Report Claims Tablet is 'iPhone on Steroids', Runs on iPhone OS Kernel

[Solinus]

No chance this thing supports carbon, and it certainly won't be x86. At a minimum a recompile, and more likely a complete re-write of apps like photoshop.

Yes, Photoshop is probably the worse example to use as it is Carbon not Cocoa. Adobe are porting Photoshop to Cocoa for the 64 bit support but it is not yet ready.

It is not especially difficult to port apps written in Cocoa for the Mac to Cocoa Touch for the iPhone (and presumably the iSlate as well). The problem with the iPhone is the screen is so small that you need to rework the entire UI of your apps. A single screen on the Mac might need to be multiple screens on the iPhone. That is much more time consuming. However, if the iSlate has a 10" this is much less of a problem.

At the end of the day, I think we will see some quite advanced apps written for the iSlate. Using an OS similar to the iPhone rather than the Mac will not limit the iSlate.

 

[cvaldes]

Boy Genius Report is a waste of time.

Anyone who parrots high-tech rumors is bound to score on a few, but BGR shows zero intelligence or aptitude.

Many of their failed assumptions were crushingly moronic and/or naive. There is no reason to believe that there is actual thought behind the site's posts.

 

[Evangelion]

While I'm 110% with you on the desire for a new TV (personally I'd rather see them announce that than this Tablet), I just don't see it making any sense for this Tablet to be perceived as the next-gen TV.

No, it would not be perceived as an "next-gen AppleTV". It could be a device that could do all the things your current AppleTV does if needed. There would still be a standalone AppleTV as well.

That only works if you are single living alone. Then, when you take this new super mobile device with you, no one back at home suffers at the loss of the TV.

And by that same logic, laptops are a failure because if you take the laptop with you, no-one else can use that computer....

AppleTV-functionality (if any) would be a bonus. If you feel the need to have a "stationary" AppleTV, Apple would be more than happy to sell you one. But the slate could also serve the purpose.

Making this Tablet have options to play content on TVs makes a lot of sense. If it is going to be some kind of pseudo-laptop replacement, it is going to need a way to show media on screens other than it's own

Since iPhone and iPods can do that at this very moment, why couldn't the iSlate be able to do it as well?

(for example, a keynote presentation via a projector). But I really can't see it working as a mobile TV for anyone other than single people living alone.

Why not use it as a mobile AppleTV? That functionality would be useful to many, and not so useful to some other people. Just like features in all devices are. I'm not using all the features of my iPod or my MacBook pro.

If you find the "mobile AppleTV" valuable, great! If you feel that it doesn't serve your needs, then don't use it, buy something else instead (like "stationary" AppleTV)

The next-gen TV should be its own device (like it is now).

And it would be. But fact is that the functionality AppleTV offers could be replicated with the iSlate as well. The two devices would be separate, but it just happens that one of them (the more expensive one) would include the functionality of the cheaper device.

After all, how often do you pick up your dedicated DVD player box and take it with you?

I think you are misunderstanding what I'm suggesting here.... I'm not suggesting that iSlate will replace AppleTV. What I'm saying is that it could function as one if needed.

Of course I think that what I just described is NOT what's going to happen. But it would be nifty.

 

[str1f3]

iDisk. Google Apps. Etc.

iDisk, Dropbox & Google apps but there may be some apps in which you have information inside these apps and can't be synced to these services.

See above, at least re: data. For music we have simplifymedia, and possibly even lala support since the web browser might be much more functional. And if I lose my music/movies on the road, oh well.

It's funny you mention SimplifyMedia considering I haven't had it work for days. It's another situation where you're reliant on a host machine to store your info when a laptop can serve the purpose of portability and power.

I don't understand what you are trying to say. Apple knows all the apps you've bought. If you try to buy them again from the phone, it tells you you already have bought it and asks if you want to re-download. Are you trying to say something different?

I have an iPhone filled with apps. Apple may remember which apps you've downloaded but they do not provide an easy way for you to know all that information unless you have continously kept the receipts of the apps you purchased.

If you have information that exists within an app you will need a Mac to restore the info you have on the tablet. Even the restore process will need a Mac. With the Macbook all you need is a portable hard drive for Time Machine backup or create a bootable external drive in case something goes wrong. The Mac will always have more options available.

Heck, when I carry my laptop on the road I *never* bother to pull it out of its bag while sitting on a plane. I keep my bag up in the bin. A nice light tablet that fits in the seatback pocket and easily on my tray would be plenty sweet.

I don't see how a tablet would be any easier to use on a plane than a MBA which will be less than a 1lb. difference. As of right now we don't even know if it will have a stand and, knowing Apple, there is a good chance it won't unless it's a dock. You would have to hold that tablet for hours on end during a flight.

 

[iMacmatician]

I've been saying for months, this is just going to be a big iPhone. Nothing revolutionary, nothing mindblowing, etc. Just a really big iPhone.

I've been saying for months (actually over a year I think), this is going to be more than a big iPhone. New features, significant improvements (that relate to the larger display and higher processing power). More than a really big iPhone.

