Analyst: Apple Prepping February Tablet Production Ramp Ahead of March or April Release

[Eric S.]

Bulkier than a laptop? I think not.

Exactly. Given a choice between the two I wouldn't pick the tablet.

Limited functionality..... Like the iPhone you mean?

Yes, compared to my Macbook that's limited. I sure wouldn't pay $1000 for oversized iPhone (or touch). And given Apple's pricing I'd be surprised if we would see this thing at less than $1500.

 

[Rot'nApple]

Does this need some sort of FCC approval like the iPhone? or is that only when a gadget is a phone. If it does require prior appoval, is there a January event like WWDC that can introduce it for the 6 month countdown?

If this requires connectivity to a network to get online who is it going to be? Verizon??

 

[thejakill]

Would it be possible for it to have an hdmi slot so you could plug it directly into your tv?

 

[mully1121]

With iTunesU as a backdrop, I can see them totally effing over the evil empire that is e-follet. Apple already has an enormous foothold in education this would be a boon for students. Rather than having to haul around gigantic volumes in clunky backpacks, for a grand (a fraction of the price of education these days, or otherwise subsidized by the price of books) all you'd need is the svelte Applet? plus it does everything else too and you can use it after you graduate? A no-brainer. Not to mention Apple's hire of the security guy from OLPC, I see that as being a huge market.

I completely agree. With the price of textbooks now days, I easily spent $5000 the last several years buying books (never mind having to lug them around). If text books were made available at a relatively inexpensive price students would actually save money and like you said, be able to use the device for other things.

 

[Eduardo1971]

You'll be waiting a loooong time.

Awesome! Good to know!

I'm in no rush.

 

[Ugg]

I'm guessing that the monthly subscription fees will translate over to the device. Your magazines and newspapers will all be on the tablet. Pay 30 cents to the apple store for the day's New York Times. This'll revive the industry; which it desperately needs.

That's definitely what I'm looking for. I'll gladly buy a daily paper and maybe even the occasional article from a paper I don't read regularly. What I'm looking for is total a la carte purchasing. I have no desire to read Murdoch's swill but am interested in buying the occasional Der Spiegel. Total subscription pricing will kill the magazines' plan. I want a service to be like any well stocked newsstand. I pick and choose what I want, not what some global behemoths tell me I want. I wouldn't mind committing to a fixed amount per month, say $10 or so, but if I do, I want to choose what I want to read.

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.

$600 is probably the sweet spot for this machine, depending upon what it offers. However, mobile computing is the future and Apple will try to milk it for all that they can.

I wonder what the pricing for the iPod Touch will be and how its features will change?

 

[macridah]

Umm.

I'll probably wait for the OLED screen.

me too.

 

[firewood]

I really don't get how anyone can believe that a device with an LCD or OLED screen can hope to redefine the e-reader market. Sure, a self-lit display is fine for reading the odd article, and reading a book is not impossible, but IMHO e-ink is unbeatable when it comes down to reading for several hours at a time. I don't see anything revolutionising this market segment until e-ink has matured and we have faster refresh rates and perhaps colour.

Maybe e-ink is better for some things. And yet, in developed countries at least, far more people spend several hours a day in front of an LCD monitor (at work, school, & home) than actually read books for several hours at a time. So the issue here is really better versus good enough.

For reading static monochrome content, an LCD display is probably just good enough, given that it would also be a lot better at displaying web content, embedded videos, fast interactive content, etc., embedded into some new "e-book" content concept.

I rarely read books on my MacBook, since I like to hold my books and magazines, not rest them on a desk or table. I do read books on my iPod Touch, but the display is a bit too small. The Kindles are a better form factor for this type of reading, but they are more single purpose devices, not suitable for richer more interactive color content or handheld apps.

Now for every 10 iPod Touch users, there's probably at least one additional potential customer who has money for a $1000 device (light enough to hold) but also wants/needs to read on a larger display than the one on a Touch. That would be over 1M customers, or about a $1B business.

That's one possibility.

 

[lilo777]

Now for every 10 iPod Touch users, there's probably at least one additional potential customer who has money for a $1000 device (light enough to hold) but also wants/needs to read on a larger display than the one on a Touch. That would be over 1M customers, or about a $1B business.

That's one possibility.

But how many of those who has money would actually need the tablet? As you mentioned, most people do not read books on computers. But many do read newspapers and magazines (web site versions). For the latter category desktop and laptop are just fine. For books, on the other hand, e-readers (e-ink based ones) do provide a better alternative.

