They also do larger special events at the Flint Center theater/auditorium down the road from their HQ in Cupertino. The original Macintosh introduction in 1984 was there and they still use it.
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Apple Asking App Developers to Prepare for Large Screen Demos Next Month?
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It is vague, could very well be a new iPhone.
As to full screen I think Apple is simply looking for apps that aren't coded to the current iPhones screen resolution. The SDK makes it fairly simple to do this and it has been reccomended practice for years. In a way Apple is saying to developers that they should have paid attention and coded as reccomended.
Also they could have in mind a larger Touch that really isn't the tablet device that has been speculated. The thing that would distinguish between a bigger iPod Touch and a tablet would be capability and accessibility.
Dave
I wouldn't jump to conclusions about a tablet device as Apple could see a need to deliver a new iPhone that outclasses the latest Google Android devices. Such a phone might have either a larger screen or more pixels.
As to full screen I think Apple is simply looking for apps that aren't coded to the current iPhones screen resolution. The SDK makes it fairly simple to do this and it has been reccomended practice for years. In a way Apple is saying to developers that they should have paid attention and coded as reccomended.
Also they could have in mind a larger Touch that really isn't the tablet device that has been speculated. The thing that would distinguish between a bigger iPod Touch and a tablet would be capability and accessibility.
Dave
What sort of world are you living in? One where a Tablet can ONLY be a bigger iPhone OR a smaller laptop?
The iPhone OS can run more than one program at a time. Apple's own software does this! Apple chose to restrict this access to 3rd party applications to ensure that the device's battery doesn't drain, the gui is simpler, and phone calls are handled properly. If this device has a bigger battery, the gui can enable multi-tasking (as it's bigger and can show more) and there are no phone calls, I have no doubt that multi-tasking will be allowed.
About iTunes - can you not currently purchase items that will work ONLY on an old iPod (like music), and items that will ONLY work on a newer iPod Touch / iPhone (like games)? A new category of iTablet type apps would appear.
this "tablet" sounds exciting
how many people have used a modbook (macbook tablet)?
I tried one once. I found it would be good if my primary use was for something like sketching/drawing, but otherwise suffered the same issues as windows tablets.
My "ideal" mac tablet would be a macbook air sized enclosure. Based on my modbook experience the OS definitely needs a built to suit UI. As to the best approach to providing this - Mac derived OS or iPhone derived OS - I will leave that to those that have the expertise -
how many people have used a modbook (macbook tablet)?
I tried one once. I found it would be good if my primary use was for something like sketching/drawing, but otherwise suffered the same issues as windows tablets.
My "ideal" mac tablet would be a macbook air sized enclosure. Based on my modbook experience the OS definitely needs a built to suit UI. As to the best approach to providing this - Mac derived OS or iPhone derived OS - I will leave that to those that have the expertise -
An application should ask the operating system how large the screen is (on a desktop or laptop: How large the screens are), and then it should adapt to the size. An application doing this would run fine on an iPhone, iPod Touch, a newer phone with slightly bigger or slightly smaller screen, a 7 inch tablet, or a 7 inch table attached to your 50 inch TV.
Nope. It makes perfect sense, but only if you realize that Apple is ALSO planning to revamp the AppleTV OS to run App Store goodies as well as allowing the iTablet to run television programing and movies. Let the convergence begin!
The idea of AppleTV actually evolving into something useful(IMO) is good news but I can't imagine how touch-based apps would be intuitive on a TV.
Not exactly. While UI elements and vector elements would look fine, things like bitmaps wouldn't look right. Most people, to save memory, use small bitmaps that match the display resolution, rather than hi-res bitmaps that they scale down. Apps that use bitmaps would therefore either look broken, or, alternately, grainy.
Exactly!
Yep, all these people complaining about IPhone OS not being powerful enough or something less than OS/X don't know what they are talking about. It is the same kernel and in many cases the same tool kits, iPhone software is in effect as powerful as anything on the Mac given the hardware limitations.
In some ways the iPhone is actually a better platform to develop on because there are fewer constraints from legacy software support.
Also what is notable in many of the complaints seen about iPhone OS is that they are really complaining about is missing apps. In otherwords functionality Apple can add at anytime.
Dave
Yep, all these people complaining about IPhone OS not being powerful enough or something less than OS/X don't know what they are talking about. It is the same kernel and in many cases the same tool kits, iPhone software is in effect as powerful as anything on the Mac given the hardware limitations.
In some ways the iPhone is actually a better platform to develop on because there are fewer constraints from legacy software support.
Also what is notable in many of the complaints seen about iPhone OS is that they are really complaining about is missing apps. In otherwords functionality Apple can add at anytime.
Dave
I can use my iphone as a remote for my appleTV, maybe they could integrate a tablet to be a more sophisticated remote?
