nearly a month before their release.

Other rumors (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/24/rumors-revisited-next-generation-iwork-and-ilife-plans-apple-tablet-design-surprise/) published by Mac4Ever at that same time that have yet to come to fruition relate to Apple's plans for its iLife and iWork suites, as well as a claim that Apple's tablet will be "far different" than concepts floating around the Internet have depicted. The tantalizing hint may have received additional support in recent weeks after a source reported (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/12/23/jobs-extremely-happy-with-upcoming-apple-tablet-and-a-surprise/) that users would be "very surprised how [they] interact with the new tablet."

Reports of the fourth-generation iPhone and updated operating systems in the wild have also begun appearing over the past few weeks, with hints of unreleased iPhone hardware (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/28/apple-starts-field-testing-next-generation-iphone-31/) and software (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/12/22/more-evidence-of-iphone-os-4-0-already-in-testing/) appearing in App Store analytics data.

Article Link: Apple Prepping iPhone OS 4.0 Beta? SDK to Include Tablet 'Simulator' Tools? (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/04/apple-prepping-iphone-os-4-0-beta-sdk-to-include-tablet-simulator-tools/)

[stridemat]

The plot thickens, role on the 26/27th of January....

[*LTD*]

Confirmation of Tablet. The product not only exists but is also due for release soon.

[whynot83706]

Confirmation of Tablet. The product not only exists but is also due for release soon.

Soon as July/August....not before.

[stridemat]

Confirmation of Tablet. The product not only exists but is also due for release soon.

Soon as July/August....not before.

Yeap, all this event will do will allow developers to develop apps for the tablet, just as the iPhone. (Probably)

[NeuralControl]

This is very cool. I can't wait to see what Apple announces.

[Ambrose Chapel]

Soon as July/August....not before.

not that long. that time is for new iPhone hardware. i'd say the rumors that called for an early spring ship date are accurate.

[iOrlando]

anyone with time to brainstorm possible apple event agendas can come up with that info, so I would indeed read that with a grain of salt.

the big implication in this whole thing is the marketing of the device and if I remember correctly, there was a pretty big hire a few months ago about marketing at apple and there were rumors of that commercial in a diner..etc.

What I think will happen at the event:
One possibility I do see happening is that the event will start with iPhone facts (# of apps downloaded and created..etc), with iPhone 4.0 beta release (in place of a separate March iPhone dev event..which could mean that this new iPhone release is actually not going to be a major overall...iPhone 2011 might be the big update?) with the new product being a tablet device followed by a few app demos, magazine demos on the tablet etc.

The price will be laughable ($799) but people will eventually warm to it.
- It will not have 3G or similar connectivity
- It will not be marketed as a replacement to a laptop
- It will look like a closed macbook air

the interesting stuff will be released in versions 2 and 3. Prices will eventually become sub-$500 in 2-3 years.

[MacFly123]

I figured they would also demo iPhone OS 4.0 SDK. I mean if the tablet is real, it is pretty much a no brainer, especially when they need devs to have their apps ready by shipping time.

I really hope the next iPhone DOES have a higher res screen. It must have! If devs ALREADY have to alter their apps for the screen res of the iSlate, why on earth would Apple wait and make them do that TWICE for a higher res iPhone later? I say no, they will do it now and let them prep all their apps ONCE for both! It just makes sense!

I am SOOOO EXCITED for this event!!!

Hoping to see iLife and iWork Mobile, and some iTunes announcements like TV subscriptions etc. as well! It is shaping up to be a VERY good event! :D

[M-3]

I wonder if the 'surprising' interaction relates to Apple's 2007 patent on a 'multi-dimensional desktop'. Maybe some cool voice recognition too.

[Rocketman]

Apple's tablet will be "far different" than concepts floating around the Internet have depicted.
"Ta da."

Rocketman

[MacsRgr8]

The price will be laughable ($799) but people will eventually warm to it.
- It will not have 3G or similar connectivity
- It will not be marketed as a replacement to a laptop
- It will look like a closed macbook air

the interesting stuff will be released in versions 2 and 3. Prices will eventually become sub-$500 in 2-3 years.