 

[MattBaker]

Just like the Air

this thing deserves the same amount of hype as the macbook air.

FLOP>>

The Air was sexy as hell. And almost nobody actually bought one.

This thing seems like it'll go down the same path.

 

[cmaier]

I have an iPhone filled with apps. Apple may remember which apps you've downloaded but they do not provide an easy way for you to know all that information unless you have continously kept the receipts of the apps you purchased.

Sorry. Still don't get it. Let's say I have a thousand app installed, and some fluke happens and I need to restore my phone. (I'll accept you're probably untrue implied hypothesis that this sort of failure happens more frequently with a tablet than with a notebook).

You're saying I won't remember all 1000 apps, so I'll miss some.

But if I'm on the road, I'll surely remember the ones I need!! And if i forget the ones I don't need right then, I'll still be able to download them when I remember or when I get home and sync.

If my laptop hard drive fails on the road I can't automatically solve the problem either. And there isn't a guaranteed restoration at home, either since most people don't back up.

I just don't see how a laptop is any better in this regard. An iphoneish tablet is like a notebook with enforced backup via synch, and with built in ability to access things over the air, reinstall apps over the air without having ronhave your product keys written down, etc.

 

[Evangelion]

The Air was sexy as hell. And almost nobody actually bought one.

This thing seems like it'll go down the same path.

I REALLY don't understand what makes you say that. Because it does not run Mac OS X? Like I said, there's already a tablet that runs Mac OS X, and it hasn't really set the world on fire, or has it?

Wishing that the tablet runs Mac OS is absurd. Of course it's going to run an OS that is designed for touch-input and multitouch, and Mac OS is neither of those.

It's funny looking at all those armchair-analysts proclaiming that the tablet is going to fail, even when we know practically nothing of it 🙂. I bet those very same people predicted that iPod is going to flop.

 

[wolfpackfan]

I want to throw my 2 cents worth in here, for what it's worth. I am very excited about the Tablet and if it is just an iPhone on steroids, that is fine with me. I love my iPhone, but there has been many times when I wished I had a device that does what the iPhone does (without the phone part) but had a bigger screen. I am always watching videos, reading eBooks (I use both the Kindle and B&N apps), accessing DocsToGo, reading email and browsing the web and just wish I had a larger screen to work with. It is sounding like the Tablet will give me exactly what I want. BUT if it does this at a $1000, I won't be buying one. I just can't justify spending that much money on a device like this. If $1000, I'd just go ahead and buy an MB. Now, if it has 3G data capability and they have a subsidized cost, I might consider doing that and paying for a data plan. If I did this, I would probably get rid of my iPhone and just get a regular old small cell phone for my phone. My contract is coming up for renewal so this would not be a problem to do. We'll see. I can't wait for the announcement.

 

[MattBaker]

I'm not saying it'll fail because it doesn't run Mac OS

I REALLY don't understand what makes you say that. Because it does not run Mac OS X? Like I said, there's already a tablet that runs Mac OS X, and it hasn't really set the world on fire, or has it?

Wishing that the tablet runs Mac OS is absurd. Of course it's going to run an OS that is designed for touch-input and multitouch, and Mac OS is neither of those.

It's funny looking at all those armchair-analysts proclaiming that the tablet is going to fail, even when we know practically nothing of it 🙂. I bet those very same people predicted that iPod is going to flop.

I'm not saying it'll fail because it doesn't run Mac OS. I'm saying it'll fail because it isn't a complete replacement for a regular computer, and it's not a complete replacement for a phone.

That means it has to be a 3rd device. In order to succeed as a 3rd device, it has to do $800-$1000 worth of stuff that people can't already do, and probably do better, with the first two devices.

 

[cmaier]

I'm not saying it'll fail because it doesn't run Mac OS. I'm saying it'll fail because it isn't a complete replacement for a regular computer, and it's not a complete replacement for a phone.

That means it has to be a 3rd device. In order to succeed as a 3rd device, it has to do $800-$1000 worth of stuff that people can't already do, and probably do better, with the first two devices.

The problem with that logic is, among other things, you assume that A has to be a complete replacement for B in order for people to choose A over B. That's simply not true. B has lots of features, many of which are not used by a large percentage of the people who purchase B. If A does everything that x% of the population needs, at a cost less than B, people will choose A over B. If A does everything that x% population needs at the same or higher cost than B, people will still choose A over B if it does what they with less effort and more fun.

 

[oban14]

I've been saying for months (actually over a year I think), this is going to be more than a big iPhone. New features, significant improvements (that relate to the larger display and higher processing power). More than a really big iPhone.

Right, an iphone with a larger display and higher processing power. A big iPhone.

 

[Evangelion]

I'm not saying it'll fail because it doesn't run Mac OS. I'm saying it'll fail because it isn't a complete replacement for a regular computer, and it's not a complete replacement for a phone.

It can replace either of those in many ways. Hell, my iPod touch as more or less replaced my laptop as my websurfing-device at home!

And you can't really make arbitary decisions like "it needs to be able to replace device X in order to succeed!". No, it doesn't have to replace anything, it could add to them them. And still, it COULD replace a laptop in many ways.

