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Apple Tablet Coming?

Yup, sounds like a good idea to me

Could be the new higher-end iPod multimedia player everybody's been wanting for quite some time now. Rather than a tablet, I think this will be a bridge between a PDA and a laptop but without all the bells and whistles. It should be about $799, if I know Apple but it could be a couple hundred more!
Folks, Motorola wants to sell that new 7457 G4 for $150 each per 10,000 batches. A 1 Ghz G4 could easily be placed in one of these puppies.
But you won't see this device before the next refresh of PowerBook upgrades, which I believe are on track for late August to 1.33 ghz, no duals sorry. I just think that they'll be too busy making the next generation motherboard of the new PowerBooks and also wanting to make sure they get it right this time with the just-in-time production scheme. MWSF sounds like a good forum to release this gadget or even Christmas. Apple is so open to release products due to their retail stores but you gotta do it when people are on vacation, over holidays or at MWSF.
So there, I've said it!
 
A rumor from Spymac, well that must be reliable. Tablet pcs do not sell that well, so unless this thing has something revolutionary about it I doubt that it will come out. There have been reports of apple employees using such devices internally for at least three years, so I do not see why it would be coming any time soon since the last hundred rumors about this fell through.

How many people would really buy this anyway? If it is priced similarly to the pc ones and about the same size I would not want one. I have tried writing on the pc tablets and it is very inconvenient in both its speed and the way you have to position your hand to write on the screen. I have a hard enough time writing on my newton because of its thickness and writing on tablets is far harder in my case.

Does anyone who has actually used a tablet pc think that it is anymore useful than a subnotebook or a new pda? I cannot think of anything that I could do easier or more effieciently on a tablet than could on either of the aforementioned devices. Anyone who has tried holding one of these tablets and writing on it at the same time knows that it is really not easy and it is often harder than writing on paper. So the easiest way to use them is when they are on a table, but then why not just use a notebook or paper.
 
Tablet, Newton II, Whatever.......

I would love to get a new Apple tablet that size. I have had several Palm and Visor hand helds (They are OK, but only the brand new ones even come close to matching the 5yr old Newton I got on ebay for $50). The Newtons larger size is a good thing, more space to wright on. If the new tablet is apx the same size, I say great.
G3 would be outstanding, but I would take whatever Apple offers. I agree that 5hrs of battery sounds a little skimpy but if you can have extra batteries, that might be ok. Check email, play music, take notes, apt.s, inkwell, and bluetooth (Keyboard @ Mouse) would be a good start. I know S.J. said no pda's and I understand why, but this tablet could be so much more. Apple reinvented the walkman for the modern age, maybe they can do the same for the pda / tablet. Bring it on!
 
Originally posted by GeeYouEye
Given how often this rumor surfaces, and given that it's been wrong every single time, and given how unlikely it is that anything will ever come out of it, shouldn't it be relegated to Page 2 by now?

Oh and one more thing (pun semi-intended): an 8.5 inch diagonal screen is the same size as the eMate, and possibly one of the earlier Newtons. I have a feeling what's been seen is one of them, especially given the IrDA port and the black enclosure. The only thing difficult to explain would be the backlit screen, but I've seen a Newton modded with LEDs to make the screen brighter, a la most Nokia cell phones.
Click to expand...

Why would the backlit screen be difficult to explain? I have an eMate 300 and it is backlit. The newton 130, 2000, and 2100 were also backlit, the h1000, 110, and 120 were not backlit. The eMate, or at least mine, has a 7in diagonal screen, that is backlit greyscale. Also i would hope that someone would be able to tell the difference between an eMate and a new tablet, as the emate is made more like a mini notebook in which the screen folds down to close like a notebook. THe eMate also has a built in handle that would be noticable. The eMate can look similar to a tablet if the screen is folded all the way back but there is still a keyboard so it should be obvious that it is not a tablet.
 
Full technical specifications are not available at this time, though battery life is said to be targeted for up to five hours and the unit is operated via touchscreen and displayed keyboard. A docking station, which will include an external keyboard and mouse, will be available for an additional charge.

