Now that we both agree you are sitting down . . . .
Hey Steve, need hundreds of iPhones in one building or block? Yes?
http://www.xirrus.com/aboutus/
Just Rocketman again
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Jobs "Extremely Happy" with Upcoming Apple Tablet and a Surprise?
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Now that we both agree you are sitting down . . . .
Hey Steve, need hundreds of iPhones in one building or block? Yes?
http://www.xirrus.com/aboutus/
Just Rocketman again
You guys make me laugh. Because all of the MS tablet computers with their dopey little styli have been such a rockin' success.
Nah, there's too much legacy software out there for Apple to vanquish in the enterprise market.
I am an unabashedly happy AAPL shareholder and customer, but I have no delusions that Apple is going to replace the computers I use at work (Windows XP running on Dell desktops or Lenovo notebooks). Windows gets the job done at work (note that I am also a MSFT and INTC shareholder).
Microsoft's corporate dominance is partly due to this legacy support. Apple has conceded this market, and I'm sure some of it has to do with their different business model. Apple is a hardware company that relies on sales of its high-margin hardware. They want people to replace their systems on a regular basis, which is why Apple obsoletes legacy hardware very quickly (e.g., floppy drives) and only provides security updates to the previous version of the operating system.
Considering that the majority of business stuff moving toward the "cloud" services, it wouldn't matter what OS we'll run in the future.
Exactly. The educational market is a drop in the bucket compared to the enterprise arena. MSFT simply made their bets on enterprise and Apple on educational. It's fallacious to think any one company would dominate both spheres.
Wow.. near 2000 word long diatribe typed on an iPhone.. but you still failed to articulate what exactly that killer app for the mystical Apple tablet is. If some niche DJ music app is your best example - then the tablet is doomed.
So let's try again.. between my iPhone and MacBook Air.. why exactly do I need to drop $800 on another device? And this time you don't need to write "War and Peace" to answer that
Agreed. People are getting so emotional about it because it is rumored that SJ loves it. So what? Give me some reasons besides gut instinct, pixie dust and iPhone sales...
While you make some reasonable predictions as to what the upcoming Apple tablet will ultimately do.. and I am sure it will be a cool toy to some with extra disposable cash on their hands.. Ultimately, I think the tablet will fail to take off in a MAJOR way (let's say like iPhone did)....
I think the best way to market or justify this thing is to look at it as kind of a "Kindle Plus". There is a healthy market for eReaders, and if people can view the tablet as a reasonable replacement for Kindle/Nook - it has a shot.
But once all the hype and Apple "must have" factor dies down - I still don't see the Tablet successfully competing with (comparatively) low-cost eReaders like Kindle/Nook with multi-day battery and eInk capabilities. As it stands - I see Apple Tablet to be mostly a solution in search of a problem.. But I would be happy if the history proves me wrong
I just received a Kindle for Xmas and must agree. It's a simple device that executes perfectly. I am flying through the two books I bought because of the e-ink and I am a slow reader. Apple tablet will be more expensive and not great on the eyes. Sure the people who buy anything apple will run out and get it, but others will likely fawn over it and leave it on the shelf for an iPhone or MBP. The e-reader market is exploding, but why would apple care after all the majority of people don't read right?
While I was able to get a MBP for work, my company and I imagine others would never consider outfitting the entire staff. Not just initial purchase price, but TCO. I doubt apple wants individual IT folk servicing their products, incompatible software, educating staff, etc.
Wisdom of the masses. There's a reason this is getting so much press and Apple's stock is spiking. There is pent up demand for a well-done tablet.
Who says? Apple hasn't announced the device, and they certainly haven't announced a price. There was a rumor that it will be priced "surprisingly low."
You also have no idea what it is using for display technology. If it's Pixel Qi, for example, it will be very "great on the eyes."
Who says the stock is spiking because of tablet rumors? Can you show me where there is pent up demand for a well-done tablet?
Im sure this device will be cheaper than an ipod touch
There was also a rumor it would be 1500 bucks. What's your point?Have you ever seen Pixei Qi in action? It's wonderful to guess how well it will work but I havent seen a work prototype so Im not betting on it. I have used e-ink in numerous devices and it works as advertised.
Who says the stock is spiking because of tablet rumors? Can you show me where there is pent up demand for a well-done tablet?
Im sure this device will be cheaper than an ipod touch
Have you ever seen Pixei Qi in action? It's wonderful to guess how well it will work but I havent seen a work prototype so Im not betting on it. I have used e-ink in numerous devices and it works as advertised.
Perhaps this will help.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10421871-64.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0
There are only two main user groups for tablets right now, AFAIK:
1) Field applications. Sales and service employees are often given a tablet with highly customized software.
2) Medical students. Apparently a tablet with MS One Note on it, is a popular note taking and learning aid.
Apple will have to create a new tablet market, whatever that is.
1) Field applications. Sales and service employees are often given a tablet with highly customized software.
