Apple Tablet Operating System Claims: 'A Good Bit of New Sexy'

[autrefois]

So let's see..

January 6: Apple employee says Tablet UI has “steep learning curve”

January 7: Apple Tablet OS has "a good bit of new sexy to it".

Almost sounds like someone (maybe Apple?) was trying to counteract the negative press from the previous day.... Nah, couldn't happen.

Sounds like a campaign of information and disinformation is being waged about the tablet. But which is which? Hopefully the "good bit of new sexy" is the information and the "steep learning curve" is the disinformation.

 

[Bevz]

This "industry source" sounds like a bit of an idiot...

 

[Eidorian]

So let's see..

January 6: Apple employee says Tablet UI has “steep learning curve”

January 7: Apple Tablet OS has "a good bit of new sexy to it".

Almost sounds like someone (maybe Apple?) was trying to counteract the negative press from the previous day.... Nah, couldn't happen.

Sounds like a campaign of information and disinformation is being waged about the tablet. But which is which? Hopefully the "good bit of new sexy" is the information and the "steep learning curve" is the disinformation.

One hand doesn't know what the other is doing.

 

[axual]

Simple Equation

'vague comments' + 'from industry source' = 'no clue whatsoever'

 

[HaXoR7Om]

Always remember... Apple is king of leading us astray. Giving us tidbits to wet our whistle and then wow'ing us with something we never expected.

My expectation for this device is that it could be the next iPod or iPhone like device for Apple and I'm sure they're going to do something to make everyone else say "oh shXX! Not again!".

The ho-hum introductions at CES is really setting up Apple perfectly. Steve Balmer must secretly have Apple stock! LOL!

Steve Balmer should have gone crazy again to make it interesting "Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers" XD

 

[gnasher729]

Will it run Flash?

Not if Apple can avoid it.

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

Please please please announce iPhone OS4 with multi-tasking, better notifications, and resolution independence and make it available before the next iPhone. We need a new UI!

 

[HaXoR7Om]

Please please please announce iPhone OS4 with multi-tasking, better notifications, and resolution independence and make it available before the next iPhone. We need a new UI!

agreed, every smartphone should have multi-tasking, I mean even my lg cookie has it.

 

[shaolindave]

new OS?

A new OS? that's too bad. I was hoping to develop games for it fairly easily, with existing toolkits and engines from the existing OSes. this might hinder that.

 

[gnasher729]

Good call, but if you want music on it, you better buy all of your music from iTunes. I doubt this thing will have an optical drive.

You're going to need a second computer to transfer your old files, unless you're planning starting from a clean slate; pun intended.

Shouldn't be a problem, considering that millions of netbooks have no optical drive either. And can I just say that you need a second computer to have any files to transfer in the first place. Or where would these files come from?

 

[Eidorian]

Shouldn't be a problem, considering that millions of netbooks have no optical drive either. And can I just say that you need a second computer to have any files to transfer in the first place. Or where would these files come from?

Can you use an iPhone or iPod Touch standalone at all?

 

[John.B]

That is why I won't be buying it. I'll get by with my iMac, Macbook (soon to be Arrandale Macbook Pro) & iPhone. I can live with the iPhone being locked down because it is a phone but not a $1000 semi-computer that is geared towards reading magazines & newspapers. If they pull this with OSX, I will leave the Mac.

Why? Do you think your Arrandale Macbook Pro is suddenly going to lose functionality when the tablet ships?

FWIW, I read blogs and news almost exclusively on my iPhone. I don't know if I'll buy an iSlate (or whatever it's named), but if it has a larger screen with higher resolution, I'm sure I'll at least be tempted. There are times when the form factor of a MacBook or MacBookPro is just too large, and the iPhone screen is too small unless I read in landscape mode. I'm hoping this device will fit comfortably in between the two extremes.

But if it doesn't, its not like I'm going to sell everything I own from Apple out of spite.

 

[Peace]

I don't like quoting Steve but some people here have no idea what Apple is doing with their new device.

 

[MacFly123]

A third operating system? It's getting annoying to deal with OS X and the iPhone OS alone. Now we get to "learn" a third :-(

What?

Do we really need another OS and UI to learn to use?

Ok people, listen up! It is REALLY SIMPLE. First of all, THEY ARE ALL OS X!

Apple took OS X and optimized it to be more suited for a mobile phone. That included adding some new things, like handling the phone chips, and removing some things that are not necessary!

Now that Apple has already molded OS X into what it needs to be for a mobile device, why on Earth would they start over for the iSlate? THEY WON'T!

They would start with the iPhone OS, and from there do THE SAME THING THEY DID BEFORE! Add some things, tweak some things, and make it perfectly suited for the iSlate and a bigger screen!

So is it derived from the iPhone OS? YES! Are they all OS X? YES! They all share the same code base. Macs, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV! That is done on purpose. It is MUCH more efficient in all areas, including to us because they can add features across product lines much faster!

Apple is not going to be like every other stupid company that slaps a desktop OS on a tablet and adds a touch screen, and calls it good. Doing just that is EXACTLY why tablets have FAILED miserably until now! They are like Windows Mobile and some stupid stylus to control little tiny things you can barely even see on screen lol.

Apple has already created OS X Touch, it is called the iPhone OS! They will now improve and refine that to make it beautiful on the iSlate!

Why is this so hard to understand?

 

[str1f3]

Why? Do you think your Arrandale Macbook Pro is suddenly going to lose functionality when the tablet ships?

No, I don't think that it will lose functionality now. I'm talking about the future. The future is touch-based computing. If Apple moves to have all their products locked into the App Store, I will move on from the Mac.

