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I've seen them on airplanes. One would only expect to see them places where people read - it's not like people are going to be carrying them around on the street to read while walking.

I don't travel all the time but pretty much every type of holiday/ breaks you can think of which is probably 6-10 times a year and I still havn't. I wasn't creating an argument I was just simply stating.
 
I might not be convinced that this device is real...vaporware anyone?

Still, this device is really slick looking. I say this in relation to OQO, Wacom, Kindle, and Motorola Droid devices. I mean we're in a new century. Why go back to the K-Car for design/aestheitc inspiration. this device is almost Apple-like. Still the ergonomic seat cushion comment made me laugh.

USB in/output. Yeah baby. What else?

HDMI output!!! Hear that Apple? Yeah, they hear but will still ignore it. I'd still be happy (though less so) with MDP...if Apple would once and for all route audio, in addition to video, through it.

Still the 'iPad' won't/can't be everything to everyone. It won't have stylus input. Didn't Jobs say something to the effect that the presence of styli makes God kill kittens?! It's right up there with his aversion to buttons bordering on the pathological.

Though I'm not one of them, I can see both sciencey and artsy types really rallying around stylus input. Though, here's where the cynic in me says, unless Apple can significantly profit from it (i.e. tie it into their Content Cash Cow eCosystem) it will never happen.

Using a netbook/notebook on an airplane/bus/train/even car is nearly impossible. Personally, I'd be very happy with a iPod touch max (approximately 6-8 inch screen, with multitasking, and make it 2 mm or so thicker in incorporate a killer battery, especially with this new Pixel Qi tech) or the maxiPod. Ha! Maybe that will be the 'iPad mini' in a few years.

Whatever happens...here's to 2010!
 
If Apple makes a tablet, it will probably be beyond our expectations or something we haven't thought of. For those who think Apple's tablet won't have anything new to offer, just wait and see. It may be something revolutionary.

" 48 hrs standby battery"

Does anyone know what that is?
If you charge the device, an unplug it, it will be able to be turned on for the next 48 hours, and after that the battery is dead.
What does this have to do with Apple rumors? Stupid. Apple has repeatedly said they aren't making a tablet and rumor after rumor has proved false.
I don't remember Apple saying anything about not making a tablet. Just because they never said they are doesn't mean they aren't. Apple is very secretive. Enlighten me.
 
sounds like a laptop is practical for this? mac book air is super sweet for these lighter things. i must agree - what on earth is the added value with these tablets? multitouch?

I'd use it when traveling on business. I could use it to read documents and do light editing, play movies on the plane, stream slingplayers from my hotel, surf the web, respond to emails, etc., GPS when renting a car, play keynote/powerpoint presentations, and it's easier to carry than a laptop. Of course, all that assumes the device is going to be what I think it is.
 
sounds like a laptop is practical for this? mac book air is super sweet for these lighter things. i must agree - what on earth is the added value with these tablets? multitouch?

A laptop could be used (it's what i do now) but since I don't do heavy document creation when on the road, ditching the keyboard and getting a much lighter, more battery-efficient device would be a huge win.
 
How quick they forget

When Apple jumps in, they jump in big and leapfrog the competition. They didn't have the first MP3 player or smartphone, either, but they sure managed to make a splash, didn't they?

Indeed. Being "first" is of no concern to Apple. Jobs simply knows better. Let the marketplace demonstrate itself, let the trend show a clear direction, and let the technology needed to address the problem come to maturity (and reasonable price).

Then create the OS, test the hell out of it, and announce it. That's what's worked so far for one of the world's biggest companies, while others rush to be 'first' and then fade from sight forever.
 
Again, Smartphone is a term that was invented in marketing department in the last 2 years. My old Sony Ericsson could do Web, e-mail, calendering, SMS, games, Apps. It had an SDK (back in 2004) with a phone emulator so you could write apps on it. It used GPRS for data (back before EDGE). It had a camera, my 2nd one had a flash on that camera (which meant I could take much better pictures than a iPhone can in darker places like bars or outside during the evening). I had upgradable storage...

Yet Sony Ericsson's first "smartphone" was the Xperia X1, with Windows Mobile... what ? This smartphone thing is getting ridiculous. It doesn't mean anything. Apple didn't reinvent the "smartphone", somehow, I think they invented the term to make the iPhone sound special.

Hmmm, perhaps you aren't well versed in the "smartphone" terminology.

We had one 9 years ago - Kyocera 6035, Palm based phone, from Verizon. I sold them at Best Buy too - and haven't worked there for 6 years. They refer to the OS the devices are running, and the class of plan the carrier will put you on.

We chose the Kyocera because it was the only one that let us use plan minutes for the data access to process credit cards. It was about 1/4 of the cost of any other mobile CC machine.

