CES 2010: NVIDIA Tegra 2 to Power Tablets in 2010

[jnschnitzer]

My hope is that it will do what the Courier Prototype video demonstrated, minus the second screen I guess. I was disappointed that Microsoft flopped on that, I was sorta rooting for them. It would be nice if they release something solid like the Xbox 360, mind you RROD is not a good thing . Well it's up to Apple again to wow us by bringing the imaginary into our hands, unfortunately I can't imagine the price tag to be much less than $1000.

Joe

 

[guzhogi]

Andriod may be better anyways. The tablet will probably be a slave to iTunes like the Apple TV.

Apple's tablet is NOT going to rock the industry like the iPhone did in 2007. These may not be up-to-par with Apple's offering but they certainly have the form factor in place.

Steve Job's pet project should have been released last year. He's late.

If & when Apple does release its tablet, I'm sure there will be a big hoopla because it's Apple & there are a LOT of fanbois out there.

However, if it is a "slave to iTunes like the Apple TV," I'm sure a lot of people will be disappointed (mainly the people who post here on MacRumors, computer power users & the like).

Personally, I would like it if the tablet was independent enough so you could use it w/o having to sync to iTunes on another computer for a week or so, like if you go on vacation or something. Be able to install programs, create documents you can access easily (especially things like MS Office/iWork), and, if it does sync to iTunes, be able to sync those documents.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

You're mis-informed. You claimed to respect other tech companies except Microsoft and yet you bashed DELL and HP in your previous postings.

The slate market has been around for years underneath your nose. Ten years from now, you may not see many laptops. Slates will get to the point where they overpower laptops.

Axiotron already BEAT Apple to the punch with their full on OS X tablet. Look it up!

http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=home

Oh, and what a price they're selling the ModBooks for, I believe for conversion. Axiotron's tablet Macs are not cheap, unfortunately but from what I heard, they work pretty well. What was Steve Jobs doing when the tablet ModBooks were out?

Here's a good one:

https://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/29/apple-takes-control-of-tabletmac-trademark/

This one is nice but very expensive:

http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/cintiq-21ux.php

Wacom's tablet market is very well known for design and graphic professionals. I have one and to this day has never failed me. They're not computers nor are they multi-touch, except for their new Bamboo Touch which has been out for a while now.

My point is that there's always a market for tablets for various industries.

B...b..but there's no market for tablets and no one wants them!

 

[kernkraft]

I'm hoping for a price of $666.
Always wanted to buy an Apple product at that price point.

$999 would be evil enough. That was the rumored price at one point. Now that's out of the window, with this sort of competition.

Its funny how all this tablets look like a big iPhone lol.

No, it looks like a digital picture viewer. Or it looks like a little mirror. Or a screen. Or a tablet. Or a slim book.

It looks like Apple's usual secretive nature has led to them being left behind in the tablet race already.

Or in this case, controlled leaks?

Tablets are just another stupid product to get people to buy things they don't really need.

So it's the ideal ground for Apple!

They are simply wrapping a pc in a small form factor as a we-can-too.


They are not innovating... they sent a spec to the factory... the factory sent a plastic box back. Simple.

Hm, do you know, how Apple products are made? That the same company is contracted to produce iPhones, Touches and a few more Apple goods?


Tablets are laptops/netbooks in a slate form. PCs, if you like. Apple uses just the same internal parts as many other tech companies. Ergo, the Apple tablet will be a PC. Sorry, but that's the reality. It might run OS X, iPhone OS or something between, but it will be a PC nevertheless.

About the innovation... Yep, Apple is still innovating. They are innovating on that tablet for so long, that everybody has a tablet before them. I stick to the point that an actual product is better than a rumored one. Having said that, no more first generation Apple product for me, thanks. Meanwhile, this area is so untested that I think it makes sense to wait and see - another year.

 

[*LTD*]

That's become the problem lately. Apple has become the new "1984". Remember the famous commercial where they claimed to free the masses from the clutches of "Big Brother"? Well, they've become what they sworn not to be.

They bring great products to market as they always have. People love this company. They sure as hell aren't the IBM archetype they "swore not to be", in that Apple brings innovative, creative products to market and sets the standard for excellence. Just like in 1984. But this time they're bigger and have a wider range of products. That's kinda the point of being "successful."