For those who mention iTunes as a plus for the tablet, I am not sure this is a valid point. How would that work? Kindle user can find a book in the catalog, click a button and get the book. No desktop needed. I am not sure what benefit iTunes brings to the table. Besides, the name of the service is definitely off

 

[dtich]

$1,000+ for a tablet seems reasonable...

as long as it is essentially an oversized iPhone. To pay that much, I want a phone, an iPod, and a tablet computer. If this thing is nothing more than an oversized iPod touch, I'm not sure I see a huge market for it. You can already get a capable laptop for the same price.

this is my big concern: i really think this thing should run os x, not iphone os. the apps developed for iphone/touch are not as involved and full-functioning as the os x equivalents and i for one would really like a tablet to use as a computer, to do whatever i want with, not just iphone apps.

i will of course get it anyway, and perhaps iphone os will open up nicely on a 10" screen, and devs can make itablet versions with more functionality, etc etc. but.. i'd rather have os x. or, maybe not. let's see...

 

[ericinboston]

$1000.......

seems like a lot for a book reader,

not to mention that it's another device to carry

Exactly. And since Apple will be years late(r) to the game than Amazon (who already owns the book industry) and its Kindle (which saw a 2nd generation in Oct 2009) I find it hard to believe Apple will be successful with this as an e-reader device.

Now, I have to give Apple credit that they hold their secrets very well...so I am also thinking that Apple would have to absolutely crazy to release a $1000 e-reader...there must be more to this device...because otherwise Amazon's already won (and a lot cheaper at $259 or $489).

Lastly, e-readers are not for everyone and I'm not sure that they ever will. My wife is an avid book reader and there are just so many reasons why she loves a physical book over an e-reader. I mentioned this in a previous topic about a week ago here.


-Eric

 

[Maserati7200]

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.

Why do so many people want OLED. Not to sound like a broken record, but OLED is not a good idea for now. OLED's have a very short life, and different colors die at different times and so on. Until OLED is improved, it really isn't a good idea. I don't want to buy an expensive device who's display is going to die within a few months of use.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

I want a freakin' keyboard, even if it's a miniature one.

 

[dagamer34]

Some silly things in this thread:

1) Assuming an analyst has the correct price on a new Apple product. Most people should have stopped reading there. Analysts said the iPhone was going to cost $249 to $349 6 months before it shipped. Wrong.
2) Not thinking about how Apple prices it's products. With the exception of the $199-249 price range, there is almost NO overlap in the pricing of Apple products, despite their different uses. Confusing people between the $999 MacBook and an "Apple Tablet" would be avoided at all costs. My prediction: $699-799.
3) Full OS X - aka Snow Leopard. Snow Leopard is designed to run on Intel chips. It is highly unlikely that any Apple tablet would run on Intel chips because ARM chips use much less power. Plus, buying a company like P.A. Semi implies designing your own chips instead of getting something from Intel.

No full OS X. Period. And the relationship between a Mac and an iPhone when Apple says "iPhone runs OS X", is more revelant from a developer standpoint than a consumer one. Slapping an OS onto a different form factor is why Windows XP Tablet Edition hasn't flourished like Microsoft would like it to.
4) E-books. Rumors talk about e-books as if that's the only thing the Apple tablet will have. Are we forgetting that Apple is a MEDIA company? You don't hear anything about movies and TV Shows deals (a no brainer on a tablet that size) because Apple already has the deals and infrastructure setup! E-books would be a "me too" thing, not the central goal.
5) Building on point 4, it's not an e-book only device. If it's going to browse the web, it's going to be a color LCD screen. It's the reason why magazines aren't on the Kindle, as they are in COLOR!
6) The largest shipping OLED screen is from LG at 15" costing $2600. Before that, Sony had a OLED TV at 11" costing $2500. And neither of those devices have sold at the volume which an Apple product would sell at (even the AppleTV sold 1 million units in the first year, I doubt the Sony OLED TV has hit that much since it's been out in Dec. 2007). Even if an Apple tablet were to use at 6-8" OLED screen, I think everyone can see the silliness in suggesting any use of OLED within the next year or two.


If someone can find some error in my reasoning, please let me know. I haven't said what I think it will have, because who would believe some random dude on a forum? But, some suggestions stated even by analysts make me wonder how they still have a job!

 

[Melodeath]

Hi, I'm new here.

I've been seeing a lot of interest in this Apple tablet, and I'm really confused. Do we know what this device is going to be? Even after reading a bunch of stuff here and through google, I can't really tell what the tablet is going to be. A kindle? Why is everyone so excited if we know next to nothing about it? Maybe I just don't understand what a tablet is besides touchscreen.

 

[KristenM]

I can see 2 major group of people that will be pushing this towards.

1. The commuter. The ability to get newspapers and magazines, carry your books, check your email, and do a bit of light work on the commute to and from work, all on one light, portable device. Instead of stopping for a paper on the way to the train (subway, bus, whatever), you download the NYT or WSJ while your walking and it's ready to read when you sit down. You can exchange emails with your colleagues, pull up a document or excel spreadsheet on the way in and make some minor edits.