It was called a "smartphone" back then - because it did more. Today, smart phones - anything from Palm, RIM, Windows based, iPhone are a different class of phone by the provider. More expensive data plans, more requirements on that these days too....

They were more expensive to use back then, which is why they weren't used by the majority of customers until recently (i think i only sold ONE when i worked in that department at BB - and that was to someone replacing a broken one). Those features crept over to "regular phones" and i'm pretty sure if they used as much data, or were as good as "the experience" as the current crop of "smartphones" - ALL the carriers would be charging more for their data. Heck, my mom pays like $10 for her unlimited data on her non-smartphone... so why can't i get that on my Treo?

Anyway, smartphones have been around longer than 2 years.

http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/qcp-6035-smartphone/
 

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This device with Android? Win.

This device with Mac OS X? Win. (in fact, it'd be hard to choose between Android or Mac OS X)

This device with iPhone OS X? Fail.

This device with Chrome OS (without Dalvik)? Fail.

(a chrome os tablet was also recently talked about on the blogosphere, that's what I brought it up)
 
Wow, that looks more impressive than I thought.


Apple is gonna have to make something really innovative. Maybe it won't be a tablet, it will be something you plug into your head, and the computer is inside your brain.
:cool:
 
We had one 9 years ago - Kyocera 6035, Palm based phone, from Verizon. I sold them at Best Buy too - and haven't worked there for 6 years. They refer to the OS the devices are running, and the class of plan the carrier will put you on.

We chose the Kyocera because it was the only one that let us use plan minutes for the data access to process credit cards. It was about 1/4 of the cost of any other mobile CC machine.

It was called a "smartphone" back then - because it did more. Today, smart phones - anything from Palm, RIM, Windows based, iPhone are a different class of phone by the provider. More expensive data plans, more requirements on that these days too....

They were more expensive to use back then, which is why they weren't used by the majority of customers until recently (i think i only sold ONE when i worked in that department at BB - and that was to someone replacing a broken one). Those features crept over to "regular phones" and i'm pretty sure if they used as much data, or were as good as "the experience" as the current crop of "smartphones" - ALL the carriers would be charging more for their data. Heck, my mom pays like $10 for her unlimited data on her non-smartphone... so why can't i get that on my Treo?

Anyway, smartphones have been around longer than 2 years.

My wife and I each had one of those. Awesome phone.
 
Can't wait

Here is a prime reason for a device like this:

In the business world, every business is trying to go paperless. The main problem is that when you go to meetings, you need to bring everything with you. A lot of times companies don't want to issue laptops for everyone and as a developer I don't want a laptop because I want ultra portable and I need lots of power.

Now if I had a super thin tablet (as an extension to my desktop) where I could bring all my notes and documents and be able to annotate and write digital notes. And maybe even remote desktop into my main machine to demo something. That would be amazing. A digital notebook what holds everything and is connected to the network.
 
Really? Hard to choose? Mac OS X can run tons of real software. Seems like an easy choice.

Android runs what I want/need. And I don't need "photoshop on a tiny screen and a slow CPU". So, all of those other "real" applications are probably not really going to be contenders to run on this device. Especially not on an ARM CPU.

Further, Apple has been becoming less and less attractive lately, with their tactics becoming more heavy handed, "think our way only", and "we'll decide what you want for you", type mentalities. I still love Mac OS X, but I'm not even remotely married to it. If what it takes, in order for me to get things that work MY way, is to walk away from Apple, that's what I'll do (and have been slowly doing for the least few years; ever since the first "brick your iPhone" update, which told me that my hunch to go with a Nokia N800 over an iPhone was the correct move; haven't regretted it).

Further, we have yet to see a finger-friendly and tablet friendly UI for Mac OS X (only for iPhone OS X). Automatic screen rotation? etc. Certainly, we can expect that "it would be in there", but until it's seen, it's an unknown quantity. Android already has all of those things.

Last, this thing says it'll have built in GSM/UMTS for WWAN. Given Apple's track record of carrier lock-in, that'd be an instant fail.

So, yes, without seeing what "Mac OS X" on an Apple Tablet is fully going to look like, it's a hard decision if both a 10" Android Tablet and a 10" Mac Tablet come out.
 
The Smartpad looks sleek from a design perspective, but the I think the curviness is a little too much. I think most people will prefer just an overall flat thin tablet with rounded corners....just IMHO.

I doubt this Smartpad will hold up to Apple's Tablet when it finally materializes. I'm thinking that everyone who's trying to challenge Apple should get out while they can (before they lose a lot of money) and do what Microsoft is trying to do, market to a different base of customers (e.g., business-based customers). I kept rolling my eyes everything I heard that Microsoft was creating their own Tablet product, but then I finally saw the demo below and it sort of blew me away. I can really see the utility of such a device which is not really intended to be a multimedia device (although those capabilities likely exist within), but a handy day planner, notetaker, etc.

http://www.alltabletnews.com/2009/12/12/microsofts-tablet-nice-concept/
 
About time.

