Whatever the tablet will be, I'm fine with it. I only hope in the process Apple will re-organize the e-books distribution mess that is the App Store now, with its 20,000+ wanna be e-reader with embedded content (e-books). I would like a free e-book reader app from Apple and the content (e-books) downloadable, from their own section, similar to the way music is distributed now.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Analyst: Apple Prepping February Tablet Production Ramp Ahead of March or April Release
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'd love to have OSX onboard, but I don't see it :/.
There must be at least 2-3 factors to persuade people to buy it.
IMHO:
1. Something special about hardware (new CPU from PA Semi ?, extra long battery life ?, special dock device ? )
2. iTablet as multimedia reader (ebooks, press edt. ect.)
2. Big number of software from the beginning = ability to run all iPhone OS apps
3. ^^^^ and this means resolution independent device
Meh
As others are also saying, without some sort of graphic capabilities, it's just a more expensive touch/iPhone.
As a mobile sketchpad however, I'd gladly pay $1000, but Apple isn't chasing those users anymore, they're far too enamored with the trendy crowd. A mistake I think, especially when Steve is no longer around to hit home runs.
As others are also saying, without some sort of graphic capabilities, it's just a more expensive touch/iPhone.
As a mobile sketchpad however, I'd gladly pay $1000, but Apple isn't chasing those users anymore, they're far too enamored with the trendy crowd. A mistake I think, especially when Steve is no longer around to hit home runs.
and just how much "fun" is it going to be to type on a 10" screen's on-screen keyboard?? I have a tough enough time on the Touch because Apple is too stupid to give users options for keypress delay, causing too many typos as my finger grazes the wrong key. Is "thumb typing" going to suck even WORSE on a larger format keyboard? I hope they have something revolutionary up their sleeve or this thing is going to be probably great to look at, but awful to type on.
I've heard this argument before, but I just don't believe it -- at least not for the great majority of people.
LED displays look great, are very easy on the eyes, and millions of us already spend 8+ hours a day reading off of them.
What e-ink really has going for it is a battery advantage for static content. That's not really that great: people don't seem to mind too much recharging devices daily and content that is highly static will become a smaller and smaller piece of the media pie over time.
It's the possible $1000 price tag that people will have a hard time accepting. At that price it is going to have to be able to outright replace your notebook computer. I'm not sure Apple is going to be able to pull that off... I guess it reallly needs to be able to easily dock with your iMac or something.
fifthworld's post is about the closest of all the replies so far to seeing the potential of this device.
No, it's not an iphone.
No, it's not a replacement for a laptop running OS X.
What it could well be, is a replacement for all things paper-bound that you currently buy on a regular basis, the same way iTunes + iPod saved you from carrying all your CDs around in a case, and after that, stopped you from buying CDs at all.
How many magazines and newspapers do you currently buy? How do you do that - walk into a newsagent, go to the section your favourite title is in, see if the latest issue is there, pick it up, go to the till. Imagine that replaced with downloadable issues via iTunes.
How many books do you currently buy? How do you do that - Amazon, and wait for the delivery? Or another bricks and mortar store? Again, imagine browsing iTunes for the latest release by your favourite author, downloading it there and then.
Of course, a lot of the discussion has been about the screen - LCD, OLED, e-ink etc. THIS is the killer feature that will make or break whether people want to read with it, and therefore use it as a paper replacement. But the point is this - who has any doubt that Steve Jobs doesn't know that?
I have total faith that the screen will be one I'll want to read from, whatever tech is finally turns up with. Therefore, as someone who purchases and reads a lot of paper-based content, I'm very excited about the possibilities of this distribution model.
No, it's not an iphone.
No, it's not a replacement for a laptop running OS X.
What it could well be, is a replacement for all things paper-bound that you currently buy on a regular basis, the same way iTunes + iPod saved you from carrying all your CDs around in a case, and after that, stopped you from buying CDs at all.
How many magazines and newspapers do you currently buy? How do you do that - walk into a newsagent, go to the section your favourite title is in, see if the latest issue is there, pick it up, go to the till. Imagine that replaced with downloadable issues via iTunes.
How many books do you currently buy? How do you do that - Amazon, and wait for the delivery? Or another bricks and mortar store? Again, imagine browsing iTunes for the latest release by your favourite author, downloading it there and then.
Of course, a lot of the discussion has been about the screen - LCD, OLED, e-ink etc. THIS is the killer feature that will make or break whether people want to read with it, and therefore use it as a paper replacement. But the point is this - who has any doubt that Steve Jobs doesn't know that?
I have total faith that the screen will be one I'll want to read from, whatever tech is finally turns up with. Therefore, as someone who purchases and reads a lot of paper-based content, I'm very excited about the possibilities of this distribution model.