The more 'bells and whistles' you put on the thing, the worse the batterylife is going to be. If they can pull off 5 hours that will be great - but the catch all here is upto.....

I'm going to take a wait and see approach on this one.

D
 
1+1=?

Let see what we have based on rumors and facts:

(1) Apple is making something small, tablet sized.
(1) SB hated/hates the Newton and pulled the plug on it
(1) SB said Apple will not make/believes in PDAs
(1) Apple only wants one OS
(1) iBook being discontinued (check this link
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=1906 )
(1) What ever Apple makes is real cool and usefull to someone some where

From here I am ASSuME:
Apple is coming out with a Hybird tablet of some type to replace the iBook
Powered by a G3
No CD/DVD (but supported via USB/FW)
30/40 GB HD
OS X (or some version of it. OS X is really *nix so some of the extras could be cut out)
Blue tooth
USB & Firewire (one of each)
Extreme Air port
10/100 NIC
Modem (not sure about this one)
256MB RAM (maybe 512)
All the iApps installed
Inkwell based HWR
Great battery life
For home users/schools/sciences
Only 1 version fully loaded for $999
Annoucment 4/1/03 8:30am on www.apple.com
Shipping 4/15/03


Lou G.
 
Originally posted by dukestreet
...I'm going to take a wait and see approach on this one.
Click to expand...

As opposed to what other option? I think we all have to take this approach.;)

I find it amusing when other people on this thread say that the release of this "iWhatever' is unlikely, simply because rumors [they're called rumors for a reason] of this have surfaced before.:rolleyes:

So what?! Timing is everything. I would prefer that Apple hold off on releasing a new DLD, or for that matter any product introduction, until market conditions are right.

I believe SJ has made his opposition to PDA's [in their current form] so public because Apple has known that they can be so much more and that they would be the first to market with it.

It may bare functions and a resemblance to existing devices, but it's what's under the hood that counts.

Come on people, this is Apple. As mentioned in some other posts, Apple will revolutionize this market. Actually, I would be inclined to speculate that this "iThing" will probably revolutionize several markets. The same way the iPod is much more than an MP3 player, offering portable firewire harddrive and quasi PDA capabilities by syncing with iCal and Address Book and even displaying the ability to play low end games. BTW, I'm sure there's more to be introduced for the original iPod in terms of features to compliment the rumored increase in hard drive capacity.

This "iHybrid" will be the cool bastard child of several input and convenience devices. "iBastard"?!:p

Apple proved that it can overtake a semi-non-computer related market with the iPod. It's awesome that home electronics stores [and others] have started selling iPods [Target, BestBuy, The Good Guys...DELL?!:D , etc.] because it appeals to so many people who may not be willing to traffic a computer store for something that they may not know what to do with. This way, when Joe Shmoe is on a family outing at one of these stores, and little Billy starts carrying on about an iPod while his working class wife, Mary Jane:cool:, starts clammering on about this new "iDevice", Joe will subconsciuosly start becoming more aware of Apple gadgets which have all acted as mini Trojan Horses into traditionally Windows computer households. Later, when Joe decides to buy a new computer, he will be a lot more likely to, at least, consider a Mac because of the Apple name and logo recognition which has been implemented in the Schmoe home by other means.

Apple Computer, Inc. will become a household name [in the words of Malcolm X] "By Any Means Necessary"!

Get the big picture here ya'll? This is somewhat beyond us loyal Mac users. It is still very much about Switchers.:)

We may moan and groan prior to Apple's releases, but the likelyhood that we will purchase in the end, or at least be supportive of the product introduction, is very high. It's not blind faith either. I feel that for most of us it's an educated decision. After all, we are smart enough to be Mac users to begin with!:)

We should be proud of the fact that we have come to a realization a lot sooner than the Windows drone Switchers did, or will.:cool:
 
powerPod ??

consumer / professional
iMac ---> PowerMac
iBook ---> PowerBook
iPod ---> PowerPod
iMovie ---> Final Cut Pro
iDVD ---> DVD Studio Pro

not that i believe spymac, but the one thing I think is
missing from my lovely 5gb iPod is input -- away
from a computer, an iPod is an output-only (read only) device
(music, ro-address book, ro-calendar, ro-todo list).
Even a microphone fw plug would do the trick for me --
voice annotations that I can deal with later, dealt with
like songs -- it's got the frau-mp3 encoders onboard,
and ripping capability right?
 
iWalk

How can this article be posted here without reference to the blunder that put SpyMac on the map.

iWalk anyone?
 