Rather than the OS, I think people should be concerned about the distribution model. Are we limited to the appstore? If so, why should apple get to veto software this time? With the iphone, at least they had the excuse of not wanting to bring down the voice network. Even assuming that the tablet has a 3G modem, how is that different than a macbook with a 3G card - why control every aspect of third party software for one but not the other?
Mockup
This sounds plausible, and very much in line with a mockup I did on my blog about resolution independence way back in April...
http://www.macpredictions.com/2009/04/ipod-tablet-mockup.html
(This mockup was subsequently "borrowed" by many other sites.)
There's another concept mockup here:
http://www.macpredictions.com/2009/08/could-new-itablet-actually-be-ipod.html
I think this new rumor supports the double resolution 7" iPod touch on steroids tablet theory nicely.
This sounds plausible, and very much in line with a mockup I did on my blog about resolution independence way back in April...
http://www.macpredictions.com/2009/04/ipod-tablet-mockup.html
(This mockup was subsequently "borrowed" by many other sites.)
There's another concept mockup here:
http://www.macpredictions.com/2009/08/could-new-itablet-actually-be-ipod.html
I think this new rumor supports the double resolution 7" iPod touch on steroids tablet theory nicely.
I can speak from experience as an iPhone app developer about what Apple meant when they said this:
As we know, the iPhone and the iPod touch have fixed screen size, and this hasn't changed over 6 devices. When drawing certain screen elements, the developer has the opportunity to just use the raw dimensions (like 320 x 480) when deciding where to render things. However, there are system variables (something like DeviceScreenDimensionX) that are exposed by the device. In all the documentation, Apple enforces using these system variables as opposed to raw dimensions in practically all of their developer documentation, and I always found this interesting (as if they were planning for differently sized iPhone OS devices).
I am absolutely psyched for the announcement next month
As we know, the iPhone and the iPod touch have fixed screen size, and this hasn't changed over 6 devices. When drawing certain screen elements, the developer has the opportunity to just use the raw dimensions (like 320 x 480) when deciding where to render things. However, there are system variables (something like DeviceScreenDimensionX) that are exposed by the device. In all the documentation, Apple enforces using these system variables as opposed to raw dimensions in practically all of their developer documentation, and I always found this interesting (as if they were planning for differently sized iPhone OS devices).
I am absolutely psyched for the announcement next month
Lost in the woods are we?
You need to look into why people really love app store and the iPhone/Touch. It is extremely convient to have a single repository to get most of your apps from. Even more so is the ease of keeping all your software up to date. Apples great invention wasn't Touch or the IPhone but rather app store, which makes the IPhone many magnitudes more useful than it would have been. Without a doubt IPhone would have struggled in the marketplace without app store and intact current IPhone sales are driven by IPhone.
That may be fine with you but please consider that your view of IPhone OS seems to be clouded by a lot of false information. Clearly you don't know what you are talking about nor can you because the hardware and OS rev have not been released yet. You have no idea what IPhone OS 4 will deliver nor what the hardware capability is like.
Dave
First off Apple doesn't rule over app store with an iron fist. They simply have standards like any other business. Second the store rapidly expanded beyound what Apple expected so they had growing pains. There has been nothing in the media yo indicate ruling with an iron fist, rather Apple has rejected a number of apps that pruposefully went against the developer agreements.
How do you know what it is capable of running? If it is ARM based it certainly isn't capable if running OS/X apps. Besides I've yet to see anyone explain how a touch based device would reliable run apps designed fir a mouse and desktop. The industry went through this with Windows tablets and it clearly doesn't work.
The above is either illogical or just plain stupid. IPhone apps have nothing to do with windows. In any event you are totally missing the good parts with respect to app store.
You need to look into why people really love app store and the iPhone/Touch. It is extremely convient to have a single repository to get most of your apps from. Even more so is the ease of keeping all your software up to date. Apples great invention wasn't Touch or the IPhone but rather app store, which makes the IPhone many magnitudes more useful than it would have been. Without a doubt IPhone would have struggled in the marketplace without app store and intact current IPhone sales are driven by IPhone.
That may be fine with you but please consider that your view of IPhone OS seems to be clouded by a lot of false information. Clearly you don't know what you are talking about nor can you because the hardware and OS rev have not been released yet. You have no idea what IPhone OS 4 will deliver nor what the hardware capability is like.
Dave
iPad
But Apple makes both the hardware and the software, so it doesn't really matter then, does it?
I think this is a good way to look at it. I used to be skeptical of a seperate tablet OS, but I'm starting to realize it might not be such a bad thing.
see above.
agreed.
ditto.