Time to get out of bed Apple and have a nice fresh cup of coffee. Tablets are where it's at.

/owns 4 tablet PCs and a Mac Mini/iMac.
 
It looks like 2010 is going to be a very interesting year for tablets and smart phones.

apple has waited too long

Well, Apple missed making a splash.

"Apple is rumored to be bringing a tablet of roughly the same size to market later in 2010."

They should have already announced release for January 2010. How long have they been working on the device? Only 7+ years.

That is gorgeous. Apple better get their butt in gear or I'll be buying this one instead.

I think Apple has advantages NONE of these other guys do with their ecosystem and platform. I do think it would have been good for them to launch this year though. It is like EVERYONE is anticipating Apple's Tablet and they are already working on beating it before it is even out. That is not a good sign. With the iPod and iPhone nobody really saw them coming and therefore had no way of preparing. But with the iPhone and its UI and multi-touch, and everything else already revealed, the competition is much better armed to be able to compete.

Ok, yes, the iPhone was heavily speculated for a long time. But nobody had any idea what it was really like. Most ideas were some pathetic melding of an iPod and feature phone. NOTHING like it is. But with the tablet I don't see any HUGE JAW DROPPING feature or technology that isn't already in the iPhone. Again, this arms the competition much more!

So hopefully Apple will get it out soon and surprise us with something amazing!

Also, I am just soooo happy to see the future of computing shifting away from Mircosoft's monopoly and crappy products. They are soo behind on so many fronts and I love watching them wither in existance fighting pathetically to stay relevant lol! :p I know they will be around for a long time yet, but they will not be near what they were as computing shifts to mobile.
 
Here is a prime reason for a device like this:

In the business world, every business is trying to go paperless. The main problem is that when you go to meetings, you need to bring everything with you. A lot of times companies don't want to issue laptops for everyone and as a developer I don't want a laptop because I want ultra portable and I need lots of power.

Now if I had a super thin tablet (as an extension to my desktop) where I could bring all my notes and documents and be able to annotate and write digital notes. And maybe even remote desktop into my main machine to demo something. That would be amazing. A digital notebook what holds everything and is connected to the network.

Laptops are intrusive devices in meeting, classes; just about anywhere people meet face to face. Looking at someone else's laptop logo is such a treat.
 
Hmmm, perhaps you aren't well versed in the "smartphone" terminology.

Anyway, smartphones have been around longer than 2 years.

Yes, they have been, because smartphones don't exist. There is no industry standard that differentiate a smartphone from any other phone.

That was the very point of my post. Your 8 year old kyocera, my 5 year old Sony Ericsson, they were all as capable as smartphones today. A treo wasn't any better than Sony Ericsson's cheap OS or Nokia's bland phones that still did everything. It doesn't matter that the iPhone is easier to use than a 4 year old phone. It doesn't matter that it has more apps. It's still just a phone with Web, e-mail, apps and games. Nothing different than what was on the market before it came along.

The wikipedia page puts it best :

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

There is no agreement in the industry about what precisely constitutes a "smart" phone, and definitions have changed over time.

So please, pretty please, with a cherry on top, stop posting all that nonsense about smartphones.

No, Knight's point is that Apple usually has entered into markets that were already popular or that are becoming popular (MP3 players and "smart phones"), they improve upon existing ideas and release their own product to much fanfare. Since the tablet computing market is fairly underwhelming at the moment, why would Apple enter it? Part of the reason why the iPod became successful was because it took an already popular concept, and made it easier for people to use (via the combination of the iPod and iTunes). With smartphones, which were also becoming popular, Apple once again improved upon existing designs in a market that was growing, and released what was, at the time, essentially a superior product. But the tablet PC market is neither wildly successful nor quickly growing in popularity.

At least someone here isn't too high on the kool-aid to get it.
 
I may be way out in left field on this...

But if apple does release a tablet in the next 6 quarters, I really see them working to take on all aspects of what competition stands at.

By this I mean:

books - offer publishers better returns than kindle and sony does on their services get more involved in it OR, continue to use kindle's services in addition to their own on iTunes so ppl with kindle can still use what they've purchased (as similar with the kindle app right now).
Textbooks - especially useful to be able to read on an easy to the eye screen like the e-ink kindle, but if they can do that with a colour display or a contrast change BOOM, plus being able to carry multiple books at once already has a crowd, even if not for everybody there is a market for it. Also, some vids I have seen show how handy it would be for textbooks to be offered in digital packages (which I think a few already are doing to save $), as a teacher I have seen this transformation and believe it will continue expansion.