I agree.
However not having a 3G or similar connectivity option would create a small war. IMHO, Apple should at least give us a BTO option (or external usb.... no... must be built-in)

[sam10685]

That'd be interesting if there was a whole new OS for the tablet.

[lowonthe456]

if I can't use this as a primary mac....i will be very disappointed. the thought of a portable ~600$ mac is very exciting....if its not, then it will be next year before i can get a mac...that would be a bummer....

[iOrlando]

I agree.
However not having a 3G or similar connectivity option would create a small war. IMHO, Apple should at least give us a BTO option (or external usb.... no... must be built-in)

i know what you mean.

i partly am leaning towards no 3g because:
1) apple loves to withhold features until later revisions. (iphone started as 2G etc)
2) in no way are the masses ready to pay 1) monthly cell phone bill 2) monthly internet bill for laptop/desktop and then 3) monthly bill for tablet.

and apple isnt big into the whole we will give you the option to do this or that. its usually either yes or no.

[Elzlaik]

It seems certain now that the Apple Slate is imminent. However, the possible early release of the 4.0 SDK has me very interested. There can be no doubt the Slate does not run 4.0; it will run it's own more evolved OS. But perhaps some of its new UI tweaks and features may trickle down into the new iPhone OS release. I wonder if iPhone OS X 4.0 has some large changes which require extra developer lead time such as a new interface (an obviously resolution independence).

[TheSlush]

Looking forward to seeing how Apple conducts the modification of apps to a higher-resolution. I just can't see it as a neat-and-tidy conversion. Many/most app interfaces have been designed for a specific size/resolution in mind, in some cases down to the pixel. Surely this will be a pretty involved process, no? Surely many graphics and interfaces will have to be recreated from scratch, no? (And even if not strictly necessary to recreate/redesign, you'd probably at least want them to be, as they'd get increasingly blurry at a zoomed-up resolution.)

[Cander]

Surely many graphics and interfaces will have to be recreated from scratch, no?

Not necessarily. There could be a 'widget' mode for such apps.

[iOrlando]

Looking forward to seeing how Apple conducts the modification of apps to a higher-resolution. I just can't see it as a neat-and-tidy conversion. Many/most app interfaces have been designed for a specific size/resolution in mind, in some cases down to the pixel. Surely this will be a pretty involved process, no? Surely many graphics and interfaces will have to be recreated from scratch, no? (And even if not strictly necessary to recreate/redesign, you'd probably at least want them to be, as they'd get increasingly blurry at a zoomed-up resolution.)


as steve would say: Change your apps resolution. Not that big of a deal.

[Peace]

*cough* Been there (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=9018373&postcount=85).Done that :)

Devs will need a SDK in order to have apps ready for when the ******** arrives.

[TheSlush]

i partly am leaning towards no 3g because:
1) apple loves to withhold features until later revisions. (iphone started as 2G etc)
2) in no way are the masses ready to pay 1) monthly cell phone bill 2) monthly internet bill for laptop/desktop and then 3) monthly bill for tablet.

and apple isnt big into the whole we will give you the option to do this or that. its usually either yes or no.

Good points, and I think you're right to touch on marketing as that which will determine how this tablet is received.

If Apple's marketing leans toward publishing, 3G connectivity may not "seem" as crucial. Steve will zap us with his reality distortion field and tell us that the tablet's new App/Mag/Book Store sync process is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and that's how we'll take all of our favorite magazines and newspapers and books with us: after syncing at home (or with WiFi)! And we will all nod and drool.

However, with only WiFi and no 3G, it would not be easy for Apple to market the tablet as much of an "internet device". This would make it akin to the iPod touch, with by its very name is marketed more as an iPod (iTunes Store WiFi sync process) and gameplayer (App Store WiFi sync process) than as a web-browsing "internet device".

