France Telecom Executive 'Confirms' Forthcoming Release of Apple Tablet

[heisetax]

What if you could type with your finger. Like if you make a letter "P" with your finger on the screen, a letter P comes up. That would be cool.

That was done with the Newton, then Palm & many others. Maybe the finger will work better than a stylus. On my iPod Touch I use a stylus for all of my typing. It works faster & is much more accurate for me.

With all of the years since the Newton came out & now these handhelds have much more power. Maybe this sort of text reconition would be a use for some of it.

 

[feszty]

At&t???

Man, live video conferencing?? I have trouble with reading my email on my iPhone... I hope the tablet will be unlocked or offered on a different network. I love Apple, but I don't want do deal with AT&T anymore

 

[andiwm2003]

well, i hope they will have an affordable contract with AT&T as add on to the iphone contract. would be cool to reach the tablet under the same number as my iphone. but i guess it's data only and we'll have to skype.

Anyway, nice guy. I liked him. Sad that Steve will kill him.

 

[ChazUK]

Someone is going to get their arse chewed if they have let anything substantial out!

 

[iPoodOverZune]

Why do I feel the Soup Nazi (Steve Jobs) is going to say "no soup for you!"

 

[Azathoth]

Having watched the video, Im not really sure he knows what he's talking about, he just goes into a spiel about a webcam and how it will revolutise video-conferencing world (where did i hear this before?) - I would not regard this as canon.

On rewatching it, he manages to bend the conversation into a talk about webcams and how his network has a great coverage for such high BW devices, without blinking. I think that he may have heard the question about the tablet, and effortlessly deflected the question without a confrontative "we don't comment on our partners' products". Note how the interviewer did not follow up at all. If that is the case then Stéphane Richard is quite brilliant really...

 

[Lone Deranger]

Stealing Steve's thunder?? Oh dear oh dear....

 

[myview]

ipod slate

Announced January, shipped March. That's what all the rumors have said so far.

Won't run Mac OS X. Then it's a Mac. Not a mass market device.

iPod slate. Everyone will get that. I need the newest and greatest iPod.

Glad you like the name I leaked a couple days ago. iPod Slate it is.

 

[paradillon]

tether option hopefully

I too do not want to enter into another service contract. Hopefully AT&T will roll out the iPhone tethering capability for this device.

 

[wiseguy]

A lot of suicide at France Telecom...

I don't know how many people suicide at this company during the last years. This is what they are talking about in the first part of the interview. But I think there will be one more pretty soon ;-)

 

[topmounter]

What if you could type with your finger. Like if you make a letter "P" with your finger on the screen, a letter P comes up. That would be cool.

Cool like the Newton?

 

[Berio]

perhaps not. very 'nicely' timed info between the CES announcements and the possible 27th apple event...

There go his chances of becoming CEO!

I don't think Apple will be happy about that

UH OH!
Looks like France Télécom and Orange wont be getting an Apple Tablet this year!

Way to keep your mouth shut buddy.

what an idiot. Loose lips sink le bateau. I hope that Orange only looks like orange because of the egg on their face when Steve puts them at the back of the slate/table/cooldevice queue.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Stealing Steve's thunder?? Oh dear oh dear....

If THAT was Steve's "thunder," then it isn't much of storm brewing. A webcam on a tablet. Yawn. It may be new, but not all the different. I suspect Steve has something to tell us about the tablet that is a lot more innovative than a fricking 2004 web cam.

 

[None Such]

It's sounding less and less likely that I get one. I was planning on it depending on how it looks. But with it rumored to being close to $1,000 it's not that far off from the price of an apple laptop. I was thinking a few hundred more than a Kindle or something. Then with the talk of being on a carrier. No thanks. That would do it in for me. I've already got an iPhone on AT&T to pay for. And I have a Macbook Pro. If it goes for around $500 - $700 and doesn't have to be on a carrier plan then I'll consider it.