Spymac sure did a bad job with that tablet. I don't want a device targetted specifically to households; it has to be useful in all areas.

I'm starting to make my computer very speakable, using scripts to automate a lot of things. For the most part, I've had good success with voice recognition on my mac (except for occasionally trying to logout when I said no such thing). With the rumors about enhanced hardware-based speech recognition, I think we might bypass pen and keyboard and tell the computer what we think. Of course, pen input would be available so you won't interrupt meetings by telling your tablet what you think of your boss's ideas. I think a 7by5 tablet would be the perfect size and should definitely contain a wireless modem with an inexpensive service fee. A tablet, if done right, would be an unbelievable tool.
 
If the tablet is made I will drool over it.
If the tablet is made I won't buy, it won't get sufficient sales to justify R&D and tooling up costs.
If the tablet is made it will fail, and then we will mourn the failure of another cool ahead of its time piece of Apple sturbonness to look at the market before making the next cooler than death computing object.

Why - the tablet's main market is enterprise. Apple has no enterprise market share. They might be trying to make a new market but this generally information appliance type device have failed to date. Use - what can this do that an Ibook, CLIE or TV-DVD can't?
 
I am one of these people who is waiting for an update to the iPod and have been excited by the rumours and then left disappointed. I'd hate to buy one then a month later something comes out which brings more functionality. If these rumours were to be true then I'd order one straight away. The iPod is fantastic but it's a music playing device only with a few features added on. I have been thinking about the Sony Clie but would much prefer an Apple device and am prepared to wait a while and pay a bit extra if I had to. I would just love to see a multifunctional device that is a full entertainment system that I could use on trains, lunchbreaks etc. Yes you could listen to music, view your contacts, address book etc but I'd love to see the ability to play games (not just breakout), watch and record quicktime movies, take photos, be used as a phone, browse the web, and sync everything with your .mac account. Essentially everything a laptop does but without the size. Apple has the ability to do this and I think that the iPod's success has proved there is a demand for an apple gadget. If they do, then we all know that the device will a) look great b) be compatible with other Apple products and c) make your PC friends so jealous. Bring it on.
 
8.4" screen?????????????????????

what resolution would that be? less than 800*600 so it's absolutly useless for surfing the net. and still to big to carry around like an iPod.
 
Originally posted by Vector
Does anyone who has actually used a tablet pc think that it is anymore useful than a subnotebook or a new pda?
Click to expand...

PDAs
PDAs are too limited in functionality and they don't play well with others (computers and applications). They seem to be locked into a mid-1990s mind-set.

Tablets
As currently implemented, no. And certainly not at their current prices.
As Apple could implement it, YES.

The predictable rash of nay-sayers, after a rumor like this, tend to completely miss the point of a tablet form factor (as Microsoft and its minions do). People in business and academia move around a lot between meetings, classes, etc. It's tedious and distracting for me to pull out my Powerbook to take notes ... popping up the screen in front of me also puts a wall between me and the others in the meeting/class. For larger meetings, it's difficult to balance a laptop on my lap. Finally, I'm not a touch typist, so using a laptop draws my focus away from what I'm supposed to be paying attention to.

So, the laptop winds up staying in my briefcase/backpack while I scribble on a pad of paper ... which I can do without looking at it (the tactile and inertial feedback is sufficient for me). Of course, then, I rarely copy my notes to my laptop so, when I need them, I have to spend a lot of time flipping back through pads of paper. Note that one reason pads of paper are so ubiquitous is that they work well and work naturally for people ... but they are analog.

A tablet affords the combination of the natural ease of use of a pad of paper with the recording (and search?) features of a computer. IT SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE ALL THE FUNCTIONALITY OF A LAPTOP (this point is what folks don't seem to get). Instead, its design should enable you to work seamlessly with your laptop(s)/desktop(s), not instead of them.