I think they'll do a demo late Jan. early Feb., with a late summer release targeting education. I think it'll be an awesome device for enterprise too; medical, corporate, sales. I think digital artists & designers will gobble this thing up, I know I will. Not to mention the digital print factor. I think this is going to be another groundbreaking device.
But Apple makes both the hardware and the software, so it doesn't really matter then, does it?
I think this is a good way to look at it. I used to be skeptical of a seperate tablet OS, but I'm starting to realize it might not be such a bad thing.
see above.
agreed.
Exactly. As usual, only Apple is gonna get it for real and reinvent a whole new market, whereas the rest is gonna wither and disappear...
Just wait 'til Windows fanboys come back and utter: "Oh, but tablets existed waaaay before the Apple Tablet, so they did nothing original!"
ditto.
I think they'll do a demo late Jan. early Feb., with a late summer release targeting education. I think it'll be an awesome device for enterprise too; medical, corporate, sales. I think digital artists & designers will gobble this thing up, I know I will. Not to mention the digital print factor. I think this is going to be another groundbreaking device.
Technical hurdles aside, I have wondered why Apple has not turned Dashboard Widgets into a platform for iPhone apps, which would (1) create another revenue stream for paid apps, and (2) halo iPhone users onto Macs.
iPhone apps and dashboard widgets serve somewhat different functions -- the best iPhone apps are mobile-intensive, and the best dashboard widgets extend or simplify things you do on your Mac -- but there's a lot of overlap.
For a year I've been predicting the tablet will be 7.75″ by 4.5″ by 0.4″ with a 7.75″ diagonal 1280 by 720 screen at 190DPI, including multi touch, a stylus, WiFi, accepting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
That is a 720p HD screen in a unit that is about the size of three iPhones side by side, something big enough to be HD but still fits in a jacket pocket. Over the year many rumors have said there will be a 10.1" screen - I can live with that, it should still be 16:9 720p.
It will run iPhone OS with additions such as Ink, which will allow a stylus to be used for signatures (think Apple's point of sale application as well as drawing). There will be no keyboard, but it handles a Bluetooth keyboard. This will not be a phone, but a laptop replacement.
It will run all App Store apps. Apps have always been able to adjust to different screen sizes. So many apps will look OK on a big screen. I have four apps in the store and I expect all will look OK. On the other hand we have been told exact sizes for things and some apps will have glitches. So I expect apps will run in a 320x460 window util the app or the user flips a bit to let it go full screen. I expect multiple windows (apps) can be open at once.
I also predict that the device will NOT have 3G built in! Just WiFi, and will be sold everywhere without restriction. But there will be a slot that will take a 3G/4G card. Carriers can sell this card and it gives the device the ability to use that carrier's data service - not voice. Carriers can sell the device bundled with their card and a contract, subsidizing the device. But you can get it cardless, anywhere. This opens the device to any store, any carrier.
That is a 720p HD screen in a unit that is about the size of three iPhones side by side, something big enough to be HD but still fits in a jacket pocket. Over the year many rumors have said there will be a 10.1" screen - I can live with that, it should still be 16:9 720p.
It will run iPhone OS with additions such as Ink, which will allow a stylus to be used for signatures (think Apple's point of sale application as well as drawing). There will be no keyboard, but it handles a Bluetooth keyboard. This will not be a phone, but a laptop replacement.
It will run all App Store apps. Apps have always been able to adjust to different screen sizes. So many apps will look OK on a big screen. I have four apps in the store and I expect all will look OK. On the other hand we have been told exact sizes for things and some apps will have glitches. So I expect apps will run in a 320x460 window util the app or the user flips a bit to let it go full screen. I expect multiple windows (apps) can be open at once.
I also predict that the device will NOT have 3G built in! Just WiFi, and will be sold everywhere without restriction. But there will be a slot that will take a 3G/4G card. Carriers can sell this card and it gives the device the ability to use that carrier's data service - not voice. Carriers can sell the device bundled with their card and a contract, subsidizing the device. But you can get it cardless, anywhere. This opens the device to any store, any carrier.
Just allow me to run VLC on it, and I'll buy it...
And if Apple is planning on maintaining their control over distribution as they do with the iphone/ipod touch, this is not going to happen...
And if Apple is planning on maintaining their control over distribution as they do with the iphone/ipod touch, this is not going to happen...
eInk Hybrid?
I have a vague memory of an Apple patent being shown about that involved showing content on a screen from multiple layers. Could it be possible they have layerd an eInk display either over or under an LCD display giving the best of both worlds? Kind of like the Nook but without 2 different display areas?
I have a vague memory of an Apple patent being shown about that involved showing content on a screen from multiple layers. Could it be possible they have layerd an eInk display either over or under an LCD display giving the best of both worlds? Kind of like the Nook but without 2 different display areas?