Apple Tablet Hints: Virtual Keyboard, Camera, eBooks, More

[OpenWheelFan]

Since you're citing the absence of the used textbook market as an advantage for e-books, you should figure its presence into the costs of the existing system if you want to do a fair comparison:

Average textbook: ~$100
Money won back from selling average textbook used: ~$30
OR
Average textbook (used): ~$30

If you calculate like this it will take a long time for you to break even with electronic versions and a $1000 iPad.

How many undergrads, that you know, spend their sell-back cash on next semester's books? Or, as it turns out, doesn't that cash get spent on beer and pizza within a few days?

No... when parents do the math, they don't generally connect the dots between sell-back and next term's book purchases. Remember, my analysis was from the perspective of the person making the book purchases -- for undergrads, that cash comes largely from the 'rents (or from a tuition/scholarship source -- even better to convince the undergrad to go with the "wow" factor...)!

 

[cwoloszynski]

Back-typing using chording

Every "Slate" at CES had a "Really?!?!" It was disappointing. After watching people hold and interact with the "Slate" it made me wonder if it would be a good form factor and doubt that Apple would put one out. It also made me realize input was very important in making a device like this useable.

I agree. I am hoping (I'd prefer to be expecting, but that is a little egotistical) that the iPad (Slate) will have two options for typing. The on-screen typing we now use on the iPhone and then a new mechanism that uses back-typing.

Imagine the back having 8 sense areas (with perhaps some subtle bumps). If you hold the iPad vertically, then your palms and thumbs hold the device and your fingers are free to type away. I doubt that anyone would want to type on a full QWERTY keyboard on the back, but I think that folks could learn to chord type. Given all the kids who can speed text using their numeric keypad, I am sure that they could learn to chord. To make it easier, I imagine that apple could still pop up the virtual keyboard and provide feedback as a user is chording as to what they are typing. If the keystroke is recorded on release of the chord, then the user could easily 'figure' out the chord they are looking for and then release when they get the right key. After a little training, I think I could type as fast with that as a regular keyboard!

 

[Thex1138]

Not Bad...

For $1000 I'm not sharing with anyone! Sorry Steve

Hey it will be relatively cheaper here in Australia due to the exchange rate

 

[2499723]

To make it easier, I imagine that apple could still pop up the virtual keyboard and provide feedback as a user is chording as to what they are typing. If the keystroke is recorded on release of the chord, then the user could easily 'figure' out the chord they are looking for and then release when they get the right key. After a little training, I think I could type as fast with that as a regular keyboard!

Most people will not want to have to COMPLETELY re-educate themselves on a revolutionary typing method when they go out to buy this 'toy'. I think this idea is a bit too out there for most people's tastes. Even predictive text is based on a keypad you can SEE. I really don't like your notion of having the keys on the back of the device. Nor, do I necessarily want to hold a tablet in both hands. It feels way too constrictive. I would prefer a mix of handwriting recognition and/or typing. Basically, if you gave me 'touch', hand-writing recognition and blue tooth keyboard/mouse support (wired preferably), I'd be happy.

 

[talkingfuture]

It seems to me now that every media outlet is throwing wild speculation out there in the hope that they will be right so they can claim some kudos after the event and boost their coverage.

I hope we don't suffer from hype fatigue before we see this device.

 

[freeny]

$1000 for a new untested product in this economy sounds risky. I know it would certainly price me out of a purchase.

 

[Becordial]

For $1000 I'm not sharing with anyone! Sorry Steve

Hey it will be relatively cheaper here in Australia due to the exchange rate

Glad to hear it! Still I reckon we can almost get two netbooks for the price now, if it works about to A$1000 or A$1100 in AUD.

Nah.... still don't want two crappy netbooks no matter what!!

 

[Bentov]

Thanks for the comments,

Yes I agree a bluetooth keyboard would be needed in long typing sessions.

Im sure bluetooth keyboard support will be an option to use.

