Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Form Factor

The discussion here seems to be whether this portable device is a large iPod or a scaled down notebook. But I remember a thread where there was a patent discussion of the next evolution in the iMac family. A portable device of some sort that docks within the iMac. This tablet is perhaps is part of the iMac refresh.

Just brainstorming here,
Ron
 
I think Apple is smart enough to know that anyone wanting to input text on such a form factor would prefer a tactile keyboard most of the time.

However, as a device for reading books (ALA Kindle), a keyboard would be unfavorable.

So what is apple to do?

A tablet where all the components are stored in the screen portion, running a hybrid of iPhone and OSX with an official apple peripheral of a tactile keyboard that can be attached/detached from the tablet using magsafe tech and can be closed in a clamshell just like a normal laptop protecting your screen.

Use it as a tablet, use it as a netbook, use it however you'd like.

Apple can even sell a "cheaper" version of just the tablet or a bundle with the tablet and peripheral.
 
If and when this is released my main concern is if Apple cripples the many possibilities of this product.

For example, no printing, no wifi (only 3G contract), no gps etc.....

Time will tell!
 
If and when this is released my main concern is if Apple cripples the many possibilities of this product.

For example, no printing, no wifi (only 3G contract), no gps etc.....

Time will tell!

Considering apple did the opposite with the iPhone (IE most phones didn't have Wifi, etc at the time), this is doubtful. When has apple ever been known to intentionally cripple a product?

(besides minor missing features that are released later in software updates, though I still bitch about being charged to enable wireless N).
 
It would be great to have a tablet which shares the library of the mac as if it was just another application.

I was also thinking it would be great to have real-time screen sharing so that you could use your desktop mac via the tablet as a sort of portable wireless monitor. Similar but better to the way it can be done with the iphone.
 
I'd rather have this than a netbook; it would be more functional for a 10" screen.

I would rather watch movies on my home theater system too, but for travel this would be much more preferable than a netbook or full sized laptop.

Plus, I was going to buy a Kindle DX for pdf's anyway; if this does pdf's too, and everything else an iPod Touch does at a 10" size, I'm sold. Provided it's not too terribly expensive, of course.

I still don't see where it fits.

  • iPhone/iPod Touch
  • <---- Here???
  • MacBook Pro/MacBook Air
  • iMac/Mac Pro

If it is a middle ground between the iPhone and MacBook finding the right cost versus function balance will be difficult.

Has anyone here heard of a Moblie Internet Device (MID)? This sounds like it could be one, sans keyboard. They are a great middle ground between a smartphone and netbook. I would personally love it if Apple put out an MID. Then maybe people like you guys would take them seriously. They are the UMPCs of netbooks: Small enough to easily store in a bag (think bit larger then DS or PSP) but powerful enough to browse the web, watch video on, and pay a few games with. I would prefer a slide out keyboard (a la Nokia N810) but if the device had the (other) features I wanted, I would seriously consider picking it up (if the price was right of course).

Cute. I hope the demand for this device surprises the pants off of all you comedians and Apple purists alike. This, partly because it's a wonderful balance between laptop and iPod Touch / iPhone. Partly because if anyone can do it with style, it's Apple. Mostly though - I just want all you purist griefers de-pantsed. :cool:

Completely agree with you. Glad there are other people who think outside of the box.

I almost hate to admit it, but I suspect the market for this device is lazy people; couch potatoes. People who come home from a hard day's work and plop on the sofa and turn on the television. Instead of opening a laptop, they can instead use their tablet to surf from the couch.

Now, I use either my Macbook or iPhone for that kind of thing, depending on how interactive I want to be with what I'm browsing. But, what the hell, why not buy a third device that is the perfect marriage of the two?

I think the market for this will be huge. (In more ways than one...)

Yay.....no. Its hard to believe technology people can be so ..... jerk-ish. I'm not a couch potato (I'm a bit over-weight but I'm working on it) and would love a device like this if it were done right.
 
Nope. Not going to happen. Amazon will never release an eReader to compete against Kindle. You are dreaming.

There already is an eReader for the iPod Touch/iPhone for Kindle books by Amazon. How is this any different for the proposed tablet, if it's running the iPhone OS or something derivative?
 