So, let me hand-write my notes in meetings/classes. Let me use a hand scanner to scan printed images in fo later OCR (via my laptop/desktop). Let me record/play audio of meetings/classes (to rip and burn later via my laptop/desktop). Let me take pictures and store them (and process them later with my laptop/desktop). Even offer a high end option to record/play video (but process/burn/edit on my laptop/desktop).

Let my tablet store all this as I move around getting the things done that I need to get done, then let my laptop/desktop automatically grab them from my tablet and help me to organize them and to do whatever processing I need to do. Let my notes get Inkwell'd and put into Filemaker. Let my scans get OmniPage'd (or preferably a better supported OCR app) and stored in folders (or put into Filemaker). Let my audio recordings be auto-processed to remove noise and to equalize the levels and rip'd to MP3 (or DSS or MPEG-4) to be moved to my iPod. Let my still pictures be cleaned up and iPhoto'd. Let my video clips be FCP Expressed into my collection of clips for subsequent iDVDing.

In short, let a tablet add value by tying together all these parts of my world and simply make it easier to to do the work I need to do.

I think 802.11g & TCP/IP would be the minimum for connectivity (though I wouldn't mind connections between my Bluetooth cellphone and my Tablet) with my laptop(s)/desktop(s), so I would also like a web browser for information retrieval. I could live without Firewire if I had this. Of course, that also opens the door for other varieties of connectivity that others might prefer (eg email, ftp, SMB, etc.) ... which reminds me ... it would be great if I could also (minimally) use my Tablet with the Windows boxen I'm forced to use in some circumstances (USB 2, in addition to ftp and SMB?). That might even add enough value so that Windows users would buy them (OK, maybe Apple could throw in Solitaire and ine Sweeper to make them happier) ...

This would be sufficiently useful that I wouldn't mind paying $1000-$1200 for it, though I think that under $1000 would be more reasonable for most.

If you want/need a laptop, fine. Just understand that simply because you wouldn't want a tablet doesn't mean that others wouldn't want it at all ... and, if anyone could do it right, Apple could ...
 
tablet? Come on give me a break

Thats the best Spymac can come up with? This is a really tired idea. Personally, I've been using a PocketPc and though they sucked a couple of years ago they really are great now--toobad you have to put up with Windows. If Apple could turn an iPod into a Pocket Mac that would be cool especially if we could take commercial DVDs we own and rip them via QT/MPEG4 to the pod so we could have a theater in our pockets complete with great sound. All our media--videos, dvds, photo and music could be on one device. Now that would be cool.

Do a think a tablet is on the way...nope, been there done that and everyone else is failing at it.
 
we all know that spymac doesn't know jack. don't base your opinions about this rumor on what they have to say. i found the details on macwhispers very interesting. if you convert the case size numbers to inches you find that it's big enough for a 5x7 screen, which is just perfect for... photos. i don't think this device will be anything close to a smaller ibook replacement. this is the device we were all hoping for before macworld. as ipod is to itunes, this device will be to iphoto and imovie. and as with the ipod it will do other things as well. i think that by placing this device into known device categories you are missing what this could be. though one shouldn't expect the impossible. the cool aspect of this device won't be what it is, but what you can do with it. remember how the ipod was "just another mp3 player"? as anyone who owns an ipod can tell you, it surely transcends being "just another mp3 player". not by what it is, but by how it changes the way you use a portable music player. you take it with you everywhere, don't you? not because you're trying to justify spending so much on it, but because it begs you to. because you've got 1,000 songs (or 2,000 or 4,000) songs in your pocket. anyway... this post isn't meant to extoll the virtues of the ipod, but as a message... when you think of this new device, don't think palm or ibook, think ipod.

i've thought about it realistically and i will be buying one. :)
 
I would like to think that since apple has just put out the 12", and 17" PB(s), that they wouldn't want to distract from those sales with something like a PDA tablet. Who would buy a PDA if they already had a PB? They should work on trying to get the the price of the PB lower. Unless of course this rumored PDA is around $200 bucks. I would maybe get that. But it better have a place in the back to store my iPod.