I had a meeting with our local hospital, asking doctors, clerks and nurses if they would buy and use tablets in the hospitals.

1) they were thinking they could get patients charts, blood pressure readings, medical history, allergies all live. Clerks could sent info to other Hospitals, with rich charts, color pictures, x-rays and so forth.

2) But to do this it would have to use a special type of wifi, that wouldnt interfere with other equipment.

3) they were all excited about the possibities being so connected could do for them and their patients.

Catrik007

Interesting, I'm a clinical systems analyst at a hostpial using epic as our emr. I have a few comments:

1) This all sounds good, but in reality people only want this until they realize they have to carry this table to every room with them, and also the charge will not last all day so they will have to probably dock it at least once during the day. Also sending the information to other hospitals will only work with a good opt- out mechanism about what to share(hippa and all) I could see this happening if hospitals are in the same hospital system, using the same software though. But not really necessary to have a tablet for the information sharing.

2) There is no need for special wifi, we all take our laptops to clinical areas all the time in place with wifi monitors(vitals and such) with no problems. Providers are also able to sync their PDAs wirelessly with no problems. This is only an issue in shielded rooms where they need an access point in side the room.

3) I will agree that tablets are the future in healthcare, but the devil is in the details as my dad always says.

At my hospital we use cows(computers on wheels) for our computing needs now. What they offer over tablets is the battery power, security(from theft) and they don't have to be moved from patient to patient if you have enough of them. Also since they are just thin clients running epic through citrix, so they are pretty cheap. Epic currently has an iPhone client(Haiku) in the app store, but it is pretty limited in it's functionality. The model they use is the provider on the go, getting details on his next patient as he is rounding and it also has some limited e-perscribing capabilities.

Get over some of the hurdles I mention above and a tablet will be ready for healthcare.

Bentov

 

[Journojulz]

$1000 is lightyears outside of the "typical uni student price range", get real. $800 would require them to really stretch, an extra $200 makes this a very niche product.

Launch prices usually fall, in the case of the iphone - rather surprisingly

Looking at the iphone model again - "last year's model'' is also sold for less.

I see no reason to doubt the iPad will be any different.

In a few years time this will be as huge as the iphone.

--------------------

Noone joining any dots from the 3GS addition of voice control?

 

[Thex1138]

Glad to hear it! Still I reckon we can almost get two netbooks for the price now, if it works about to A$1000 or A$1100 in AUD.

Nah.... still don't want two crappy netbooks no matter what!!

The tablet will do much more for it's price than any crappy netbook...

It will prolly cost AU$12-1500..it will be higher than the iPhone price.
But less than AU$1 k because of some damned 3g cost, but I'll just buy outright if I can like all tech stuff... Hello Mister Amex!

 

[ss957916]

"Apple Tablet Hints: Virtual Keyboard, Camera, eBooks, More"

Please MacRumors, don't go down the Engadet road. If you mean 'and' (as in 'and more') please type it rather than using a comma.

 

[Andy-V]

Why would anyone buy a white macbook once the tablet is released?

My white macbook did these things when I took it to college: Word Processing, Web design, Flash and Photoshop. None of these things work as well on a tablet and there's no need to have a Macbook Pro for any of these things.

And the white macbook was just redesigned a few months ago so clearly Apple has faith in the product.

Tablets and laptops are two different things. It depends what suits your needs.

 

[pmz]

The facial recognition function or the user log on function makes sense considering screen visual capture. Obviously that feature is not yet mature, but in 2 years it will be.

Fingerprint capture too?

Rocketman

Why is that necessary? Aside from sending your fingerprints to Apple to be forwarded to a federal database, what does that accomplish? Aside from getting fingerprints on file for people who are not criminals, what are you looking for here?

Stop spreading privacy concerns and abuses of technology as "features" please.

