'Large Screen iPod Touch Device' in Fall of 2009?

[MacRumors]

TechCrunch claims to have heard from three independent sources that Apple will be releasing a "large screen iPod touch device" with a 7-9 inch screen. According to the site, one of their sources have actually seen and handled one of the prototypes.

Apple has been experimenting internally with large form tablet devices for years, one source says, but there was concern that users wouldn’t like the device. The difference now is the iTunes app store, which has thousands of games and other applications that are perfect for a touch screen device with an accelerometer.

The new device is said to be compatible with the applications in the App Store and is expected to be released in the Fall of 2009.

While TechCrunch does not frequently report on original Apple rumors, the information is consistent with historically reliable sources that Apple was working on a mini-tablet or PDA-like device about 1.5x the size of the current iPhone.



Article Link: 'Large Screen iPod Touch Device' in Fall of 2009?

[BigD58]

Here comes the tablet.

[Kwill]

Originally Posted by BigD58

Here comes the tablet.

No. It's the iPhone nanogordito! (Previously leaked renderings were grossly disproportionate to actual size.)

[jfriedman8]

So, if the app store is the deciding factor we're looking at a glorified iPhone/ iPod Touch.... Great.

[cshale210]

so...a tablet/gaming device?

[HiRez]

I guess my question is how do you carry that and why is that better than a small laptop? It's too big for a pocket, you need to carry it laptop-style anyway, but it'll have a smaller screen than a laptop and probably no physical keyboard and less ports, so where's the advantage?

[Solemony]

That'd be nice..I'm thinking of getting one on my Birthday next year..

[jessica.]

Seems the iPod Touch would be bordering on a netbook. Now, I don't tend to wear pants with pockets 7" wide, but I've seen kids with pants that could carry a small army in the ass. Maybe that's the target demographic.

[SnowLeopard2008]

Sounds like MacWorld is going to better than just Phill Schiller explaining (making excuses) about why Steve himself couldn't be there.

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by SnowLeopard2008

Sounds like MacWorld is going to better than just Phill Schiller explaining (making excuses) about why Steve himself couldn't be there.

Satellite convo where Steve says either "good job", or better yet, "one more thing"!!

Rocketman

[MikhailT]

One of the advantages of having this for me is to read ebooks, especially PDFs and email/web browsing around the house or in car/plane/subway/trains without taking out my 17" mbp.

With wireless, it could be used as a thin client as well, worth using for SysAdmins like me who brings laptop to clients all around the building.

Of course the biggest problem is going to be the battery, as long as it is more than 3 hours it should be an awesome thin client.

[bnp]

[quote=MikhailT;6841783]One of the advantages of having this for me is to read ebooks, especially PDFs and email/web browsing around the house or in car/plane/subway/trains without taking out my 17" mbp.

I had been told this summer, by a programmer, in the midwest, who has been closely associated with iPod developments,that there would be an Apple device with screen useful as an ebook reader. I had mentioned to the chap that I very much wished the iPhone or iPod had a screen allowing more comfortable ebook reading. His response was "just wait a bit, its coming".

My question: will this new device also serve as a phone? Or will it only be a high end iPod with WiFi?

[franzmueller]

Originally Posted by jessica.

Seems the iPod Touch would be bordering on a netbook. Now, I don't tend to wear pants with pockets 7" wide, but I've seen kids with pants that could carry a small army in the ass. Maybe that's the target demographic.

[Tallest Skil]

Originally Posted by HiRez

I guess my question is how do you carry that and why is that better than a small laptop? It's too big for a pocket, you need to carry it laptop-style anyway, but it'll have a smaller screen than a laptop and probably no physical keyboard and less ports, so where's the advantage?

Bingo. The ONLY point in a larger touchscreen device comes with the 13.3" MacTablet (like the one in my sig).

Runs full OS X, slab format, full multitouch interface... It's like a ModBook, only far better.

[137489]

Originally Posted by HiRez

I guess my question is how do you carry that and why is that better than a small laptop? It's too big for a pocket, you need to carry it laptop-style anyway, but it'll have a smaller screen than a laptop and probably no physical keyboard and less ports, so where's the advantage?