Do you just not like "bigger" companies? So you like them smaller? Do you have size issues when it comes to tech?

I think Apple needs to **** and put it up without being coy. It's one thing to be cautious about corporate secrets to protect intellectual property and have a competitive edge which I can understand but to play "coy" is juvenile.

Explain in detail. Is it a problem that they're media darlings and stealing the spotlight? Is this unfair to the also-rans? That's kinda what happens when you roll out great products that people seem to love. Is it that MORE people love Apple products and you're no longer "unique" and "special" for making a *different* choice? Is Apple too "mainstream" for you? That's pretty much the point with wanting to change the world, as Steve Jobs put it. It means putting out products for *everyone.* Now a lot of us have Macs. Doesn't make them any less great. The point of being successful is to grow by rolling out great products. The next step is to dominate . . . by rolling out great products. Apple isn't even dominant in every market. They may be much larger but their standards are clear as day when compared with folks like Acer, Lenovo, Dell, etc. You always know exaclty what Apple's standards are.

Their computers are great and I have the old school G4 desktop which still works well to this day. But if they continue to act 'conservative' without any of the bold approach to experimentation, then it shows they don't have balls.

iPhone = no experimentation
iPod Touch = no experimentation
OS X - no experimentation
Mac designs = no experimentation
Magic Mouse = no experimentation

ROFL.

Would you like a computer that floats in the air and sings you to sleep when then lights go dim? Maybe one that can tell you how special you are and how "day by day you're getting better in every way"? Hmmm . . . would ya like that? That would just be super, wouldn't it? Would you like them to make a flying car? Maybe a personal robot assistant that can pour milk over your Cheerios?

They may be very intelligent people working behind the scenes, but do they have balls?

Setting the industry standard in consumer tech, and then the also-rans line up to copy. That's probably "balls." They'll have the balls to release a tablet into a supposedly "dead" tablet market and then completely revitalize that market. A lot of people are saying it won't work. That's probably your first clue that Apple has "balls" - whatever that means. Does having balls also mean not caving in to the cheap netbook craze, and "saying no to 1000 things", etc.? Apple is everyone else's R&D department. That's balls. Changing the entire mobile landscape overnight despite all the naysayers and destroying over a decade of mobile development by Microsoft. LOL, that's not just balls, that's 220-pound mortar shells, pal.

Or is it a problem that Apple knows how to play the media, play everyone else, and lay down some serious mindgames? That's how Apple worked from Day 1.

EDIT: I'm not also agreeing with Apple catering to the 'average consumer' but saying people seem to worship the company to the point of 'god like' status. The company is run by flesh and blood that can make mistakes, bleed or die.

Your problem is that Apple is bigger, louder, far more publicized, better-known, and dominates tech discourse. You don't get to feel so unique or rebellious anymore for using Apple products. If you want an oh-so-special company that not everyone knows about that can make you and your friends feel like a "select" group of rebels battling against "big corporations" . . . then install Gentoo.

And leave all the great tech to the rest of us.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Ergo, the Apple tablet will be a PC. Sorry, but that's the reality. It might run OS X, iPhone OS or something between, but it will be a PC nevertheless.

That's exactly what I think it is. I keep hearing stories from other articles and news sources referring to it as a 'computer' as opposed to some folks on message boards evangelizing it as a 'big' iphone with calling features (VERY un-necessary and stupid) and whatnot.

Have a tablet with phone call features is counter-productive when the user already has an iphone or a regular cellphone. Who would be this stupid to fork out extra $$ for an extra phone line or data plan? The latter would depend if the person is a mobile professional to get online access as opposed to internet at home or in the office.

 

[*LTD*]

They are innovating on that tablet for so long, that everybody has a tablet before them.

And they all run Windows and suck a$$.

A lot like smartphones before the Coming Of The iPhone. The only difference being that Windows wasn't the only mobile OS that sucked so hard. It takes Apple to do it right, no matter how much badly-designed tech already exists in the same space.