Here is a cool idea: What if this new PDA was something that only worked with your iPod. That way it would lower the cost because it would work your iPods HD like a parasite.
 
A different perspective

Hi, all!

I think we're looking at this from a very narrow perspective in deciding if this "whatever" would be useful, would sell, etc. Most posters here (and elsewhere) are looking at this from the perspective of:

- It's meant to replace or be an improvement on existing products -- a smaller laptop, a more capable PDA, a more powerful iPod... Many are comparing this "whatever" to existing categories of devices and reasoning it would come up short.

- It won't sell because the market's already glutted with notebook PCs, PDAs, etc., so it would be folly for Apple to try wedging itself in with "something better".

The more ingenious -- and more Apple -- way to approach this would be to create a product for a market which isn't already inundated. Don't develop a device which does the same thing as other devices, only better -- create a device which does something entirely different. Let's trace Apple's marketing reasoning these last few years:

(1) Don't compete with Microsoft on their own turf -- they already dominate the business market with Office, etc. Focus instead on an unfulfilled market: computing needs for one's personal life. Hence apps such as iTunes, iPhoto, etc., and a digital "hub" for integrating these with minimal frustration. To paraphrase Steve Jobs, Apple wants to do for one's personal life what Microsoft did for everyone's business life.

(2) Why is this market untapped? As strange as it may seem to those of us posting here, there are tens of millions of folks who are either intimidated by or turned off by "computers". (My husband and son are good examples -- they begrudgingly use computers out of necessity. My daughter and I are the techies in the family.) The computer market is "full" because those who are willing to learn and use computers already do, and those who aren't willing or able to don't. The key point is that no amount of quantitative improvement in existing products is going to tap that market. A faster/smaller/more powerful computer "anything" isn't going to draw these folks into the market.

(3) So what to do? Make a qualitative change instead. Offer a product (but not a "computer", per se) which allows people to benefit from computer technology without being computer savvy. In doing so, tap into a whole new market of buyers, and sell to the existing computer-savvy populace as well. In short, the home computer "appliance" we've heard about for umpteen years but which no one...yet...has been able to market effectively. If they could, they would be tapping into millions of potential buyers without taking market share from other products.

And why, pray tell, would Apple even dream that such a product would sell when so many similar attempts by them and others have failed? Lots of things are different now vs. even a couple of years ago:
- Bluetooth and wireless preclude the need for hooking up "all them confusing wires"
- Software like Rendezvous and others distance the user from the "computer" making it less intimidating
- Technologies for handwriting recognition and speech recognition make for more natural interaction with computers (though the latter has a bit further to come yet)
- Broadband Internet allows users to be connected all the time, thus opening them to 'Net-based services and resources without having to "log on" -- they're always available

In short, a device much closer to other ubiquitous and familiar devices -- a non-intimidating appliance in support of daily life.

I don't for a moment think that such an Apple device, if that's what this 5"x7"x1" thing is, is intended be the do-all, end-all for such applications. But it could be Apple's first step into what it sees as a booming market within 5 years. The Newton was a step in the same direction -- creating a device for a new market -- and it's unfortunate that Apple never really benefitted from a market they realistically opened. Maybe they will fare better with an entre into the market I described above. If Apple can do this with their usual style and twist on things...who knows?

~ Teqanjel
 
Apple tablet is just a bad idea. Introducing a new product segment in slow market will only mean poor sales.

I don't think tablet with 8.4" display is particularly small, but so much is done with keyboards that I'm not crazy about touchscreen only device. I'd rather go with a laptop with touchscreen.
 
the ipod parasite idea is a nice idea. the new device could utilize both the ipod's hard drive and battery. (possibly in addition to its own) and maybe that's why we're still waiting on the ipod update. ;)
 
The iTablet (or whatever)

An 8" tablet from Apple... if such a product exists in the pipeline, would most likely exist somewhere in between an iBook and a high powered PocketPC PDA.

The Apple tablet would probably be the approximate height and depth as my TI-85 calculator but will most likely be wider. It'll probably have the same hard drive as the iPods... or depending on Apple, maybe even IBM's microdrive.