I'd love to have OSX onboard, but I don't see it :/.
There must be at least 2-3 factors to persuade people to buy it.
IMHO:
1. Something special about hardware (new CPU from PA Semi ?, extra long battery life ?, special dock device ? )
2. iTablet as multimedia reader (ebooks, press edt. ect.)
2. Big number of software from the beginning = ability to run all iPhone OS apps
3. ^^^^ and this means resolution independent device
I don't think they will do it, but there's really no huge reason why it couldn't run a flavor of Snow Leopard AND still run iPHone apps... Obviously 90% of iPhone apps run fine in the simulator... Since cocoa touch api is already so close to "os x" Cocoa. Would make things more complex than just making an iPod Feel (10" ipod touch
but probably technically feasible.Surely the point is they'll only do it if it is a replacement for those other devices - it would obviously replace your iPod, plus - and this must be the reason for it being produced - it will do other stuff that you didn't know you needed. Put me down for one now, even rev 1.0!
How the hell does a device with a 10" screen replace an iPod??? The same way a Bobcat or skid loader replaces a shovel for planting petunias??
No OLED, no sale, no kidding
Sorry, but I won't buy one until it's got an OLED screen. Same thing for new MacBook Pros. Sure, my three-year-old machine is starting to show it's age like the display needs to warm up before it's fairly evenly lit but I'm not spending $3K+ until I can read the display in bright sunlight.
Sorry, but I won't buy one until it's got an OLED screen. Same thing for new MacBook Pros. Sure, my three-year-old machine is starting to show it's age like the display needs to warm up before it's fairly evenly lit but I'm not spending $3K+ until I can read the display in bright sunlight.
Make it worthwhile
i get my university bursary then im hoping that, it doesnt have full OSX, but is Keynote, Pages and Numbers compatible, would rock my world in addition to 720p so i can watch heroes on the train in HD without taking my laptop, im hoping it will be like a giant iphone... plus i would love to play the new nazi zombies (cod5) game on it would be sooo cool, dont disappoint like you did with the "new" ipod models or the new rev a macbook air !!!!
i get my university bursary then im hoping that, it doesnt have full OSX, but is Keynote, Pages and Numbers compatible, would rock my world in addition to 720p so i can watch heroes on the train in HD without taking my laptop, im hoping it will be like a giant iphone... plus i would love to play the new nazi zombies (cod5) game on it would be sooo cool, dont disappoint like you did with the "new" ipod models or the new rev a macbook air !!!!I've been surprised at how easy it is to read books on the iPhone. It may be even better on a Kindle, but certainly it's "acceptable" to me on the iPhone. Like the other guy said, I mostly read it in bed.
You know you can hold down and slide your finger to the key you want right? It doesn't type until you lift your finger from the screen.
The iPhone has the best virtual touch screen keyboard I have ever used, and I have used a lot (Palm TX, Droid, Droid Eris, HTC Touch, Touch Diamond).
But it doesn't replace your iPod or iPhone (as described) -- because it's too big to put in your pocket. For this to be big, I think it's got to be a notebook replacement... Maybe Apple is shooting for something like this:
The full Apple setup:
1. Time Capsule - wireless hub, time machine backups, site-wide storage for media & documents.
2. iMac w/keyboard - when you've got heavy-duty work to do, you sit down at the iMac desk and work away.
3. iTab (Apple will have a better name) - Your all-around-the-house visual media device. Great for browsing the internet, viewing visual media (games, movies, tv, books, magazines, etc) and light email/messaging/social networking and (hopefully) light use of productivity apps (e.g. Word, Excel, etc.). Will sync and/or dock with the iMac so you can access the same stuff on your iMac or iTab.
4. iPhone - Your put-it-in-your-pocket-and-go device. Great for audio and location-based stuff. Still ok for everything the iTab can do.
Of course they probably would like you to have one aTV or Mini per TV, too.
Bottom line: an iTab + iMac replaces your lappy and desktop PC-or-hackintosh.
In my opinion, this device is most likely to be successful if it increases people's ability to share information locally. It's hard for many people to look at a laptop screen together. Many people still don't carry laptops to meetings, even if they have highly portable ones. The upright screen just seems to separate them from others.
It would be wonderful to have a tablet where people could cluster around and flip through photos or e-magazines. I would carry one to meetings if I could just rest it on my lap, tap out brief notes on a virtual keyboard or hand write notes on to PDF documents.
I know that tablets exist now that can perform these functions but the products that I've tried don't seem 'finished'. The touchscreens often lag. Programs and OSs don't seem intuitive in their use of touch. These are things Apple does really, really well.
