No Mini-Tablet at Macworld?

[Digital Skunk]

The big problem that i see with PDAs is that they had their time and now the technology can easily be integrated into a smart phone of some kind. In fact, the phone is a better avenue for it because you get more products in device than with a PDA.

The iPhone doesn't cut it as a phone, or even a smart phone, so if Apple wants to enter into the PDA market, they should just make the iPhone better by adding in the lost functionality of a keyboard, make the thing slightly bigger (Samsung SCH-i760 or LG Voyager) and actually try to make a real smart phone. They would also have to take it off of AT&T's network or extend it to the other, more business friendly networks.

 

[Kedrik]

Amen!

Many people ask where the niche is for a tablet computer. It's simple: The niche is everyone who want's to use a computer without a table.
Let's be honest: Nobody likes to use a laptop on their laps. We like notepads, though. And that's the potentially successful form factor. Doctors, nurses, teachers, people in supply and delivery will be dying to have one. Others might just like doing work, reading books (see the success of Amazon's Kindle) or just entertaining themselves at a bus stop, on the train, waiting for a flight etc.
The latter of these things can be done so-so on a Touch or IPhone. But wouldn't a nice screen and a fully functionable Leopard be nice on a truly portable device?

I think you hit it on the head. I'm a teacher, and I'd love to have gradebook, calendar, Books (a la kindle), and to do's on a tablet. As a music teacher, if I could get Finale music notation on a tablet I'd be in heaven. If this is too far in the future, please, please just give me a good to do list on my i-phone! I've tried the non-jailbroken options and they aren't working for me. Makes me long for my ipaq.

 

[Rogzilla]

Many people ask where the niche is for a tablet computer. It's simple: The niche is everyone who want's to use a computer without a table.
Let's be honest: Nobody likes to use a laptop on their laps. We like notepads, though. And that's the potentially successful form factor. Doctors, nurses, teachers, people in supply and delivery will be dying to have one. Others might just like doing work, reading books (see the success of Amazon's Kindle) or just entertaining themselves at a bus stop, on the train, waiting for a flight etc.
The latter of these things can be done so-so on a Touch or IPhone. But wouldn't a nice screen and a fully functionable Leopard be nice on a truly portable device?

I had a dog and his name was BINGO!

Add pen fuctionality (I recall a patent for that mentioned here) and just enough power to run Photoshop so I can draw and I would be one happy guy.

I think it is important that this not be a second computer. I mean, I have a desktop but I want portability. If I get a laptop, that is a second computer and I really don't NEED that. If I had something like this, in a way an extension of my computer, like a more powerful PDA, then wonderful!

 

[wizard]

Missing the needs.

What stands out in this thread is people missing the needs that would have to be fulfilled by a larger than Touch device. Frankly I see many needs that need a tablet and those needs don't all imply the same size tablet.

So sure we need a larger that Touch device that still fits into a pocket. The goal being a higher resolution display. This simply to fill the role of a video player.

Somewhere above that size, that is bigger than the common pocket would take we need a more communicative device. This device would be much more multi functional than the iPod strain. The goal would be to do everything that iPhone and an iPod do, plus have the I/O and display to allow use as a PDA / handheld computer. It is this device that would see universal demand.

Once we get above hand held size though I don't see the huge demand that some see. Still reasonable enough for a product though.

So in summation I see room for at least 3 tablets of various sizes.

 

[a456]

What stands out in this thread is people missing the needs that would have to be fulfilled by a larger than Touch device.

... like parcel delivery.

 

[winterspan]

iphone thumb-tapping =! full tablet keyboard

In the off chance that apple was to bring out some type of tablet with their aversion (and rightly so) to 'styli' (?), what do you guys think would be the method of input? Now I know at first thought everyone will scream "touch onscreen keyboard", but everyone who has this idea, I would like you to take a second and attempt to reproduce that idea by "typing" on your desk. As you can see if you did it, it's quite uncomfortable and would almost certainly be damaging to your fingers/joints if you were to do it at any type of speed. It's a whole different world than thumb-tapping on an iphone, and I think most people just gloss over that fact.

Obviously the problem is that there is no 'give' to a solid surface thus providing shock to your joints. The only theoretical way I see this possible is if apple had some type of advanced collapsing/spring mechanism to their touch screen ( i think there were a few sorta-related patents ?).
Does anybody have any ideas for implementing this type of thing, or a way to get around the problem?

 

[Manatee]

I'm not expecting such a product from them yet. When they do it, they really have to get it right.

We've had a couple of generations of flawed tablet PC notebooks, like my Toshiba Portege, which usually end up being used as plain-old-notebooks. We've had a couple of generations of quirky underpowered UMPCs, like the Samsungs, which haven't found (ok, haven't lived up to) their purpose.