This marketing approach hasn't seemed to hinder the iPod touch, so it also may not be an issue with the tablet, depending on Apple's spin. No matter what, we can be assured that there will once again be two species of headlines after this thing is announced: 1.) How awesome it is, and 2.) All the myriad things it doesn't have, specs-wise. I can just see all the upcoming "Yeah, but what about..." headlines from Gizmodo and Engadget.

[Lesser Evets]

We will be surprised about how we interact with it?

I think not.
Maybe most people will, but I doubt people following the rumors will be surprised.

Can't wait to see what this thing does.

maybe we interact with it by shouting at it like Jobs used to do to his staff.

[Eso]

How likely is 4.0? I would say pretty likely since there hasn't been a new version of 3.X in some time.

What does 4.0 bring? Multi-tasking.

[amorya]

If devs ALREADY have to alter their apps for the screen res of the iSlate, why on earth would Apple wait and make them do that TWICE for a higher res iPhone later? I say no, they will do it now and let them prep all their apps ONCE for both! It just makes sense!

How on earth does that make sense? You need a totally different UI for a 10" tablet compared with a 3" phone. The issue isn't technical, it's related to designing a new interaction model for how people will use your app on a larger screen.

Amorya

[Rocketman]

*cough* Been there (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=9018373&postcount=85).Done that :)

Devs will need a SDK in order to have apps ready for when the ******** arrives.

Is that a carefully crafted number of asterisks?

"Ta da."

He said ta da.

Rocketman

[Macmoney]

wow I wonder how much merit these specs sheets have:confused:

http://www.iphonekiller.com/

[carmenodie]

This is why Apple kicks so much tail. Just look at the system they deploy to make a product. You think Bezos of Amazon goes through this type of process? Heck no! Most of the tech guys do nothing but roll out rebranded junk from Asia. Throw on some freaking version of windows and then pay Engadget to get some geek points. Apple builds it stuff from the ground up so they know everything about what they put on the market. The Kindle will be eaten up like a little fish and Jeff B won't know what to do. Hell, he doesn't know tech anyway. He just knows how to show up in some remote part of Antarctica with a box of books.

[sjo]

not that long. that time is for new iPhone hardware. i'd say the rumors that called for an early spring ship date are accurate.

Changes are it has 3G connection and it might even be sold through carriers (with data plans and subsidized price) so it's not really that far from new iphone hardware.

[iOrlando]

wow I wonder how much merit these specs sheets have:confused:

http://www.iphonekiller.com/

those are fake. No paper found on earth is worthy of holding unreleased product specs from Apple.

[RoboCop001]

You guys, the tablet is made out of tofu. You use it by eating it. That's the surprise!

[TheSlush]

Not necessarily. There could be a 'widget' mode for such apps.

Yeah, but playing an iPhone-sized game in a window on a tablet doesn't sound very appealing. I want full-screen graphics, baby!

as steve would say: Change your apps resolution. Not that big of a deal.

Kind of a big deal for developers if they have to redo all the graphics of all their apps. iPhone developers haven't been operating in a resolution-independent vector world; they have been designing things at a specific raster size. There's no way to keep simply "re-rendering" an existing iPhone app and slap it on anything up to a 1080P HDTV and have it look decent at every resolution. Rezzing up an app as-is from a 4-inch iPhone to 10-inch tablet would lose a lot of crispness as the anti-aliasing wreaked havoc on the appearance everything.

Or am I crazy here?

[cdinca]

Wednesday for them...Tuesday for US???

[branjosef]

Hopefully it wont take too long to get the zippo lighter app ported. I want to hold that up at a jonas brothers concert!

[kugino]

i'm just looking forward to steve telling me why i need this and how i will use it. and then i will give him some money to do exactly that.

[Peace]

Yeah, but playing an iPhone-sized game in a window on a tablet doesn't sound very appealing. I want full-screen graphics, baby!