2. The college student. No more going to the bookstore, hunting through the maze of shelves, waiting in line for an hour to pay $1200 on books for your five classes only to sell them back 4 months later for $150 (if you're lucky). You pick up your tablet, type in the titles, and less than an hour later you have 5 textbooks with interactive features (videos, self tests, submit homework to profs online, interact with other students on forums) for $600.
You bring your device with you to class and you have your interactive textbook with you, can take notes, and yes browse the web and play games when you get bored (I do know my students well enough to know this will happen!). No more lugging around heavy textbooks, notebooks, pens, etc., just pick up your tablet and go.

If they can somehow make it so that as I'm lecturing from a keynote or powerpoint presentation, my students can see the slides on their tablet and can take notes right on the slide as it comes up that would be huge! Even better if they can implement a clicker-like interface so I can pop up questions and have my students respond on their device over wi-fi.


As long as this tablet has the ability to do, at the very least, light productivity work with iWork/Office, $1000 is a fine pricepoint. My students would, on average, just from textbook savings alone, make up the cost of the device in 3 semesters.

 

[ppnkg]

I just hope it's an ultraportable+anything else, and not an e-book, e-newspaper reader+nothing

it's supposed to redefine the netbook category, right?

 

[Vulpinemac]

I just hope it's an ultraportable+anything else, and not an e-book, e-newspaper reader+nothing

it's supposed to redefine the netbook category, right?

To be specific, nobody but Apple really knows. Everything that's been reported up to now is either based on speculation from patents that Apple has applied for or received; 'insider' reports from people who supposedly work for suppliers or assemblers of Apple's products; or simply put, pure guesswork.

Is it supposed to redefine the netbook category? Personally, I hope so; but at the roughly $800 to $1000 price tag that differently analysts have given it, the netbook may hang on simply because it's 1/3 to 1/4 the price. However, I've passed on purchasing a netbook simply because I can't justify owning a sub-notebook that doesn't give me any advantage over my 8-year-old iBook other than smaller size and lighter weight. The disadvantage of still having to set the thing down someplace simply to use it outweighs the size advantage. On the other hand, if the Apple Tablet is truly something more than an iPod Touch and even somewhat equivalent in capability to a netbook + iPod Touch, then it may be well worth the purchase price. Having a digital 'legal pad' that you can use any time, any place, even when walking down the street/corridor/etc... would be a great leap forward over any other current product on the market.

 

[dgdosen]

I certainly hope the words "AT&T Data Plan" are nowhere to be seen in any tablet announcement.

 

[dave1812dave]

Since you've just proven how anti-Apple you are, let's consider your arguments:

"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?"

And yet despite these so-called lacks, it sold in the millions during its first year. 'Cut and Paste?' It's more an annoyance to me than a benefit. Now the thing wants to cut and paste everything when all I'm trying to do is scroll up on the page. If you want my opinion, Apple should not have listened to the few noisy ones that thought they know what everyone else wants.

"Or how about all the ports they have elected to leave off of their computers."

I said "All New." Modifying the laptops does not qualify. And honestly, the Macs really don't have significantly fewer ports than any other machine; they just consolidated them. After all, how many of you carry 8 different devices with your laptop everywhere you go? With the 4-, 7, and even 11-port capabilities of USB hubs and the daisy-chaining capabilities of Firewire, you really don't need more than 1 of each type of port on the computer itself.

"Or how they made glossy-only screens on some iterations of their laptops?"

Personally, I prefer the glossy screen. If you don't like the reflections, just use a static-cling-type screen protector. In my own case, it's easier to see through the reflections than it is to try and squint through the glare caused by matte screens.

"Or the stupid one button mouse?"
Aside from the fact that Apple hasn't made a one-button mouse in years, you seem to think that that was the only kind of mouse Apple computers could use. Get with the times, man; I've been using 5 or more buttons on my mice since even before OS X was released!

"The first Touch didn't have a frickin' volume control button or speaker, for crap's sakes!"
Nor did their predecessors. I mean, really -- why have a cheap one-channel speaker in a device that plays in stereo? You don't need a physical volume control if you don't have a physical speaker. The iPod Touch doesn't need it and I can't really understand why Apple listened to you and put one in! The only time you need a speaker on an iPod is when you want it to alert you to something like an iCal appointment or some other alarm.

But again, I said "NEW PRODUCT." Apple's iMac MADE USB the standard; all the other companies had essentially ignored it prior to that. Apple's iPod MADE MP3s the must-have music format; the Creative and other earlier products just couldn't create a demand. Apple's iPhone MADE Smartphones a consumer device. No other company could even envision using such a device outside of the enterprise. And yes, if you go far enough back, Apple MADE the GUI the standard computing environment; Microsoft released versions of Windows before '95, but it wasn't that much better than working in a command-line interface. Microsoft's Win95 was released almost immediately after Apple lost the 'look-and-feel' lawsuit, which put Windows '95 10 years behind the Apple GUI from the outset... a lag that Windows has only just been able to close significantly with Win7.