 

[wolfpackfan]

I love what I am hearing about the Tablet, feature-wise, but the $1000 price really bothers me. I am not sure I can justify buying a device like this at $1000. Right now I have no laptop, just an iPhone and have been needing a laptop for a long time for trips but if I'm going to pay a $1000 for a Tablet, I'd probably just go ahead and buy a white MB.

UNLESS it has 3G and has a subsidized cost of say $600-700. If that were to happen I might would get the Tablet at the subsidized cost and get the data plan. Then I'd replace my iPhone with just a regular old cell phone. My contract on my iPhone is coming up real soon. I could see myself toting around the Tablet pretty much every where I go, so I wouldn't need the Tablet and my iPhone.

We'll see. Next Wednesday will be a very interesting day. I'm supposed to play golf then, so I guess my golfing buddies will wonder why I keep looking at my iPhone the whole time we're playing golf .

 

[mags631]

Since you're citing the absence of the used textbook market as an advantage for e-books, you should figure its presence into the costs of the existing system if you want to do a fair comparison:

Average textbook: ~$100
Money won back from selling average textbook used: ~$30
OR
Average textbook (used): ~$30

If you calculate like this it will take a long time for you to break even with electronic versions and a $1000 iPad.

Also note:
1) Some textbook include a CD (with important content) that is locked to a single student. You must buy a full (non-used) version to use the unlock code.
2) New revisions (with some requirements for a specific revision) lessen to some degree the chance to buy used.
3) If you buy new and sell back, it's at a seriously low price... 20%?
4) Some profs use spiral bound content that cannot be sold back as used and therefore cannot be bought used.

 

[pmz]

Launch prices usually fall, in the case of the iphone - rather surprisingly

Looking at the iphone model again - "last year's model'' is also sold for less.

I see no reason to doubt the iPad will be any different.

In a few years time this will be as huge as the iphone.

--------------------

Noone joining any dots from the 3GS addition of voice control?

Actually any market analyst would tell you that Apple greatly regrets taking the high price route for the iPhone initially. They lost nearly an entire year of introductory sales due to the perception of insanely high price, even though the price dropped in 3 months.

Furthermore, you have no understanding of how this product is going to be received. It will be sought after, but ONLY if its affordable. No one, and I mean absolutely NO ONE is remotely interested in a tablet from Apple unless they can create a market for it. The only way that can be done in 2010 is with price.

$600 and this thing is homerun. You won't be able to get one because they won't be able to make them fast enough.

$1000 and most people won't even watch the rest of the keynote. It's a joke at $1000. It'a tablet. Not a phone, not a Mac, its a TABLET.

$1000 would be embarrassing, and would cause it to utterly fail.

 

[Yixian]

$600 and this thing is homerun. You won't be able to get one because they won't be able to make them fast enough.

$1000 and most people won't even watch the rest of the keynote. It's a joke at $1000. It'a tablet. Not a phone, not a Mac, its a TABLET.

$1000 would be embarrassing, and would cause it to utterly fail.

Agreed.

$800 for the typical Apple "disappointing but.. oh alright then" effect.

 

[thecartoonguy]

I don't see how making this a $1000 product makes sense. If you are going to spend 1k, why not just buy a composite Macbook?

More likely we will see this in the 600-700 dollar range.

I agree. Being in school full time it would not make much sense to get this when I could pick up a laptop instead for the same price.

 

[andiwm2003]

at $1000 i'd rather buy a 13"MBP. i can't see myself spending that amount of money on a limited device that i intend to carry with me, leave in the car sometimes, bring to the beach and all that. i'd rather get a netbook with windows 7 and a 3G connection for that money.

i wonder how much of this information is intentionally leaked misinformation from apple. well, in a few days we know.

but i would anyway wait for 6-8 weeks till they ironed out production bugs and till the first user reviews are in.

 

[skate71290]

The text book would be amazing! no more lugging around heavy books.

Also, what if you could borrow library books that will be 'locked' after the due date? Would be awesome as no more late fees!

omg i would love that so much, i hate carrying books to uni so i got a macbook air for my lecture notes, having this to use for all books would be great

 

[Thex1138]

Crikey! Ja See that!