FWIW, I read blogs and news almost exclusively on my iPhone. I don't know if I'll buy an iSlate (or whatever it's named), but if it has a larger screen with higher resolution, I'm sure I'll at least be tempted. There are times when the form factor of a MacBook or MacBookPro is just too large, and the iPhone screen is too small unless I read in landscape mode. I'm hoping this device will fit comfortably in between the two extremes.

But if it doesn't, its not like I'm going to sell everything I own from Apple out of spite.

We will all be tempted with the tablet. If you feel like spending $1000 just to get that right feel at times when you do whatever, then go right ahead. The extremes you mention is supposed to be between a desktop and iPhone. The laptop or tablet should be the compromise.

In truth, the average person should only need one computer and a smartphone and not a device for every situation.

 

[hitekalex]

This is the most useless front page post ever made. While claiming to be new information, it tells us absolutely nothing.

"It's a big iPhone, but it's not just a big iPhone"

Wow, thanks a lot for that insight!

"It's pretty"

Useless.

It actually says quite a bit.

(1) It will have 3G Data functionality (since they are calling it an iPhone) vs being just large Touch.

(2) It will run a custom OS, rather than just standard iPhone OS with support for higher resolution.

Perhaps you are a part of Apple Tablet development team, and these are old news to you. However, I certainly didn't know.

 

[SandynJosh]

A third operating system? It's getting annoying to deal with OS X and the iPhone OS alone. Now we get to "learn" a third :-(

I know, I know... progress is such a terrible thing. If it's any consultation the iPhone and the iMac use different versions of OSX that are optimized for the product at hand. So, it's not like a totally different OS... just a better IU experience.

My personal expectation is that the Apple tablet will reduce the number of keyboard keys to about 8 and the user will chord them to input all the ASCII character sets. If 4 keys are mounted under each side of the slate, one could quickly type anything without doing any motion other then lifting and lowering one's fingers while holding the tablet.

Besides being easier to accommodate on smaller form factor devices, it finally moves the inputting experience from one required for early typewriter mechanical design into the electronic mobile world of the 21st century.

This could be what's behind the "steep learning curve" comment reported earlier.

 

[MikhailT]

I see your point and it makes some sense.

I'm all for having an App store, but why can't there be both an App store, and the freedom to load your own apps or scripts that you find useful that aren't in the App store.

Apple being the gatekeeper for EVERYthing I want to do on my device just seems wrong somehow.

We have no idea what the tablet will be like and the restrictions that Apple might place on it. We shouldn't be assuming that there will be any. Let's just wait and see what comes out before we make any decisions but I do just want to say, I do hope there is an app store for tablet.

It actually says quite a bit.

(1) It will have 3G Data functionality (since they are calling it an iPhone) vs being just large Touch.

(2) It will run a custom OS, rather than just standard iPhone OS with support for higher resolution.

Perhaps you are a part of Apple Tablet development team, and these are old news to you. However, I certainly didn't know.

It doesn't say anything. People say iPhone by default when referring to the Apple's mobile devices including iPod Touch. I catch myself saying iPhone whenever i was trying to say iPod Touch. iPod is what i refer to music players from Apple, not mobile devices.

As for 2, that's common sense and not just from this report. If anybody have common sense, they would know it will have a custom OS X build for it a very long time ago.

 

[coleridge78]

Yes, dreaming - sadly.

In the non Apple world, these would be no - brainers - developers and users alike *would expect* an open device, that can multi-task and install any application they like, without being carrier locked if purchased out right.

Yes, because all non-Apple mobile devices exist in open ecosystems where nobody exerts any control over apps or carriers...

... oh wait...

Do you people ever listen to yourselves?

 

[cmaier]

Yes, because all non-Apple mobile devices exist in open ecosystems where nobody exerts any control over apps or carriers...

... oh wait...

Do you people ever listen to yourselves?

Huh? There are lots of tablets with usb ports for airport cards or built in airport cards that have no central app-approving authority.

 

[SandynJosh]

So let's see..

January 6: Apple employee says Tablet UI has “steep learning curve”

January 7: Apple Tablet OS has "a good bit of new sexy to it".

Almost sounds like someone (maybe Apple?) was trying to counteract the negative press from the previous day.... Nah, couldn't happen.

Sounds like a campaign of information and disinformation is being waged about the tablet. But which is which? Hopefully the "good bit of new sexy" is the information and the "steep learning curve" is the disinformation.

These could be referring to the same thing. See my previous post above.

 

[Stella]

Yes, because all non-Apple mobile devices exist in open ecosystems where nobody exerts any control over apps or carriers...

... oh wait...

Do you people ever listen to yourselves?

I suppose you'd be happy with Apple adopting the same strategy for OSX - gatekeeper for all OSX apps.

If not, why not? iPhone, iSlate , Macs - all computers. No different than one another. ( HINT: a smartphone is a computer ).

Do you people ever listen to yourselves?

 

[Digitalclips]

A third operating system? It's getting annoying to deal with OS X and the iPhone OS alone. Now we get to "learn" a third :-(

I assume, given they are all so simple you are kidding right?

 

[PeterQVenkman]

Sounds like a controlled leak to take some (any) wind out of the sails of the numerous tablet/slate announcements from MS and others.

 

[peterdevries]

My personal expectation is that the Apple tablet will reduce the number of keyboard keys to about 8 and the user will chord them to input all the ASCII character sets. If 4 keys are mounted under each side of the slate, one could quickly type anything without doing any motion other then lifting and lowering one's fingers while holding the tablet.

Sorry man and woman, but this (below) interface is more likely than the monstrosity that you are talking about...