More Tablet Rumors: Dual Dock Connectors, Antenna Panel and Optional 3G Support?

[MacPhilosopher]

Agreed...

LOL the speculation is getting silly

Two ports? What a foolish rumor. It will either be completely wireless, which I doubt, or it will have a single port. Today's ports and cables require minimal space, and there is no reason why a single port would restrict viewing position of the tablet. If it is going to be dock-able, it will need some hardwire connection. Also, even with current technology, I would think it necessary to have some hard connection to at least troubleshoot and maintain a device.

 

[catrik007]

I just came by this....

A convincing Article about the size of the tablet

http://www.macvideo.tv/editing/news/index.cfm?newsId=3210875&pagType=samechandate


and it does push towards OLED so Im happy

If true then this means the rumors of a 7 inch ereader and a 10 inch tablet are true, I hope we dont have to wait to later this year like fall that would suck


Catrik007

 

[deconstruct60]

They don't "stop" at 4-4.5".

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204055811&listingid=54284578

Does that manufacturer even have a website? I looked, can't find one.

How about a link to a product from a company that has legal advisers who have concerns about the company getting sued by drivers who wreck their cars because they miss something out the front window due to the device obstructing the view?

Redid the scan. I see a 5" at TomTom , Garmin, Megellan , but there liabilities for 7" and certainly for 10".

http://gps.about.com/b/2008/09/30/w...egalized-in-california-but-theres-a-catch.htm

Most other states likely have a generic ordinance that says can't have objects/obstructed view in your front windows ( cargo , whatever) that hinders safety.


Also the 7" are more present going back in time. Most vendors that had older 7" product are going smaller with current lineups and/or explicitly aiming at big rigs with bigger windows.

 

[bobob]

I don't think Apple knows what they want this 'tablet' computer to be. Netbook? No, it's too expensive. Media player? Nah, we already have these, with far more codec support and cheaper. Ebook reader? Not if I can't read it in sunlight and if it diesn't have great battery life. Portable internet device? Not until you can take it anywhere and not get zapped with ungodly bills for going online. Replacing pen and paper? You need input, and I don't see a virtual leyboard or stylius being all that great.

I don't know; I see Apple chasing a holy grail that just doesn't nor can't exist.

Tom

I've got to admire the faith displayed in this type of post.

A high degree of personal belief that the tablet can never serve any useful function is required by any person who writes such a missive.

Can you imagine spending time prowling threads about things you know will fail, and writing dark warnings to those who don't share your vision?

It's surely a calling.

 

[tommyminahan]

and it does push towards OLED so Im happy

I for one do NOT want OLED..
Hard to see in the sunlight, and they wear out faster.

 

[bobob]

Have you all forgotten about the Apple patent which called for a tablet like device to slide into (the side of) and doc with an iMac-like enclosure?

Perhaps we were misdirected as to the scale and intent of this old patent drawing...

What if the larger unit doesn't turn out to be an iMac, but rather the tablet itself?

...and of course then...

What if the unit seen docking is actually an iPhone, providing both synching and tethering?

 

[cmaier]

Perhaps we were misdirected as to the scale and intent of this old patent drawing...

What if the larger unit doesn't turn out to be an iMac, but rather the tablet itself?

...and of course then...

What if the unit seen docking is actually an iPhone, providing both synching and tethering?

And what if, inside the iphone, you could put an iphone mini?

This is actually Apple's plan. The iTurducken.

 

[deconstruct60]

Because that single chip necessitates licensing fees for both CDMA and GSM and are forced into every tablet they sell when a lot of people already own iPhones and won't pay another data plan fee for the tablet.

First, what GSM? 3G networks are suppose to be data IP based and most use a variation on the generic CDMA technology (*cough* some of which patented) for airwaves transmission ( once IP packets get to the tower what does GSM associated telephony issues have to do with them? ). Remember this isn't telephony, it is data only modems. But could be some, patents are interwined in numerous ways these days.

Although I suppose if on the ATT newtork and had to fall back often on non 3G tech when not in major areas might not be happy if only had 3G mode ... but boy is it "fast" when it is there. ( just hunker down on the right parts of the map. LOL. )


Second, there are tons of slots out there folks may not use (cough used to be ExpressCard ) and it just tacked onto the price. As long as relatively low not a big deal. Certainly doesn't seem to skyrocket the costs of the many dozen models of netbooks this tech is already deployed on.

Third if you don't sign up for a data plan the radio incurs no incremental cost. So you don't use it.
There is little reason why Apple won't sell unlocked versions if make to be multivendor friendly.

 

[catrik007]

not as bad as we think....

I for one do NOT want OLED..
Hard to see in the sunlight, and they wear out faster.

