Why not just have the option to split into a two column mode when landscape?
Also, I'm sure apple will come up with a snazzy protective case that ships with the device.
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Apple's Tablet Effort Aiming to Redefine Print Media?
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Why not just have the option to split into a two column mode when landscape?
Also, I'm sure apple will come up with a snazzy protective case that ships with the device.
In-ter-esting! I have been convinced that print media needs to go digital if it wants to remain relevant, let alone existent. If Apple pulls this off right, it'd be the next iPhone phenomenon. Don't let me down...
Because you can't type effectively on the same screen you are displaying on. If the whole thing lays flat and you want to type for more that the length of an email you have to look down too far to see what you are typing.
Hmm. Maybe not. Maybe apple should send me a prototype and I'll try it and let you know what I think.
I am the proud owner of a Sony Reader. And I very much enjoy the form-factor and the display. I can easily read books on the screen. And the device is the perfect size for this activity.
But it isn't as great as you say.
Firstly e-ink is not black on white like a book - but dark-grey on lighter-grey. Like printing on grey paper. The contrast is much worse than ink-on-paper - which makes reading in low-light difficult. Worse than a real book.
E-ink does not like bright sunlight either. If you update a page in full-on-sunshine you might notice that the text is faded.
Text display is good, but any photos and even diagrams are compromised by the limited display of grey-levels.
E-ink has no backlight. It has to be front-lit.
E-ink is *very* slow. There's no possibility of a dynamic smooth interface (like the iPhone) with e-ink - you are pretty much stuck with a page turning metaphor. No scrolling or dragging is possible.
E-ink is not going to be color - ever.
Now contrast this with reading on the iPhone.
The iPhone is much too small - for a full-sized page.
In direct sunlight - the screen is not bright enough. Even worse than the fading e-ink. And the battery life is hours rather than the multiple days the reader can manage.
But on the plus side, the display is capable of rapid smooth interaction. Which means navigating and browsing content is much more effective than the clunky press-and-wait interface on a reader.
The legibility of text is comparable. The ppi density on the iPhone is 160 versus 166 on the Sony. Yes the Sony is paper-ish, the iPhone is screen-like.
But you can use it in a darker room.
And it's much more suitable for documents containing diagrams or photographs. Or even animations.
What impresses me most about e-ink is the battery life. But if I can get a reader with 6 hours usage, and could get magazines and websites, I would much prefer a responsive LCD display to e-ink.
C
What I would kill for...
...is something similar to the letter-sized Plastic Logic e-reader with touch and stylus that would help to reduce printing within the office. With more a advanced OS on the unit, you could do some pretty cool things to bridge between a full laptop, an iPhone, and a marked-up report. Can justify up to $599 with a 0.25s response time and a B&W screen, or $699 with color as long as the battery lasts 10 days on one charge.
...is something similar to the letter-sized Plastic Logic e-reader with touch and stylus that would help to reduce printing within the office. With more a advanced OS on the unit, you could do some pretty cool things to bridge between a full laptop, an iPhone, and a marked-up report. Can justify up to $599 with a 0.25s response time and a B&W screen, or $699 with color as long as the battery lasts 10 days on one charge.
Pretty sure that isn't true. From some basic searching it appears that the tech is just too expensive for consumer use.
When content really is released via ITMS, I can't wait for all the fart-books and flashlight-books 
Seriously: Distributing content on a digital device which was print up until now is a very, very old dream which has been dreamed since about 100 years or so. But there are a lot of problems which must be solved, whereas battery life and readability of the screen are actually just secondary problems.
I don't believe Apple is heading this way, it will be much more of a bag of hurt as other things mentioned on this website. The existing technology is simply not sufficient to deliver this. Wait for another 10 years.
Seriously: Distributing content on a digital device which was print up until now is a very, very old dream which has been dreamed since about 100 years or so. But there are a lot of problems which must be solved, whereas battery life and readability of the screen are actually just secondary problems.
I don't believe Apple is heading this way, it will be much more of a bag of hurt as other things mentioned on this website. The existing technology is simply not sufficient to deliver this. Wait for another 10 years.
