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Book Publishers Offer Details on Apple's Tablet Plans?
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One feature I'd like to see is Wacom-type functionality. This device potentially could be a great sketchpad for artists, replacing a pad of paper and a pencil or paintbrush. If that's part of the deal, then a stylus option would be necessary (unless they expect you to grow the nail on your index finger long and file it to a point). We'll know on Wednesday.
The Biggest Surprise of All...
"- Apple's tablet will not be priced "anywhere near" the $1,000 mark that some have floated as a possible price point."
I have been a Mac person for years, and this opinion is offered as just that, an opinion. However, I firmly believe the greatest surprise of all will be the price. It isn't lost on Jobs that the economy isn't in the greatest shape. Neither is the fact that many associate Macs with people who have money to spend on such frivolity (and yes I know the arguments for Mac vs. PC and total PC cost). So what would you do if you were Jobs with your "most important thing I ever worked on" creation?
Price it to blow the skeptics and doubters away and have people lined up by the hundreds at the Apple Stores the day they are released. $499 would surely do that nicely, and even $599 would as well. You could then step up your offering with screen size, display type, etc. But to truly change everything you need it in the hands of the masses. An aggressive, non-subsidized price is how you accomplish it.
Some say they will be turned off if it's a bigger iPod Touch. Why? The iPod Touch does what it does nicely. It has a niche. It's conceivable the Touch will drop in price when the Tablet comes out, broadening the gap between price points and equipment. The Tablet will offer more and do more than the iPod Touch and that alone justifies a price that is higher, while still keeping the Touch in it's category priced aggressively.
Another fact that might get lost is what Apple will get from publishers and other companies who offer their materials for the Tablet. Priced right, with a smaller profit margin albeit, the Tablet is the profit machine that keeps on giving, much like the App Store for the iPhone / iPod Touch. This could work in favor of a lower price for the Tablet as it starts out of the gate.
One last argument for a lower price immediately; iPhone price reduction. After the $200 price drop on the original iPhone which came from greater sales than expected, Jobs won't go through that again. Better to price right in the beginning and expect great sales, than to overprice and sell less, which leads to a cost-cutting move that alienates the early adopters.
All of these add up to a convincing argument for a great intro price on the Tablet to be shown off on Wednesday.
"- Apple's tablet will not be priced "anywhere near" the $1,000 mark that some have floated as a possible price point."
I have been a Mac person for years, and this opinion is offered as just that, an opinion. However, I firmly believe the greatest surprise of all will be the price. It isn't lost on Jobs that the economy isn't in the greatest shape. Neither is the fact that many associate Macs with people who have money to spend on such frivolity (and yes I know the arguments for Mac vs. PC and total PC cost). So what would you do if you were Jobs with your "most important thing I ever worked on" creation?
Price it to blow the skeptics and doubters away and have people lined up by the hundreds at the Apple Stores the day they are released. $499 would surely do that nicely, and even $599 would as well. You could then step up your offering with screen size, display type, etc. But to truly change everything you need it in the hands of the masses. An aggressive, non-subsidized price is how you accomplish it.
Some say they will be turned off if it's a bigger iPod Touch. Why? The iPod Touch does what it does nicely. It has a niche. It's conceivable the Touch will drop in price when the Tablet comes out, broadening the gap between price points and equipment. The Tablet will offer more and do more than the iPod Touch and that alone justifies a price that is higher, while still keeping the Touch in it's category priced aggressively.
Another fact that might get lost is what Apple will get from publishers and other companies who offer their materials for the Tablet. Priced right, with a smaller profit margin albeit, the Tablet is the profit machine that keeps on giving, much like the App Store for the iPhone / iPod Touch. This could work in favor of a lower price for the Tablet as it starts out of the gate.
One last argument for a lower price immediately; iPhone price reduction. After the $200 price drop on the original iPhone which came from greater sales than expected, Jobs won't go through that again. Better to price right in the beginning and expect great sales, than to overprice and sell less, which leads to a cost-cutting move that alienates the early adopters.