 

[odedia]

They run Android or Linux. Windows doesn't run on ARM.

arn

Actually, they support Windows CE as well.

http://tegradeveloper.nvidia.com/tegra/forum/what-operating-systems-are-supported-tegra

 

[odedia]

Good point. With so many tablets and ereaders, even colour ones. Apple is definitely late to the game. Normally they are the market leaders but even the fabled haptic feedback touchscreen is already been shown in the dual screen reader. What other new tech is there to show?

Personally speaking the only area where Apple really shines is in the physical design and software side. Make it look sexy, make it easy to use, and the brand is second to none. So selling it on second hand is easy too. Hardware wise they are always underpowered compared to their pc/android/symbian counterparts. Apple make it easy to get access to the power upfront and personal, make the computing experience a joy to use and come back to again and again. After suffering the bugs, patch updates and timewasting problem solving, you'd be hard pressed to want to go back to that kind of computing existence.

Apple were never the market leader. They always waited for others to show their goods and then came out with a much better product. This is true for the Mac, the iPod and iPhone.

I think we'll be surprised on Jan. 27th.

 

[martint84]

And they all run Windows and suck a$$.

A lot like smartphones before the Coming Of The iPhone. The only difference being that Windows wasn't the only mobile OS that sucked so hard. It takes Apple to do it right, no matter how much badly-designed tech already exists in the same space.

It's not only that. The other guys don't even know what a tablet/slate is supposed to do.

"Here's our new, revolutionary computer. We're going to start calling these things slate computers. Let me struggle to show you how it can play this video. OK, we're going to wait for Apple to show us what we're supposed to do with these things because we don't have a clue. We'll release the slate later this year after Apple shows us why you want to buy one. But remember, we came out with it first! Apple copied us!"

 

[Tastannin]

I'm hoping for a price of $666.
Always wanted to buy an Apple product at that price point.

Well, you're about 34 years too late. The Apple I was originally available for only $666.66.

(from this site)

 

[*LTD*]

It's not only that. The other guys don't even know what a tablet/slate is supposed to do. "Here's our new, revolutionary computer. We're going to start calling these things slate computers. Let me struggle to show you how it can play this video. OK, we're going to wait for Apple to show us what we're supposed to do with these things because we don't have a clue. We'll release the slate later this year after Apple shows us why you want to buy one. But remember, we came out with it first! Apple copied us!"

You also know that Apple will get 100% of the media attention. The media will literally make themselves Apple's b--ches for what, an entire week? then EVERYONE and their dog will know exactly what a "slate" is (or whatever it's called) and what it's supposed to do. Half of Apple's battle is getting the media to promote the product for them, weeks before the release, and immediately after it. That's how interest spreads, and that's how this computing paradigm will become popular, and if not popular, then absolutely notorious. As if it never existed before Apple entered the game. Just like smartphones. The slate will live or die depending on what Apple does with it. Apple is now in full control of this platform and it all depends on where they take it.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

LTD,

Balls? Let's see. Remember the G4 Cube, for instance? Steve was CEO at the time. He made that call and vision to bring it out. It did'nt work out well. It was brave of them to experiment with this product but ultimately did'nt succeed due to technical limitations.

I never claimed to like bigger or smaller companies. Just their mission statement and how they go about their business. You could, for instance, say great things about Starbucks Coffee, but inside the company, they are rotten to the core, hypocritical and unsure of what the hell they're doing. I've dealt with them in the past but I'm not going to go further on this topic since they're not a computer company. It's one thing to worship a company but it's another if you don't know exactly what's really going on behind the scenes.

If Apple are the media darlings, they have to be careful how they approach things. Sure, they're smart enough not to talk much or it'll bite them in the a$$. However, it is time for them to starting talking details about the slate, or should have done so months ago in advance.

Steve originally pooh-poohed the tablet market especially using the stylus pen, somewhat, and now he supposedly changed his mind. It's like a chick who can't make up her mind about what to shop for or do. When Jobs changed his mind in a later interview, he said that they have an interesting idea of how to go about the tablet design. Why did'nt he say so before? If you pooh-pooh something at first and change your stance later, then who's being hypocritical? You tell me.

