Foxconn to Manufacture Tablet for Q1 2010 Launch?

[charlituna]

He probably thought at one time that the Kindle would fail.

at that point a lot of folks thought that the Kindle would fail. and although it hasn't failed, it isn't the outstanding success some folks think it should be.

please... come with osx and not iphone os... please!!!!

you want OSX. get a macbook.

the iphone variant was written for the kind of touch use that the tablet would have and is the more likely choice for the basis of a touch tablet device

If some sort of reader device is really all it's going to be,

you really think that Apple would waste all this time and money on a simple ebook reader.

try an ebook reader, netbook, game player and media player rolled into one. that is more Apple's style.

"I don't think the novel, just as letters mass-produced in printing presses is the real way to communicate now. Anyone who writes a book now, half of it should be a videoed, multimedia book." - Tim Leary

i disagree just a little. in terms of novels, reading from a plain book allows for the mental exercise of imagination. something we need to keep our brains well functioning.

but in terms of news magazines, how to and text books, a multimedia approach could be highly viable. and in some cases even more environmentally sound. no more tons of newspapers and magazines to recycle, no more textbooks replaced after one year by a new edition so the old one is wasted and goes in the trash etc.

Also, what is the benefit of carrying around this tablet AND an iPhone?

not everyone has an iphone and/or att. or wants it.

what you're saying is...it's a bigger iPod touch?

more than likely. with perhaps cellular data (unlocked one would hope) at some point. as might all the laptops.

So, to summarize:

- - It will be released in Q1 2010
- No, Q2-Q3 at the earliest

actually depending on your definitions both could be correct.

As I recall from some of the earnings reports, Apple runs on a fiscal Oct-Sept year.

so Q1 2010 on a standard calendar would be fiscal Q2.

If it runs the same os as the iPhone, then I would consider it to replace my iphone with this device and a bluetooth ear piece.

assuming it has voice, which it might not

If Apple wanted to release a large iPod Touch, they'd have done it years ago.

'
sure they could have, but in an untested market it could have been a disaster. now they have some ground to design around.

Yes, SJ has said in the past that he's not interested in a mobile reading device because nobody reads any more but let's not overlook that he has a new liver now.

very cute. perhaps the more fitting is that he's found a way to make more than just an ebook reader

It could have virtualization or it could have a dongle/dock for that.

 

[Thex1138]

In The Eye of The Fly

Spy pictures please.

 

[JGowan]

As a consumer I still can't find a reasonable excuse to 'need' one of these things.

I can think of 80,000+ reasons.

 

[wackymacky]

Bring on the leaked pics!!

 

[twoodcc]

now i really hope that this is true. can't wait to find out!

 

[MacSince1990]

Foxconn sound like utter scum. Nice choice, Apple. I guess crappy working conditions are okay so long as your costs are kept down for maximum profit.

Sorry, don't want to upset the fanboys... YAY, new apple stuff! OOooOOoooooh!

Apple's been using FoxConn for years... there's FoxConn ATA cables in Macs dating back to Pre-G3 days.

 

[intel]

Bring on the leaked pics!!

Apple doesn't do concepts. They deliver products, they have said that much before. Concepts also bring disappointment when they are not released, or are delayed. Not arguing which route is better, but Apple has chosen secrecy.

I wasn't referring only to apple. I'm after possible design ideas from people who have a brilliant idea on how a tablet/booklet/ipad/screen thingy would be implemented in real life. (preferably something so outrageous but realistic that it might actually work). I'm not talking about nokia's "wrap around the wrist phone concept thingy" that's too outrageous. Imagine if someone made a video of how the touch screen should work on a phone before the iphone got announced. The amount of competition that there will be by the big companies to deliver a device that will implement a decent touch screen. They wouldn't be 2years behind apple. It will be better for us all.
I want to see concepts like this driven by the public. I know, it is partially there, wish lists and what not. What we need are web/graphic/animation designers to put something like this into a virally viewable video. It will give them free Internet air time if they attach their logo on the end of the video + inspiration for large companies to adopt the concept and deliver their take on the outrageous concept.