Kind of a big deal for developers if they have to redo all the graphics of all their apps. iPhone developers haven't been operating in a resolution-independent vector world; they have been designing things at a specific raster size. There's no way to keep simply "re-rendering" an existing iPhone app and slap it on anything up to a 1080P HDTV and have it look decent at every resolution. Rezzing up an app as-is from a 4-inch iPhone to 10-inch tablet would lose a lot of crispness as the anti-aliasing wreaked havoc on the appearance everything.

Or am I crazy here?
Not crazy.Apple has been telling devs to make their apps resolution independent for some time now.

[Mal]

Yeah, but playing an iPhone-sized game in a window on a tablet doesn't sound very appealing. I want full-screen graphics, baby!



Kind of a big deal for developers if they have to redo all the graphics of all their apps. iPhone developers haven't been operating in a resolution-independent vector world; they have been designing things at a specific raster size. There's no way to keep simply "re-rendering" an existing iPhone app and slap it on anything up to a 1080P HDTV and have it look decent at every resolution. Rezzing up an app as-is from a 4-inch iPhone to 10-inch tablet would lose a lot of crispness as the anti-aliasing wreaked havoc on the appearance everything.

Or am I crazy here?

EDIT: Darn, Peace just beat me.

Not crazy, just slightly out of touch. Apple has been pushing developers for some time now to make their App Store apps resolution-independent (and the SDK allows for that). Many of the existing apps are not designed that way, but many are, and those will be ready to go on the tablet (although I suspect many of them should be tweaked for better aesthetics if not better usability).

jW

[zombitronic]

Steve Jobs via The Wall Street Journal: "much of [their] information is incorrect"
Article Link: Steve Jobs Almost Entirely Focused on Tablet Project? (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/24/steve-jobs-almost-entirely-focused-on-tablet-project/)

Source via The New York Times: "You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet."
Article Link: Jobs "Extremely Happy" with Upcoming Apple Tablet and a Surprise? (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/12/23/jobs-extremely-happy-with-upcoming-apple-tablet-and-a-surprise/)

Source via Mac4Ever: "Concerning MacTablet, it will indeed be produced, but it will be far different from the concepts that have been announced so far on rumor sites."
Article Link: Rumors Revisited: Next-Generation iWork and iLife Plans? Apple Tablet Design Surprise? (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/24/rumors-revisited-next-generation-iwork-and-ilife-plans-apple-tablet-design-surprise/)

If this doesn't stir up the imagination, I don't know what will.

[TheSlush]

You need a totally different UI for a 10" tablet compared with a 3" phone. The issue isn't technical, it's related to designing a new interaction model for how people will use your app on a larger screen.

Yeah, what s/he said.

[TheSlush]

Not crazy.Apple has been telling devs to make their apps resolution independent for some time now.

EDIT:Not crazy, just slightly out of touch. Apple has been pushing developers for some time now to make their App Store apps resolution-independent (and the SDK allows for that). Many of the existing apps are not designed that way, but many are, and those will be ready to go on the tablet (although I suspect many of them should be tweaked for better aesthetics if not better usability).

Ah, gotcha. Wasn't aware of that. Still, I have to think that a pretty high percentage of current App Store apps are not resolution-independent. Will the tablet have its own "res-independent section" of the App Store, or simply be cut off from a large portion of the existing "iPhone-sized" apps? The former seems needlessly complex, but I can't imagine the latter going over so well either.

[Boca]

Quite simple:

Kindle, Nook, iphone reading app, etc. ALL are stone age compared to what Apple can bring to the game. Even a first generation device from these brains will be mind blowing. A true experience instead of an idea.

Add voice recog, and all that could be and you have the next generation of value building for aapl.

Can't wait.

[kdarling]

Ah, gotcha. Wasn't aware of that. Still, I have to think that a pretty high percentage of current App Store apps are not resolution-independent.

You'd no doubt be correct. Not just size-wise, but shape-wise. Think of most of the apps we use:

Many non-game apps are portrait only, and some of their control placement or embedded images / web controls would look odd in a square screen, for example.

Many games are landscape only and have hardcoded bitmaps to the current screen size, which would look bad if blown larger. At the least, game developers will want to know the primary screen size possibilities, so they can plan for them.