Apple's market is'nt completely dominant but it comes close to other competitors. They fluctuate. In one area, they may dominate while in others, they don't. I've been around since 1984 to have seen Apple evolve. It's not about going mainstream that's making them less unique, it's their 'holier than thou' behavior that needs to change. How can Steve Jobs be a 'rebel' with a black turtleneck and exude that conservative attitude today?


As for no experimentation, it's called R&D. They did experiment and improved on things but it does'nt make them perfect. iphone was their attempt to improve on the cell phone industry. Do you think their 'halo effect' is going to last long? The iphone may lose the market share 5 or 10 years from now. Some company will come out with something that may make Steve go "WTF? Why did'nt we THINK of that before?". Sure, you may say then they're gonna go buy out the tech companies to get ahead, but someone else just might. A lot of companies are positioning themselves around Apple and one day, that chink in the armor will crack due to pressure.

Flying cars? Umm. They've been around for a while in the private industries as novelty inventions and in government R&D facilities.

Now, back to 'balls'. I'm not referring to Apple's reinvention of the tablet as ballsy but their behavior in marketing it. That would be like going to Obama as a staff member, with a finger to his lips like a girly man, and say "Oh, Mr. President, I got such a great idea to improve on the technology on anti-terrorism but I can't tell you yet. You'll have to wait til next month".

What do you think would happen? He'd be ask to spill it out in a proposal asap or be fired. Playing "coy" does'nt pay.

As your statement on Apple's R&D as everyone's department. No. Steve Jobs stated in an interview that Apple would create products in the way THEY think or know is best for us, not what the consumer wants to see in the products. I know for a fact he said that. That's not 'democratic' in fashion.

And since you claim they planned mind games since Day 1, are you talking about the early 1980s or when Steve returned? If they planned mind games and strove for perfection when Jobs got re-instated, then I bring up the G4 Cube debacle as an example and point.

 

[Maceutiful]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/

I had fun reading over what people thought the iPod would be like in 2001. They thought it would be a bust, and now apple was dead because they had there "walkmans and cd burners".

Now everyones slating the slate, it'll be the same, 4 years from now, when Steve is announcing some robot that will do all your housework through the control of your tablet, everyone will have the slate....

Then you'll all look back, and regret saying it was going to be a bust, because its not, it'll work.

-Maceutiful

 

[JonHimself]

Then you'll all look back, and regret saying it was going to be a bust, because its not, it'll work.

-Maceutiful

See I look at that thread not as a way of saying, "See, it's not going to fail.. look at this!" but instead as a way of reminding people that ultimately we have no idea if a product with be a bust OR if it will work. We won't even know that when it's announced. It could take years before you really can confidently say, "Yes that was a failure" or "Yes, that product was a success"

I think proclaiming that it will not be a bust before knowing anything about it is just as bad as writing that it's destined to be a failure.

 

[Artofilm]

it make you wonder since there has already been so many Tablets announced, if the rumors of the mac tablet were simply just these already announced tablets mistaken for a mac tablet?

Also, seeing all the tablets being announced, it's almost like if Apple announces one it's no big deal because everyone else did it too. Apple rarely follows the regular flow of products, if they do announce a tablets, it's gonna be something completely different and not like these tablets at all. (I hope)

 

[martint84]

Steve originally pooh-poohed the tablet market especially using the stylus pen, somewhat, and now he supposedly changed his mind. It's like a chick who can't make up her mind about what to shop for or do. When Jobs changed his mind in a later interview, he said that they have an interesting idea of how to go about the tablet design. Why did'nt he say so before? If you pooh-pooh something at first and change your stance later, then who's being hypocritical? You tell me.

I can't see why you take Apple's marketing strategy so personal. And your analogy to a female ("chick") trying to find something to do with her life is ridiculous. Who cares what Steve said a year ago or whether or not he likes using a stylus. If Steve let everyone know the features of the the tablet, we wouldn't have the opportunity to witness the disaster that is happening at CES where nobody knows what a tablet should/can/is supposed to do. After seeing a dozen of these things, none of us have any idea why we would ever want to own one. That is exactly why Steve hasn't said anything about the tablet. His reasoning was in no way intended to offend you or come off as being a hypocrite.

