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Apple Touchscreen Netbook to Launch in October at $800?
- Thread starter Divine Comedy
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It is not rude nor an attack. Since when can you NOT call someone ignorant for making a comment that is, well, ignorant? Do you know what the real definition of that is? It means uninformed. I would say that to you in person or the person I replied to - do I now have that right? The post was silly and uninformed based on the fact that he may have used a netbook. I explained my points and defended them - I did not post a two sentence comment about a netbook being crap and good for on-line work only. He did not stand behind his comment and chose to suck and cover. I stood-up for my opinion and called it like I saw it. The no offense was satire and I realized there would be people like you who could not see the intent of the comments I made. Take it for what it is worth - I claim not to be presumptuous or attacking. I made a statement and stood behind it - period. Nothing more to it...regardless of your thoughts.
D
Yes! I love this idea, and this is one market I didn't think of 🙂
As a web developer, I've often thought that I would love a custom keyboard for both TextMate, and Photoshop. This is credible, since developers could EXTEND their existing OS X apps to support this wonderful functionality. Think of some of the potential here:
* iPhoto / Aperture, the pad becomes a the tool palette of editing / enhancement tools.
* Garageband - the pad becomes a virtual instrument. We've seen plenty of these work really well on the iPhone.
* World of Warcraft (and any other game) - the pad becomes like a z-board. suddenly you don't have to remember cryptic key commands...
* IM Apps - the pad becomes your contact list
* iTunes - the pad becomes your video screen, or an equalizer.
* Any other time the pad could become "Dashboard".
Man, I would buy something that could do that in a SECOND. Of course, that wouldn't be all the device could do. Again, I think an eReader that redefines that market, but it would be a sensational device to access the web on.
Newton
Apple already had something like this out. It was call the Newton, they even had a netbook like device called the eMate (I have one).
Doesn't Mac OS X 'inkwell' do this function too?
Hugh
Apple already had something like this out. It was call the Newton, they even had a netbook like device called the eMate (I have one).
Doesn't Mac OS X 'inkwell' do this function too?
Hugh
Interesting theory. Now here's mine:
Encourage a few more pros to use the Mac by (oh, I dunno ... ) lowering the Mac Pro price(s), maybe? 😱 More pros using Macs means more software is being updated, written, or maintained, and the company gains more market share and prospers.
But the iPhone costs $99 now.
Yes, I remember that. What's your point other than there used to be more than one MacBook?
I sincerely hope that this will be a tablet with a multi-touch AND pressure sensitive screen. ALA a more able Wacom "Cintique" except with the computer built in, so that you haven't got a load of wires tying you down.
A truly portable artists tablet. This is something I am surprised has not been invented yet. Imo, it is just a matter of time (just like the iPhone concept) until such a device is created. I hope it's apple that does it though, a sleek, slim lightweight virtual sketchbook with intuitive software and touch control? Oh yes.
Also, a multi touch, pressure-sensitive tool with a full OS could do so much for musicians too. Virtual Drumkits or keyboards (etc etc)?
I've been close to tearing apart my macbook, flipping the screen and sticking an intuos behind it. Why has no hardware manufacturer done this yet!??
I think something like this would completely change the way we look at computers for many more everyday activities. It would be a sketchbook, a portfolio, an instrument, a diary, an organiser, a book, a magazine, everything a laptop wants to be, except without the fiddly barrier of pointing and clicking and typing. In fact calling it a "computer" would be misleading. It would be a tool with infinite use that EVERYONE could use.
Yes tablets have been around before, but they have had unintuitive interfaces, clunky touch-screens and, most importantly, they look like a mini block computer case with a little screen stuck at the top. They've hardly been inspirational.
Think virtual notebook in your hands. Not a blocky bit of plastic with a screen in the middle, but a whole large screen covering the entire slim device's front. Think scrollable, zoomable magazine or book (where all this control is given by simply touching the pages like you should be) with instantly downloadable content, except this time it actually looks like a magazine (with crisp full colour pages), NOT like a strange oversized gameboy. Basically, think overgrown iphone ...but multiply it.
Keyboard? What the fook for? That's just sooo 20th century.
I'd be happy with a stripped down OS if it meant making it as simple to use as it should be. In fact, if I had no other choice, I'd buy a £1,000, "Brushes" app if it was on a bigger screen.
