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Apple Tablet Computer?

The tablet pc failed because they were marketed toward everyday users. Only people that i've seen use tablets are professionals. Doctors in hospitals and even my doctor in his office and artist. I know a few of my friends prefer drawing on the screen then with the wacom tablet its just easier.

I think this drawing is as mnay of u said an idea that never came to fruition and is there only to protect apple's ideas and if they ever feel like like releasing a tablet they won't have to design one from scratch.
 
Anything with keys smaller than a laptop size, is a good info provider, not a comfortable info inputter. Forget conventional keyboard mentality on a diddy all in one device - leave the traditional diddy PDA with "keyboards" to mobile phones where people put up with the limited key size because they use the phone for very limited data input.
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No, why is this the case. Have we all forgotten about handwriting recognition. One can input text quite quickly with good handwriting recognition. With the Newton, I used to be able to write entire lines at once without any errors. I personally prefer handwriting recognition while taking notes, specially when I'm going to be making diagrams and other graphics (which will often be the case in classes). Also, I type at about 70 wpm+ on my Powerbook. I still think that handwriting recognition is a good input method.
 
ArticulatedArm said:
What if you used voice recognition AND pen input combined?
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that would be great. anything to prevent the user from having to put the unit on a surface in order to leave the hands free to type. if it was a touch screen tere could be an on screen keyboard when needed.
 
pozytron said:
Surely you must be joking.
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i never joke with newbies ;)



adzoox said:
You are taking for granted that most people that type - know how to touch type.

I'd say touch typing is either 50% or the minority of typers/computer users. Your proposed interface would alienate that crowd. It's a great idea, just not practical.
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good point, although i think that percentage is a bit low. i wonder what the solution would be. having to set the unit down in order to free your hands for input seems limiting. lay the tablet down on the table and the screen angle is less than adequate. an alternative could be touch screen navigation and cursor control with voice recognition and touch screen keyboard would make a nice combination. and of course they would have the handwriting recognition as well, since it already exists in osx.

who knows, but it would be a cool device for home system control...and more.
 
iPod + iBook = iTablet?

I think it will a ipod/ibook thingy, aimed at kids, for email, making notes (inkwell should be easier than typing on a callular), playing music and video, 40Mb HD, wifi for streaming, IR remotecontrol for about $499

:)
 
narco said:
Sorry if this has been posted, but does anyone know if this has anything to do with it?

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...NR.&OS=dn/20040156192&RS=DN/20040156192?tMoJk

... and some interesting images:
http://aiw2.uspto.gov:80/.aiw?Docid...ageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=49A15B7E1949

.narco
Click to expand...

I hate this about patents. It's a bleedin' thesis, an obfuscated one at that.
"Well, you know, this is what we're saying, but it might not be, and what we're saying, might actually be anything at all, you never know. In fact, we don't even know ourselves."
 
Apple iMorph

Apple iMorph

about the size of a paper-back book.
8" diagonal OLED low power, backlit screen
Touch screen or stylus input
40, 60, 80gb 2.5" hard drive
Firewire & Usb 2.0 docking


A content viewer. Uses specially formatted "books", created and organized via a new iLife application, iLibrary. The "books" are actually HTML and javascript files, plus any type of required media, encapsulated into one packet. they have a similar look and feel to Tiger's widgets, with large buttons for easy touch screen use.

The new iLibrary software catalogs these "books" for you, and lets you make new ones by pulling and reformatting internet data, similar to Sherlock. These "Smart books" are created and updated when the iMorph docks with the desktop mac.

"Books" will be made by familiar content providers and sold within the iLibrary application. There will also be an area for users to provide their own custom-made "books".

Some example books could be:

-turn-by-turn driving directions to Tulsa, including this week's construction delays

-An English-French Dictionary

-Today's New York Times

-Movie trailers and times for all movies currently playing within 25 miles

-a checklist of times and dates of all meetings required before closing on a new home, including home inspection results

-Interactive how-to for replacing and installing wainscoting

-Tips for your golf swing, with demo clips of Tiger Woods

-A map of all homes currently on the market, between $125,000 and $150,000, including interactive walk throughs and driving directions

-A calculator

-a Keynote presentation of sales figures, always showing the most recent week's figures

-the last two Widespread Panic concerts

-Restaurant reviews, including menus, of restaurants in the 53202 zipcode, as of last Sunday.