OLED lasts 14,000 hours or 8 hrs a day = 5 years

Lifespan
The biggest technical problem for OLEDs is the limited lifetime of the organic materials.[46] In particular, blue OLEDs historically have had a lifetime of around 14,000 hours to half original brightness (five years at 8 hours a day) when used for flat-panel displays, which is lower than the typical lifetime of LCD, LED or PDP technology—each currently rated for about 60,000 hours to half brightness, depending on manufacturer and model. However, some manufacturers of OLED displays aim to increase the lifespan of OLED displays, pushing their expected life past that of LCD displays by improving light outcoupling, thus achieving the same brightness at a lower drive current.[47][48]
In 2007, experimental OLEDs were created which can sustain 400 cd/m² of luminance for over 198,000 hours for green OLEDs and 62,000 hours for blue OLEDs.[49] from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_LED

I better be getting a new one by then, unless im jobless


Catrik007

 

[Thomas Davie]

Ummmm... the tablet is suppose to be the convergence device for.."netbook", "media player", "ebook reader", "portable internet device" and "pen and paper" all in one with a large screen. You need to stop focusing on specific functions and think of the bigger picture that the supposed convergence device that the slate can be. The question you should be asking is not what its main function suppose to be, but what does the slate/tablet do better than a laptop for the same price.

From what I've read it isn't a god any one of those. And if you have to compromise then what's the point if it can do 2 3 or 3/4 of those well. If the (or a) 5th component is crippled it kills the whole thing.

Tom

 

[deconstruct60]

A convincing Article about the size of the tablet

http://www.macvideo.tv/editing/news/index.cfm?newsId=3210875&pagType=samechandate

Hmm, a Sony laptop 1.5 lbs (about 0.5 lbs under his weight limit) laptop with 11.1 inch screen , keyboard (which can chuck), a SSD (which can strip down) , several ports ( which will get chucked too), a replaceable battery (consumes more space) , 2GB of RAM ( most of which going to chuck), and an x86 chip ( of course punt to lower power requirements):

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644667494


Seems likely the additional aluminum (and/or glass) over the 10" diag frame is adding more weight than the battery is since it is a denser material. If can keep the circuit board almost as small as the iPhone/touch then is space behind the screen for flat polymer layers of battery. (the big heavy and bulky isn't necessary. )

Or Apple could go carbon fiber too. (Wow no one has done that. Steve is a genius. )
Not sure if there are price budget overrun issues with that though.

It is a tricky problem to balance things out, but not sure the battery weight is the leading weight factor. additionally if there are tweaks to screen circuits to be a bit more frugal.

It is a bit obvious they are going to trade "color screen" for battery life ( versus Kindle, Nook , and deadicated e-readers). I suspect that I'll say "wish it were longer" when get to the battery life spec on the 27th.

 

[theBB]

Pretty much all antennas in the world are made of metal. Nice "fact".

SOME metal, such as aluminum, blocks radio signals. But for the most part, metal strengthens radio signals.

Unless they feed the signal directly into the case use that as the antenna, yes, metal will block transmissions. Search for Faraday cage. By the way, the whole case as antenna would probably be a very bad one as well. Gets your facts straight before mouthing off.

 

[MikhailT]

From what I've read it isn't a god any one of those. And if you have to compromise then what's the point if it can do 2 3 or 3/4 of those well. If the (or a) 5th component is crippled it kills the whole thing.

Tom

I don't understand what you're saying. Are you saying it's not good at any of those functions? How would you know? The tablet isn't out, no actual information has been released about the tablet which means you know nothing.

What's the point? What's the point for smartphones, laptops, computers or any thing on the market? If Apple feels there's a market they can make some profit, they'll take advantage of it. There are people who don't have iPhone, laptops and might actually want to get a tablet to complement with their desktops at home for living room, kitchen, or anywhere that they want but don't like the small size of the iPod Touch and doesn't want a laptop. It is also not up to us to suggest that they buy 399$ netbook if they have the money to buy 999$ tablet and they feel it justify the cost. Nobody needs a laptop, or a netbook, or a computer. Wants != needs.

If you don't want it, then don't buy it. Simple as that.

 

[thewill586]

The new iMac

When I saw the iMac with the iPhone's black border frame, I always imagined that a future iMac would be just a tablet that would dock to a keyboard and such. It'll be interesting if my speculation comes true.

 

[^^ CoolMacLover]

Wait wait... wait. Can someone explain what they mean, when they say "Dual Dock Connectors" So this means they will have a connector on the side and the bottom? *ponders how that would look* Sounds a bit odd. and when they say dock, as in like the ipod/iphone dock is... for charging?