This is why I brought up the need for a new SDK emulator when the rumor first arose of Apple asking devs to plan for a larger screen. (Some outspoken non-developers around here acted as if there were no need for that.)

Most other OS's have emulators for devices that don't exist yet, and/or you can modify their emulators to any size you wish.

[justflie]

Is that a carefully crafted number of asterisks?

"Ta da."

He said ta da.

Rocketman

Obviously is the "Precious". :) Cough.

[bengst]

...

I really hope the next iPhone DOES have a higher res screen. It must have! If devs ALREADY have to alter their apps for the screen res of the iSlate, why on earth would Apple wait and make them do that TWICE for a higher res iPhone later? I say no, they will do it now and let them prep all their apps ONCE for both! It just makes sense!
...

... Many/most app interfaces have been designed for a specific size/resolution in mind, in some cases down to the pixel. Surely this will be a pretty involved process, no? Surely many graphics and interfaces will have to be recreated from scratch, no? (And even if not strictly necessary to recreate/redesign, you'd probably at least want them to be, as they'd get increasingly blurry at a zoomed-up resolution.)

I think Apple should revive their "Future Shock" concept way back in 80's (link to YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WdS4TscWH8)) which already nicely copied by M$ with "Courier" concept (link to YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXiYtMnjAmc)).

So perhaps the screen resolution is doubled by the fact it has dual screen resembles a booklet.

and I hope it won't be iPhone-alike casing but UNIBODY iTablet!! :D

[Friscohoya]

I cant help but recall the Simpsons episode where Homer builds a new car for his long lost brother that is supposed to revolutionize the industry. It ends up having all kinds of rediculous things like a bubble dome and costs a rediculous amount of money. It ultimately bankrupts the company.

[guet]

Rezzing up an app as-is from a 4-inch iPhone to 10-inch tablet would lose a lot of crispness as the anti-aliasing wreaked havoc on the appearance everything. Or am I crazy here?

Controls are pinned to the screen edges and layouts are flexible - this is already in the SDK. No upscaling of graphics required, though layouts might need adjustment. If resizing was required, typically app developers make up artwork in vector form nowadays anyway, and convert to raster at the size they want - why do anything else? Apps will of course require tweaks to handle higher res, but I suspect they'll just double the res or something, in which case they'll manage without major changes. Games might require some larger textures etc, but then most of them are ports from other higher res platforms...

I imagine the slate will run Mobile OS X 4.0, as well as the next iPhone (whenever that arrives). They'd be insane to split development further.

[HyperX13]

Sucks that the tablet is going to run the same OS as iPhone and not full fledged OSX.

WSJ just sent me a news alert that Apple will be releasing the tablet in March. I guess the rumors are true this time.

[BRLawyer]

This event is gonna be dedicated to Apple's Tablet, which is gonna BLOW AWAY all other wannabe devices even before they get out of the water...apart from that, SJ is gonna demo the iPhone 4.0 in order to prevent too much defection to Android's side...nothing else.

I will order the tablet (to replace my trusty iBook G3 as a portable device) the moment it is released by Apple...GO SJ! BANZAI!

[naman34]

All this tablet excitement is making people forget all about how apple generally works…
Audience: Wooo Wooo HOOO.. (waiting for tablet.)
Steve takes the stage.
Audience: wooooooooooooo!!
Steve: We have big even scheduled for you tonight, joining me will be Phil Schiller, and others..
first lets talk about software,
new versions of iWork '10 (X??) and iLife are shown off. Not much new this time.. minor updates mostly, small demos.
Phil Schiller comes and shows off new macbook pros.
The design is even thinner than before. has the newer arrandale processors. No more nvidia 9400 :(
Maybe the lower end models don't get the new chip so they can keep the nvidia chip. (Custom intel chip??)
The bigger laptops get arrandale and discrete graphics.
Possibly a new macbook air… with arrandale again (They have some particular ones for that category…)

New mac pro with the 6 core processors..
Major improvements.. similar pricing…..