Apple has to deliver the product that makes people say, "Aha! This is how it should be." They did it with the iPod. They did it with the iPhone interface. Maybe next year for the mini-tablet.

 

[Matiek]

What if the new enlarged touch had a full touch keyboard that would serve as the tablet? I think a full touch keyboard would be awesome, you could make much smaller computers that could possibly become water proof and that wouldn't collect as much dust inside.

 

[mrxak]

That's what she said...

Hahaha, well played.


Anyway, I don't think a tablet or mini-tablet is in the works. I'd love to see an Apple palmtop though. If the iPod Touch had a little more storage and a few more features, I'd be all over it.

 

[twoodcc]

yeah i really didn't think this was gonna happen anyways

 

[(L)]

Why is this Page 2? It seems rather plausible.

 

[jnc]

Because it was a Page 3 rumour to begin with

 

[Synchro]

I don't buy that the touch input is restricted to zooming. It can either track more than one point or it can't. If it can track two points (as the zooming functionality suggests it does very well), then there are a shedload of other gestures you can do, particularly rotation, that are down entirely to the software behind it. Even some minor adoptions of single-point Newton-style gestures would make a huge improvement to the iPhone, particularly those for text editing which was just excellent - selections, copy/paste with visible clipboard(s), drag move/copy etc. I do really like the offset magnified area for cursor placement on the iPhone, that's a great bit of design.

I worked at Apple in 1993 during the Newton launch and follow-up. I had a play with a tablet-sized Newton (I think codenamed Cadillac) with about a 9" screen. There were also some prototypes around with colour screens. Newton's biggest problem was definitely its size - there was just no way it could slip into your pocket unnoticed like a Palm or a phone. The 2100 even had a microphone and speaker placed so you could hold it like a phone, though you couldn't actually use it as one! The 2100's 262MHz CPU is still pretty good even compared with current devices, despite being 10 years don the line.

 

[redison]

Did Steve look sick to you?

Steves Keynote was awesome, a change from last year when all the attention was on the iPhone.
Reminds me of 2004 and 2003 and 2002!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However:

In the keynote ? He looks thin, (his face) your Impressions:?

 

[lombardi3]

It'sTheInterface,Stu*id

This thread is finally getting it. The key is Steve Jobs introduction of the iPhone - he first picked up a stylus and indicated to us it would be the magic solution of the smartphone interface problem. He had us for a nanosecond until he showed his hand, that is, his finger.

A keyboard is the interface for the next 50 years? Not if Apple (or a smarter competitor) has anything to do with it. It will be the keyboard that will have a 'limited' market 15 years from now - for those who are sitting at a desk AND need rapid text input or other tasks that a keyboard is uniquely qualified for.

This evening I wanted to view the Oscar nominees and finding it in the newspaper was a fruitless hassle. It was easy to find the info on my wireless powerbook - but I had to open the bi-fold, find a flat working space, and use a keyboard - a tablet would be such a breeze! And in many, many instances for most everyone.

An Apple tablet is long overdue, probably lacking as of now some critical tech component/price points or OS integration. Hope we have one by June 2008.

IMHO

 

[SheriffParker]

...I don;t think it would be a niche at all, a 7to8 inch ipod touch form factor would fly off the shelves....especially if they just added some basic functionality....downloads/cut and paste etc..,,and maybe even a sim card port to be able to buy a data plan to use when wifi is not available.

however I do recognize that this would cannabolize touch sales as well as make the new subnotebook old hat.

those of you who have not had a chance to play with a jailbroken touch or iphone yet are in for a treat.

Hmmm. If you can't fit it in your pocket, its not going to sell. The only reason people put up with the lack of keyboard on the iPhone is because it fits in their pocket. Nobody wants to lug around a giant tablet in their bookbag... they'd rather just lug around a MacBook.

 

[Rogzilla]

Hmmm. If you can't fit it in your pocket, its not going to sell. The only reason people put up with the lack of keyboard on the iPhone is because it fits in their pocket. Nobody wants to lug around a giant tablet in their bookbag... they'd rather just lug around a MacBook.

Well I wouldn't say NOBODY wants one...I do. Well not a giant tablet but a reasonably sized one. I am thinking no bigger than 12" but that is the absolute largest. I think a size between 7" (standard for an UMPC) and 12" (which is a good sized tablet PC). Something like that would fit in a backpack or briefcase or carryone or a messenger bag such as I use.

 

[veeco3110]

That's what she said...

still the best line ever...lol

 

[bacaramac]

This is still my favorite concept that I have seen.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/macbooktouch/

 

[wizard]

Why not bigger and still fits in your pocket.

