I have an iPad 2, and am about to order an iMac with my next paycheck. I've had alot of experience using apple products, from my friends Mac pro/mbp/MBA to when I first started using an iPod touch and now my iPad. I was looking around some different sites and found the modbook. A Mac tablet, sort of. I got to thinking that with the new multitouch implementations of os x lion, it would be fairly simple to see using a Mac tablet with a full fledged lion on it. I understand that the software is written for intel based chips and that arm is not yet powerful enough to handle it and that specs such as the iPad wouldn't run lion well, but what is that possibility that we see a Mac tablet soon? Like a Mac pad pro of the sorts? Or will we have to wait for the uninevitable merge of the 2 os's so there won't be internal competition for the iPad?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Mac os x tablet?
- Thread starter applefanboy4739
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I doubt it. The iPad is apple's Tablet computer. i don't think any designer at apple feels that Mac OS X is good for a touch screen at all. thats why they put their "mutitouch for mac" energies on the Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse, and made lion a joy to use with those two things.
I think they are trying to keep the tablet simple and simplify the computer, so we may eventually see them running the same thing (I really hope not), but I don't anticipate an OS X-like environment for a tablet.
Given the very poor sales of such computers, I don't see that happening. That would also be extremely difficult with the Air's thickness
Duff-Man says...it'd be a really cool thing, technically anyway, to have a Macbook/iPad combo device. A detachable screen notebook...while attached it runs OSX as a normal Macbook would, but remove the screen and IOS kicks in. Yes, not so practical to make a more portable out of a portable, but it'd be a cool concept device....oh yeah!
I believe they can achieve that on the Air with only it being slightly thicker.
I do agree that the history of sales of what the originally Tablet is sucks, but this was before today's common technology. If Apple were to sell an Air Tablet, it would be very successful.
If one stays current with tech news, they'll know that Apple has already decided on a goal. They are in the process of making OS X more consumer friendly and even easier for novices to use. By adding in more iOS elements until they've got just one hybrid OS leaning towards the mobile space it will prove their commitment to creating Apple's Post PC dream. A complete product line on ARM chips & iOS.
I would not buy it. I do not want a 5 pound tablet in my arms or lap as I touch the screen and likewise I do not want to reach to a screen when my PC is on a desk. The ipad works because of its size and weight, which is what makes phones like the iPhone so popular, the size and weight make it instinctive to touch gestures. A larger, heavier device becomes uncomfortable, not easy to hold in one hand and touch with the other while moving about or performing other tasks. Once I need to use two hands to operate the device and make that my sole task then I may as well be sitting at a desk and use a proper input device. Not to mention larger screens seem to be odd with as touch screens, so much room you get lost in touching, dragging, etc. IMHO anyway.
Don't need to read the rest. You really think a light weight tablet can't be made, or that Apple would design something that big/heavy?
Look how thin the Airbook is already. It's is possible to make a slight design change, make it a touchscreen and still keep any added thickness to a minimal.
That pic I posted was just for design reference, NOT thickness.
Yeah but Apple can probably do a lot to their various iDevices if they only added a few mm to the thickness (for example they could install a substantially larger battery, possibly doubling or more the battery life), but they prize thinness over a lot of other things. So unless it can be made as thin as the iPad, it's never going to happen.
Besides, once you start thinking about it, a touchscreen OSX is a user-interface nightmare, even more so than OSX Lion is right now. Ergonomically it just doesn't work that well, in desktop or tablet form, and major changes would need to be made to the UI to make it workable, so much so that it would not resemble OSX very much anymore.
I really hope they don't do this with OS XI. But seeing Apple as of late, I wouldn't put it past them.
Besides, once you start thinking about it, a touchscreen OSX is a user-interface nightmare, even more so than OSX Lion is right now. Ergonomically it just doesn't work that well, in desktop or tablet form, and major changes would need to be made to the UI to make it workable, so much so that it would not resemble OSX very much anymore.
I really hope they don't do this with OS XI. But seeing Apple as of late, I wouldn't put it past them.
But maybe you should have, because my point was not just about the weight, it is a combination of size, weight, heat, management, etc. If you cannot hold it in one hand and use it for extended periods of time due to size, weight, fatigue, etc, then it becomes difficult to manage as a tablet. They can make a design change, but as soon as you flip the screen around, you add thickness to it and you still have the weight and size issues to deal with. I see no point in having a touch screen tablet that I am more comfortable with when it is sitting flat on a table or my lap where I am staring down at it. At that point I would just flip the screen up and use the trackpad and keyboard as they are much easier input devices.
I never said apple or anyone else for that matter could not make one, but rather, I do not think there is a market for it. But you have to consider the cost to make those devices and whether or not there is a clear market for touch screen PCs, to date, laptop or desktop, touch screens have not taken off. The iPad is successful due in part to price, size, weight and OS. Most people, IMHO, who buy the iPad do so for email and internet, yes there are people who play small games, and do some other more advanced tasks, but most people use the ipad as a secondary internet appliance and not as a main computer. You point is making one device that is both is well noted, but the fact is, with cross overs like that you give and take on form, function, etc.
But hey this is just one mans opinion.
You mean like every other manufacturer who did that and the consumers just walked away? There's a reason why many companies do not make those. No one is buying them. Apple doesn't need to mess with success, they barely able to keep the iPads in stock, why fix what's not broke
Actually that's not my point. I'm not talking about making one device that is both. I'm just talking about adding touchscreen/tablet feature on the Airbook. No iOS or ARM processor.
Look how thin the Airbook is when lid is closed. So I'm pretty sure someone can design some type of swivel hinge that will keep any added thickness to a minimal when lid is close with screen facing up.
With more and more updates that will most likely add more iOS like features, I can definitely see them do this.
That's what they said about smartphones without actual keyboards until Apple decided to bring out the iPhone.
One of the main reasons the average consumer didn't take to those type of tablets in the past was the price on most was doubled vs regular notebook of similar and slightly high specs, MS seemed to try a little but had crappy support for touchscreens, it took them until Vista & W7 to have decent touch support which was basically too late. And of course touch screen wasn't the norm. The old tablets basically died before the idea came to life. It's a differ story today.
No No No
The iPad is an oversized ipod touch. it is not a tablet, tablet computers have full fledged operating systems, a file system you can use, usb ports. I agree totally agree with what applefanboy4739 is saying. Lion is a terrible operating system in general for desktop and pro users, it belongs on laptops only but still needs a major overhaul to become properly usable. However i would love to see Lion on a tablet. that i would buy in a heartbeat. it would be the holy grail of tablet computers
You are being too cute by half. You cannot just assert that Apple does not have the product category that it built from nothing. You want a PC in a tablet form factor. That product has failed too many times to count. Get over it. Move on. Startup a company that manufactures styli.