We get on fine with pencil and paper without function and shortcut keys. The most unintuitive thing about this should be pressing the "on" button. Slide the page/canvas with four fingers, erase with your thumb, smudge with your knuckle, flick with the outside of your little finger and actually blow charcoal specs with your mouth (maybe!).
Mobile technology is ready and so am I. I'm waiting for this device.
A truly portable artists tablet. This is something I am surprised has not been invented yet. Imo, it is just a matter of time (just like the iPhone concept) until such a device is created. I hope it's apple that does it though, a sleek, slim lightweight virtual sketchbook with intuitive software and touch control? Oh yes.
Also, a multi touch, pressure-sensitive tool with a full OS could do so much for musicians too. Virtual Drumkits or keyboards (etc etc)?
I've been close to tearing apart my macbook, flipping the screen and sticking an intuos behind it. Why has no hardware manufacturer done this yet!??
I think something like this would completely change the way we look at computers for many more everyday activities. It would be a sketchbook, a portfolio, an instrument, a diary, an organiser, a book, a magazine, everything a laptop wants to be, except without the fiddly barrier of pointing and clicking and typing. In fact calling it a "computer" would be misleading. It would be a tool with infinite use that EVERYONE could use.
Yes tablets have been around before, but they have had unintuitive interfaces, clunky touch-screens and, most importantly, they look like a mini block computer case with a little screen stuck at the top. They've hardly been inspirational.
Think virtual notebook in your hands. Not a blocky bit of plastic with a screen in the middle, but a whole large screen covering the entire slim device's front. Think scrollable, zoomable magazine or book (where all this control is given by simply touching the pages like you should be) with instantly downloadable content, except this time it actually looks like a magazine (with crisp full colour pages), NOT like a strange oversized gameboy. Basically, think overgrown iphone ...but multiply it.
Keyboard? What the fook for? That's just sooo 20th century.
I'd be happy with a stripped down OS if it meant making it as simple to use as it should be. In fact, if I had no other choice, I'd buy a £1,000, "Brushes" app if it was on a bigger screen.
We get on fine with pencil and paper without function and shortcut keys. The most unintuitive thing about this should be pressing the "on" button. Slide the page/canvas with four fingers, erase with your thumb, smudge with your knuckle, flick with the outside of your little finger and actually blow charcoal specs with your mouth (maybe!).
Mobile technology is ready and so am I. I'm waiting for this device.
hmm another thing I am thinking about is the keyboard. A tablet is great for quick browsing but what about word processing?
Maybe it could have a dock connector on the bottom allowing you to attach a keyboard which will turn it into a mini macbook. I doubt apple will go that route.
Speech recognition? That may be good if your in your home but who would want to talk to type while in a cafe?
Shake to type?
Some sort of new tapping system very different from iPhone/iPod Touch?
hmmm... has anyone seen a new type of way to enter things on a tablet?
Maybe it could have a dock connector on the bottom allowing you to attach a keyboard which will turn it into a mini macbook. I doubt apple will go that route.
Speech recognition? That may be good if your in your home but who would want to talk to type while in a cafe?
Shake to type?
Some sort of new tapping system very different from iPhone/iPod Touch?
hmmm... has anyone seen a new type of way to enter things on a tablet?
My dad has a tablet for work and rather than using Word all the time, he uses a tablet-only program and he just writes on the "paper." To delete a word, he draws a line over it.
I totally agree!
Actually a few months ago I was a few meters from buying a "netBook", I was assuming that if my old iBook G4 was still fast enough for basic tasks (battery completely dead and screen as some problems do...) a new "shiny" netbook would do what i needed from a portable. (didn't expected to run Photoshop or "heavy softwares on it)
I tried a Acer Aspire something with windows Xp and the result were so terrible that I had to keep myself from tossing it out of the window.
Then I tried a Asus (don't remember which model but quite new in april) with Ubuntu that a friend of mine was saying great things about, only reaction was a big laugh and wouldn't suggest it even to a 5 years old children.
My solution was work on iPhone when out for 2 months more, save money and get an awesome and not so much bigger MBP 13".
But don't now if OSX can do miracles on this machines as it seems by some of the posts, never tried a "hackintosh", maybe it's just Windows the problem.
What i want to say is that, many of us "hating" netbooks have tried and seen what they can do, and simply that is not what I mean for working! Or at least if you can work with such delays and wait time in wich the computer hangs and you have to cross your fingers, it simply means that you can afford working much less then me, and especially are way more patient...
