Apple Working on Advanced Gesturing and Multi-Touch Version of iWork

[decson]

Convergence

Ok, its a word with many meanings however, this could be the next stage of it from the iPhone.

I also hope that the UI is something to learn, at a guess it will be as intuitive as the iPhone OS, my mum even learnt that and she can't text on a nokia!

Every time I watch a sci fi film, there are no lap tops, its all about tablets, whether the data/processing is in a cloud or on the tool.. This perhaps, as are all the tablets used today in science, medical lines are steps in that direction (note no comment of windows tablets, they really don't get the shift or perhaps I have a jaded view..) are moving towards this..

I put a thread on the buyers section of this site, as at present i have an MBP which is heavily under used for its capabilities, an imac for more heavier tasks, and a mac mini for HTPC (got to love Plex lol)..

My question was should I sell the MBP now (before arrendale), I hate sitting on the sofa bent over my laptop, I want a device I can surf, do simple edit of documents, play with iPhoto, without having to have a lap top.. The iPhone is close but too small, underpowered, but its a start..

I want a device I can take when I go to work to read a book, edit photos, check my budget, etc on the tube, I already have to carry around a laptop for work (Windows) and I hate using it for personal reasons.. I don't want to carry two...

All of these stories, even if only a few are true, makes me think why do I want the MBP when this could be it. Perhaps you will be able to connect a blue tooth keyboard et al, however this actually maybe the future, as was the key board in its day. We are just used to it as the norm, or quite a few films are wrong lol...

Ok, perhaps letting my imagination go a bit. but before the iPhone launch did anyone really see a tool such as it? Imagine an app store?

Ok programmers and techies I hear you want the coding, but for day to day use of a tool ok lifestyle capability (ok sorry in online web management and marketing) which is more portable than a laptop even, an air... this for me, I hope (could be wrong) this may be it..

The tool is the base of course, the key differentiator will be two things

• Capabilities (apps, locked or not)
• Content

Apple has proven they can deliver these two (ok not as much as some of you would like), but this could be the next big thing..

Ok, put my imagination away, but, does anyone think using a keyboard is really natural? whats to say this won't just be that in a few years time....

This article has given me hope (if I needed it) that this won't just be a big touch for films and games, but something more... Perhaps I am wrong and this is a few years off still, but come on, I think change like this can be v good...

Ok nuff said!

G

 

[martint84]

Maybe this has been suggested before, but I haven't seen it. I took a dvd and held it in my hands. My initial instinct was to hold it in landscape mode. Immediately I realized that my 2 thumbs are in perfect position to type iPhone style. The only difference is... absolutely no cramping and room to adjust/resize the keyboard with plenty of room to spare. So Imagine this:

An iPhone style keyboard split down the middle and pushed to the sides with space in the middle. Now imagine typing a word/pages document with your thumbs, the window in the middle extending from the top of the screen all the way down to the bottom. Easily scroll the window up and down by just extending your thumb to the window in the middle. If you switch to portrait mode, the keyboard extends the entire bottom of the screen. Of course, you would be able to adjust the keyboard size under system preferences to fit your hands perfectly.

Steep learning curve may be due to the split keyboard...

 

[gnasher729]

I've heard this theory of typing on the back of the tablet, yet for the life of me I can't figure out how this would work!

How are you supposed to type on a flat surface where you can't see what keys you are typing? Maybe if the back had an actual keypad that you could feel it might sort of work, but even then it would take a long time to get used to. But Apple would never have such an inelegant solution as a physical keyboard on the back of their device. Therefore I don't think a flat touchscreen on the back of the tablet that lets you type is going to happen, and if it does its going to be a disaster.

You don't need to see your fingers. There's a thumb on the front, and four fingers on the back. So the software knows your hand position, and the natural position of your fingers. And when you type, it detects which finger moves how far away from its natural position, and that is what chooses the letters.

At the same time, the software has a huge dictionary built in. So if you try to type "quick", and your left little finger is somewhere between the Q and W position, then it picks Q because wuick isn't a word. And the software now knows which positions your fingers go for the letter "q" so it adjusts for that. You use your thumbs to correct any wrong guesses. This is almost the same as what phones do today with predictive texting.

With some good software behind it, this will not need _any_ learning curve. There _is_ an invisible keyboard at the back, and you don't need to learn where it is - it is where your fingers go and it changes when your fingers move. Only thing you need is to learn typing without using your eyes. That may be a learning curve for you, but it will also make you a lot faster.

And of course the OS can display a transparent keyboard together with your finger positions while you are typing. Your fingers in their natural position holding the tablet are on ASDF JKL; and when you type you see where your finger landed.

 

[sampro]

Developer tools.

oh thanks for the reply! i cant wait for the macbook pro updates!

 

[Rocketman]

There some different gestures used on the most recent MacBooks as well as the iPhone and the Magic Mouse. Is there a list or catalog somewhere of all existing gestures?

