If that were so you'd know that Apple TV isn't ARM and has nothing to do with the iPhone code base.
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Apple Placing Orders for Tablet Components? Connectors, 10-Inch Screen
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If that were so you'd know that Apple TV isn't ARM and has nothing to do with the iPhone code base.
The people I knew at NeXT were Adam Beeman and Michael Snyder. Neither was a kernel engineer, but it was a small company and they had a lot of contact across groups. Michael was largely working on the compilers and debuggers, and thus had to deal with the cross-platform work. I was also a regular on the next newsgroups, where we had regular input from a couple of the core engineers (but, for the life of me, I can't remember the main one's name right now).
I'm not sure if Mike Kaye was an Apple employee who went to work on NeXT stuff after they bought NeXT, or if he was a NeXT employee who got hired right before they got bought. Though, he was mainly focused on WebObjects.
I also had a couple of friends in my larger circle of college friends, one named Dan, who said a few things at various times. Though, I honestly don't know what Dan directly works on at Apple.
And, since the merger, and the demise of Cygnus Solutions (where I worked), several of my old friends there went to work at Apple (in the compiler and debugger groups). (that's actually how I know Michael Snyder, he left NeXT to come work at Cygnus; I know Adam because was part of that larger circle of college friends, and married a good friend of mine ... after NeXT, Adam went on to be the sysadmin for the executive team at Pixar ... and then Apple).
This appears to be a very plausible analysis.
There are a lot of interdependencies between the operating systems and it appears that Apple has its hands full juggling engineering resources in order to finalize and ship hardware and software in a timely manner.
Assuming that Apple launches this phantom tablet this spring, here's what it looks like:
- Spring: tablet, maybe Apple TV + mid-tier OS
- Summer: phone, iPhone OS
- Fall: consumer Macs, legacy iPods, Mac OS X
Apple has very little wiggle room otherwise the whole schedule could slip.
It is a very reasonable analysis but here's the problem: The tablet is as important as the iPhone and far more important than the Mac right now. Why?
1. A touch/gesture-based system is the future of computing and not a keyboard and mouse.
2. The Mac OS itself has gone as far as it can be taken. We are now at the point where we quibble over slight UI changes and nothing has really changed since 10.3.
3. The idea of the Finder has become antiquated and can be revolutionized with an iPhone OS style design.
Apple will be really dropping the ball if it's just an oversized iPhone. This is the next generation of computing. I still hold out hope that this is what Apple is thinking because no one guessed correctly what the iPhone was before Macworld 2007.
If it's an oversized iPhone, I will turn my nose. If it's what I hope it'll be, then I'll be on it like Steve Ballmer on stupid.
The two shall remain indivisible; inseparable and inextricably bonded, nonetheless.
That's why I make the following predictions:
1) it will be based on the iPhone OS. For example, it will include UIKit. It will be a superset of the iPhone OS. For example, UITableViews will support multiple columns, there will be new user interface elements (new keyboard types and probably some sort of handwriting recognition and/or voice input), etc.
2) it will support multitasking, though you won't be able to hook system events. Apps will have to get used to receiving ApplicationWillResignActive messages and do the right thing (many don't, right now). An aggressive OS scheduler will kill apps that are hurting performance too much.
3) it will come with additional built-in apps, including some sort of finder-like thing that will support importing and syncing files with local machines and the cloud (at least Mobile Me). The SDK will be augmented to relax the sandbox enough to allow apps access to a shared file system. Probably before an app is allowed to modify a file the first time, an alert will ask permission (like location tracking right now).
4) it will run on ARM. Existing iPhone apps will work. If the author doesn't set a flag in Info.plist, they will be scaled to full screen and look crummy. If the author does set the bit, he can take full advantage of the full resolution. There will be some sort of gesture to trigger something like expose.
5) it may come with a book reader and itunes may sell books/magazines, but I think it's less than 50% - instead I think you'll buy book apps off the appstore.
6) there will be no way to sideload apps (except for developers), same as iphone. This will continue to be an annoyance.
7) it will have some sort of 3g modem.
I agree with what you're saying for the most part but this has to be a independent device. It shouldn't have to rely on a Mac as the main machine. If that is the case, it'll sell but it won't be a revolution. It's OK if it's locked into the App Store (it would be jailbroken anyway) but it still has to be a computer. The monthly 3G price would raise it to the price of a fully open base MBP.
I can assure you that if Apple chooses it to be an oversized iPhone, Google will pick up where the iSlate left off. Reports are already coming out that the first Chorme OS device is a tablet.
I suspect you will be able to be independent as far as docs are concerned. You will be able to mail yourself docs to sideload them, or sync them from iTunes or the finder, or sync with mobile.me. If it does have a book/periodical reader, these will likely sync over-the-air. Music will not sync over the air - it will work like iPhone. Eventually, presumably, lala.com will end up meaning over-the-air sync, but who knows.