All of these add up to a convincing argument for a great intro price on the Tablet to be shown off on Wednesday.
Yep, all the controlled leak activity to build expectation and then come in with an eye catching price point. Would be a good move, especially in this economy. Lets face it if they hope to shift units to schools, its no good slapping a huge price tag on it.
I'm guessing they are trying to make it as ubiquitous as the iPod. Virtually every kid I teach has one, but they are within the reach of most working families as a purchase - with a base model around the £50 mark.
QED, its going to be £50
Even if the price point is low, I'm still expecting this Tablet to basically be a low-powered MacBook...the Apple version of a netbook, if you will. Maybe it'll have a mobile version of iWork, and will act as a product that allows us to NOT have to lug around our laptops everywhere. And obviously some other features, like the ebook reader, to distinguish it from the iPhone/Touch line. Apple wouldn't make a product will practically the same features as an oversized iPhone, because people with iPhones wouldn't need it, and it wouldn't sell.
Um...people who like to read books? This iPad/iSlate/iCuneiformTablet may well be better for magazines and newspapers, but I'll still wager that e-ink is easier on the eyes than the LCD screen this item will most likely have. Not a problem for reading in short bursts. Also, even I admit that periodicals don't render very well on a Kindle. However, for reading a book for long periods of time, e-ink readers like the Kindle will still have their place because they are much more comfortable on the eyes.
I think. Who knows, though? Maybe Apple has something radical up its sleeve that solves the eye fatigue problem.
You would still have to pass Apple's censorship, and they will only allow Disney-style, sexless, politically correct stuff. Or, in other words, this will be the most uninteresting place to buy - or publish - (e-)Books on the planet.
No, my bets are on Amazon. At least those guys know what readers want and how an Internet book shop is supposed to work.
Apple has done well in the music sector, but I doubt that they will be able to reproduce that success in other domains. Oh, and their DRM completely sucks.
A $500 price tag would actually get me interested, though I am quite curious to see just how this tablet changes the e-reader game. If it does, then I might actually have a use for this machine. Otherwise, I don't need a machine whose job is already done adequately by my MBP and iPod Touch.
If this device does not offer some kind of 'direct draw' method with something other than a finger then it will be a criminal act. I am seriously hoping for a soft 'brush' type input device, as an extra of some sort.
Two Apple Tablets will be introduced
Here is what we can expect:
Much like the iphone/ ipod touch, Apple will introduce two tablets:
1. The first will be an e-reader with wireless connectivity with no 3G; much like the ipod touch. It will be for gamers, students, etc.
2. the second one will have wireless, 3G or 4G connectivity, with camera and ichat capabilities. The second one will be pricier and it will be subsidized with two year contracts with Verizon and ATT
Here is what we can expect:
Much like the iphone/ ipod touch, Apple will introduce two tablets:
1. The first will be an e-reader with wireless connectivity with no 3G; much like the ipod touch. It will be for gamers, students, etc.
2. the second one will have wireless, 3G or 4G connectivity, with camera and ichat capabilities. The second one will be pricier and it will be subsidized with two year contracts with Verizon and ATT
Yeah, looking like it may come with some sort of contract required. Not that I care, because I'm not planning on getting one.
Sorry, wrong crowd here.
I _really_ doubt Apple is stupid enough to lie to people they're in contract negotiations with.
It sounds to me like it will be a book/magazine/newspaper delivery device also with a compatibility with iphone like applications.
I think such a device at a $499 price point would do very well.
I doubt it is only an ebook reader. I think there is enough evidence out there that there is potentially some compatibility with existing iphone applications, that it is possible.
I am guessing it is going to essentially deliver most of the things you get with an iphone and on top of that have an advanced information delivery system for all kinds of different sources of documents and information. I think it will not have any phone capabilities and it will not have any gps capabilities.