Redmond already have their photocopiers running and they itching for ideas.
There was a stage when hardware couldn't keep up with software development. Hardware has now taken the lead again and we need software to keep up with and surpass the hardware again to further push the speed of hardware development. Apple is definitely helping it along with their openCL. (finder still sucks though)

On another note...
Have you guys noticed how the stacks grid,list and fan has evolved for finger touch style UI? Its a lovely feature, but it's not super awesome to work with when you have a mouse. Use your fingers for example then it all springs into perspective how OS X is evolving for finger only manipulation.
I know you may say lift your hand and try working by touching your computer monitor. I agree with you, but imagine your keyboard and monitor morphing to meet half way, where there screen is near the desk but raised on an angle and you being able to use 2 hands to do your work and never needing to use a mouse or physical keyboard. In my opinion, their time is up. Lets move on. Spread your hands over a 24 inch screen and you will see how close everything is to any part of your hand to touch immediately.

 

[intel]

I can think of 80,000+ reasons.

I hope you are not referring to an oversized ipod touch with the same user interface. The capability of a larger ipod touch far exceeds the UI of the current iPhone/ipod touch. They need a refresh of the whole user experience if the screen is to be any bigger. Background applications need to be enabled, home screen app layout needs a refresh (you can't have a snapshot of an iphone screen zoomed in to fit a larger screen or more apps on the one screen, it would all look silly)

Remember, if you double the diagonal of a screen, you quadripple the surface area. A 7" screen is already 4 iphone screens.

 

[intel]

Edit: With respect to the Microsoft tablet prototype, it litterally looks like two LCD screens removed from their housings and loosly stuck together with a piece of leather. I don't know if it is operable, but it is nowhere near a finished product. While apple is more secretive, I've heard rumors of several prototypes far more polished than microsofts. Couple those with the rumors that Apple has contracted companies to build the production version of the tablet and I would assume that Apple has a bit of a lead.

First of all, i'm not sure that muckrosoft has remotely reached a working prototype. I'm convinced it's only a concept video. Handwriting on any device literally suck my oval appendages. There is too much slide between the the writing implement and the screen and that makes it worse than writing. Second, you have to carry a stylus. (may i borrow your stylus, i missplaced mine, get the drift?) Then there's handwriting recognition... far from perfect. They focus to much on the order of strokes more than character recognition, so you can't really go back to dot your i's and cross your t's. It misinterprets them as full stops and dashes

 

[couto27]

Let me just go ahead with that...

I'll only be a customer if the tablet runs on an open system, just like OS X.
There's no effin' way I'm gonna pay a load of money to the mighty Apple if they try to control what I run on my device, just like they do on my iPhone now.

Apple pretends to be all for choice, but in fact they act like a soviet dictator who believes he knows better what others want.

you are free to choose , search the market for better

 

[Mr. Gates]

I really hope this is not another stupid e-book reader. Its Got to have some twist to come from Apple.

 

[kdarling]

Edit: With respect to the Microsoft tablet prototype, it litterally looks like two LCD screens removed from their housings and loosly stuck together with a piece of leather. I don't know if it is operable, but it is nowhere near a finished product.

I agree, it's probably more of a concept. However, Microsoft showed off their CODEX project a while back, which was two UMPCs tied together in this manner, so some work has been done in that area.

First of all, i'm not sure that muckrosoft has remotely reached a working prototype. I'm convinced it's only a concept video.

The pieces are all there and have been for a while. Many people use MS's OneNote on tablets, with handwriting recognition, and like it. Another piece is their InkSeine project, which can also be downloaded and used.

Check out this article on all the pieces.

I hope that somewhere inside MS or Apple, someone has joined everything together.

 

[MacDSmith2]

Since Steve Jobs has a very dim view on what one would use a tablet for ("It better do more than sit in the head surfing the web"... or words to that effect), I would expect any tablet that Jobs approves for production to be much more than a another Kindle. How much more, given the iTunes success is what has all the book, magazine and newspaper publishers worried.

 

[AppleThis&That]

I just hope this tablet is much more than just a magazine browser. I need something to take notes with for meetings but don't need to do work on it. So, my interest is in a low-budjet portable device for a little note taking with a on-screen pen if possible, web browsing, email, and maybe some other creative options. I have a Mac Pro at work and an iMac at home so that's where I work. Perfect system for me.