Steve: Now lets talk about the iPhone… The iphone is selling like mad.. bla bla bla….we are now showing the beta for iPhone OS 4.0

….

Bla bla

Steve: thats all folks…. Oh there's one more thing..

There are somethings that change things forever.

In 1984 we gave you the mouse, then the clickwheel, and then multi-touch.
We now take multitouch to the next level..
We are releasing a new product called the iPad. (not iSlate!!!!!!)
Audience goes mad…..

[zapblast]

I hope Apple brings back the double tap on top of a Safari page. I'm tired of accicently tapping the top of a page and the friggin' browser scrolls all the way back to the top--very frustrating.

[lilskaterpunk]

Im pumped to see what Apple has to show :)

[iphones4evry1]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/04/apple-prepping-iphone-os-4-0-beta-sdk-to-include-tablet-simulator-tools/)

Reports of the fourth-generation iPhone and updated operating systems in the wild have also begun appearing over the past few weeks, with hints of unreleased iPhone hardware and software appearing in App Store analytics data.

That's what I'm waiting for: the next iPhone.

I sure hope Apple announces the next iPhone at the January media event. :apple:

[TheSlush]

You guys, the tablet is made out of tofu. You use it by eating it. That's the surprise!

Tofu is definitely one of the finishes being considered (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/04/apple-tablet-scheduled-to-begin-shipping-in-march-two-different-material-casings-being-considered/).

[MacFly123]

How on earth does that make sense? You need a totally different UI for a 10" tablet compared with a 3" phone. The issue isn't technical, it's related to designing a new interaction model for how people will use your app on a larger screen.

Amorya

You are assuming the iSlate WILL have a totally different UI. I think it may very well be tweaked or polished for the tablet, but will still very much be the iPhone OS. So I guess we will find out!

[amorya]

You are assuming the iSlate WILL have a totally different UI. I think it may very well be tweaked or polished for the tablet, but will still very much be the iPhone OS. So I guess we will find out!

True, I am assuming. My logic is that an iPhone OS app typically has one list on screen at once, surrounded by the odd toolbar or whatever. If you expand that to a larger screen, you end up with loads of wasted space and a rather inefficient design. If I were making an app for a 10" screen, I'd probably lay it out more like a Mac app, with a sources list on one side and a content pane beside it. I imagine Apple will have thought through all these design decisions.

I'm not saying the look of the controls won't be similar to the iPhone OS. It'll probably bear a visual resemblance. But just stretching an iPhone OS app to a bigger screen will seldom make something particularly usable, IMO.

Of course, if you enabled multiple iPhone OS apps on the tablet at once, in their own floating windows... that might work.

[amorya]

EDIT: Darn, Peace just beat me.

Not crazy, just slightly out of touch. Apple has been pushing developers for some time now to make their App Store apps resolution-independent (and the SDK allows for that). Many of the existing apps are not designed that way, but many are, and those will be ready to go on the tablet (although I suspect many of them should be tweaked for better aesthetics if not better usability).

jW

Interestingly, most of Apple's own stuff in the iPhone OS is done with bitmaps instead of resolution independent drawing. I spent ages working out how to draw something that looked like Apple's cut/copy/paste menu. I drew it all in code, and when I finished it was awesome. Turns out Apple used an image!

To address the issue, there's somewhat a bias towards images on the phone, because they're less processor intensive. I don't think Apple has been pushing for resolution independence in the same way they tried on the Mac… certainly they don't have the same level of support for things like embedded PDFs or multi-resolution TIFFs like Cocoa on the desktop. If they are pushing for resolution independence, I guess I missed the memo!

Amorya

[MacGohil]

What if Apple decides to take a full-on approach and put full OS-X on the iSlate thingy? This will allow them to port the same apps on tablet and the entire Mac desktop and laptop lineup and also take full advantage of the whole 10 or 11 inch real estate on the tablet. Giving OS-X even more leverage over competing OSs....

bring it on :apple:.... its right about time now!