 

[bgmcgrath]

ENTER: iPhone Tethering

Maybe any participating carrier can tether their data to the new device.

 

[Friscohoya]

Docking station means bluetooth keyboard to me...

 

[Svennig]

Could it be that the double dock connector is to enable this?

http://gizmodo.com/339918/apple-docking-patent-works-perfectly-with-ultra+slim-macbook

 

[Friscohoya]

And what if, inside the iphone, you could put an iphone mini?

This is actually Apple's plan. The iTurducken.

The original comment was good, but the comeback priceless!

 

[Stente]

Awesome!

I think twin-connectors would be awesome....I would love to have the ability to hang this motherfxxxxx on my wall and let it stream music to my stereo....I've been dreaming of this for years!

Wednesday is going to be a good day ......hopefully this thing will also be available outside the US!!!

 

[redkamel]

...Steve Jobs is in a league of one (himself), when it comes to defining, creating and rewriting the anals of technological and marketing genious....He is the Micheal Angello of our time, think about it.....

I am sure this has already been posted but it bears repeating. I am not a spelling nazi, I am just trying to help others out in a MAJOR way here.

Just an FYI for all posters: It's "annals" not "anals". Also, Michelangelo is what he goes by. His last name is really, really long, so he just goes by one name, like Madonna and Prince. It is most definitely NOT Michael Angello. Although, if my last name was Angello, I would totally name my kid Michael, so thanks for the idea.

 

[4np]

...
Finally, iLounge believes that the new tablet will likely offer optional 3G service in addition to built-in Wi-Fi. This, of course, raises the questions of contact pricing for this data service.

Either put your iPhone sim in there (sim lock free tablet?) or tether your internet connection on your iPhone... hope the latter will finally be globally allowed (I even have a sim lock free Belgian iPhone on a non-apple telco that has no no-tether agreements with Apple... grrr!)

Could it be that the double dock connector is to enable this?

http://gizmodo.com/339918/apple-docking-patent-works-perfectly-with-ultra+slim-macbook

Seems indeed very plausible, a screen in which you slide your tablet to turn it in a full blown computer? However, the ARM processor and the -rumoured- iPhone OS basis makes it unlikely. Perhaps if there will be a tablet with a more powerful processor and a full blown OS X?

Because that single chip necessitates licensing fees for both CDMA and GSM and are forced into every tablet they sell when a lot of people already own iPhones and won't pay another data plan fee for the tablet.

True. I used to work for a consumer electronics company that at some point decided not to provide a SD card slot to save about € 1,- of licensing fees. While it's just a low price to pay, it adds up through huge production numbers: a production in the millions leads to savings in the millions. Even when I think a consumer would benefit from a SD card slot and would gladly pay the € 1,- premium, it does not work that way in many companies as a lower price point means less production cost and better competitivity on sale prices

The same probably goes for Apple as well... Take, for example, that rumoured camera for the iPod touch. Was it really cancelled due to difficulties incorporating it in the slim body (as the rumour goes), or was it cancelled due to cost saving (licensing fees, camera costs, etc) or perhaps the posibility to add selling features in a next itteration of the device? Perhaps Apple is running out of hardware features to persuade new or current iPod Touch users into buying a new version and they hold back the camera for that particular purpose... I really think the latter is the real reason...

 

[Svennig]

Seems indeed very plausible, a screen in which you slide your tablet to turn it in a full blown computer? However, the ARM processor and the -rumoured- iPhone OS basis makes it unlikely. Perhaps if there will be a tablet with a more powerful processor and a full blown OS X?

Maybe, maybe not - remember all the rumors going round about a mutli-touch imac this year? Maybe we're not seeing the whole picture there. Maybe they're really talking about a multitouch imac-format tablet dock like pictured.

The patent is there. The rumour of the multi-touch imac is there. I think it's a decent possibility.

 

[mrklaw]

I don't particularly like the idea of a dock connector at all. Suggests it'll maintain the master/slave relationship that ipods have.

Perhaps for an initial sync of content, but podcasts/itunes downloads etc should all be doable over wifi or 3G.

If its a 'proper' computer, or at least designed to cover 95% of day to day computing tasks like a netbook, then maybe it should be able to get its data directly from a networked computer - like the macbook air.

 

[sticky.chicken]

Yes, amazing. And what if there's no tablet?


MacRumours understatement of the year.
_______________

There's going to be so much disappointment on the 27th.

Nothing could live up to the hype that's building up.

Smart AAPL investors will sell on the 26th, and buy on the 28th.

The tablet thing is indeed likely to be a massive disappointment, but people will still buy is partly because it's from Apple...

I'm also prepared for no updates on the i5 or i7 MBPs and this is far more important to me right now.