 

[nkawtg72]

i'm on the fence with all these tablet rumors.

i can't constructively criticize what doesn't exist, except in rumors (although people in this forum do just that).

i can say that i don't agree with those that say any variant of a tablet is totally useless.

i went for years without buying a new phone until the iPhone came along. why? well for a while there, the flip phones were all the rage. personally, i hated them. the idea that i had to flip open my phone into something larger in order to take a call, or use some function of it, just didn't appeal to me (no disrespect to those that like them). when the iPhone came along, it functioned the way i had been desiring a phone to work, so i bought it.

why does all that matter? well, i kind of feel the same way about my laptop(s). while functional, i'm still not sure i like that i have to OPEN my laptop in order to use it. if i could be just as productive on something that i didn't have to open in order to use it, then i'd probably prefer it to a traditional laptop.

take the ModBook for example link. honestly, if it weren't for the rumors of an impending Mac Tablet, i would've probably already gotten a Modbook. while not perfect, it still addresses a need. if i want to use it like a traditional laptop (or desktop), i simply set in on a table in a stand, and use a bluetooth(USB) keyboard or mouse with it. for me at least, i think i could probably get by with the tablet(stylus) interaction with about 75-85% of my usage.

like i said at the beginning though, until i see something from Apple, i couldn't even begin to tell you whether i'd like it or even want to buy it.

 

[ntrigue]

I don't have to tell you the FoxConn employee that committed suicide hadn't lost an iPhone prototype, but a tablet prototype.

I observed that there was little chance it was an 2010 iPhone as the 3GS had just been released.

 

[MorphingDragon]

F8ck Foxconn,

If Apple were truly green they'd get companies that Use Japanese/European/Korean/Taiwanese factories etc.

 

[celtikmind]

So, do the Apple tablet rumors generate more internet traffic than p0rn yet or are they still second?

 

[NightFox]

If this is going to focus on some type of e-reader functionality as a selling point, even if we're not going to see it released till Q1/2010 I think Apple are going to need to announce something soon in light of the Kindle now being available in an international version. There's very shortly going to be a lot of people buying Kindles for Christmas unless they know Apple's got something better just round the corner.

 

[MikeDTyke]

First of all, i'm not sure that muckrosoft has remotely reached a working prototype. I'm convinced it's only a concept video. Handwriting on any device literally suck my oval appendages. There is too much slide between the the writing implement and the screen and that makes it worse than writing. Second, you have to carry a stylus. (may i borrow your stylus, i missplaced mine, get the drift?) Then there's handwriting recognition... far from perfect. They focus to much on the order of strokes more than character recognition, so you can't really go back to dot your i's and cross your t's. It misinterprets them as full stops and dashes

Do you think the Apple spent all that time on the glass multi-touch trackpad getting it's coefficient of slip just right, to not do the same thing on it's ebook tablet?

Also they have a patent for tracking objects via bluetooth. So if you forget about your stylus and wander off with the tablet, it'll beep and alert you to the fact you've been an ass.

Handwriting recognition is still the tricky problem, but if the stylus input is accurate enough i don't see why we need to translate to text. Keep it as eInk and maybe try to translate keywords into metadata so your scribbles can be found in spotlight. Doesn't need to be 100% accurate on every word.

Note: I don't think the stylus will be the primary method for interacting with the tablet. It'll specifically for eInk and everything else, like button pushes, scrolling and zooming remains the province of finger based multitouch.

M.

 

[NAG]

Do you think the Apple spent all that time on the glass multi-touch trackpad getting it's coefficient of slip just right, to not do the same thing on it's ebook tablet?

Also they have a patent for tracking objects via bluetooth. So if you forget about your stylus and wander off with the tablet, it'll beep and alert you to the fact you've been an ass.

Handwriting recognition is still the tricky problem, but if the stylus input is accurate enough i don't see why we need to translate to text. Keep it as eInk and maybe try to translate keywords into metadata so your scribbles can be found in spotlight. Doesn't need to be 100% accurate on every word.

Note: I don't think the stylus will be the primary method for interacting with the tablet. It'll specifically for eInk and everything else, like button pushes, scrolling and zooming remains the province of finger based multitouch.

M.

You're essentially describing what you'd like out of a Kindle. I doubt Apple would release anything like that.

Stylus: Jobs kept the mac shipping with one button mice for a very long time and even the current mice are one button unless setup as multibutton.

eInk: It may be power efficient but it can't do media. The Gizmodo article (actually sourced from someone at Apple or not) had a lot of insight over Apple's direction. They're going to do a combo, mashup, or something kind of killer feature. They're not going to just release "Book batteries not included."