Apple now has a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Wouldn't it be great if their tablet came with a stand or dock and you could easily use it as a tablet or desktop? I would love it if it would tether with my iPhone. The last thing I want to do is to pay another monthly bill but I think it's likely that Apple's partners will push for ongoing revenue streams in one way or another (3G, media subscriptions, etc.).
It would be wonderful to have a tablet where people could cluster around and flip through photos or e-magazines. I would carry one to meetings if I could just rest it on my lap, tap out brief notes on a virtual keyboard or hand write notes on to PDF documents.
I know that tablets exist now that can perform these functions but the products that I've tried don't seem 'finished'. The touchscreens often lag. Programs and OSs don't seem intuitive in their use of touch. These are things Apple does really, really well.
Apple now has a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Wouldn't it be great if their tablet came with a stand or dock and you could easily use it as a tablet or desktop? I would love it if it would tether with my iPhone. The last thing I want to do is to pay another monthly bill but I think it's likely that Apple's partners will push for ongoing revenue streams in one way or another (3G, media subscriptions, etc.).
1.5 million buyers a quarter, I just don't see a need for these in the real world yet. All these "analysts" are just guessing at this point. We know nothing about this tablet.
If this Tablet/Slate is really in the works, I'd like to see what's so "special" about it that would make it worth buying.
Always wait till the second revision or when the problems are worked out before getting any new item.
Everyone is still caught up on the eReader buzz. eReader-pShmeder.
Apple will have this functionality of course, but it won't be the killer feature.
My best guess is the way in which it will interact with other Macs and the Apple TV. It's role will be multifaceted; everyone will 'need' one!
It's amazing how narrow-minded so many people are! Do you really think this thing is going to be 'just' an e-reader? Come ON, people! This thing is going to go way beyond a simple e-reader; it's going to go way beyond a simple PDA; it's likely that this will even blow away the current 'netbook' model, though admittedly at a significantly higher price. What we don't know is whether or not this will be a viable go-between for portable and desktop power.
Take into consideration the possibility that this could be both a portable device capable of performing all of the above, as well as serving as a touch-based graphical I/O mousepad... a Wacom Tablet on steroids, as it were. I can see so many possibilities here.
None of us really knows what it will do. But to assume it's going to be as limited and weak as so many of you seem to believe just shows how little you know about Apple's mindset. They made MP3 players a 'Must Have' type of device. They made Smart Phones something that everyone wants, not just the enterprise users. Now they're coming up with something that will again change the game... maybe for the netbook market? No, it won't be cheap; none of their earlier game-changers was cheap. But they've proven that Apple raises the bar every time they release an all-new product.
yes, thanks, I know that I can slide, but the big issue I have is if I touch the screen and my finger raises off of it (too many neck surgeries have left my right hand a bit too trembly) I end up with extraneous keystrokes. If there was an option for setting a bit of a delay in recognizing a keypress, that would work wonders for accuracy (at least for me).
Like when the raised the bar by making a sleek, good looking phone that can't multitask and it took 2 years just to get cut & paste? Or how about all the ports they have elected to leave off of their computers. Or how they made glossy-only screens on some iterations of their laptops? Or the stupid one button mouse? Oh, yeah they are the end-all and be-all product manufacturer all right. gimmie a break. They value form over function and that translates to good looking equipment that almost always LACKS COMMON FEATURES.
The first Touch didn't have a frickin' volume control button or speaker, for crap's sakes! Wake up and stop drinking the Apple kool-aide. Not everything they make is as wonderful as you've made it out to be. That's not to say I don't own a bunch of iPods, but I recognize that Apple has a long way to go to make a product without glaring omissions.
I agree.
If this is a big Touch I'll pass.
If in the now seemingly unlikely event it runs OSX....count me in.
$1000 is big money for a trendy toy.
It sure will be fun seeing how many of the rumors are correct if nothing else
Price
The price point is the stickler... depends on what they make -
If it is just an oversized iPod with a new 'e-book/mag' reader app, it better be around $400-500.
If it is a full touch-input Mac computer (w/bluetooth keyboard & mouse capability of course), iPod & iPhone all in one, then you could justify close to $1k, but realisticly they should not push much past $900.
They better really think this product through, and lean toward the full computer capability, otherwise, why would anyone buy just an oversize iPod when one can get a full MacBook for $1099 or a Touch for $199? Really.
The price point is the stickler... depends on what they make -
If it is just an oversized iPod with a new 'e-book/mag' reader app, it better be around $400-500.
If it is a full touch-input Mac computer (w/bluetooth keyboard & mouse capability of course), iPod & iPhone all in one, then you could justify close to $1k, but realisticly they should not push much past $900.
They better really think this product through, and lean toward the full computer capability, otherwise, why would anyone buy just an oversize iPod when one can get a full MacBook for $1099 or a Touch for $199? Really.