What I don't get is why people think that bigger won't fit in you pocket. Apple could easily get to 720P in a device that isn't much bigger than the current Touch. Maybe a bit more than a half inch wider and modestly longer. This would be great in my opinion.

This isn't of course to discount the needs for larger devices but the need for larger devices has to be balanced with the need for portability. Like laptops multiple devices are not out of the question. But Newton 2 needs to go into a large pocket easily.

In any event it is good to hear that Apple has acknowledged the demand for more utility in Touch like devices. Even if things like a bigger Touch and a Newton 2 weren't planned a year ago I have to suspect that they are now.

The trick now is to introduce higher resolution screens, to support video rentals better. Along with that the hardware feature set needs slight tweaking to better support the internet tablet aspect of the device. Here I'm talking a bit more RAM, More Flash (a given anyways), more I/O (Bluetooth, and one USB port would be grand). At least one model ought to support WiMAX. Some of these tweaks would be rather minor on the current Touch and a snap on a larger device.

I think the key thing for Apple to grasp is that the current Touches are real close to meeting many requirements. Minor tweaking would really turn them into a ideal platform for SDK applications.

Dave

 

[speakerwizard]

yes we have a mini-tablet, the touch, i find it strange people dont see that, why would you want it a bit bigger so it doesnt fit in a pocket but smaller than a laptop? once the sdk is out the touch would do everything this mythical newton replacement would do.

 

[Digital Skunk]

yes we have a mini-tablet, the touch, i find it strange people dont see that, why would you want it a bit bigger so it doesnt fit in a pocket but smaller than a laptop? once the sdk is out the touch would do everything this mythical newton replacement would do.

The iPod Touch is wonderful but it's no tablet. I want more input options than what the Touch or iPhone can give. And when it comes to connectivity it's very limited mainly because it wasn't meant to be a tablet, it's more of an iPod turned PDA. I am looking into getting one to go with my HTC Touch but the more I use the smartphone I realize that I don't need anything else except a real computer with a real keyboard.

On the days I want to travel light my cell phone and a possible Apple UMPC are going to be my first choice, but the UMPC has to have a real keyboard or some kind of input options beyond the immature keyboards on the iPhone and Touch.

p.s. Sorry, you said Mini Tablet.... okay that's what the Touch and any PDA can be considered. I want a real tablet or UMPC. Like the HTC Shift but smaller, or just s really small 11.1" MacBook with a rotating screen that folds flat.

 

[donga]

y'all check this out?

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Modbook

 

[speakerwizard]

i guess im just someone that doesnt seem to see the point in something inbetween the touch (fits in the pocket) and a laptop. it would be awkward to carry so wouldnt be easier than a laptop (esp the air) i also guess im in the majority as there really doesnt seem to be a market for this sort of product despite several big names pushing it, its a niche and apple is really geared for consumers and creative pros, not say a doctor using a tablet on rounds. just my thoughts. what if the touch/phone had a plug in keyboard once word processors start coming out?

 

[Toolmangler]

I am a NEC LITEPAD user. This unit was released in 2002. No one has given this type of computer the proper attention. The type of people that would use an upgraded type of machine are on the move in real world rugged environments, Machine shops, manufacturing floors, outdoors, marine applications, etc. With a true scratch resistant screen (or a replaceable cover)
Solid state memory, water resistance, shock resistance and the connections du jour. Equally important is the weight in the 2 pound range. These users do not have a computer that can be easily used in their work environments.
That is where the market can be found. But alas it will be 10 years before we see this.

I have used this slate everyday for 4 years and am still waiting for a rugged upgrade.

But I am using a MacBook to preserve the litepad that is nearing the end of its useful life.

I almost cried when Mr. Jobs released the Air. I was so looking forward to a larger mac touch type unit with no redundant keyboard.


Litepad Specs:

MPN VL-PAD-933
Key Features
Processor Pentium III-M 933 MHz

Installed Memory 256 MB (SDRAM)

Display 10.4 in. TFT Active Matrix

Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC
Technical Features
Expansion Ports 3 x USB 2.0 • VGA out

Security Features BIOS-Level Signature Authentication • Kensington Lock Slot

Expandability 1 x CF Card Slot
Processor
Processor Manufacturer Intel

Processor Type Pentium III-M

Processor Speed 933 MHz
Motherboard
Bus Speed 133 MHz
Display
Display Size 10.4 in.

Display Tech TFT Active Matrix

Display Color Support 16-bit (64K colors)

Display Max. Resolution 1024 x 768
Hard Drive
Storage Controller Type IDE
Memory
RAM Technology SDRAM

Max Supported RAM 512 MB

Installed Cache Memory 512 KB

Depth 11.7 in.

Height 0.59 in.

Width 8.83 in.

Weight 2.21 lb.