Apple Working on a Tablet Mac?

[MacRumors]

Crave revives a long-running rumor that Apple may be working on a Tablet Mac.

The latest claim comes from "friends at Asus" who told Crave that "Asus is helping Apple build a Tablet PC." Further information from their source indicated that it will not be based on existing Asus designs and will come from a completely new blueprint.

While Apple Tablet rumors have been running for years, the possibility of it seems more likely now than ever with all of Apple's research into touch-based interfaces. The last rumor of an actual "Tablet Mac" came from Smarthouse.com.au in late 2006 in which Apple was said to be working on an Intel-based Tablet Mac with docking station and HDMI output. More recently, however, Appleinsider described a project inside Apple that was described as a PDA but would carry a form factor about "1.5 times the size of the current iPhone" which we could see as early as January at Macworld San Francisco 2008.

Rumors of a Tablet Mac hit an all time high in 2003 when multiple sources pointed to the existence of a Tablet device from Apple, but for whatever reason was never released.

Article Link

 

[koobcamuk]

Maybe I'll be getting a MBP next year then... no ultraportable? You can't get all your work done on something 1.5* iPhone size.

 

[twoodcc]

here we go again.....

i really hope it's true though. and it does make sense, with the iPhone and all. only time will tell

 

[xUKHCx]

Suppose the iPhone can be seen as a testing bed for multi-touch that will no doubt end up in ths product. Along wth sensing pixels to allow you to scan documents on the go this when it comes (and it will, after all the iPhone eventually made it out) will make it killer.

But friends at asus, reminds me of a recent thread where a newbies cousin was big at apple.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I tried a Windows-based PC with a touch screen and it was pretty cool. I would like to see Apple have something like that. In 2008/2009, I hope these are more common. Multi-touch would be sweet.

 

[happydude]

agreed

Maybe I'll be getting a MBP next year then... no ultraportable? You can't get all your work done on something 1.5* iPhone size.

what would be the benefit of a tablet mac. i know the idea sounds cool and it (as is apple fashion) would look awesome, but what would one actually do with a tablet? just be able to draw/take handwritten notes vs. only type? isn't that why more and more college students are taking laptops to school - so they don't have to take handwriting notes?

maybe i'm off on practicality, but i'm just not seeing it . . .

if you want compact, bring on the 12" MBP!!!

 

[idea_hamster]

I would love a tablet Mac -- if only to be able to turn my screen around and show the person sitting across from me what's on my screen!

 

[Marx55]

"a PDA but would carry a form factor about "1.5 times the size of the current iPhone" which we could see as early as January at Macworld San Francisco 2008".

Yes, PLEASE!!! With Intel Silverthorne chip. The full Mac OS X on your hand. Wireless. We need tons for our University!

 

[luminosity]

Good lord, this again?

I wish it would just go away.

 

[macfan881]

this sounds good and all i just hope this isnt gonna turn out like all the 1000 report rumors for the iphone again...

 

[CBJammin103]

I'm not entirely convinced of the usefulness of a device 1.5x the size of the iPhone... A nice MBP + iPhone seems like a vastly more effective combination. But the news post says it won't be something similar to past rumored designs, so we'll see...

Although a tablet Mac wouldn't be a bad thing, there are other things I'd personally rather see Apple pursuing. Seems to me that a tablet Mac is going to be more expensive and less durable than a good MBP. Then again, for those who specifically need a tablet, it will be a good option, I suppose.

Multitouch would be a MUST, in my opinion.

 

[impierced]

what would be the benefit of a tablet mac. i know the idea sounds cool and it (as is apple fashion) would look awesome, but what would one actually do with a tablet? just be able to draw/take handwritten notes vs. only type? isn't that why more and more college students are taking laptops to school - so they don't have to take handwriting notes?

maybe i'm off on practicality, but i'm just not seeing it . . .

if you want compact, bring on the 12" MBP!!!

I couldn't have said it better. Give me my 12" laptop back!!!

A tablet would be great for presentations and an initial wow factor. However, that's about it.

 

[koobcamuk]

Multitouch would be a MUST, in my opinion.

Of course it'll have multitouch.