I presume this tablet will come with API's for new gesture styles, but with as much history as Apple now has on gestures I presume they will keep what they have and add to it incrementally.

Are there some undeployed gestures used in unreleased versions of software currently under review?

Plus there are specific gestures deliniated in the Patents.

Rocketman

 

[JGowan]

iWork on the Apple Tablet will be nice, but the real killer is Microsoft Office on the Apple Tablet.

That will take a few years I guess. If this rumour is true, it will probably make me switch from Office to iWork.

I think NOT having MS Office on the device is awesome. First, it'll convert a lot of PC people to the a slick version of iWork and perhaps whet their appetite to switch.

Second, when the switching starts, MS will take the initiative to create a Tablet version of Office.

Win win for consumers

 

[cmaier]

I think NOT having MS Office on the device is awesome. First, it'll convert a lot of PC people to the a slick version of iWork and perhaps whet their appetite to switch.

Second, when the switching starts, MS will take the initiative to create a Tablet version of Office.

Win win for consumers

You just wrote that not having MS Office on the tablet is good, because it means we will get a version of MS Office on the tablet.

Makes sense to me.

 

[MacDaddy901]

This was from years ago. I sure the multitouch they were referring to is the trackpads.

 

[Journojulz]

But my main area is music and i cant see many audio apps such as logic working that well with all this gesture stuff

You are a musician and can't see exciting potential in a 10-digit multi touch tablet interface?

The virtual instrument potential alone is virtually limitless.

Imagine being able to control 10 simultaneous synth/samplers each with the sensitivity of a theramin......

 

[blackcrayon]

i can see how its great for documents with text and such like but i still do like a physical keyboard. Would be interesting to see how you would work photoshop. But my main area is music and i cant see many audio apps such as logic working that well with all this gesture stuff

You just reminded me that it would be really nice if it worked with Logic and other audio apps - as a Mac peripheral. Having the mixing desk on a remote window on the tablet while you're working on your primary monitor. Might even be cool for remote setups by giving you an extra "audio controls" (or video controls) display while your main sequence or movie is on your laptop display. Similar to some apps already available for the iphone, but made much more practical by a larger screen.

 

[odedia]

Geez Apple, how about making a version of iWork that actually works with additional languages? Hebrew is totaly useless on iWork, I can't write in Hebrew properly, and I sure can't open Word documents with Hebrew. Same for Arabic, by the way.

 

[elfin]

Games

I think Apple is going after the game consoles. The Tablet will be accompanied by a big gaming push. The Touch and the iPhone showed that mobile gaming can be a money maker.

 

[Bodhi395]

You don't need to see your fingers. There's a thumb on the front, and four fingers on the back. So the software knows your hand position, and the natural position of your fingers. And when you type, it detects which finger moves how far away from its natural position, and that is what chooses the letters.

At the same time, the software has a huge dictionary built in. So if you try to type "quick", and your left little finger is somewhere between the Q and W position, then it picks Q because wuick isn't a word. And the software now knows which positions your fingers go for the letter "q" so it adjusts for that. You use your thumbs to correct any wrong guesses. This is almost the same as what phones do today with predictive texting.

With some good software behind it, this will not need _any_ learning curve. There _is_ an invisible keyboard at the back, and you don't need to learn where it is - it is where your fingers go and it changes when your fingers move. Only thing you need is to learn typing without using your eyes. That may be a learning curve for you, but it will also make you a lot faster.

And of course the OS can display a transparent keyboard together with your finger positions while you are typing. Your fingers in their natural position holding the tablet are on ASDF JKL; and when you type you see where your finger landed.

First of all, I hope you are right and typing on it will be as easy as you say.

But, it seems like while in theory the computer recognizing your finger positions and being able to tell what keys you are intending to press seems like it will work, I'm not sure it will work that easily in reality. I can see it making alot of mistakes and really making people mad trying to type on it.

I also know from experience that predictive typing in alot of cases does not work. I sure wouldn't really want to use it to type long papers or documents, although its sort of useful for texting and emails.

I think we all are so accustomed to the qwerty keyboard that changing that to some revolutionary type of input device will be a hard sell. In the long run it might be better, but intially I can see a back lash against it.

I guess we'll all find out in a few weeks what Apple has in mind.

 

[diehldun]

I think NOT having MS Office on the device is awesome. First, it'll convert a lot of PC people to the a slick version of iWork and perhaps whet their appetite to switch.

I have both... and if Word is not available there is practically no way in hell I will purchase this device. No comparison, sadly.

 

[davidwarren]

If there is some version of iLife, I bet it will have an sd card reader in addition to the docking port.

 

[cmaier]

If there is some version of iLife, I bet it will have an sd card reader in addition to the docking port.

