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Apple Tablet Computer Design Patent

education

I don't understand why everyone rips against tablets all the time. They're really useful. Students rejoice! Take your tablet to class, scribble your notes on it, it transcribes them (remarkably accurately, too. it's impressive), organize them. drop links in them when you review. Send paper drafts back and forth with your advisor complete with red ink scrawled in the margins (green ink for politically correct profs :p ), and never print anything again. ever.

It's like carrying a filing cabinit in your backpack. All of your documents, ready to read. ready to edit. ready to do whatever you do with paper. Some of my colleagues in grad school have tables (a gateway and a motion) and they absolutely rock. Certainly in education and research, I'd say it's the most efficient tool anyone could buy. I'm 150% mac, but i'd buy a windows tablet, simply because apple doesn't offfer one. The stuff that a tablet gives you MORE than makes up for dealing with windows.

If apple produces one, I'll just give them all of my credit cards. :D
 
Apple!Freak said:
Sounds like a neat idea. It's like the concept of carrying your iMac around the house but without the 25 pound iMac shell. If the tMac is released with something like a 14' (;)) screen for about $500, there will be bound to be many buyers. Something like $1,000 might be a bit rich. I would say 500 is the sweet point.
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the tmac would spark a lawsuit-- ever heard of the shoes?

how about the "IBM-PSPK-BAB"

ibook mini-psp killing-bad @$$ beast :-D
 
PlaceofDis said:
the point of tablets is to Not have a keyboard, except for those stupid hybrid laptop/tablet ones, which i have heard some things about the screen connector breaking...
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At times it becomes totally impractical to use the pen... like a long mail ... or need to enter forms that need to be accurate etc... then it is very helpful to get a keyboard (eveen as slightly crappy one). I have been using the HP TC1100 for a few months now and i definitely see the importance. Using a pen on a tablet definitely takes some learning too! Anyway i love my TPC!
 
dongmin said:
there just aren't that many uses and advantages of a tablet. some say graphic artists but i doubt many will abandon their existing setup for a keyboardless i/o system. others say they'd take notes on it, but my guess is most people would rather have a quite keyboard to type their notes than scribbling them. beyond the coolness factor, there just aren't any 'killer apps' out there...yet.

still, if all they're having to do is repackaging an existing ibook/pbook and selling it at a comparable price, why the heck not. i doubt it'll do much for apple's bottom line, but it probably won't cost a lot of r&d either to produce one of these. worth a gamble.
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The best tablet arround is TC4200 (HP) It is exactly, well not exactly, their NC4200 notebook with Windows TPC (and it has the same price! $1600 with 1.6PM). Tablet PC's are very good when used with software like one note, or even when you are reading journal artical and need to make some comments on it and save the PDF. It will take a certain amount of time to get used to it. But once you are over the initial phase they work like a charm. The best part is you donot have to take care of those few 100s of papers with you comments and reviews and archive them using 10 different methods! It is extremely useful in project meetings. Just the tilt of the TPC will be soo much better than a notebook (which is right in the way of performing a normal conversation with the other person accross the table)
gives better impression of communication. most of experimental plans etc are hand drawn on letter pads in meetings and if you donot archive them you are totally lost.

Best use of Tablet PC: No need to remind yourself that you need to take a pen to the meeting. :D (and no more hating the guy/girl who gets 20 different writing instruments to take good notes :cool: )
 
I'd love to see the specs on the system - don't know if I'd want to buy it for the novelty, I'd be more interested in its capabilities. It would be a cool thin to have for digital photography - take pics in the field, download them to the pad, view them, maybe small edits and have a dvd burner to archive them.

D
 
I'm also shocked they could get a patent for that, based on those illustrations. Typical, the US Patent Office hands out patents these days like beaded necklaces at Mardi Gras.
 
I have a feeling this will be used for something else and won't necessarily be a tablet computer. I mean, who wants to go back to hand-writing everything? Not me. I want a keyboard and mouse. Maybe the keyboard will be on the display itself, but, even so, it's hard to type on a flat surface like that.

But, I can see this working great on an iPod. They can get rid of the wheel thingy and add a larger touch-screen to the iPod instead, making it easier to use, like a PDA. I hope that's how this will be used.
 
Pass...

It's a novelty to me.

A) I can type faster on a keyboard than i can write. I think most can.
B) Imagine the neck strain trying to watch TV and surf the web. I could use it in bed i guess.
C) I see it useful in a boardroom sense, but how many Mac users are really boardroom types?

I think Apple developed this as a "Just in case the tablet takes off" measure. I do think it is amazing that they were able to get a patent on this though.
 
d.perel said:
Well, I guess it could work (don;t mind the skeptic), but who would buy it? Unless it is priced competitively, of course ;)
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Artists, architects, designers, technical illustrators. Pretty much anyone who draws for a living or hopes to someday draw for a living (assuming it works like the Cintiq). And then there's whoever already buys tablet PCs...

I'd buy one in a second.
 
Maybe Apple will use this to make one of those touch-screen universal remotes. That would be cool. :)
 
areyouwishing said:
Pass...

It's a novelty to me.

A) I can type faster on a keyboard than i can write. I think most can.
B) Imagine the neck strain trying to watch TV and surf the web. I could use it in bed i guess.
C) I see it useful in a boardroom sense, but how many Mac users are really boardroom types?

I think Apple developed this as a "Just in case the tablet takes off" measure. I do think it is amazing that they were able to get a patent on this though.
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i can actually write freehand faster than type, and i type pretty fast too, but thats because im used to jotting down notes and dont worry about spelling either. i think this is good for anyone constantly on the go. train, car, bus, airport/airplane i think this would be awesome, using a pen while having something in your lap is probably easier than typing, because of the hight of the machine.

man i really want one of these now
 
The good thing about a keyboard is I can read my writing almost everytime. (Unless I am anebriated). Plus getting information on a paper is much more efficient using a keyboard. I'm sure Apple could sell me on whatever they crank out from this, if they ever do. The bottom line is, I just think this would be better as anything BUT a laptop.
 