 

[sanford]

On the point of videoconferencing, fully mobile or otherwise, is this such a big deal? Neither I nor my friends ever use it, though we all have the capability right at hand, whether via iChat on Macs or through easily configured cross-platform software like Skype. We use email of course, and make voice phone calls to one another, but no video chats. Maybe a generational thing -- we're all late 30s to mid-40s. Is videoconferencing, especially outside strictly business teleconferences and such, something younger generations regularly use?

 

[kdarling]

Having watched the video, Im not really sure he knows what he's talking about, he just goes into a spiel about a webcam and how it will revolutise video-conferencing world (where did i hear this before?) - I would not regard this as canon.

On rewatching it, he manages to bend the conversation into a talk about webcams and how his network has a great coverage for such high BW devices, without blinking. I think that he may have heard the question about the tablet, and effortlessly deflected the question without a confrontative "we don't comment on our partners' products". Note how the interviewer did not follow up at all. If that is the case then Stéphane Richard is quite brilliant really...

Slashgear thinks it's a perception mistake as well... that he was simply saying "sure, people would like a tablet" etc... not actually verifying an Apple tablet.

This would be typical of today's Post-First-Verify-Later internet.

 

[martint84]

Does anyone know where Apple TV fits into this "tablet timeline".

Sorry that this is off topic, but I've been waiting for a refresh on that hardware for more than a year now - and I'm thinking that even if a new apple TV product was done and boxed, they wouldn't roll it out so they can keep the focus on the Tablet thing...

recall that some rumors talked about apple TV staff parking lots being filled late at night last year, with january launches possible...

thoughts?

IMO, the rumored (all we talk about here are rumors, haha) iTunes TV subscription plan will be announced at the same time as the tablet, "your favorite TV shows anywhere you want them." It would also make sense to update the Apple TV at this time...

 

[thecartoonguy]

Giant fail if it does. Guessing Apple would not do that b/c I think most people are sick of paying for access for every device & it would be a huge turn off. What would make sense is a new affordable "pay per use" or metered plan - say 2GB month for $20. That is where the wireless providers want to go and this would be a great opportunity to get people away from "all you can eat" service.

I hope so. Even the thought having to sign a contract of sometime would be a giant disappointment. I can't seem to get the iPhone=AT&T costs.

 

[spencers]

NDA fail

 

[aforty]

Apple must be so pissed that they have to reveal their plans to these big mouthed telecom companies.

Bad for them, good for us.

 

[Full of Win]

Old Steve Jobs would never had put up with this crap. He would have sent over 'the muscle' to rip out his tongue. Oh, how times have changed.

 

[heisetax]

The Nvidia cut out

What did you mean about Nvidia? Missed that...

The point about Nvidia was at a MacWorld Expo a few years ago. Just shortly before Steve Jobs gave the keynote speech a spokesman for Nvidia said that their video processor would be in a new Mac. As a result of this the Nvidia spokesman was cut out of the keynote. Also Nvidia videos cards & processors were cut out of the from Apple ac market for the next year.

Someone else will have to put these items in the proper time frame & explain the story a little better, but the story should be about the same.

 

[heisetax]

Old Steve Jobs would never had put up with this crap. He would have sent over 'the muscle' to rip out his tongue. Oh, how times have changed.

Part of that is because with the wide use of the Intel processors Steve had to allow Intel to give time tables just like they did before having Apple as a customer.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Old Steve Jobs would never had put up with this crap. He would have sent over 'the muscle' to rip out his tongue. Oh, how times have changed.

You are making the assumption that SJ didn't give a nod and wink to all these "leaks." To date we have heard NO credible rumors on what makes the tablet ground breaking, so I'd have to go with SJ still has his firm grip on what info is "allowed" to get out to keep the hype machine rolling to Jan 27.

 

[lazyrighteye]

Le oopsie.

Like many, I'm very curious what the device will cost and what additional services fees will be required for a full-featured experience.

If the device does require an additional service fee, I hope that AT&T takes the opportunity to offer loyal iPhone customers either A) discounted Slate rates or B) reasonable iPhone + Slate bundles. Though I'm not holding my breath.