Apple Tablet Speculation Continuing to Gain Attention

[Rocketman]

You know what I want? I want to be able to ingest content from digital cameras in oddball formats no sane person would voluntarily choose, process it into a usable file format, and then be able to do all the Apple-ly things with it. I don't care if the translation is a cloud function, although a 1 gig HD video upload might be an issue, or a locally run conversion utility for that one task, but getting content in, is a recurring problem when sharing with friends with no taste in brands or file formats.

The newest handtop chips have plenty of local compute power for a format conversion of a family HD video. It might take a while.

Rocketman

 

[cmaier]

If 10.7 is going to drop all 32-bit kernel code (which it should) you wouldn't want the tablets holding it back.

x86 doesn't imply 32-bit. x86-64 (or, as an AMD alumni, I prefer AMD64) is 64-bit. x64 is nothing. x86 is either 32 or 64 bit depending on context. At this point, I don't think you can even find a 32-bit x86 chip.

 

[whooleytoo]

Some analyst suggested Apple received c. $500m worth of free advertising through rumours sites in the lead-up to the iPhone announcement; simply by throwing out a few scraps of news and letting the internet run with it.

By the looks of it, that seems like a conservative estimate of how much free iTablet advertising Apple is getting!

The great thing about a rumoured, hypothetical consumer device; it CAN be all things to all people. Given the range of features it (apparently) has to have or it'll flop; the actual, real device is going to be a massive let-down, regardless.

 

[cmaier]

Given the range of features it (apparently) has to have or it'll flop; the actual, real device is going to be a massive let-down, regardless.

That's what they said about the iPhone prior to the announcement. Don't think it turned out that way.

 

[Jason Beck]

Full OSX and I will even eat my lunch on it.
OSX Tablet / Food Plate!
(built in stylus/spork)

 

[*LTD*]

Whatever it'll be, it'll be a game-changer. Bet on it.

Apple shares to $300. Easy.

 

[JohnnyGo]

Xmas wish list for Santa Jobs !

I think most here realize that Apple has been "creating" this product for a while now and they have certainly being "listening" to all forums and media comments.

I noticed a couple of repeat "requests" in this thread as in previous posts related to the "iTablet". Excluding the clear outliars (price below $399, 240hr battery life ), there is a lot in common:

a) various sizes and features / different price points (3G+WiFi v. WiFi only, Cam v. NoCam, 7" v. 10")

b) expanded iPhone OS (run iPhone apps, in windows and/or full screen, but also add major OSX apps like iWork, Mail)

c) option for NO CONTRACT with mobile carrier

d) media playing capabilities (video out)

e) multiple media syncing options (Mac, Mac mini server, AppleTV, mobileme, itunes, new cloud library, etc)

f) multi-function device (not dedicated) in order to appeal for ereader crowd, multimedia/video crowd, web browsing crowd, etc

g) use new Apple battery technology (used in new MBP) to allow 16hr WiFi web browsing and/or video play (full day)

I think it won't be announced prior to Xmas... but surely, Steve will be dressed as Santa Claus in late January to announce this new device as his gift to all folks that stood by Apple throughout the last 30 years

I will by one !

 

[whooleytoo]

That's what they said about the iPhone prior to the announcement. Don't think it turned out that way.

I think the tablet speculation is going even further. Even at launch (without the App Store), the iPhone was fairly feature rich for the time; so it's not surprising it was very well received.

But the expectations for his tablet are off the scale. Some want OSX, some want iPhone OS. For some it's a home media device, for others it's the only computer they'll need. It needs to be small, and light; and have enough power for Photoshop and long battery life. It needs a big-enough screen to be able to work on documents/images; but small enough to hold in one hand (or how else would you use the on-screen keyboard?)

I think there's a genuine market for tablets, and if anyone can get the marketing niche perfect, it's Apple. But the initial release is bound to have a huge negative reaction here.

 

[Stately]

I'ts coming . . It's definitely on the way, I'm stoked.

 

[Tulipone]

Personally I wonder if this will apply new injection into the mobile telephone market by out iphoning the iPhone and coming with a bundle deal an internal sim card for browsing. A 2 year (3 year?) contract with your mobile provider would seem likely to me.