AtHomeBoy_2000 said:
I disagree, kinda. I think the Tablet PC or Mac has a market, it just isnt here yet. THat market is medicine. As you may know, the US government is moving the US towards a computerized healthcare system instead of out BAD paper system. In the near future (about 2-5 years from now) doctors are going to need to have small portable computers that can be linked up the the internet or local database for when they put in patient information. What better format to make a SECURE network than one that runs on the Mac platform. I love the idea.
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this cannot be reiterated enough. if this was the only market they were going after, it would still probably do well. even if it's just selling them in bulk to doctor's offices. i hate to say it is still probably a ways off though.
 
Superdrive said:
The good thing about a keyboard is I can read my writing almost everytime. (Unless I am anebriated). Plus getting information on a paper is much more efficient using a keyboard. I'm sure Apple could sell me on whatever they crank out from this, if they ever do. The bottom line is, I just think this would be better as anything BUT a laptop.
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tablets and laptops are not really the same thing. it probably would not be a fully functioning OS X. something more simple and easier. maybe OS X Cub or Kitten
 
How many patents has Apple applied for?

This does not mean anything, necessarily. Steve Jobs has said that Apple is not interested in this kind of technology...

But then, who konws.

As for myself: this does not work into my work-flow, so I don't care very much.

A tablet Mac will be wonderful, I am sure. We will see.
 
Apple has filed tons of patents, many of which never see the light of day....if enough people want this tablet pc....im guessing it'll never see the light. :(
 
Think about it.........future

Zappaman said:
I heard that Apple had some close ties to Freehand Systems... www.freehandsystems.com and was interested in their MusicPad Pro... Could be interesting for them, perhaps.

Apple would never release a tablet unless it was Insanely Great.
You guys are thinking small if it is a gaming device or a graphics design interface. (i'm a Graphic Designer, Tell me; why would Apple market that to myself and a very small % of the population? duh?) You guys are thinking that Apple is going after the comicbook guy on the Simpsons lying on his couch eating potato chips, an iTablet on his stomach while watching Star Trek on TV, updating his iTunes & iPhotos from his greasy fingered screen?

Apple is only going to release SOMETHING that is iPod-ish that will change the way we navigate daily. Wasn't Stevie in talks with Fedex awhile back?
Imagine a "dumb" iScreen that could be interface to whomever corporate customer they can bring on board. Whatever the use, the screen is just a piece of hardware that can be OS X'ed or have custom unix applications written to it; all interfacing wireless with a OS X Server system.(1) client like Fedex, using it as a delivery notepad would convince everyone that it is the standard, much like the iPod now is the standard. Medical institutions sign up as a "chart replacement" with it's own programing interface. Military, The MusicPad Pro reference above for musicians, airlines, education etc. OS X is gaining solid acceptance across the board. THIS will the interface that will make it scream in industrial and corporate sectors; where the money is. Sure,..you can also make it change channels on your TV; "Oooooooooooo.......Ahhhhhhhhhhh"
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Although I think the tablet idea is really far fetched.

Has anybody thought, Bluetooth Keyboard / Mouse??

Really, all you would need is a cradle/dock of some sort to recharge it, and you can use a BT Keyboard/mouse, it would function just like a desktop, when you aren't lugging it around.

Many tablet PCs have similar features. Keyboard when you want it, then mobile.

Like said, it's not exactly practical, but it could be useful for specific users, especially for business / professional use.
 
No Specifics: Source

But I do remember reading that SJ said that he saw no market for tablet Macs. Admittedly, the PC and Windows tablet market has not exactly taken off. This patent may pave the road for other things. Why would Apple patent something that Windows tried and failed at?
 
I long for the old days when people like AmbitiousLemon et al would have ripped this thread to shreds. You even mentioned Newton, PDA or tablet, and they went berserk.

Look, as much as many of us want one, and as long as some of us have been waiting (my Newtons are getting VERY long in the tooth), I just don't think we will ever see a PDA out of Apple with Steve Jobs. As far as a tablet goes, the only way I see these really making it is if Ives and Co. can come up with a design that is so spectacular that it is unique. The real problem with all of these types of computers has been the interface. How can you quickly and naturally get information in the dang thing, and then move it to other machines. WiFI, Bluetooth and all of that junk will of course be available-that isnt what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a quick, usale interface that isn't clumsy, slow or more trouble than just typing it later. I'm sure they could do it, but would they?

Regards,
Gus
 
I have two words for you all:

Thin Client

Basically, everything is stored on the PC. Apps, data, etc... Anyway, all the processing and stuff is done at the Thin Client. It's like the old Terminal-to-Mainframe idea, but for the home. Oh, and Microsoft already tried it out. AND IT SUCKS.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/smartdisplay/default.mspx

However, if Apple tackled the idea, I bet they could come up with something good. As for those who says that it is a stupid idea, well the same was said of the iPod back in 2001, and of the shuffle in 2005. And look how well they did (iPod has a massive percentage, and the shuffle took 50% of the flash market in two months).
 
No writing pad -Stevie

PlaceofDis said:
i can actually write freehand faster than type, and i type pretty fast too, but thats because im used to jotting down notes and dont worry about spelling either.
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Stevie has already said Apple is not developing anything that replaces typing; such as pen writing on screen. Other than small uses of Inkwell technology, he's already stated that it is not going to happen.
 
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