Considering apple did the opposite with the iPhone (IE most phones didn't have Wifi, etc at the time), this is doubtful. When has apple ever been known to intentionally cripple a product?

(besides minor missing features that are released later in software updates, though I still bitch about being charged to enable wireless N).

3G and MMS are only considered minor if you're American. In Europe we brazenly surf on 3G on a variety of networks and MMS each other pictures of our naked bottoms.
 
Considering apple did the opposite with the iPhone (IE most phones didn't have Wifi, etc at the time), this is doubtful. When has apple ever been known to intentionally cripple a product?

(besides minor missing features that are released later in software updates, though I still bitch about being charged to enable wireless N).
Uh they just did.. don't you read the front page here? Apple sells iphone with out WIFI in China. so it is a possibility but I hope they know it will cost them big here in the states to do so.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaosconan

Nope. Not going to happen. Amazon will never release an eReader to compete against Kindle. You are dreaming.

Mm, Amazon does not own the rights of ebooks, the publishers do. Apple will be able to negotiate a good deal with them as the did with the music industry for iTunes
 
Uh they just did.. don't you read the front page here? Apple sells iphone with out WIFI in China. so it is a possibility but I hope they know it will cost them big here in the states to do so.

That article wasn't posted when I made my comment. I would think that they'd have the sense that that wouldn't fly in NA. Especially since its not a phone. Its one thing for a phone to not have Wifi and other laptop functions, its another for a tablet/netbook device to lack those functions.
 
Don't know what is the big deal, touch slates (convertible to desktops) have been around for sometime.

That said, given Apple's track record, I am waiting in excitement to see Apple's interpretation (i.e. design, form and function) of tablets. Like all cell phones / PDAs / blackberries were the norm until Apple raised the standard :D

http://www.shopfujitsu.com/www/prod...oducts/pentablets/photo_gal/gal_st5111_st5112

Slates have, but there are actually not that many touch slates. For example, the ST5112 you link to....not a touch. Most of them work via tablet interface (use of a pen, many actually using Wacom technology), few are touchscreen (most of which are resistive and not capacitance like the iPhone), and extremely few can handle both (HP t2z series and the Dell XT2 tablet, IIRC). Problem is, in almost all of these cases you're talking about at least a $1500-$2000 outlay for them.

This is exactly what I'd hoped Apple would address with the new tablet. Yes, slates have been around for some time, but no one has even come close to the "holy grail"...a lightweight, thin slate with a quality hi-res screen, slick capacitance touch interface, with decent battery life, a solid OS, and a respectable price. Seems like the perfect fit for an Apple tablet...but if they go with a UMD style device running a locked down interface like the iPhone OS....I'd rather wait for the Archos 9. That or I'll just stick with my Motion LE1600.
 
Considering apple did the opposite with the iPhone (IE most phones didn't have Wifi, etc at the time), this is doubtful. When has apple ever been known to intentionally cripple a product?

(besides minor missing features that are released later in software updates, though I still bitch about being charged to enable wireless N).

Apple is becoming famous for crippling products:

-they just took ExpressCard away from 15" Macbook Pro's
-they've taken away FW from several Macs (and then given it back later)
-they've taken away a matte screen option on all but the 17" MBP
-you could make the case that all Macs are crippled with no Blu-Ray option (although it's never been taken away, it's just an option with every other PC maker out there)
-the Apple TV has a USB port that could be used for external HD's but Apple very much intentionally cripples it
-again on the :apple:TV, Apple has released several software updates that purposefully cripple or kill different user upgrades (Boxee, etc.). The Apple TV in fact is a perfect example of Apple intentionally crippling a product.
-iMac also has no matte screen option anymore
-virtually all Macs have only mini display ports now, forcing you to either buy a very limited number of monitors with a MDP, or buy another adaptor. Do they even make projectors with MDP's now? (I really don't know)

Anybody care to add to the list of the numerous ways Apple likes to cripple its products?
 
I will take a 10" Air anyday over a friggin tablet

Non clam shell tablet forces you to lay it flat on lap, palm, or table. Ugh

Wanna type on a virtual keyboard? Nope!

Can you say EPIC FAIL???

 
A good product for K-12?