-Last week's episode of "Six Feet Under"

-every email you've ever recieved and sent

-an updated archive of h2g2.com


Laser etched on the back will be a large smiling green blob, giving the thumbs-up sign, under which will be written, "Don't Panic."
 
beatle888 said:
i wonder what the solution would be....who knows, but it would be a cool device for home system control...and more.
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My original point stands, though I'm sure what you say about typing blind upside down working for the touch-typing crowd is true enough, the vast majority will not change even to a superior technology if it is not so intrinsically superior that it sweeps entire categories of old technology away and becomes essential.

You make this clear when you demonstrate that none of us can actually visualise what the ideal interface for this class of device should be. That's because it probably hasn't been invented yet.

We are at the same stage now with these convergence handheld devices that laptops were in before the trackpad became the standard "mousing" input device.

They originally tried midget trackballs and little joysticks in the middle of the keyboard etc, solutions cribbed from older tech and mutated to fit a new paradigm, but they were half-hearted efforts until the genuinely new and suitable tech of the trackpad came along.

And that doesn't mean that the trackpad is the best solution, it was simply the first true solution that worked properly without a major learning curve or change in habits, and now it has inertia and will be difficut to replace. ;)
 
Sorry, no Apple PDA

How many times does Steve have to tell you this. It reminds me a a mother telling a child "no candy today" but the child does not seem to hear.

However, it would makes sense to have the following for the home entertainment system:

An iControl the size of a book that functons as a remote control for Stereo through Airport Express, a device that to view pictures with that can be passed around in the living room when grandma and others visit. It does not need to add the funcitons of toaster, iron, cookie cutter, and egg beater. Keep it simple and functional and fresh. Heck, I only play music on my iPOD, I don't even care about those other functions on the iPOD for games, etc.
 
gensor said:
How many times does Steve have to tell you this. It reminds me a a mother telling a child "no candy today" but the child does not seem to hear.
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That is the whole crux of the problem....
Apple users keep saying we want a PDA...
And Steve keeps saying no....
We are the customers arent we?

And as far as just using your IPOD for music... thats fine for you....
But I use mine as a boot drive to store my servers boot images...i carry diagnostic tools on it... I also store contacts on it... And yes I even use it for music.
 
You must distinguish between your wants and needs and those

marjority of the consumers. I would guess to speculate that the vast majority of iPOD consumers are only using for music. They are not browning their toast with the iPOD. Steve is not going to produce a flat panel TV, a Tivo, a cell phone, or a PDA. Others are doing this and some have done an excellent job. Apple can really add nothing here. This is key: Steve has said that the cell phone is quickly converging to be a phone and PDA. Apple cannot go into that market against those competitors as Apple would get its ass kicked. Completely different market. Listen to what Steve says and does. He a lot smarter than you seem to give him credit for. He really does understand products, markets, consumers as well as very importantly the competitive landscape. Sorry no PDA.

macsrus said:
That is the whole crux of the problem....
Apple users keep saying we want a PDA...
And Steve keeps saying no....
We are the customers arent we?

And as far as just using your IPOD for music... thats fine for you....
But I use mine as a boot drive to store my servers boot images...i carry diagnostic tools on it... I also store contacts on it... And yes I even use it for music.
Click to expand...
 
gensor said:
marjority of the consumers. I would guess to speculate that the vast majority of iPOD consumers are only using for music. They are not browning their toast with the iPOD. Steve is not going to produce a flat panel TV, a Tivo, a cell phone, or a PDA. Others are doing this and some have done an excellent job. Apple can really add nothing here. This is key: Steve has said that the cell phone is quickly converging to be a phone and PDA. Apple cannot go into that market against those competitors as Apple would get its ass kicked. Completely different market. Listen to what Steve says and does. He a lot smarter than you seem to give him credit for. He really does understand products, markets, consumers as well as very importantly the competitive landscape. Sorry no PDA.
Click to expand...

Oh no... another Steve said it and he is GOD person...

If Steve really understood consumers.... Then Apple would not have languished at the bottom of the Computer manufactures in sales for their entire existence as a company.... 3 to 5 % market share.... WOW

And as far as getting killed in the cell phone/pda market how could they possibly get killed any worse than they do in the desktop market.
But I didnt ask for a separate pda... I would be happy if they added those features to an IPOD

Face it Apple has only had one product win over the years.... and its the IPOD... They actually got the majority of the market share with it...