Well my world just got mixed up. I've pretty much sealed a deal to sell my Macbook and I'm now dipping into being an iPhone developer for an old job of mine.
Well, good luck with that. I'll be selling my old Macbook as well, but only if I get a new Macbook Pro. Otherwise I'll have to keep this guy for a while yet.
Sorry, but not even the Tablet is a "for sure" yet.
I don't think people are factoring in the things it won't have like an iphone as well, so there is trade-off on costs.
I have a nice 10" asus notebook I bought for under $300.00.
So thinking a device like this that emulates a lot of already developed iphone functionality and adds content delivery would be ~$499.00 is not unreasonable. This will not have a lot of hardware that is in an iphone.
I have a nice 10" asus notebook I bought for under $300.00.
So thinking a device like this that emulates a lot of already developed iphone functionality and adds content delivery would be ~$499.00 is not unreasonable. This will not have a lot of hardware that is in an iphone.
"A large library of e-book content for the tablet is not expected until "mid-2010 at the very earliest", although Apple will likely have something to show at the media event."
Well, uh, considering the tablet is rumored to not actually be AVAILABLE until somewhere between March-June, doesn't that kind of not matter? lol "Oh no! We won't have a large library of e-book content until the tablet is actually available for purchase! Whatever shall we do!?"
Well, uh, considering the tablet is rumored to not actually be AVAILABLE until somewhere between March-June, doesn't that kind of not matter? lol "Oh no! We won't have a large library of e-book content until the tablet is actually available for purchase! Whatever shall we do!?"
New tablet rumor: the Apple tablet is so advanced that it not only will allow you to read your favorite books in a whole new way, it will also create whole new books by your favorite authors!
For instance, you like Charles Dickens? Well, with one push of the Old Author App you can have the tablet write a whole new, previously unpublished book by the long dead author. Like vampire stories? With the new Apple tablet you can select your favorite author, select a genre, then combine the two. Voila, a new addition to the Twilight series, written by Charles Dickens!
Yes sirree, book publishing will never be the same.
For instance, you like Charles Dickens? Well, with one push of the Old Author App you can have the tablet write a whole new, previously unpublished book by the long dead author. Like vampire stories? With the new Apple tablet you can select your favorite author, select a genre, then combine the two. Voila, a new addition to the Twilight series, written by Charles Dickens!
Yes sirree, book publishing will never be the same.
Without the phone tie-in this logic is heavily flawed. Apple will more likely introduce similarly featured models with the possibility of mobile broadband connectivity through built-in hardware. A low-end model may exclude the required chip, but they wouldn't create a strong price gap between them based on features (as is the case with the iPod Touch and the iPhone).
My money's on similar units with slight differences, such as storage. If the units are subsidized by a company like Verizon or AT&T it will make the product available at a considerably lower price with a contract. Others would be able to buy the product at a higher price (non-subsidized) without wireless broadband connectivity. Another option is wireless broadband with a monthly fee and no contract as if often available on laptops.
I do not think they will offer free always-on wireless broadband, as is done with the Kindle, because Apple would have to pick up the tab. For the amount of data a device like this will be transmitting that just won't happen. Edit: Another option is that wireless broadband will be available regardless of user option for certain key functions, such as book purchases, through the built-in broadband chip which may or may not be available for other users like internet browsing depending on whether a user agreement with Verizon or AT&T exists).
I get the impression you didn't read my post clearly. Apple won't like to themwhich is why we can draw conclusions based on what Apple would choose to promote. If this product was going to be considerably more than $1,000, Apple wouldn't be mentioning that at all, or if they did mention it, it would be in discussion as a premium product. Consider that a content provider is more concerned with the quantity of units they can sell than, well, probably any other single negotiation factor.
Please, NO.
ATT and Verizon do not exist outside the US and I don't want to be tied to carriers just so I can use my tablet's networking features. This cannot be just another phone.
Sounds like a joke, but it's NOT. Just think of iTunes Genius Mixes for books...yes, Apple can deliver