 

[xhambonex]

First of all, i'm not sure that microsoft has remotely reached a working prototype. I'm convinced it's only a concept video. Handwriting on any device literally suck my oval appendages. There is too much slide between the the writing implement and the screen and that makes it worse than writing. Second, you have to carry a stylus. (may i borrow your stylus, i missplaced mine, get the drift?) Then there's handwriting recognition... far from perfect. They focus to much on the order of strokes more than character recognition, so you can't really go back to dot your i's and cross your t's. It misinterprets them as full stops and dashes

We don't know, but I guarantee that is a concept video and nothing more. They may have some prototype hardware lying around, but doubtful on an OS like that.

I have no problems writing on my computer with a tablet...in fact I don't have much, if any disconnect between drawing on the tablet and what shows up on the screen. Its just practice...I know drawing on a screen, or writing on a screen is not as difficult to adapt to. And with the right hardware you can have accurate enough input to not need much handwriting recognition.

The Courier is also more of a designers journal, who at the moment does a lot of those things shown in mixed media between digital and pen and paper.

I don't know why everyone is so scared of losing a pen, haven't ever had trouble with mine, and if it could connect to the device I would have even less chances of losing it. You have to hold this device with at least one hand, how are you going to input text without a pen? With big hands you could reach across the screen in portrait mode, but forget it otherwise.

 

[MikeDTyke]

You're essentially describing what you'd like out of a Kindle. I doubt Apple would release anything like that.

Stylus: Jobs kept the mac shipping with one button mice for a very long time and even the current mice are one button unless setup as multibutton.

eInk: It may be power efficient but it can't do media. The Gizmodo article (actually sourced from someone at Apple or not) had a lot of insight over Apple's direction. They're going to do a combo, mashup, or something kind of killer feature. They're not going to just release "Book batteries not included."

Ok, maybe i wasn't clear enough. I meant eInk not an eInk display. The tablet records stylus pen strokes and saves them as notes, not converting them with handwriting recognition.

I'm also not saying Apple WILL do a stylus, i was responding to the earlier post that said styli are crap because you lose them. Which is true. I was just hilighting the fact that apple has patents for tracking small objects using bluetooth. So when your stylus goes out of range and isn't plugged into the tablet, it and/or the tablet makes a noise, flashes. Screams idiot at you.

Personally i think a stylus will give the device the added dimension to put it above and beyond the kindle or any plain ol ebook. It would be the killer feature for anyone using an ebook for study/reference. The ability to make notes on top of the book and then reference them quickly later without searching through the entire book would be a godsend.

As a side ref, they also have a patent simulating a stylus by reading the impressions of your hand if you pretend to hold a pen between your fingers... I've tried imagining what this would feel like, and think it would be uncomfortable long term, simply as my hand is used to the position with a pen there, and i'm used to seeing the nib of the pen before it hits the paper.

 

[paradox00]

I want to see concepts like this driven by the public. I know, it is partially there, wish lists and what not. What we need are web/graphic/animation designers to put something like this into a virally viewable video. It will give them free Internet air time if they attach their logo on the end of the video + inspiration for large companies to adopt the concept and deliver their take on the outrageous concept.

I can agree with that. I too love seeing the fan concepts as long as they are somewhat feasible.

On another note...
Have you guys noticed how the stacks grid,list and fan has evolved for finger touch style UI? Its a lovely feature, but it's not super awesome to work with when you have a mouse. Use your fingers for example then it all springs into perspective how OS X is evolving for finger only manipulation.
I know you may say lift your hand and try working by touching your computer monitor. I agree with you, but imagine your keyboard and monitor morphing to meet half way, where there screen is near the desk but raised on an angle and you being able to use 2 hands to do your work and never needing to use a mouse or physical keyboard. In my opinion, their time is up. Lets move on. Spread your hands over a 24 inch screen and you will see how close everything is to any part of your hand to touch immediately.

I'm of the belief that all mac products will slowly progress towards touch. Apple is definitely including touch friendly elements in it, but it is still for the time being focussed on traditional cursor input.

 

[TangoBgd]

As real paper

One suggestion for Apple. Tablet has to have two screens. epaper on one side and LCD on other. Epaper for reading, LCD for others.