Here are a few more radical predictions - it will use mini-USB, not a dock connector. It will support bluetooth and 802.11n. It will have a SD card slot.
I'm fine with whatever as long as I don't have to rely on a Mac. The world is just starting to break out of an economic depression. While Apple has been successful, it's been because they have reliable and well built devices in the Mac, iPhone and iPod touch. If you're introducing a product that replaces nothing and adds a monthly data plan fee it just won't sell incredibly well.
For me, I'm not worried about money but I'm not just going to buy a device that I don't really need (already have a Macbook), add two pounds of weight to my bag and pay a data fee. I can already get my news for free. Considering that 60% of Macs purchased are laptops and the industry as a whole is moving towards portability, I don't think I'm alone in this regard.
Has it occured to you that they don't want your money?
Especially if there is a lot more money to be made in another market segment.
You sound like something between the King of Saudi Arabia and a 5 year old child..
Since Apple apparently makes all products according to your specs, why doesn't the iPhone do multitasking?
Answer: none
It will not even have a power connector. The price will be "surprisingly low" because if you want to use cables, you will have to buy the new airport especially designed for the tablet. Oh, you will be able to print to a classic airport, but the new airport will give you all the connectivity you need - for a few more dollars. It will recharge with a magnetic field charger, so there will not even be a power slot in it.
Personally, I would really like to see some sort of native slot for SD/xD cards (or a multi-format slot), but I would not count on it.
Because I have a set of standards, can/will stick to them, and am willing to state them matter of factly?
If I was saying "they better do it, or they'll regret it!" that'd be different. But, I don't expect that Apple will care. I'm just stating my buying standards.
Because they don't don't make products according to my specs. Duh. Who said they do? (and, if they did make products according to my specs, the physical keyboard would be a higher priority than multi-tasking ... though, both would be taken care of).
I agree with basically all of that. I'll predict a few more things:
1. It may have mobile versions of iLife and/or iWork (tablet-only). These apps will be compatible with the desktop versions.
2. Camera, either as an option or on all models.
3. 32-128 GB flash memory?
4. MacRumors will be sharply divided between people who love it and people who hate it.
I hope there is an option for no 3G.
Do you think a tablet could replace the laptop? If it allowed a external keyboard and a stand I could see it happen...
Do you think a tablet could replace the laptop? If it allowed a external keyboard and a stand I could see it happen...
I've got Ubuntu on my Samsung Q1 Ultra. With that, I decided I didn't need a laptop anymore (has USB ports for keyboard/mouse/etc. and VGA out, but I couldn't ever get the VGA out to work with ubuntu and a 1280x1024 monitor; it also had screen rotation issues; so it is now relegated to being my couch computer).
The main things I want to be different about it:
1) Ubuntu is probably the best Linux out there, and it's leaps better than Windows ... but the fine detail integration still isn't as good as Mac OS X. And, it proved to me that I'm just not interested in always hacking my productivity devices; the devices I depend on have to have vendor supported OSes (and thus vendor supported Ubuntu, Android, or Mac OS X).
2) The screen is just a little too small ... my 9" dell mini 9 (which replaced the samsung as the "mobile computer") is almost right, so 9" or 10" seems perfect.
3) The screen rotation issue. There are TONS of times I want to use it in portrait mode, and just can't.
4) DVI-I or DisplayPort output, with support for 1024x768, 1280x1024, and WD displays. I'll accept VGA or HDMI, but I STRONGLY prefer DVI-I or DisplayPort (because they're each capable of being converted to both analog and digital display types, where VGA and HDMI are limited in their supported display types).
The lesson of the Dell mini 9, for me, is: I almost never use the keyboard because it's too big to thumb type, and too small to touch type. So it's basically just always in the way. What I want is not a netbook, it's a tablet or a convertible-tablet ... with a 10" screen, vendor supported Mac OS X, Android, or Ubuntu, usable USB and display ports, and functional automatic (or at least easy) screen rotation.
But, yes, a tablet can replace a laptop.
Do you think a tablet could replace the laptop? If it allowed a external keyboard and a stand I could see it happen...
I cannot imagine it would not at least accept a keyboard via BT. And, I think there will be an integrated stand on the back of the unit. Not so much to enable keyboard use but for watching videos, viewing slideshows etc. And, I think the integration of the stand will be a masterpiece of industrial design. It will be oriented to landscape viewing only - portrait viewing will be for handheld use.
As I think about it, it would also be nice if the tablet were to accept IR commands from the Apple remote. Again for ease of viewing when on its stand in landscape mode.
I'm sure we'll pity those Rev. A buyers until Apple gets it right.Neither the former nor the latter ones actually buying it, right?