Other than gaming... If it is thin enough, think of people who could use it in a portfolio. Imagine OS X (inkwell / handwriting recognition), and if it has enough ram and storage; imagine having all your docs in a mini portfolio rather than an entire laptop bag. great for sales people on the go.

Sorry, did not have time for a proper photoshop.

then couple that with the slide in docking patent that led to people producing this mockup (yes I googled this one)



Sound like a winner to me. If I had that and my livescribe pulse smart pen, who would need regular paper anymore.

Then I would have this and everything I need on the road. No more laptop bag.

just imagine having this tucked into a little journal sized portfolio (thus the need for 1 or 2 USB ports - for the cradle and loading my apps).



Can someone with time and who is good with photoshop take my attached thumbnail of the tablet in a journal and hook it to the liverscribe pulse pen? this would give you what I mean.

[alphaod]

I need a convertible, not a tablet standalone.

Originally Posted by shervieux

then couple that with the slide in docking patent that led to people producing this mockup (yes I googled this one)

How can sliding a bit ass tablet into a big ass screen make sense to anyone (if you tell me the tablet is small, then why is a small screen any good?

[Rocketman]

I am sympathetic to the person who wants to buy thousands of units with VGA, Firewire, Ethernet and runs "full" Keynote.

Apple may be going the direction of web based Keynote, which would mandate a web access while using it.

If the tablet had target mode via USB, that might solve your Firewire issue. If you have a dongle for the new video connector to VGA, that would solve that. I think Apple will not hear our pleas for ethernet, even a small extendable plug. You may have to have a wifi router with ethernet to go there or talk to your network via either wifi based or 3G based internet connection.

I hope as more devices get 3G there is a trend toward lower cost data plans and as one poster suggested having 2 devices per one user's plan ala a family plan but for a per user basis.

My main criterion is playing HD content at some significant fraction of full resolution. I am a bit agnostic on full OSX vs iPhone OSX but I also believe this is a GUI choice over essentially the same code, so perhaps a "full" GUI mode option for more sophisticated applications.

What you do with it is more important than how the device gets you there. So long as a device lets you play and edit and send a variety of content from word files to powerpoint, to images to movies, etc., the device will provide the needed functionality

Right now as amazing as the iPhone is, and it is revolutionary, some applications need a larger screen space such as sharing image based data in groups and small presentations.

It was kinda cool to see a couple of older relatives with "color TV" as their main media exposure, see and feel an iPhone in their hand playing a TV show. It was an ah-ha moment for them for sure and the look on their face was priceless.

Rocketman

[kdarling]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

Right now as amazing as the iPhone is, and it is revolutionary, some applications need a larger screen space such as sharing image based data in groups and small presentations.

Or better, video out for all applications. Apple is so frustrating with their choices for control lockdowns.

[IndyJonez]

Who all thinks this will be announced at MW next week? Or do you think they will wait until WWDC or even later?

I'd say MW would be the perfect timing for such an announcement. Schiller has some huge shoes to fill stepping up in place of SJ. If he were to announce such a device I'd say his work is done! In fact he probably wouldn't even have to speak a word!

Show this thing off a bit, maybe hint at a price range and everyones sold!

And they could probably release it somewhat like they did the original iphone. Announce at MW and release maybe shortly after WWDC, using WWDC to showcase several apps running on the new device with developers stepping up and talking about their product yadda yadda yadda.

Do you think this would kill sells of their other devices or laptops? I wouldn't neccesarily think so, since it would be a completely new form factor aimed at a whole new style of computing.

Thoughts?

[chaosconan]

Originally Posted by IndyJonez

Do you think this would kill sells of their other devices or laptops? I wouldn't neccesarily think so, since it would be a completely new form factor aimed at a whole new style of computing.

That's why they're not going to let you run any Mac OS software on it. There will be a new set of software written to take advantage of the wider display using the Touch Framework technology. It does not make sense for them to allow Mac OS software to run on this platform competing against MacBook Air.
If they did MacBook Air will be dead within weeks.

[iMacmatician]

Originally Posted by IndyJonez

I'd say MW would be the perfect timing for such an announcement. Schiller has some huge shoes to fill stepping up in place of SJ. If he were to announce such a device I'd say his work is done! In fact he probably wouldn't even have to speak a word!