[iMJustAGuy]

Didn't read the full thread but to me this is the best news yet, if indeed true. It would have no need for simulator tools if it was just an enhanced version of iPhone OS !!! :D;):p:)

[AidenShaw]

What if Apple decides to take a full-on approach and put full OS-X on the iSlate thingy? This will allow them to port the same apps on tablet and the entire Mac desktop and laptop lineup and also take full advantage of the whole 10 or 11 inch real estate on the tablet.

This would be most effective if the "iSlate thingy" has an x64 chip. If it's x86 or ARM, then it would run same apps as OSX.

(This assumes that OSX 10.6, like Windows 7, is the last version of the OS with 32-bit code support. It would be foolish to release a new x86 line of devices just as OSX moves to x64 only.)

[Boots-]

wow I wonder how much merit these specs sheets have:confused:

http://www.iphonekiller.com/

If this was semi true, would Clouded Leopard, be the new iphone os?

[cmaier]

If this was semi true, would Clouded Leopard, be the new iphone os?

It's not true, and no it wouldn't.

[camperdown9]

I sure hope Apple announces the next iPhone at the January media event. :apple:

Do you really think they will?? I mean new iPhones have at least until now gone on sale in June or July. So unless the launch is earlier this year it would seam at least to me way to early to tell us anything about the next phone. Maybe we will hear about 4.0 in Jan.

[cmaier]

Do you really think they will?? I mean new iPhones have at least until now gone on sale in June or July. So unless the launch is earlier this year it would seam at least to me way to early to tell us anything about the next phone. Maybe we will hear about 4.0 in Jan.

It's at least a possibility given that the difference between the 3GS and 3G felt like a half-step.

[Razeus]

Hopefully they'll announce something about the next iPhone or OS 4.0. They have to. Now that the smartphone wars are heated up, Apple can no longer wait a year between each phone. Things are way too competitive and Apple needs to keep up by adding new features. And they need to do it while they've got the momentum. Cuz if not, the $175 early termination fee can be easily made and I won't think nothing of it.

Here's what I'm looking for:

multi-tasking apps
5MP camera w/ flash
1GHz+ processor w/ GPU chip
record HD video
matte gripping backing instead of the glossy back

That would be so perfect for me.

[Mal]

Hopefully they'll announce something about the next iPhone or OS 4.0. They have to. Now that the smartphone wars are heated up, Apple can no longer wait a year between each phone. Things are way too competitive and Apple needs to keep up by adding new features. And they need to do it while they've got the momentum. Cuz if not, the $175 early termination fee can be easily made and I won't think nothing of it.

Here's what I'm looking for:

multi-tasking apps
5MP camera w/ flash
1GHz+ processor w/ GPU chip
record HD video
matte gripping backing instead of the glossy back

That would be so perfect for me.

Emphasis mine.

That's what people have always said about Macs too, that they can't afford to wait so long between updates now that they have Intel chips, but it hasn't seemed to hurt them there. If you make a good product, there's no need to update it every 3 months, because people are going to want to purchase it 6 months after it's released, and 9 months, and so on. We've seen that with the current iPhones, demand is still high until the next one is announced. Why not wait a year between releases?

jW

[cmaier]

Hopefully they'll announce something about the next iPhone or OS 4.0. They have to. Now that the smartphone wars are heated up, Apple can no longer wait a year between each phone. Things are way too competitive and Apple needs to keep up by adding new features. And they need to do it while they've got the momentum. Cuz if not, the $175 early termination fee can be easily made and I won't think nothing of it.

Here's what I'm looking for:

multi-tasking apps
5MP camera w/ flash
1GHz+ processor w/ GPU chip
record HD video
matte gripping backing instead of the glossy back

That would be so perfect for me.

I hope they don't increase the MP. That will just make the pictures noisier and make them take up more space. No point in adding a "feature" that makes pictures worst while allowing you to fit fewer of them on the device and increasing the amount of time it takes to get them off the device. I can also live without HD video given that the lens sucks and all HD video will do is highlight the crappiness of the optics.