But what else can you do on the Tablet?? You're not going to use Photoshop. It's most likely wireless capable. Maybe be able to view some video and audio.

There is nothing so overwhelming to justify a Tablet Mac. Apple would NEVER be able to hit a price-point of about $800 -- which would be somewhere below the cheapest iBook and above the most capable PocketPC's.
 
-----From here I am ASSuME:
-----Apple is coming out with a Hybird tablet of some type to
-----replace the iBook
-----Powered by a G3
-----No CD/DVD (but supported via USB/FW)
-----30/40 GB HD
-----OS X (or some version of it. OS X is really *nix so some of
-----the extras could be cut out)
-----Blue tooth
-----USB & Firewire (one of each)
-----Extreme Air port
-----10/100 NIC
-----Modem (not sure about this one)
-----256MB RAM (maybe 512)
-----All the iApps installed
-----Inkwell based HWR
-----Great battery life
-----For home users/schools/sciences
-----Only 1 version fully loaded for $999

This sounds feasible. But I would rather see one WITH optical drive and something less than $999. If I had to spend $999, I would go with low end iBook.
 
Of course you don't need it

Most of the people who post here sit in front of their computers all day, and have absolutely no need for a tablet.

However, I can think of entire market segments that could use something more capable than a PDA and more portable than a laptop.

I'm a freelancer living in NYC- and I would buy a tablet within 5 seconds of its announcement. I could scribble on the subway, or read e-books, or whatever.

It would save me from lugging my laptop to a presentation or interview- especially if it has some sort of video-out. (Pair it with Keynote and you've got an ideal portable presenter, I would think).

Additionally, NYC is full of open, free wireless networks. I would love to be able to park myself outside of one of them and check my e-mail on the run- far better than killing my thumbs to check Yahoo! mail on my phone.

As for carrying it- just about everyone in NYC carries some sort of messenger bag or briefcase. 5x7 would be trivial to slip in there.

This isn't like the Newton, where everything was new technology and it required a billion dollar investment to even explain what it was to the buying public. You could build one of these things with off-the-shelf parts. Heck, I've been thinking of building something similar with a touchscreen added to a butchered iBook- the only missing link was Inkwell, and I think there's a third-party onscreen keyboard product.

Apple doesn't have to create a demand and then own the segment; they just have to sell them for more than it costs to make them. Just like the iPod.

I'm not sure why certain people on this board go into hysterics at the very mention of a tablet. There is clearly a market, and there is clearly the means to build one. The only thing missing is the product.
 
A change of thought...

Instead of thinking of this as a regular tablet or a PDA (the horror!). Think of this as a sub-sub-laptop. An ultra-mini iBook. A keyboard-less all-in-one wonder portable. That's what this is (or will be, etc.).

Steve Jobs knows all to well that making anything conventional is a bad idea (think of the iMac here, or the iBook, or the iPod, etc.). He's even said that he's unsure the tablet market is ever going to happen. The PC tablet market.

Don't forget, this is Jobsian Apple. We should expect the (mostly) unexpected. ;)
 
Wow...and wow again

So let me get this straight, here are the features everyone wants in this new device:

- Mp3 playback
- voice recording
- video playback
- video recording
- picture/slideshow viewing
- wireless internet/Airport Extreme
- cell phone capabilities
- household remote capabilities
- screen input
- bluetooth
- docking station
- wireless mouse and keyboard support (that still doesn't exist yet)
- a dvd drive

...and we want all of this in a 5x7x1 inch enclosure. Uh huh. :rolleyes:

I know we all think Apple is awesome, but cmon. A device like this isn't coming. Whatever this device is (if we can even trust the rumors), it won't be an end-all-be-all solution for every single mundane task in your life. Don't dilute yourselves, whatever this is, it will have a very simple purpose, much like the iPod.

I think Apple really made a mistake with the iPod...they've set themselves up to deliver the latest and greatest "digital lifestyle device". I honestly think Steve Jobs is going to hate himself for coining that phrase. I swear, they should have never added iCal/iSync support to the iPod. They've given everyone delusions of grandeur...
 
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