But guess what they will only lose market share from now on with it...
So they better start adding other features to it...

Now if you dont want to use those kinds of features ... its your option...
But dont denegrate my desire or request for them
 
mvc said:
My original point stands, though I'm sure what you say about typing blind upside down working for the touch-typing crowd is true enough, the vast majority will not change even to a superior technology if it is not so intrinsically superior that it sweeps entire categories of old technology away and becomes essential.

You make this clear when you demonstrate that none of us can actually visualise what the ideal interface for this class of device should be. That's because it probably hasn't been invented yet.
;)
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well, i think its safe to say that it will be either voice recognition or touch screen. we speak or write/type to communicate with each other so that pretty much covers THOSE bases. maybe it will track our eyes and we'll all be double blinking soon.
 
gensor said:
marjority of the consumers. I would guess to speculate that the vast majority of iPOD consumers are only using for music. They are not browning their toast with the iPOD. Steve is not going to produce a flat panel TV, a Tivo, a cell phone, or a PDA. Others are doing this and some have done an excellent job. Apple can really add nothing here. This is key: Steve has said that the cell phone is quickly converging to be a phone and PDA. Apple cannot go into that market against those competitors as Apple would get its ass kicked. Completely different market. Listen to what Steve says and does. He a lot smarter than you seem to give him credit for. He really does understand products, markets, consumers as well as very importantly the competitive landscape. Sorry no PDA.
Click to expand...

I dispute this, because everyone gets hung up on the term PDA. Of course Apple aren't going to make a PDA, every damn phone is a PDA now. But then, every phone is soon going to become an mp3 player too, harddrives are coming to phones next year, and convergence will inevitably continue.

The iPod as a stand-alone device cannot compete long term with phones that can also play mp3s. Phones will eat the iPod just like they ate the PDA, no matter that they won't be as good, for the same reason - People have to carry a phone!

Apple knows this, thus the current deal with Motorola to put an iTunes variant on their phones.

The real issue is this: over the next 5 -10 years, a single device is going to emerge that is handheld, has a decent hard drive, definitely is a phone as well as a wireless internet capable device, connects wirelessly to most things and probably generally plays media and stores files. That's all Joe Blow will be carrying in 5-10 years, not five different freaking devices.

They may or may not still call it a "phone", but it will be much much more than that.

And I expect Apple wants a share of that market, because Apple has the design/interface smarts do it better. Constrained dimensions/powersupply call for elegant solutions, just as the iPod is an elegant solution.

Its not about making an "Apple" mp3 player or a phone or pda, its about the whole emerging handheld computing/media/communication device market, and whether Apple wants to build long term on the success of the iPod.
 
mvc said:
I dispute this, because everyone gets hung up on the term PDA. Of course Apple aren't going to make a PDA, every damn phone is a PDA now. But then, every phone is soon going to become an mp3 player too, harddrives are coming to phones next year, and convergence will inevitably continue.

The iPod as a stand-alone device cannot compete long term with phones that can also play mp3s. Phones will eat the iPod just like they ate the PDA, no matter that they won't be as good, for the same reason - People have to carry a phone!

Apple knows this, thus the current deal with Motorola to put an iTunes variant on their phones.

The real issue is this: over the next 5 -10 years, a single device is going to emerge that is handheld, has a decent hard drive, definitely is a phone as well as a wireless internet capable device, connects wirelessly to most things and probably generally plays media and stores files. That's all Joe Blow will be carrying in 5-10 years, not five different freaking devices.

They may or may not still call it a "phone", but it will be much much more than that.

And I expect Apple wants a share of that market, because Apple has the design/interface smarts do it better. Constrained dimensions/powersupply call for elegant solutions, just as the iPod is an elegant solution.

Its not about making an "Apple" mp3 player or a phone or pda, its about the whole emerging handheld computing/media/communication device market, and whether Apple wants to build long term on the success of the iPod.
Click to expand...

Applause..........
 
mvc said:
I dispute this, because everyone gets hung up on the term PDA. Of course Apple aren't going to make a PDA, every damn phone is a PDA now. But then, every phone is soon going to become an mp3 player too, harddrives are coming to phones next year, and convergence will inevitably continue.

The iPod as a stand-alone device cannot compete long term with phones that can also play mp3s. Phones will eat the iPod just like they ate the PDA, no matter that they won't be as good, for the same reason - People have to carry a phone!

Apple knows this, thus the current deal with Motorola to put an iTunes variant on their phones.

