Along with others, I see iPhone as fork in road for two apple product lines--phones and wireless lappies/tablets. Are there any technical limitations which would prevent apple from selling a 9" x 12" x 1/2" iPhone tablet today (same functions but with larger touch kb, flash, and maybe even 3G)?
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iPhone tablet presently possible???
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if you're talking about taking a small product - the iphone, and essentially making a bigger version of it - a tablet - it would be simple from a design and manufacturing point of view. Going from small to smaller is the hard part. I wouldn't be surprised to see the iTablet within the next year, with a slide in iPhone port. Piece of cake, and if you want to argue that they couldn't do it, go ahead, but making a device bigger would be like asking water to make ice.
The biggest technical limitation would be that few people would have fingers long enough to hold that thing up to their ears.
Thinking more about this, even if it were to be a giant iPhone without the phone, a finger is just plain old the wrong tool for a lot of the jobs we do on more computer-like things. Lots of times it really does matter if you can reach just that one pixel.
Thinking more about this, even if it were to be a giant iPhone without the phone, a finger is just plain old the wrong tool for a lot of the jobs we do on more computer-like things. Lots of times it really does matter if you can reach just that one pixel.
thats where the phone comes in to do all the navigating. how damn cool would that be. You use the iphone as the mouse, essentially you could zoom in, zoom out - I'm thinking that would be an amazing idea. It would be better than a mouse, and it would replace a mouse, keyboard. Wow.
As others have already realized, touch is not the best method for many tasks people use computers for. That's why PDAs with touchscreens usually also have navigation keys. Multiple tools for multiple situations.
Can you imagine writing a term paper on a touch keyboard, and trying cut/paste?
Can you imagine trying to use a drawing or CAD program?
Can you imagine if spreadsheets had to use REALLY BIG CELLS just so you could touch each one more easily?
Even Tetris is easier if you can leave your fingers lightly on top of real keys for physical guidance. Something you can't do on most touchscreens.
I'm typing on a touchscreen laptop right now. Do I use the touchscreen? For debugging my apps, yes. Very, very seldom do I actually reach up and tap a web link or something. (When I do, the look from some people's faces is priceless, though
A mouse is still the best input tool for most jobs. Tablets/pens for others. Touch for some. Biggest trouble with touch are: it's inaccurate, and your pointing device covers the target. It's always best to let the user have choices.
The iPhone, in its current form, has an extra handicap for enterprise appplications since it uses a capacitive screen... no optional stylus input for signatures, drawing, and so forth.
Can you imagine writing a term paper on a touch keyboard, and trying cut/paste?
Can you imagine trying to use a drawing or CAD program?
Can you imagine if spreadsheets had to use REALLY BIG CELLS just so you could touch each one more easily?
Even Tetris is easier if you can leave your fingers lightly on top of real keys for physical guidance. Something you can't do on most touchscreens.
I'm typing on a touchscreen laptop right now. Do I use the touchscreen? For debugging my apps, yes. Very, very seldom do I actually reach up and tap a web link or something. (When I do, the look from some people's faces is priceless, though
A mouse is still the best input tool for most jobs. Tablets/pens for others. Touch for some. Biggest trouble with touch are: it's inaccurate, and your pointing device covers the target. It's always best to let the user have choices.
The iPhone, in its current form, has an extra handicap for enterprise appplications since it uses a capacitive screen... no optional stylus input for signatures, drawing, and so forth.
I heard this story....
Its probably not true but I find it amusing so i will repeat it here. Besides this is MacRumors - we see even more unlikely stuff here.
While Steve was in the hospital a Dr showed him how he uses a tablet in the hospital for everything and wished apple would make one. When Steve got back to HQ he set up a team to investigate the MacTablet. One of the designers showed him a touch screen idea and the team got a new direction - the iphone.
Anyway i was just thinking in the "what's next?" mode and i think a bigger iphone is much more likely than a smaller one. GPS, 3G, video camera, more capacity would all make the iphone a little bigger. And it would be nice to have a little bigger screen.
once it gets too bulky to use as a phone - then maybe it gets the kind of bluetooth headset that includes some controls. Maybe something like
Apples FM recieiver for the ipod. You keep your device in your purse/briefcase/backpack/lab coat and just have the headset and the remote out.
Its probably not true but I find it amusing so i will repeat it here. Besides this is MacRumors - we see even more unlikely stuff here.
While Steve was in the hospital a Dr showed him how he uses a tablet in the hospital for everything and wished apple would make one. When Steve got back to HQ he set up a team to investigate the MacTablet. One of the designers showed him a touch screen idea and the team got a new direction - the iphone.
Anyway i was just thinking in the "what's next?" mode and i think a bigger iphone is much more likely than a smaller one. GPS, 3G, video camera, more capacity would all make the iphone a little bigger. And it would be nice to have a little bigger screen.
once it gets too bulky to use as a phone - then maybe it gets the kind of bluetooth headset that includes some controls. Maybe something like
Apples FM recieiver for the ipod. You keep your device in your purse/briefcase/backpack/lab coat and just have the headset and the remote out.