We are here beacouse we use Macs, and we have been spoiled by a great study around user experience, so those slow and crappy typewriters (AKA netbooks) aren't good enough. Apple would NEVER release something with such a terrible experience as the netbooks I tried gave, and if they where to, it would mean that Jobs and all the good people at apple aren't there anymore. (only exception to this was my Performa 6200 wich was total crap.... Jobs wasn't there then do...)
Ps. sorry for the english...
I completely disagree, try osx 10.5.6 on one, it's a completely different experience, and .6 adds better atom support and battery life
as I said, haven't ever tried one of those, and would really be proud of OSX if it makes those things work decently, meaning that Windows it's worst than I ever thought...... But the discussion was about netbooks in general, and none ships with Osx.
If Apple is going to make something with an Atom processor that works fine, it's not going to be a netbook, is going to be a different product as it would work well out of the box. (plus the price wouldn't let it be called netbook)
eReader that does magazines / newspapers too?
I just remembered one little piece of technology in Snow Leopard that could be telling:
EASY PDF TEXT SELECTION
"Mac OS X Snow Leopard applies sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms to fix the problem. It analyzes the layout of each page in the PDF to identify columns of text."
I remember thinking at the time that this tech is pretty crazy for something that would be handy, but not exactly killer... Apple describes it as "an enhancement that exemplifies the pursuit of perfection..." which even sort of acknowledges that they have gone to extraordinary lengths for something that people probably weren't exactly DYING for.
What I'm thinking though is that it's not a stretch to imagine this technology being used to identify columns of text in a PDF NEWSPAPER or PDF MAGAZINE? Think about how mobile safari works right now - double tap on a block of text to zoom in on that text. I assume it can do that on the web because these pages are marked up in HTML, so Safari knows a bit more about them. This AI technology could do the same for PDF documents where there's no markup 😉
Apple then opens up the "Book Store" or "Print Store" to change the game again. They could partner with media companies to deliver electronic versions of newspapers to these devices (think Kindle / NYT). They partner with publishing companies to deliver electronic magazines and books. Think of how awesome a design / photography mag would be if you could touch a photo in a layout about a famous designer which launches a slideshow of their work.
I see that as a game changer. People certainly still like to read newspapers, magazines, books in the age of digital. A device like this could be killer for those people. Media / Publishing companies probably wouldn't be a tough sell since they could keep the ads intact in the layouts as well.
I also see it having a VERY high resolution screen - already the iPhone is rather nice to read text on, but higher resolution again would be approaching the comfort of e-ink devices.
[EDIT] Oh yeah, I don't exactly think that Steve Jobs saying "People don't read any more" is to be taken as gospel either. Didn't Jobs also say something like "we don't think people want to watch videos on thumbnail sized screens" about 6 months before Apple released the first video capable iPod? Nothing like a curve ball to strike out your competition right?
I just remembered one little piece of technology in Snow Leopard that could be telling:
EASY PDF TEXT SELECTION
"Mac OS X Snow Leopard applies sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms to fix the problem. It analyzes the layout of each page in the PDF to identify columns of text."
I remember thinking at the time that this tech is pretty crazy for something that would be handy, but not exactly killer... Apple describes it as "an enhancement that exemplifies the pursuit of perfection..." which even sort of acknowledges that they have gone to extraordinary lengths for something that people probably weren't exactly DYING for.
What I'm thinking though is that it's not a stretch to imagine this technology being used to identify columns of text in a PDF NEWSPAPER or PDF MAGAZINE? Think about how mobile safari works right now - double tap on a block of text to zoom in on that text. I assume it can do that on the web because these pages are marked up in HTML, so Safari knows a bit more about them. This AI technology could do the same for PDF documents where there's no markup 😉
Apple then opens up the "Book Store" or "Print Store" to change the game again. They could partner with media companies to deliver electronic versions of newspapers to these devices (think Kindle / NYT). They partner with publishing companies to deliver electronic magazines and books. Think of how awesome a design / photography mag would be if you could touch a photo in a layout about a famous designer which launches a slideshow of their work.
I see that as a game changer. People certainly still like to read newspapers, magazines, books in the age of digital. A device like this could be killer for those people. Media / Publishing companies probably wouldn't be a tough sell since they could keep the ads intact in the layouts as well.
