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Not going to please everyone

If you can't figure out how you'll type on it = BUY A LAPTOP

If you want full OSX on a tablet (I'd call you crazy) = BUY A MODBOOK and pay out your butt for something your desktop beats in function every time.

If you want an easy to use web/email/media reader = TABLET

e-ink is a transition product - everyone knows it. Color is important to transition all of these crappy magazine websites into enjoyable Web apps.

There is a company out there who made a LCD with two modes - e-ink mode and backlit mode for normal computing. Even with the tech out there, I can't think why I care. I don't spend money on etchasketch either.
 
Iphone OS is not about screen size - it's about who decides what applications user may install on it. If it's up to app store - it's the iphone (os). If it's up to user - it is mac os or jailbroken iphone os.

iPhone OS os about creating a functional and popular touch-screen OS to the masses. Now that Apple's proved it can be done and done well they're going to run with it and expand the experience.

The app store is about controlling the total experience, which is what Apple's always done. Complaining now is way past the horse leaving the barn. Thea pp store has also made Ape a great seal of money -who knew we were just looking for easier ways to spend it?
 
Maybe apple will design another OS system for the device to make it unique and add competitive advantage.
 
Apple's game-changer

Indeed, because Apple designed a touch-screen, gesture based UI for the iPhone, and didn't try to squeeze a desktop OS designed for large screens with keyboard & mouse input into a mini device without any of these things.:)

Like you, I am a big believer in the importance of tailoring the interface to the nature (size, intended use, capabilities, etc.) of the device. Clearly, both the iPhone OS and OSX for desktop/laptops are very wrong for a 'tablet' device. If the iPhone OS is used, it's just a big iPhone and not a thing in itself. Likewise, if OSX is used, it's just a stripped-down laptop.

Instead, I believe what Apple is pursuing is a new thing entirely. What is it? Well, according to accounts of Apple talking with publishers, I believe Apple wants to be in the publishing business in a manner similar to the way the iPod put Apple into the music business. That is: As the world's largest distributor of the product (in this case, newspapers, textbooks, magazines, paperbacks, etc.).

This would be a product of stunning impact if done right. It would be the modern-day printing press. The internet itself is just that now, of course, but the 'net also distributed music at one time. You'll recall, though, that during the Napster days, music publishers made little or no livelihood through music distribution over the 'net, and tried to shut it down.

Today, it's likewise extremely difficult to make internet publishing profitable. I believe Jobs sees this as an opportunity that will make Apple the center of much of the publishing world. Publishers fear loss of their own power, and with good reason, but like the music publishers and distributors before them, they lack the tools to fight back. (And that's not going to change.)

The tablet (whatever it's called) is a game-changer. But it must be a 'thing unto itself' to accomplish this. It will not be a large iPhone or a small laptop, but it will appropriate techniques perfected in those devices and apply them to its own unique ends.

Apple has I believe been studying how users interact with their newspapers and other printed materials, in order to give their new product a unique flavor, just as the iPhone has a unique flavor. But there are other uses for a 'tablet' form factor, such as watching videos, taking notes, playing games, and drawing. Apple will not neglect these, since they represent more reasons to buy the thing. Equally important, they represent more reasons to carry the thing around.

The laptop = Primarily: moblie workspace, web browsing, email. Secondary uses (for the majority) are to watch web video, play games, hear music.

The desktop = Primarily: stationary workspace, web browsing, email. Secondary uses (for the majority) are to watch web video, play games, hear music.

The iPhone = Primarily: verbal communication (it's a PHONE), playing music, viewing personal photos, running highly task-specific apps (mainly for gathering info), short text communications. Secondary: email, net browsing. iPhone apps differ greatly from work apps - this is primarily a 'leisure' or consumer device. Not terribly well suited for watching videos or general web browsing, though it is handy and will do in a pinch.

The tablet = Primarily: Your daily paper, your favorite magazines, textbooks, novels. The Kindle but with many more uses, more power, and color. Net access to your reading material of choice is FREE with a subscription to that publication. (Some ad-supported publications may be ENTIRELY free.) Important secondary uses: Games, video, email. The bigger form factor makes it more suitable for these things than an iPhone, yet it is more simple and portable than a laptop (appeal similar to a netbook).

What about Photoshop, etc., on this thing? I think you wind up with "Photoshop-lite" versions for those who want it. The main reason to buy the thing is not to run Photoshop, but I think Apple will encourage stripped-down versions of popular apps.

What about voice? I doubt that Apple wants to deal with the phone companies any more than it already does. But of course, the thing will have cell and WiFi capabilities, along with a camera and mike. You won't be able to use it as your primary cell phone, but you can still make Skype calls. The cell will deliver your reading material from anywhere, and may also enable 'net browsing from sites willing to foot the bill.
 
Why would it need a full version of Leopard? Seems completely absurd to me. The clue is in the underlying OS APIs, OS X uses Cocoa and iPhone OS uses CocoaTouch. In other words one is optimised for a mouse and keyboard and the other for gesturing.

As an iphone dev I would welcome the tablet having iPhone OS as commercially its going to be another potentially huge market to target with virtually no re-writes. Business/Utility apps commonly use UITableViews which will expand to fill the size of the screen and games will simply have a larger canvas area with rich to render objects.

As some have mentioned it needs multi-tasking, rumours are that iphone OS 4.0 will support this, in fact OS3.0 does on a jailbroken phone and apple do this themselves with itunes running in the background.

I just cant see the point of an OS being deployed which a) isn't optimised for touch and b) isn't meant to work on low power devices.

Get over it y'all and enjoy, I'm buying one no matter what!
 
If the iPhone OS is used, it's just a big iPhone
Exactly.

...but not exactly.

The Slablet *will* run iPhone OS; albeit iPhone OS 4.0. That's a given. Anybody that thinks this device will run Snow Leopard or any variation thereof is smoking crack. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to run a desktop OS on a tablet. Doesn't make sense and would be awkward to say the least. IMO, that's why, to date, tablets have not done well.

I think the problem is that people are visualizing nothing more than an oversized iPhone and that's not what this device will be. Sure, it will be able to run iPhone apps. but it will be capable of so much more. I'm not gonna go through the litany of features. Google it if you're interested.

The beauty of iPhone OS is that it is a *fully* touch-based OS. What do you want to do? Enjoy some form of media? Great.....touch the iPod icon and bam! You're device becomes a media player. Want to do some calendaring? Great...touch the iCal icon and your device becomes a calendar! ...and so on and so forth. But what if you want to check your calendar while you are listening to music, browsing the web, waiting for an important email, modifying a document *and* video conferencing with a buddy. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine all active, multi-tasked applications being displayed in tiles with a simple gesture.

Welcome to the Slablet! :D
 
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