2) Medical students. Apparently a tablet with MS One Note on it, is a popular note taking and learning aid.
Apple will have to create a new tablet market, whatever that is.
Disagree: all iphone and ipod touch users who wish to perform certain beloved play/tasks on a larger screen = market somewhat built in.
not very helpful. It doesn't says there is huge demand for a tablet. It says apple will have to create one. It also doesnt show the screen technology in action. Thanks for the efforts though.
uraniumwilly said:
Since that would be a new tablet market, it actually puts us in agreement
As for wanting to do some iPhone-ish things on a larger screen, the main ones I can think of, besides web browsing, are games.
Yet many/most games clearly have bitmaps hardcoded to a certain screen size. To make them look good on a larger screen, most would need updating.
I foresee having to buy every favorite game ... again.
Edit: Or maybe not. Perhaps we'll be able to open one or more 320x480 screens and run old apps that way if they're not tagged as updated.
Different Angle
"you will be surprised how you interact with the device"
Let's think about this from another angle. That word interact might not mean the way we physically interact with it, it could mean the way we use the device to interact with other devices. What if it was a new way to interact with our lives through other computers, iPhones, iPods, others "slates" and the big one TV. I watch a lot of TV online and often say way can't my TV be as interactive as this? This "slate" device needs something to set it apart from other devices and this could be it. It could actually bring new life to AppleTV and give it a reason to be.
Just thinking this could be a bigger way to think about it.
"you will be surprised how you interact with the device"
Let's think about this from another angle. That word interact might not mean the way we physically interact with it, it could mean the way we use the device to interact with other devices. What if it was a new way to interact with our lives through other computers, iPhones, iPods, others "slates" and the big one TV. I watch a lot of TV online and often say way can't my TV be as interactive as this? This "slate" device needs something to set it apart from other devices and this could be it. It could actually bring new life to AppleTV and give it a reason to be.
Just thinking this could be a bigger way to think about it.
It makes life as easy for Apple as any other player. So when that happens it only really helps Apple keep there current market in a explosion of new players. It doesn't really give them any driving force in to that market.
Well not unless we move to a system where more people are creative in the work not just monkey drones. Really that isn't going to ever be big enterprise, although we could well see a move to greater amounts of medium enterprise.
I think business stuff is the stuff that won't move to the cloud - at least not publicly accessible clouds.
Such limited points of view, and not only your own, kdarling, but nearly everyone else's, too. I mean, really, a Kindle Plus? Is that all you think a well-done tablet is going to be? I'll tell you right now that there are no well-done tablets on the market right now; that's why there are so few tablets sold.
Now, touching on your own points --
1) Field Applications: Why should it just be sales and service employees? How many people still use clipboards as they perform inspections? How many people use note pads to rough-sketch designs and modifications on construction sites or manufacturing plants? How many of these people are using notebook computers because the tool they need simply doesn't exist? Of course, this also begs the question of the average consumer, after all, who, before Apple, thought that smartphones would become a consumer device? Certainly not RIM or Nokia.
2) Medical Students: Why strictly students? Why just medical? Why not any professional? The Newton was a surprisingly big hit with the medical industry, mostly by doctors annotating patient records. The best upgrade to that isn't a big computer cart that has to be rolled from bed to bed, but rather a tablet that can immediately send the doctor's annotations directly into the hospital's (office's) computer records. Much easier to carry and use, and doesn't require an assistant to roll the blinkin' cart around after him. Even lawyers could gain benefit from one, as well as police and military capabilities. In fact, anyone who has ever used a notepad or clipboard, even for pen-and-paper gaming, could use a well-designed tablet instead.
The point is, if Apple's tablet is the real deal, then it's going to be far more than just a Kindle Plus, it's going to be a true intermediate device between a smart phone and a desktop computer. It may not replace the laptop, but it could well eliminate the market for the sub-laptop in every way except price; returning the 'netbook' to what it was originally designed for--a low-cost device for education in developing countries.
Nope, I haven't listed my ideas yet. I was simply pointing out the two main uses of tablets right now. My reply was meant to encourage others to try to come up with more uses that would create a mass market, just as you did. I totally agree with you that we're not seeing any imagination so far.
A good point, but I'd say those tools are mostly software, not hardware. That's why companies like MS have put R&D into tablet tools like the Codex UI, One Note, InkSeine and so forth.
Google did. That's why we had apps like Google Maps before the iPhone came along. MS had consumer categories on their Live Search, even though much of MS still thought of smartphones as business PDAs.
I think one reason that true tablets haven't been widely adopted is because many applications require lots of textual input, not just preordained choices as with field apps.
And a real keyboard is so much easier for that, since handwriting is becoming a lost art. It also sucks to have half your screen taken up by virtual keyboards.
In any case, professionals still don't give us a consumer mass market.
Yep, Apple is going to have to come up with a new market if they wish to sell a lot of whatever their device is. Or perhaps do like they did with the iPhone, and merge many old markets into a single easier-to-use device.
Regards.