I also see it having a VERY high resolution screen - already the iPhone is rather nice to read text on, but higher resolution again would be approaching the comfort of e-ink devices.
[EDIT] Oh yeah, I don't exactly think that Steve Jobs saying "People don't read any more" is to be taken as gospel either. Didn't Jobs also say something like "we don't think people want to watch videos on thumbnail sized screens" about 6 months before Apple released the first video capable iPod? Nothing like a curve ball to strike out your competition right?
I'd buy one as long as it doesn't cost $300, but knowing Apple, it will cost $300. Or more.
why wouldn't they? The atom cpu is plenty fast for everything I use it for, except with windows, it sucked for that. They are what they are, either you like them or you dont, I have a dual core atom desktop running 10.5.6 too, it's a testbed I play with.
apple did make significant improvements for the atom in 10.5.6, because of that I would not be surprised if they were up to something with the chip
the netbooks are slower than a modern macbook, no doubt about that, but I dont treat my macbook like this little beater netbook that cost 300 $ either. I love my 10.5.6 netbook, it's perfect for what I use it for, mobile photo/video edit/uploading, and moderate email/word work, I have everything on here that i use on my desktop and macbook, it's just a smaller and slower package but it works brilliantly.
there's a new class of netbook with the ion chipset that'll blow away the current ones for video, trying to play video's on a windows netbook sucks, the ion fixes that. I dont have trouble with video on mine with 10.5.6, osx really is a great operating system.
To me, the most sensible design in this size would be nothing but a blown-up iPhone. No physical keyboard, just a thin black tablet with a silver rim.
Give this thing some graphical power and a decent battery and you'll have a great hardware platform.
I would buy such a device, unlike a small '10" MacBook with a keyboard'. Thin and hardy, you could just slide it in your bag wherever you go.
Apple would after all need to introduce something in-between the iPhone and the MacBook, and, being Apple, be revolutionary at it.
Give this thing some graphical power and a decent battery and you'll have a great hardware platform.
I would buy such a device, unlike a small '10" MacBook with a keyboard'. Thin and hardy, you could just slide it in your bag wherever you go.
Apple would after all need to introduce something in-between the iPhone and the MacBook, and, being Apple, be revolutionary at it.
My point is just that. There "used" to be a Macbook "line". Now there really isn't. The reason I believe is because Apple plans on coming out with the new Macbook line that is all multi-touch.
Maybe even an iMac touch.
This has been mentioned somewhere before but...
How about two screens; one for the main display, and another one for the keyboard/trackpad?
iMac touch. Hmmm... Sounds like something Dell has. Apple would get blasted for that. We're not talking about Microsoft here 🙄.
That would be cool! I don't think it will come with a stylus but maybe they will tweak the software so someone can buy a 3rd party stylus and use it instead of the virtual keyboard.
Another thought I had was using iSight and some handgestures to type things out
The program is standard with XP tablet.
That iSight thing sounds cool, but it would probably turn out to be as reliable as the Newton's handwriting recognition.
hand gestures for typing.. that would suck - unless you know sign language. not to mention how ridiculously complicated that software would have to be, and how precise your hands must work
You guys are silly. Think logically. Apple is not going to use Snow Leopard on a touchscreen. With touchscreen the buttons, menus, icons, and all those controls on a window is just too small. The only thing on the desktop that would work is the Dock. The rest would just not work out. Trying to manage the current existing application with touchscreen would be cumbersome. Come on be realistic!
They are going to create a new set of API's all around touchscreen. Most likely running on top of Mac OS X. So, basically a new window management and interface system for touchscreen will be created.
All new set of applications and games will be written for the tablet and can be purchased through the app store. And why would they want to distribute all software through the app store? To tightly control it and make sure no software is illegally distributed to the macbook tablet.
They are going to create a new set of API's all around touchscreen. Most likely running on top of Mac OS X. So, basically a new window management and interface system for touchscreen will be created.
All new set of applications and games will be written for the tablet and can be purchased through the app store. And why would they want to distribute all software through the app store? To tightly control it and make sure no software is illegally distributed to the macbook tablet.
I don't mean like sign language. What I mean is the a strip of letters pops up rather than a keyboard so you move your finger to the left the key to the left is highlighted then you do a tap motion to select that key. I think doing it that way would be easier then trying to physically type on it.