What I think may be overlooked in all this tablet discussion, is the attractiveness of a product like this in the K-12 education market. 95% of what 95% of students do is web-based research or assessment, assignment writing and social networking. The full blown media computers running OS X with iLife still have their place in K-12 but does not need to be ubiquitous throughout all school computers.

An iPhone based operating system with a browser, Google apps for education, cloud-based storage, digital textbooks (read content deals with Ed publishers), an iPhone Apps for Education store and Open Office could be a real winner. No OS to update or image, parental controls easy to enforce, and striking IT support savings.

If they deploy an educational version at a $600 price point, watch out....it will change the game.
 
Apple is becoming famous for crippling products:

-they just took ExpressCard away from 15" Macbook Pro's
-they've taken away FW from several Macs (and then given it back later)
-they've taken away a matte screen option on all but the 17" MBP
-you could make the case that all Macs are crippled with no Blu-Ray option (although it's never been taken away, it's just an option with every other PC maker out there)
-the Apple TV has a USB port that could be used for external HD's but Apple very much intentionally cripples it
-again on the :apple:TV, Apple has released several software updates that purposefully cripple or kill different user upgrades (Boxee, etc.). The Apple TV in fact is a perfect example of Apple intentionally crippling a product.
-iMac also has no matte screen option anymore
-virtually all Macs have only mini display ports now, forcing you to either buy a very limited number of monitors with a MDP, or buy another adaptor. Do they even make projectors with MDP's now? (I really don't know)

Anybody care to add to the list of the numerous ways Apple likes to cripple its products?

Just because a product doesn't come with the features that YOU want, it's crippled?

I bought a Blu-ray player and it doesn't play VHS movies... Wow, Magnavox seriously crippled this Blu-ray player! They could have added a VHS player to it, but they chose to cripple it.

Maybe they're innovating with the mini display port because it's better than the standard DVI... ever think of that? In the future, I wouldn't be surprised if everything has a mini display port.
 
Yay.....no. Its hard to believe technology people can be so ..... jerk-ish. I'm not a couch potato (I'm a bit over-weight but I'm working on it) and would love a device like this if it were done right.
I don't think the humor I intended was communicated well. I'm actually in the same boat; by no means a couch potato, and working to get healthier. I'll buy a Mac Tablet the day it's released. But I won't take it running; I have a Shuffle for that.
 
It will be lighter, better to handle and probl cheaper. Most notebooks are heavy and you can't hold them with one hand. and don't forget ''the general public'' wants something, all in one, where they can surf, play some games, skype, perhaps watch the news read a book/paper and even listen to some music. The success of ipod touch (which is in itself remarkable: small screen not even a tv and no major gaming (like Wii, playstation etc)) learned us that the general public wants something like this.

It all depends on reliability, aesthetics, advertisement, connectivity and acceptability. And cheap. It can't complete with their macbook line so it will be something bigger then ipod touch with added benefits like e-reader.
Let's take those comments one at a time:
"It will be lighter, better to handle and probl cheaper."
- Cheaper than a netbook? I'll be amazed.
- Will it be lighter? Hmmmm... maybe, maybe not.
- Nicer to handle depends on what you want to do with it. Pointing is certainly easier than using a trackpad, but using a proper keyboard beats an on-screen one, so there's no real advantage there.

"The success of ipod touch ... learned us that the general public wants something like this."
- The iPod touch is a) an ipod and b) fits in your pocket, so is a good evolution of the product line - it takes an exiting product and makes it better by adding good video and web access via wifi. It's an "ipod+", rather than a whole new product category.
- The tablet is much bigger - you need a bag to carry it, so its natural competitors are netbooks. It's hard to see what jobs it can do better than them.
 
I still don't see the point to a tablet.

I made the same gripe when the iPod was first introduced and Apple had yet to do any updates to their OS. Now look at the iPod and it's ancillary products and services that have evolved over the few short years.

The original iPhone with it's lack of features and web apps only. Now with the third installment of the OS and other enhancements and the App store.

I guess what I am saying is, let's wait to see it, what it can do, what it might be before passing judgement.