 

[inlovewithi]

You're way behind the news then. Nintendo's already working on a new successor to the DS with motion sensing control. Don't ask me. If you want to keep up with video game news, go to ign.com or this:

http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/7...With-A-Motion-Sensor-Zelda-Wii-This-Year.html

Apple's new product has nothing to do with Nintendo.

Nintendo did say that the next DS will be tegra based. I don't understand why you told that person that he's way behind, as if the next DS is Tegra based, then it can't have motion control. And by your last sentence it seems to imply that you think tegra is an Apple only thing.

 

[mikethebigo]

Do you guys know if the Cortex A9 is expected to make its way into the iPhone this year, or will Apple stick with a single core A8 design? I mean, I know no one really knows, but I'd love to hear input from someone that knows more about the processors and whether A9 is feasible in such a small enclosure this year.

 

[*LTD*]

LTD,



Steve originally pooh-poohed the tablet market especially using the stylus pen, somewhat, and now he supposedly changed his mind. It's like a chick who can't make up her mind about what to shop for or do. When Jobs changed his mind in a later interview, he said that they have an interesting idea of how to go about the tablet design. Why did'nt he say so before? If you pooh-pooh something at first and change your stance later, then who's being hypocritical? You tell me.

Who friggin cares what Steve said? Why should I care? All that matters, ALL THAT MATTERS is what rolls out of Apple. Steve can say whatever he likes to lead astray, obfuscate, and otherwise mess with industry minds. It's masterful. Steve says what he says and then we end up having incredible products - Macs, OS X, iPhones, iPod Touches, great software, the App Store, and there's no end in sight. If only those other idiots like Ballmer and Micheal Dell can pull that off. If this is what it takes to get this good stuff into our hands, then I'm all for Steve saying whatever he wants to say. Hell, he can recite the Declaration of Independence while doing cartwheels and then deny it all the next day, for all I care.

 

[SteveSparks]

I think they should release it for 700-$849...but that's probably not going to happen.

Thats even too much

$499 for 64GB version
$599 for 128GB version
$699 for 512GB version


The would go along with the iPod Touch prices, and fit nicely between the Touch and the Macbook.

 

[JonHimself]

Thats even too much

$499 for 64GB version
$599 for 128GB version
$699 for 512GB version


The would go along with the iPod Touch prices, and fit nicely between the Touch and the Macbook.

I'm not positive, but if that's your expectation, I would prepare to be disappointed. Assuming this thing will have flash memory (whether it be SSD or the chips in iPod Touch/iPhone), a 128GB SSD drive, by itself, is probably around $400.00-$500.00.

 

[Robert M.]

Thats even too much

$499 for 64GB version
$599 for 128GB version
$699 for 512GB version


The would go along with the iPod Touch prices, and fit nicely between the Touch and the Macbook.

That would be awesome! Sadly, I don't see that happening! At least not with that amount of memory!

I think $800 might be pushing it! But at the same time... Apple had to let that $1000 price point leak. Going back to the controlled leak thing. They let that get out! I'm thinking it's not the real price...maybe they're trying to lead us astray!! So they could come out and say: It's $799!!!

 

[staypuffinpc]

revealing

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/

Wow! How revealing is that? It was entertaining to go back just a little over 8 years ago to see people's reaction at the intro of the iPod. For all those on here that are doubters, it's worth a read.

If Apple is going to make this revolutionary, it's b/c they're going to focus on the entire experience, from hardware to software to vendor contracts to stupidly effective advertising. Content providers have held back the tablet idea as much as anyone (e-textbooks are dismal, and the idea of your textbook 'expiring' is just stupid. People want to control the content they purchase, IMO). Luckily, recent mock-ups show that content providers are more excited than ever to play along.

 

[Rocketman]

With so many tablets announced at once and more to come, I'm tablet-ed out.

Maybe but buyers try to check certain boxes.

Apple-ly folks:
- iTunes access for media and apps
- Content playback
- Messaging and communication via Mail, Skype, VoIP, SMS, IM and others
- Safari

PC-y folks:
- Flash
- Facebook
- Content playback
- Video streaming
- Messaging and communication via Mail, Skype, VoIP, SMS, IM and others
- Google-ly stuff

The check boxes are different to some degree. The trick would be if Apple could somehow adopt some of their check boxes by saying, "there's an app for that".

Rocketman