Is a tablet a suitable device for displaying presentations with? Not unless it comes with a projector (what a great idea - films also supplied through iTunes?).

Will it work and outkindle a Kindle? Yes, especially if magazines/periodics/newspapers produce a version (though iTunes?).

If it costs more than a macbook, why would you buy it? If it cost almost as much as a macbook air, whats the point? If it were priced between a macbook and an iTouch and provided a decent bit of functionality it will sell big.

 

[uraniumwilly]

Adios, macbook air.

 

[hvfsl]

Full OS X or bust!

None of this weak as water mobile OS stuff.

I want to collect images on mine
I want to give ppt presentations with it
I want a hierarchical file structure that I can control
I want to install application on it that have not passed the "Apple Gods" crazy rules that stifle innovation

I want it to be OS X.

It won't have full Mac OS X, for that to happen it would need an Atom CPU and Apple have recently stopped supporting them.

 

[AidenShaw]

x86 doesn't imply 32-bit. x86-64 (or, as an AMD alumni, I prefer AMD64) is 64-bit. x64 is nothing. x86 is either 32 or 64 bit depending on context. At this point, I don't think you can even find a 32-bit x86 chip.

The original Atoms are x86, some of the newer ones are x64.

Microsoft and Sun, among others, use x86 as the keyword for the 32-bit ISA, and x64 for the 64-bit version.

There are lots of variations (e.g. "x86_64", "x86-64", "Intel® 64")....

 

[KPJLK]

I wonder if the re-branding of Apple's 13" laptops as "Pro" points to an approaching divergence in the line-up (and so, as Apple sees it, in the market). Fully-functioning, OSX-driven, keyboard-equipped computers for professional or semi-professional use, and tablet devices for everything BUT work. . . to be called, as the name becomes free, the "Macbook".

 

[Peace]

Embedded OS on a custom ARM ( Apple owned ) processor.

 

[jeznav]

You are all going to be sooo disappointed when this thing is eventually released because it will definitely not run Mac OS X.
It's operating system will be a hybrid of both Mac OS X and iPhone OS that can probably run all existing iPhone apps and maybe a few simple OS X apps (definitely not Photoshop, Garageband etc.).
Fortunately it won't be as expensive as some folks would like it to be (e.g. 1000$) but it will neither come for 400$ or less.

But this is only my wild speculation...

I agree.

I stopped believing any news related to the tablet since it's all a specultion. Apple has not released any detailed information about it although some detaills are observed by their hardware orders from suppliers, aquisition of PA-semi, and image patent leaks.

I really don't want to spoil myself regarding the things it might do. But for the people who are wishing/dreaming the things they want will just be disappointed if it came out that's isn't on their wishlist. 100% guarantee people will complain about it not having this or that. I have my wishlist to but it's best to wait.

 

[Stately]

Every one who thinks that it will be below 1000$ is crazy especially if it runs full OsX
1. Apple products are always more expensive(rightfully)
2. Windows runnig tablets are about 1000
3. Apple is competitive

I think the last two points are irrelevant to your comment. Other companies hardly have any bearing on the price of Apples products. I think they are priced that way simply because of your first point. Apple is top of the food chain so to speak, so they just do what they do. Everyone else follows suit. They could price it between 6 and 7, heck, even five. As long as it destroys the competition as always. If that's the case, price won't be the deciding factor of purchase for the majority.

 

[jeznav]

The iTablet must run Mac OS X applications (full Mac OS X inside - Tablet version). Must be as light and small as possible. Must have video-out and USB 2 ports for Keynote and PowerPoint presentations.

They have something similar: MacBook Air

 

[reallynotnick]

Steve Jobs is going to have a huge announcement for this, big press event. He's going to talk about sales numbers and then changes in the industry and how Apple likes to be ahead of the curve. He will tell the crowd that he is proud to finally announce Apple's worst kept secret in history and just as he is going to unveil the product Ashton Kutcher is going to come out and tell the crowd everyone just got punked and high five Steve Jobs. They both have a great laugh about it and then finally walk off the stage leaving the audience alone and in awe.