If this comes to fruition, I think Jobs and Apple have a game plan in mind as to what it is now and what it will become. At least I hope...:rolleyes: :apple:
 
Apple is becoming famous for crippling products:

-they just took ExpressCard away from 15" Macbook Pro's
-they've taken away FW from several Macs (and then given it back later)
-they've taken away a matte screen option on all but the 17" MBP
-you could make the case that all Macs are crippled with no Blu-Ray option (although it's never been taken away, it's just an option with every other PC maker out there)
-the Apple TV has a USB port that could be used for external HD's but Apple very much intentionally cripples it
-again on the :apple:TV, Apple has released several software updates that purposefully cripple or kill different user upgrades (Boxee, etc.). The Apple TV in fact is a perfect example of Apple intentionally crippling a product.
-iMac also has no matte screen option anymore
-virtually all Macs have only mini display ports now, forcing you to either buy a very limited number of monitors with a MDP, or buy another adaptor. Do they even make projectors with MDP's now? (I really don't know)

Anybody care to add to the list of the numerous ways Apple likes to cripple its products?

The only one I'll agree with you on is the :apple:TV, I have one and its a POS unless you hack it, which is done very easily. I cannot understand any reason whatsoever why we can't connect an external harddrive to it. I have one connected to my hacked system, easily done and done.

The rest are just hardware revisions/upgrades, they still do what they're intended to, just in a different form. Expresscard... most would rather the SD card slot. Matte/glossy, they're still screens. FW/USB you can still IO. Blu-ray meh supply and demand. Mini display port is an evolution on video output and adapters are available, you needed an adapter before anyhow for 99% of devices to go from mini-dvi to whatever.
 
Just because a product doesn't come with the features that YOU want, it's crippled?

I bought a Blu-ray player and it doesn't play VHS movies... Wow, Magnavox seriously crippled this Blu-ray player! They could have added a VHS player to it, but they chose to cripple it.

Maybe they're innovating with the mini display port because it's better than the standard DVI... ever think of that? In the future, I wouldn't be surprised if everything has a mini display port.

Nearly everything in his list were features that were REMOVED. That's not similar to your Blu-Ray player analogy.

Your mini-display port story seems unlikely.
 
I still don't see the purpose... Unless Jobs does. Seriously, either Schiller introduces this thing and people boo (just like at WWDC) or Jobs does and his RDF makes it the #1 hot item on everybody's Christmas List.

This is what I see (I've posted this elsewhere):


Here, we have the advent of the personal entertainment device... who wouldn't want one (or some).

Consider you are on that vacation trip (train, plane or car). The kids are in the back seat(s) each with his own personal device-- one is watching a movie, another is playing a video game, the third is listening/watching streamed AV Albums or TV. Or they can all interact and share (tweets, walkie-talkie/chat, multiplayer games, AV playlists). Your spouse, in the passenger seat, is reading a book/magazine, or monitoring trip schedules/travelog, or checking security/status at the home front. Meanwhile, you are getting turn-by-turn driving instructions or heads-up of points of interest along the way.

Then, vacation over, you all go back to your daily routine (business stuff, schedules, home stuff, sports, events, entertainment, school/college courses). Each of you needs to take your personal stuff with you, everything from contacts to text books).

So, really, this is for much more than entertainment... it is for most of the things you do.

The interesting thing is that one device does all these things, tailored to your, my specific needs, in any setting... at any time.

Just for the the kids:

--kid locater: I-am-here, where-where-you;
--replacement for text books, lesson plans, note taking, homework assignment/preparation/submission, drill & practice;
--medical allergies & records;
--music lessons, instrument simulation;
--personal TV, music player, movie player, game player; ad nauseam.


Who, in the family, wouldn't need/use his own, personal, one of these and the services it provides?

You have at your fingertips all the worlds content: music, movies, books, games, etc. All in an immediately useable form The person next to you, does his own thing on his own personal device.


Point is, Apple will sell hundreds of millions of these. Those providing services or content will have a large, universal, install base to sell into.


All of this for, say, $800 per device 1-time cost (instead of buying dedicated music players, game players, book readers, netbooks, etc).

And, say, $100-$400 per month, total, for all the members of the family unit to access the services. This could be subsidized by advertising, and/or offset by replacing current, monthly, telephone and cable television costs.

Merry Christmas, everyone!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.