I hope an ultraportable is released. If not, it'll be another two years or more until I upgrade this MacBook to a MacBook Pro (or whatever we have by then). The MacBook is doing just fine. An MBP would be a real treat to myself. I have an iPhone and it already takes away email on the MacBook (whilst out and about).

I wouldn't use a tablet as a work tool - unless Apple design something truly amazing...

 

[thies]

I always have trouble seeing the market for such a device.

 

[Spades]

I hope we get some solid news on an ultra-portable Mac soon. The Asus Eee is hard to resist.

 

[Macnoviz]

The tablet, dubbed "powerbook" will feature a G5 processor

 

[r-sparks]

There's already a tablet Mac. It's called the iPhone. There's also the iPod touch.

Tablets have been something of a failure. There are a very small niches where they make sense (warehousing, hospitals) but none of these fall into Apple's typical use profiles. Everything Apple has done over the last 10 years has focussed on the multimedia-enabled home user.

Bear in mind that Nokia has recently ADDED a keyboard to its latest small Internet tablet (the N810). So Internet tablets have had their five minutes to make their claim to fame, and are now evolving away from the original tablet concept into more of a hybrid device.

Additionally, knowing Apple as we do, I don't see what they could bring to tablets to make them better. Apple focus on "just works" simplicity. What could they possibly add to the tablet concept to enable this? The concept is fundamentally flawed for most users.

 

[Yateball]

I don't care how little money I have... I'd be getting this. There'd be no debate at all.

I hope the rumours are actually true this time!

 

[chicagostars]

beat me to it

Good lord, this again?

I wish it would just go away.

Was going to say something similar, but you beat me to it.

January has the potential to be fun and exciting, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

 

[Lonon]

I think when we hear so much noise about a rumor like we did from 2004 to early 2007 with the iPhone, something is going on there.

And besides, Jobs himself admited that Apple was working on a tablet Mac. Then he rejected because people don't want to handwrite all their emails.

This made me think when the iPhone was introduced and some site mencioted that Jobs didn't like the early prototypes. Now, translate that to the present with the MacTablet.

What if the model that Jobs rejected was an early prototype?
We know the iPhone is great. With that technology, AND a regular keyoboard, touchpad or some other input device like the ones we've been seeing here in the form of patents, maybe the idea of a MacTablet doesn't sound rare anymore.

Just a tought.

 

[r-sparks]

I hope we get some solid news on an ultra-portable Mac soon. The Asus Eee is hard to resist.

I've got an Eee and would warn others away from purchasing them unless they know what they're getting themselves into. If you want an ultraportable internet device then buy one. For checking email on the move, or browsing the web in coffee shops, it's ideal. Even working on the move is possible.

If you want a full computer in a small form factor then it's not for you. The OS is ugly, the keyboard will give you hand cramp, and the screen is too small to be useful. It's not a "full time" computer. It's just for part-time use. Some Eee users will probably disagree but, frankly, going back to my Macbook after using the Eee feels like pure luxury.

 

[feakbeak]

"a PDA but would carry a form factor about "1.5 times the size of the current iPhone" which we could see as early as January at Macworld San Francisco 2008".

Yes, PLEASE!!! With Intel Silverthorne chip. The full Mac OS X on your hand. Wireless. We need tons for our University!

Yeah, as soon as I read 1.5x the size of the iPhone, I thought "Hey, that would be about the size needed for Intel's upcoming Menlow/Silverthorne platform."

It would be much more comparable to a desktop in terms of power and performance than anything we've seen in the mobile/PDA market so far.

Some info on Menlow/Silvertorne, coverage from Intel's IDF - http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3103

 

[FJ218700]

this might make me finally switch to intel

 

[diehardmacfan]

this would be great for college.

i hope that there would be a keyboard built in, and i hope its not as expensive as a macbook.

 

[SciTeach]

Ah...the Mac tablet rumor has once again crawled back out to the surface. I'm wondering if is more in the design of something for their monitors or if they are actually going to build the tablet. I see a market for it but not exactly for everyone. I think the one thing that has to be taken into account is the size. Not to sound like a fairy tale, but it can't be too big or too small (iPhone)...it has to be just right. (BTW: I'm not saying the iPhone is too small, especially for what it does; I'm saying if they really develop a tablet that acts like a computer, it will have to be bigger).

In any case, touch screen technology is coming to the masses.

Let the Newtons rise again!