The real issue is this: over the next 5 -10 years, a single device is going to emerge that is handheld, has a decent hard drive, definitely is a phone as well as a wireless internet capable device, connects wirelessly to most things and probably generally plays media and stores files. That's all Joe Blow will be carrying in 5-10 years, not five different freaking devices.
Click to expand...

Interesting point.

I bought a brand new Samsung cell phone a few weeks ago. It has a camera and built-in GPS. As I was entering my contacts, I thought, Gee...I wish this was as easy to use as my iPod. The iPod interface on a phone would absolutely rule.

I'm a bit of a fence-sitter on this topic. On the one hand, I realize that device convergence (to a certain extent) is paramount for the future. Yet, on the other hand, using my iPod - which performs its primary task flawlessly - is refreshing in its simplicity.

Imagine an iPod-sized device that had the scroll wheel with numbers underneath. Menus were labeled as calls, music, photos, gps, pda ...or something like that. It would be cool if it were done beautifully. It could be a confusing piece of crap if developed in the wrong hands. ;)

Squire
 
wdlove said:
"Search time has expired," so can no longer view your post.
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The first link still works -- just click on the "images" button once you get there. I should have just stated that to begin with :)

.narco
 
Squire said:
Interesting point.I'm a bit of a fence-sitter on this topic. On the one hand, I realize that device convergence (to a certain extent) is paramount for the future. Yet, on the other hand, using my iPod - which performs its primary task flawlessly - is refreshing in its simplicity.

Imagine an iPod-sized device that had the scroll wheel with numbers underneath. Menus were labeled as calls, music, photos, gps, pda ...or something like that. It would be cool if it were done beautifully. It could be a confusing piece of crap if developed in the wrong hands. ;)
Squire
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is why I believe Apple has a chance in this market - the iPod interface demonstrates their design ability. I expect this philosophy is what they hope to carry across to the Motorola phones. Still, even if they turn out to be confusing hunks of crap, these converged devices will still satisfy the vast majority (sound familiar?).

Sure, people will buy devices that favour certain tasks, just like the various types of phones that are out their now cater to different aspects of user demand.

The cellphone capability itself is seldom much of an issue in buying these devices already, its a given, basically, it has become a commodity.

Its now all about the size, or whether it has a better camera or screen or can do pda or bluetooth or gps well etc etc. This process will only continue until 5 years from now if its a portable digital device of some persuasion, it will ALSO be a phone/communicator as a matter of course. Because otherwise you won't be able to sell it, because only zealots will carry two devices if they could just carry one.

This is why Apple will eventually get into the "cellphone" market by default, or else they will stop making hardware for this sector and just make interface software.

Steve will of course portray the cellphone capability as an add-on, just part of the device's basic wireless connectivity featureset. And by then he'll be right.
 
iMac G5 detachable screen? Yes please!

Littleodie914 said:
What if this was the screen of the iMac G5? Like there was a base station type thing that housed additional ports (for your keyboard, ethernet, mouse, etc.), and you plugged the screen into the base, and poof, an iMac? Then when you're done doing whatever, you detatch the screen, (which would slide into a connect-ey thing like the iPod and its dock), and they carry it around with you? Like when it'd plugged in, it's a screen/monitor... When you unplug it, it just wirelessly displays the desktop that the base station is sending? Hmm... That might be kinda cool :D
Click to expand...

Well, if the quote is an actual product, I can sell 3 almost immedeatly!

Use the display as a smart terminal (not like vt220) that can do _some_ processing and passes all the heavy stuff back to the base G5.....
 
Squire said:
Interesting point.

I bought a brand new Samsung cell phone a few weeks ago. It has a camera and built-in GPS. As I was entering my contacts, I thought, Gee...I wish this was as easy to use as my iPod. The iPod interface on a phone would absolutely rule.
Squire
Click to expand...

i've thought an apple ipod phone would be good, too. i thought that the number pad could be layed out like a clock face around the click wheel with "#" at 11 o'clock and "*" at 12 o'clock or something. the center click button would be the send/end button (why do phones have two different buttons for send and end anyway?).
 
If this thing does exist I would be happy to see a cheaper device without much processing power to allow me to lever off my adsl modem and PB to more easily read and access the net and review documents etc. I already have my PB workhorse but a device that was in itself a full mac but with minimuim specs to keeo the price down would pretty interesting...
 
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