 

[indigo144]

Its all in the OS and the competition to outshine Chrome

Apple's tablet will need to compete with Chrome running on cheap Atom netbooks. iPhone OS (ARM) is too little and full blown MacOSX (core2duo) is too much. The formidable challenge Apple faces is developing a compromise that justifies Apple's price premium. Being slick is not enough. Nor millions of toy apps.

Google recognized that Android (with its multitasking) is insufficient for full tablet functionality. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds but unless they have a (hardware) ace up their sleeves providing near-MacOSX ability, they will be slammed by sub $500 hardware running Chrome and Android.

And if they mess this up Apple may even lose out on the phone market where again its tough to see the iPhone maintain its price premium (huge margins).

 

[Winni]

I have been dreaming about a device that would allow me to present Keynote presentations from. I also want a device that will allow me to take written notes with a stylus so that I can draw. Perfect for those science conferences.

They're called Tablet PCs and have been around for quite a while now. There's no need to wait for something from Apple when others have already been on that party for years.

 

[ShiftyPig]

If this thing runs full OS X, I'll buy one and wear it as a hat for a month. If I recall, the margin of error (if that's the proper term) for the touch interface is like 30 pixels.

Hook your Mac up to a 10-inch monitor and open a few windows to see how it would be like touching the screen to work your way through OS X. The Bluetooth/Airport/Time/Battery indicator on the top right? Good luck with that. Navigating in an Internet browser? Have fun. BTW, your bookmark bar is practically worthless, and don't even try going near the red/yellow/green buttons on that active window.

iPhone OS is designed for touch interface. Time to cool the "full OS X" FB engines...

Edit for a mong spelling error.

 

[huntercr]

Where and when did this rumor FIRST even come to fruition? I still feel like the Tablet idea was born from thin air. Thus, I just have no idea why people think it will be a reality.

Where did this rumor come from?

The tablet idea surfaced in the early 2000-2001 when apple said it would not be coming out with a new newton. People speculated that Apple might develop a tablet which was all the rage in the PC manufacturers laptops at the time ( which were absolutely horrible ). I think there's a quote of Steve Jobs saying he could do it better.

The tablet rumors stopped for awhile, and everything switched over to iphone this and that ( which was a rumor for nearly as long ), and then when the iPhone turned out to be real, everyone assumed that the tablet had to be real too. ( though apple is playing pretty coy here... it's very likely to be real )

 

[Winni]

Full OSX and this is going to sell at any price point.

May I ask why? Except for using this as sketchpad replacement, I have a hard time imagining anything that a tablet could do better than a netbook.

Now with an ePaper display it could also be nice competition for the Kindle, too. The only problem is that electronic devices are still years away from being a real substitute for printed paper - on which I can draw, underline or mark text, rent it to a friend, sell it on a flea market or just read it without having to fear empty batteries.

So we have two ePaper things that this tablet could do. But somehow, that doesn't excite me at all.

 

[Darth.Titan]

The more of these highly speculative stories that come out, the larger the chance the Apple Tablet will fail miserably when (if) it is ever released.

If the rumors are true, the tablet will be able to do basically everything a gadget could possibly do. It's an e-reader, a gaming device, and a music player. You can watch TV and movies on it and surf the Internet (or so we've heard). And it will have thousands of third-party apps available for it ... or maybe it will run Mac OS X. That's all still unknown.

Really? Why not rumor next-gen OLED screens holographic storage, and breakthrough battery technology that charges using the heat from your fingertips as you use it? All for the low price of $99, Buy One Get One Free! Just from reading this thread I can tell that expectations are all over the place and are, for the most part, unrealistic.

I believe that this device (if released) will probably be quite different from what is being wildly speculated, and an order of magnitude simpler.

I also think that the growing mania and wild theories that are propagating could make Apple pull the plug on this project altogether. (As I believe they've done before. How many years have we been listening to tablet rumors again?) There's no way to release a real product that can succeed when it has to live up to the mythological hype that has grown to surround the fabled "Tablet" over the last couple of years.