Yeah, me either. The e-book thing hasn't caught on for a reason.
I guess ModBooks will start to look a lot more attractive if all Apple can do is put a new spin on e-books.
Your last sentence says it all. I could see publishers subsidizing the device. Or schools, themselves providing each student with one of these.
AIR, there are about 50 Million K-12 students in the USA, alone. My grand kids (9, 11, 13) regularly carry backpacks of books weighing 20-30 lbs. And those books aren't cheap (subsidized by taxes).
Now, add texts for professional training: nursing; auto mechanics; real estate; and you have a large marketplace, even for relatively niche or specialty books.
For many of these, say, auto repair, the electronic texts could be sold with a subscription service so the text is automatically updates as new car models are released.
Lotsa' possibilities!
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If it didn't have a battery or eat away battery life from the device I'd guess that'd work.
But this tablet sounds like a fancy e-reader + iPod touch. And you wouldn't really need pressure sensitivity for taking notes. If this was more of a sketchpad, then yeah you'd need something like a my Wacom.
Though I've lost a lot of interest in Apple's tablet. I know its not their style to show what they're up to, but the only images people see of this tablet are enlarged iPods. And thats not innovation. Then on the otherhand you have MS making the Courier which looks incredible, but probably won't end up anything like the videos. So we'll probably have 2 average tablet devices from them both in 2010.
Google for:
ipod university
and you will find the information you seek!
I think I read that in a Fortune Cookie.
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I have a feeling this will be a post 500 type quote
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/
/If the tablet can replace text books, this thing is going to be HUGE. iPod huge.
You guys are all thinking in boxes again. The reason why this will work is because Apple would most likely create a device that would converge a number of functionalities: reading, gaming, watching movies, email, internet etc.
They have done this successfully with the iPhone and would be able to duplicate the success with a tablet, while not predating the iPhone market to a significant extent.
As yet there are only a few products on the market that can technically do these things, but they lack the content or software.
Apple's distribution channel for music, movies and apps would be an extremely important factor for making this a success.As with the iPhone, the iTunes store with its content will make this thing a huge success.
I read your first post right, apparently someone didn't understand good plain English.
However, I do want to thank you for sharing as you do. I've always enjoyed the trashy magazines others buy better then the ones I buy myself. Maybe because, for a short time, I am lifted out of my mental plane and dropped into a different one.
It's too bad that every "advancement" in our culture has a way of leaving something behind that becomes a small treasure in it's quaintness.
Double-fail
Double fail - if it has an ARM processor even running full OSX wouldn't let you use the apps that you have.
FAIL cause it runs iPhone OS and not full OS X
Double fail - if it has an ARM processor even running full OSX wouldn't let you use the apps that you have.
i've seen Kindle's on the subway in NYC and they suck. i would love for children's ebooks to come out. as long as they have pictures, sound, etc.
AAPLaday said:
Quadruple SUCCEED:
1) because it will have a low-power (long battery life) ARM (PASC) processor
2) it will run a MultiTouch OS (iPhone OS X tailored to the device)
3) it will run applications that make sense on this platform
And, 4) since we all know no specifics, my SUCCEEDs are of equal value to your FAILs
Actually, I would say that text books are cheap. They get used for many years. When I was going to school, I would regularly use text books that had been used for 6 or 7 years. It was a treat to be the first one to use a particular text book.
I would think that schools would end up paying the same, if not more, using an e-book. The publisher will likely insist on receiving a payment every year, plus you have the cost of the device.
Maybe you nailed it with the printing idea. How about a wireless device, that installs as a printer - anything you wanna take away and read just print and its automatically on your device, plus all the usual ebook features plus iphone os apps, somehow...
Was just thinking of the (fake) image that had all the star trek referneces... Maybe i just really want a PADD, but a device like this would be great!
Quadruple SUCCEED:
1) because it will have a low-power (long battery life) ARM (PASC) processor
2) it will run a MultiTouch OS (iPhone OS X tailored to the device)
3) it will run applications that make sense on this platform
And, 4) since we all know no specifics, my SUCCEEDs are of equal value to your FAILs
Guess it doesnt come across to well at times but i was being sarcastic