Games - weren't there some rumors recently about Apple hiring in a game developer to work on their products. I know I waste hours playing the cheap, yet entertaining games on the app store right now. Think what developers could do with a 10" screen. It is how little companies and even individuals get their apps out to the world for cheap prices. I loved the classic final fantasy era RPG games, and wow stuff on the app store really takes me back and I would love to see what could be done with a little more powerhouse and a larger screen.

Word processing - on a 10" screen...I'm not sure, many in my line of work probably would use the tablet for more editing purposes on the go, a separate backup for stuff from home computers, or short writings. A tripod like stand that could fold and hold the screen on a desktop would make this tablet awesome for research trips though. Just hook up the bluetooth wireless keyboard to it and type up notes and references without having to lose the space in my bag. Even as thin as my macbook is, it still takes up room and weight that could be given to documents. However, I really don't see the tablet becoming a word processor-oriented device, likesay strictly for short work and editing purposes on the go.

There are many other aspects I could venture into, but I really don't think many want to read my ramblings at 1 in the morning.

Overall, I believe the tablet market is best served by marketing it as a supplement to "more permanent computers." But the larger screen definitely opens up options in the failing newspaper and magazine industry. Just imagine the possibilities.
 
Except for AppleTV... ;)

But my point still stands, in each of Apple's successes (iPod, iPhone, etc.) there's always been a killer reason/app/function. What would the Tablet's killer function/app/whatever be?

w00master

Easy.... something along the lines of this

I would gladly pay around 900$ subsidized for this. Imagine having all your magazine subscriptions delivered to this and never having to throw them away like you do with your physical magazines. Being able to search them, watch your movies, read books, getting email, surfing the web.. And yes, a MBP would be able to do all of this with a touchscreen and most even without, but a thinner, sleeker device with this functionality would make me leave my MBP at home on travels and take the tablet..
 
Easy.... something along the lines of this

I would gladly pay around 900$ subsidized for this. Imagine having all your magazine subscriptions delivered to this and never having to throw them away like you do with your physical magazines. Being able to search them, watch your movies, read books, getting email, surfing the web.. And yes, a MBP would be able to do all of this with a touchscreen and most even without, but a thinner, sleeker device with this functionality would make me leave my MBP at home on travels and take the tablet..

Ditto! I would be all about something like in your link. We subscribe to all these different magazines that we enjoy, but add clutter to our lives. I am constantly looking for a magazine that my wife has moved or tossed because she thought it was read and was adding clutter. This would eliminate that. Very cool!

Steve
 
Yes, that is exactly what Apple is aiming to do as a primary form of usage. Remember that there was a big story in the associated press that Apple contacted magazine and book publishers recently this month about the tablet market. It's related to it.

Not only that, Marvel Comics was bought out by Disney.Guess who holds stock in Disney? That's right. Steve Jobs. Do you smell where this is going? Comics to tablet= digital comics. There is a difference between web-comics and digital comics. The latter will probably much more managable to create, design and publish while web-comics are linear in sequential form like a newspaper comic strip and with less interactivity.

Of course, there will be applications designed for the tablet for 'on the go' productivity relating to small and large businesses such as word processing, point of sale, database management, and so on.

And if the screen is pressure-sensitive, I expect a pen-based device for scribbling and drawing to compete with Wacom's Bamboo products. I use the old school Wacom tablet drawing pad and it still works great for digital art projects. But if this tablet can let me draw 'on the go' outside of my studio, I will be very excited because this would be extremely useful for jotting down conceptuals with clients or using a tablet-based Sketchbook Pro by Autodesk (which by the way is a fantastic app. It's as good as Painter but much lighter and quicker). I know for a fact Sketchbook Pro was released for the tablet PC market some time ago and for Mac OS X. I'm quite confident that if this is one feature they're using, I expect that to occur in the near future.

Games would not be surprising to me for the larger pad. If Apple is smart, if the tablet comes out, they should phase out the ipod mini line because I find them, I hate to say it, gay. That's my opinion. The iPod Touch or Classic (with hard drive) are the way to go for 'hardcore' music playing. But I do see why they would use the ipod mini as a 'starter' product for cheap. My prediction is that once the tablet comes out, all the iPods except the Touch will be phased out big time and you'll only see iPod Touch and the so called iTablet.

I suspect it will be named iBook. Remember the classic colored laptops from 10 years ago called the iBook? That product will be re-incarnated in that tablet form. Think about it. iBook=digital reading.

Makes a LOT of sense.

Easy.... something along the lines of this

I would gladly pay around 900$ subsidized for this. Imagine having all your magazine subscriptions delivered to this and never having to throw them away like you do with your physical magazines. Being able to search them, watch your movies, read books, getting email, surfing the web.. And yes, a MBP would be able to do all of this with a touchscreen and most even without, but a thinner, sleeker device with this functionality would make me leave my MBP at home on travels and take the tablet..
 
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