Doubt it. iDisk support and, if we're lucky, shared disk support.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

Just some ideas:

A big tablet could recognize printing or handwriting as it is swiped across the screen.
A big tablet could allow for "Fisher Price" sized keyboards that are easier to use than a simple touch keyboard. Maybe they will be scalable so more "content" can be seen at the same time?
A big tablet has unlimited interface possibilities that can be made custom for any app, game, etc. If Apple designs some basic interface guidelines from the start for developers, games can enjoy some consistency in controls, something the iPhone lacks (but could soon gain).

My take: Apple's tablet isn't going to be anything new in hardware. What will be new will be what it does, how one works with it, and what we think a tablet really is.

They haven't been working for years on a tablet design. They have been working on how to use it. It's like the guy who wanted a way of moving a cursor on the screen and invented the mouse.

Maybe I'm full of it... but I can't wait to see what everyone will likely say "duh!" when it is revealed, but no one thought of it first.

 

[meeksdigital]

iWork on the Apple Tablet will be nice, but the real killer is Microsoft Office on the Apple Tablet.

or neo office.

screw microsoft lol

 

[str1f3]

I have both... and if Word is not available there is practically no way in hell I will purchase this device. No comparison, sadly.

It all depends on what you need it for. I could say that you may not even need iWork at all when MS debuts their free ad-based version of Office.

Most, I would assume, just need to type up basic Word docs and Pages does provide that functionality.

 

[MacSimoPark]

Learning to run before you can walk...

WTF Apple... do you think you could possible fix the basics, first?

Like how you get this every other time you sort...

 

[powers74]

iWork

I liked that Apple patent where gesturing with your middle finger put the text into all caps. Pretty slick.

*golf clap*

But if this is indeed true, then it looks like I will never be getting a laptop. MacPro + iSlate + iPhone = perfect combo.

 

[Zeos]

iSlate to be an integrator, not just another random entertainment device.

Folks, it's no mystery that Apple intends the tablet to be an EXTENSION to your current Mac or Macbook. Scientists, artists, engineers, everyone will be able to carry this tablet around to access all of their stuff on their main computer. Think cloud computing. Everything Apple is doing is bringing us to this point of integrating our computer life. It might not be perfect with round 1, but just watch and see how Apple presents this.

 

[cvaldes]

Folks, it's no mystery that Apple intends the tablet to be an EXTENSION to your current Mac or Macbook. Scientists, artists, engineers, everyone will be able to carry this tablet around to access all of their stuff on their main computer. Think cloud computing. Everything Apple is doing is bringing us to this point of integrating our computer life. It might not be perfect with round 1, but just watch and see how Apple presents this.

I believe your basic premise that the tablet complements your other Apple devices is correct but your target audience is wrong.

This is a *consumer* device. It is all about Joe Consumer accessing mass media and App Store offerings. It has little to do with esoteric interest groups like scientists and engineers (although I'm sure many of them will find the device useful).

The device is for the iPhone marketplace. That is where the growth is.

Ever since the App Store came online, I find myself using my MacBook far less. It's the primary choice for certain tasks (photo editing, HD video editing, etc.), but there are a lot of things I prefer to do on my iPod touch. Your computer is will become more of a specialty use item.

 

[John McCollum]

You don't need to see your fingers. There's a thumb on the front, and four fingers on the back. So the software knows your hand position, and the natural position of your fingers. And when you type, it detects which finger moves how far away from its natural position, and that is what chooses the letters.

At the same time, the software has a huge dictionary built in. So if you try to type "quick", and your left little finger is somewhere between the Q and W position, then it picks Q because wuick isn't a word. And the software now knows which positions your fingers go for the letter "q" so it adjusts for that. You use your thumbs to correct any wrong guesses. This is almost the same as what phones do today with predictive texting.

With some good software behind it, this will not need _any_ learning curve. There _is_ an invisible keyboard at the back, and you don't need to learn where it is - it is where your fingers go and it changes when your fingers move. Only thing you need is to learn typing without using your eyes. That may be a learning curve for you, but it will also make you a lot faster.

And of course the OS can display a transparent keyboard together with your finger positions while you are typing. Your fingers in their natural position holding the tablet are on ASDF JKL; and when you type you see where your finger landed.

I can't imagine that Apple would create a system that could only be operated by those who know touch-typing. I type 80 words a minute, but many other people I know still do hunt-and-peck.

I travel a lot in other countries and see many keyboards where each key represents multiple potential characters; each stroke is modified by function and control keys. I can't imagine that most people typing on those keyboards have memorized all of the combos -- they have to look occasionally.

In short, I think that you'll still need to have an option that at least mimics a physical keyboard that one can look at while typing.

 

[Sydde]

Of course no one has considered the obvious touch use: the power switch will be like on some older systems, a switch under a smooth surface. Except, the surface will be an oval depression in the screen's border area, containing an elaborate sensor that, if you want, can restrict access to your tablet based on thumb-print recognition. No password authorization required. Look for this in rev. E.