Show this thing off a bit, maybe hint at a price range and everyones sold!

Haha, that would totally be true! And leave the Apple rumor sites to fill 20-page threads with praises, complaints, discussions, and more complaints.

Originally Posted by IndyJonez

And they could probably release it somewhat like they did the original iphone. Announce at MW and release maybe shortly after WWDC, using WWDC to showcase several apps running on the new device with developers stepping up and talking about their product yadda yadda yadda.

Pretty good argument for MWSF (or something pre-WWDC), although January to fall is quite a while. I suppose Apple could do this if they think that this device is a big one.

Originally Posted by IndyJonez

Do you think this would kill sells of their other devices or laptops? I wouldn't neccesarily think so, since it would be a completely new form factor aimed at a whole new style of computing.

It's different from the iPod touch because it's larger and more expensive. It's different from the MacBook and MacBook Air because they are much more powerful and larger.

[Evan_11]

I wouldn't get too excited. Apple is a fairly conservative company when it comes to new products (with exception to the iPhone which needed to be revolutionary to make a dent in the cellphone market). I would expect them to release a 7" iPod Touch model. They may name it something different though (iBook?) It would use the same iPhone/Touch OS but perhaps slightly modified for the larger screen (icons would remain the same size so as not to look like one of those universal remotes for old people).

I could see such a device having a lot of uses. First, developers could write software that would take use of the larger screen especially business apps. Internet browsing, movies, photos and ebooks would be more enjoyable with a larger screen. Typing would be easier as well. Gaming would be more involving.

As long as they price it right: I'm thinking $499 for a 32 gig model it would probably sell decently enough.

[Vulpinemac]

Originally Posted by HiRez

I guess my question is how do you carry that and why is that better than a small laptop? It's too big for a pocket, you need to carry it laptop-style anyway, but it'll have a smaller screen than a laptop and probably no physical keyboard and less ports, so where's the advantage?

The advantage is that it gives you a computing device roughly the size of a paperback or hardback book that doesn't have to be put down to use. Every current netbook, in order to use it, still must be placed on some sort of horizontal surface in order to type or use the touchpad and the display is in the lid; essentially nothing better than a half-sized laptop computer.

By making this device essentially a one-hand-use computer, you can walk around and take notes or do other computing in the same manner as a paper-and-pencil clipboard is used today. This eliminates the need to take handwritten notes (run checklists, etc.) and then manually enter the data into a desktop computer. The process eliminates wasted motion and cuts certain process times in half. The value in manufacturing processes can be incredible!

A device like this could also supplement or even replace physical note taking in almost any industry from corporate to public services, including police and fire departments. The larger display would make portable computing easier in the medical fields as well, making it possible to replace current Windows Mobile devices and even replace the full-sized laptop computers currently used by doctors and hospitals across the country with an easier-to-carry device with all the same functionality.

In other words, by making a portable computer even more portable and easier to use, the new device could and likely would be capable of replacing laptop computers in every possible manner. Granted, it may not be capable of wired connections to external devices, but we're already working rapidly to a wireless environment for all our networking.

[Loonytik]

All of my major program usage is done at work. I basically use my personal laptop as a simple net device anyway. I would love this.....make it, ill buy it.

[dasein]

Originally Posted by HiRez

I guess my question is how do you carry that and why is that better than a small laptop? It's too big for a pocket, you need to carry it laptop-style anyway, but it'll have a smaller screen than a laptop and probably no physical keyboard and less ports, so where's the advantage?

The advantage here is that it's neither a laptop or a phone. Think about all the things people use to collect information: waitress, store/flight attendants, students, execs at meetings, finding something when you walk into a large store (wifi to your device for where the pickles or overhead fan switches are), etc... Rather than having a dedicated hardware devices for each need, you have, like the iPhone, a blank palette, the interface and functionality free for defining by a programmer, creating any virtual machine/device you want with any input/output feature (keyboard) you want. No more lines to reach a service....the service becomes mobile. We see this already (for example in Apple stores), but they're forced to use dedicated hardware devices. The iPhone is an example of a all-in-one device, but it is a little too small visually, while a full laptop is a little too big. As we move to a cashless society, the need for cumbersome registers becomes obsolete.