It's an Apple iPad!! Look at it mate! You little Rippa!

 

[Shivetya]

I think you misread; She said that an OLED would be $1000, whereas other options existed to make it less.

I see it at $600-700 subsidized.

people who sign service contracts to get a discount are just stupid

 

[thecartoonguy]

Also note:
1) Some textbook include a CD (with important content) that is locked to a single student. You must buy a full (non-used) version to use the unlock code.
2) New revisions (with some requirements for a specific revision) lessen to some degree the chance to buy used.
3) If you buy new and sell back, it's at a seriously low price... 20%?
4) Some profs use spiral bound content that cannot be sold back as used and therefore cannot be bought used.

Great point! The whole text book "thing" should be investigated by congress. It's a giant racket. Wow I got off point. Sorry folks

 

[mickhyperion]

I posted this in the What is the Ultimate Role of the Apple Tablet discussion a few weeks ago.

Here it is again:

The Tablet will succeed by aligning itself with niches in people's Lifestyles.

FAMILY ROOM/LIVING ROOM/COFFEE TABLE
This Lifestyle niche is currently under-exploited. This is where families live and interact... television, games, reading, communication, photos. Currently, most families do not go crowding around the computer in the Home Office to share things. This keeps them on the couch at Christmas as the lightweight tablet gets passed around. Most importantly will be its ease of use - a computer that even your Grandparents can use, just like an iPhone. Much more convenient than a laptop which can be awkward with its clamshell design and tendency to get rather hot for actual lap use. This niche also carries over to the family auto for taking trips.

- Versatile Remote Control interface that any manufacturer will be able to create an App for to connect with their device.
- Webcam built-in to enable camming from the couch, with families interacting with extended family long distance, the tablet being passed around on the couch from Mom to Grandma to Child. For the webcamming single guy, this gets him out of the office chair.
- Game playing, beyond just a larger screen for current games. A replacement for board games by placing the tablet on the coffee table or couch cushion, allowing multiple players all viewing the same screen. Monopoly, chess, checkers, dominoes, etc.
- Access to other computers in the household for displaying photos, streaming movies, reading files, etc.
- More!
​

BUSINESS TRAVELER/FIELD EMPLOYEE/CORPORATE CLOUD INTERACTION

- A tablet to replace the weight, expense, and overpowered functionality of the laptop for a good majority of business travelers who only need access to email, contacts, internet, and corporate networks.
- Corporate Cloud interaction so the tablet at times acts like a dumb terminal, feeding information back to Big Brother. Used at times as a digital clipboard for gathering data (field techs, nurses, doctors, sales people, surveyors, etc).
- Digital presentations connected to projectors or viewed directly on the device, whether the presentation is stored locally or accessed through the Cloud.
- More!​

CREATIVITY/STUDENTS
So many Creativity Apps already exist for the iPhone and have been very successful. This expands those possibilities with its larger screen and ability to connect to other computers at Home, School, or in a Studio.

- Photographers will appreciate the lightweight and could gain the ability to control a camera remotely while simultaneously viewing the large sceen. Great for field uses, cameras in hard to reach places, adverse weather, etc.
- Wacom tablet-like functionality for digital painting and photo manipulation. Fingerpainting for children without the mess, but with the ability to print through a School or Home network.
- Low-cost arrays for display and installation purposes
- More!​

Think about Lifestyles first, rather than technical innovations per se. The key here will be the application of the tablet in people's lives. This is where Apple has succeeded with the iPod and the iPhone... by introducing technology that impacts Lifestyle, not just by coming up with another cool gadget.

EDIT: I personally hope the physical design of the tablet will resemble an artist's palette, with a thumb hole off to one side. This will make holding it with one hand easy... for typing and other touch screen uses. This will also allow it to be held easily in landscape or portrait orientation.

 

[skate71290]

Glass screen= scratches = fail too?

what do you do to your iPhones??