As others have already realized, touch is not the best method for many tasks people use computers for. That's why PDAs with touchscreens usually also have navigation keys. Multiple tools for multiple situations.
Can you imagine writing a term paper on a touch keyboard, and trying cut/paste?
Can you imagine trying to use a drawing or CAD program?
Can you imagine if spreadsheets had to use REALLY BIG CELLS just so you could touch each one more easily?
Even Tetris is easier if you can leave your fingers lightly on top of real keys for physical guidance. Something you can't do on most touchscreens.
I'm typing on a touchscreen laptop right now. Do I use the touchscreen? For debugging my apps, yes. Very, very seldom do I actually reach up and tap a web link or something. (When I do, the look from some people's faces is priceless, though
A mouse is still the best input tool for most jobs. Tablets/pens for others. Touch for some. Biggest trouble with touch are: it's inaccurate, and your pointing device covers the target. It's always best to let the user have choices.
The iPhone, in its current form, has an extra handicap for enterprise appplications since it uses a capacitive screen... no optional stylus input for signatures, drawing, and so forth.
What kind of touch screen laptop do you have? What are you impressions overall?
Got a bunch around my lab. Mostly Panasonic Toughbook ruggedized models. CF-19, which converts to tablet. CF-29, CF-34. Also some older Itronix models, I forget their models. Currently I'm on a CF-73, which is not really ruggedized, but is light, fairly quick, and solid.
Anyone developing touch apps needs a touchscreen, I'm convinced. Otherwise they tend to make tiny buttons or even use underlined links (ugh). But you don't need a laptop, just get a touchscreen monitor off eBay (or buy an overlay kit that you can move from monitor to monitor.) Somewhere there's a company that sells kits for laptops, need to Google for them.
Best, Kev
you're barking up the wrong technologist's tree.
jobs thinks that we will use a notebook and an iphone (two devices, a large portable, and a small multifunction device) with other devices (desktops, media devices) either coalescing into the other two devices, or being niche markets (much in the same way that apple desktops are marketed now).
gates thinks we will use a tablets, and is one of the main proponenets of the technology) instead of notebooks, as a semi-portable, have a home computing system that controls everything (HAL more or less) and a portable/phone device.
jobs thinks that we will use a notebook and an iphone (two devices, a large portable, and a small multifunction device) with other devices (desktops, media devices) either coalescing into the other two devices, or being niche markets (much in the same way that apple desktops are marketed now).
gates thinks we will use a tablets, and is one of the main proponenets of the technology) instead of notebooks, as a semi-portable, have a home computing system that controls everything (HAL more or less) and a portable/phone device.
Oh, Folio style:
http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/
Hopefully it is MUCH better than the Palm Folio joke!
http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/
Hopefully it is MUCH better than the Palm Folio joke!
Or perhaps more like the Nokia 770 /800 internet browsing tablets.
http://www.nseries.com/products/n800/#l=products,n800
Large touch screen, nice display, VOIP capability, Opera browser, Linux based (?). And even third party apps if you search the web. $130 - $250 on eBay.
We might need three sizes of devices: handheld, middle throw on the living room table size, and the usual laptop.
The reality is that laptops don't make much sense for their general use--too powerful, bulky and heavy for always carrying around, and too small a screen and other limitations for what people want in a desktop (reread all the macbook or macbook pro posts if you disagree). Rather than carrying around powerful machine and hooking up to big home monitor, makes more sense to carry around something light that does 90% of what you need (and will link to home machine) and have a full desktop at home/office. Ideal set up for college with a 24" imac in room for heavy lifting/TV, IMHO
well im moving pretty far off topic here... but...
its just when you talk about technological convergance you cant think about products in terms of whats available now. for instance, if you were to take the notebook/SFF device approach youre working on the assumption that both of these technologies will improve immensely in power, connectivity, usablility, weight (or lack there of), etc.
its just when you talk about technological convergance you cant think about products in terms of whats available now. for instance, if you were to take the notebook/SFF device approach youre working on the assumption that both of these technologies will improve immensely in power, connectivity, usablility, weight (or lack there of), etc.
I'm waiting for the first PDA with one of the miniature projectors built in. Combine that with the laser projected keyboard unit that's available.
Hmm. Googling around, I don't find the original projector. Just a holographic one instead, the size of a matchbox!
http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/laser-projectors-coming-to-cell-phones-and-pdas
Holograms. *shaking head* Star Trek was definitely behind where we'll be in a decade.
Hmm. Googling around, I don't find the original projector. Just a holographic one instead, the size of a matchbox!
http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/laser-projectors-coming-to-cell-phones-and-pdas
Holograms. *shaking head* Star Trek was definitely behind where we'll be in a decade.