I'm not saying Apple is the greatest company in the world; what I'm saying is that Apple has changed the existing market EVERY TIME they've released an all-new product. That's not Kool-Aid, that's documented fact.

Not sure just how "anti-Apple" I am, considering I've got 11 iPods for my wife and I.

I'll just say I agree to disagree with you regarding Apple's overall prowess in making products that I feel are not quite properly designed. Sure they sell well, but that doesn't negate all of the many complaints over the very issues I have already outlined. As good as their products are, the issues I mentioned are mentioned over and over again by many consumers. There are plenty of fanbois to keep Apple from going under, but then again, just how much market share does Apple have of the computer market? Roughly 9% or so, right? Apple fans are very vocal, but the rest of us vote with our wallets, and we generally vote for non-Apple computers.

 

[QEII Student IT]

Hi, I'm new here.

I've been seeing a lot of interest in this Apple tablet, and I'm really confused. Do we know what this device is going to be? Even after reading a bunch of stuff here and through google, I can't really tell what the tablet is going to be. A kindle? Why is everyone so excited if we know next to nothing about it? Maybe I just don't understand what a tablet is besides touchscreen.

Absolutely not! There are lots of rumours, but the point is they are rumours! No one will know for sure until it is released by Apple (if it is released)

 

[Manderby]

The rumor goes on.

1000$ is extremely much in my opinion, 300$ not more. But on the other hand, the Air costs about 1200$ whereas I also would only spend 600$ for its purpose but people still buy it.

Some people are concerned about the display. OLED seems not to be a good idea and traditional LCD are not good for reading. But what if this is no traditional LCD? The main reason why the eyes hurt from an LCD is the backlit. So let's just remove the backlit and make the screen translucent. And in addition, put sensors into the pixels (I think, there was a patent once?) so that the device can be used as some kind of scanner or simply a huge camera.

I really liked the idea of a transparent screen, so I did a mockup of this, just for fun. It does not shows something special, just the device in use.

 

[powers74]

Exactly. Given a choice between the two I wouldn't pick the tablet.

And a lot of people will.

Yes, compared to my Macbook that's limited. I sure wouldn't pay $1000 for oversized iPhone (or touch). And given Apple's pricing I'd be surprised if we would see this thing at less than $1500.

You've got to consider what these things are though. The iPhone is a Phone. Holy ****, you mean it's not as functional as your laptop? This thing isn't going to be a laptop either. For what it will be, I think it will be incredibly functional.

 

[Apple Beta Geek]

I am a tablet beta tester.

I actually just finished Beta testing an Apple tablet. I had it since September and have just gave it back last Monday. I have to admit it was one of the coolest things i ever played with. Apple has a few things worked out to use on the tablet like magazines and other books. They paid for me to have a monthly subscription of People, mens health and a few others. It was awesome!! On the delivery day a notification popped up and told me this months issue was available. The magazine was perfect and the coolest thing was on the ads, when I saw something I liked, I clicked on it and it took me to their site. The books were pretty cool. Not too much different then the kindle, but any word I had trouble on I clicked and it defined it. It connected to the internet via wi fi and was pretty easy to use and fast. Honestly I cant wait to get it back. It didnt replace my laptop but was awesome for carrying around on planes. The battery was good, but didnt last as long as I would like. It tended to die after about 3 hours of use. Thats pretty good but I would like 8 hours like a lot of netbooks have. It also synched with my itunes for music. It is probably the coolest gadget I ever used.

 

[uraniumwilly]

I actually just finished Beta testing an Apple tablet. I had it since September and have just gave it back last Monday. I have to admit it was one of the coolest things i ever played with. Apple has a few things worked out to use on the tablet like magazines and other books. They paid for me to have a monthly subscription of People, mens health and a few others. It was awesome!! On the delivery day a notification popped up and told me this months issue was available. The magazine was perfect and the coolest thing was on the ads, when I saw something I liked, I clicked on it and it took me to their site. The books were pretty cool. Not too much different then the kindle, but any word I had trouble on I clicked and it defined it. It connected to the internet via wi fi and was pretty easy to use and fast. Honestly I cant wait to get it back. It didnt replace my laptop but was awesome for carrying around on planes. The battery was good, but didnt last as long as I would like. It tended to die after about 3 hours of use. Thats pretty good but I would like 8 hours like a lot of netbooks have. It also synched with my itunes for music. It is probably the coolest gadget I ever used.

[Enter black helicopters hired to attack all who break nondisclosure agreements.]