Netbooks haven't really replaced normal laptops. Often, they are a second (or third) computer for the user that is used in some situations. iSlate could be like that. Many of the things you do with a notebook you could do with the iSlate as well. And what's important, many of those things could be done better on the iSlate than on a regular laptop.

 

[iMacmatician]

Right, an iphone with a larger display and higher processing power. A big iPhone.

Did you miss the possible software improvements?

 

[koopa35]

I think apple can make this happen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0USn7eufXps&feature=player_embedded

this has nothing to do with apple tablet. but its microsoft vision of the future. i choose to use the parody video instead of real m$ video because it have a narrative. do you guys see apple getting this far before microsoft?

sorry if this dont belong here

 

[Phobophobia]

I really don't think that Apple is going to release something that is just an oversized iPhone. Steve Jobs is possibly one of the most meticulous presenters out there, and he needs to have some big new features to talk about at the event.

 

[Jimmy James]

Netbooks haven't really replaced normal laptops. Often, they are a second (or third) computer for the user that is used in some situations. iSlate could be like that. Many of the things you do with a notebook you could do with the iSlate as well. And what's important, many of those things could be done better on the iSlate than on a regular laptop.

I agree with your logic if, like netbooks, Apple prices the tablet in the $300 range. Or even in the $500 range (which is zoning in on double the street price of a netbook). I wouldn't pay, say, $800 for a netbook even if it had substantially more processing power. Neither would [hardly] anyone else.

Then again Apple has a lot of broad consumer clout with the iPod and iPhone, and now, finally, with their computers. I wouldn't bet against them. I'm just really interested is seeing how this plays out.

 

[Scooterman1]

My Compaq TC1000 Tablet COMPUTER is a little slow (1GHz) but runs it all!!!!
I hope Apple don't come out with some LAME toy.

 

[Carniphage]

I really don't think that Apple is going to release something that is just an oversized iPhone.

If you ever see teenagers using computers, you might notice something.

They don't run many applications. They don't use Photoshop, or FTP clients. Or even MS Office. They don't even, (brace yourself for this), use Finder and the file system.

Most of the the time, they watch movies, or go on Facebook.

There's a class of computer user who just use personal computers for ... well.. personal stuff. And the computers they use are not particularly well set up for that. Modern PCs and Macs are full of stuff that goes back to the PCs origin as a piece of office equipment. They were built as word processors or as productivity tools. And that legacy continues in every part of the design.

My guess is that Jobs is going to announce a personal computer that dumps all that stuff. It won't run Photoshop. It won't have an exposed file system. It not for doing spreadsheets or writing business correspondence.

Every geek and techie is going to cry foul. "What No Finder?" - "How can I edit a Word document?" , but here's the thing. If you *need* to edit a word document, this is not really the device for you. Apple already makes computers called Macs for all that productivity-content-creator stuff. They sell quite well.

Apple will announce a new class of device for doing this other stuff. For un-productivity. For entertainment. Media browsing. Facebook, Social networking. And although technically it does less than a netbook. I don't think the intended audience will give half a damn. Smartphone experts were horrified the iPhone could not edit Word documents too. But this omission did not seem to harm sales.

So I think the disappointed mass of united geekdom will describe it as just a big iPhone. But if Apple have done a good job, the users will discover a re-invented personal computer. One designed to do the stuff they use computers for. And one that does not suck.

We will see.

C.

 

[Eidorian]

If you ever see teenagers using computers, you might notice something.

They don't run many applications. They don't use Photoshop, or FTP clients. Or even MS Office. They don't even, (brace yourself for this), use Finder and the file system.

Most of the the time, they watch movies, or go on Facebook.

There's a class of computer user who just use personal computers for ... well.. personal stuff. And the computers they use are not particularly well set up for that. Modern PCs and Macs are full of stuff that goes back to the PCs origin as a piece office equipment. They were built as word processors or as productivity tools. And that legacy continues in every part of the design.

My guess is that Jobs is going to announce a personal computer that dumps all that stuff. It won't run Photoshop. It won't have an exposed file system. It not for doing spreadsheets or writing business correspondence.

Every geek and techie is going to cry foul. "What No Finder?" - "How can I edit a Word document?" , but here's the thing. If you *need* to edit a word document, this is not really the device for you. Apple already makes computers called Macs for all that productivity-content-creator stuff. They sell quite well.

Apple will announce a new class of device for doing this other stuff. For un-productivity. For entertainment. Media browsing. Facebook, Social networking. And although technically it does less than a netbook. I don't think the intended audience will give half a damn. Smartphone experts were horrified the iPhone could not edit Word documents too. But this omission did not seem to harm sales.

So I think the disappointed mass of united geekdom will describe it as just a big iPhone. But if Apple have done a good job, the users will discover a re-invented personal computer. One designed to do the stuff they use computers for. And one that does not suck.

We will see.

C.

Brace for the unwashed masses.

 

[oban14]

I've been saying for months (actually over a year I think), this is going to be more than a big iPhone. New features, significant improvements (that relate to the larger display and higher processing power). More than a really big iPhone.

Just thought I'd bump this since I was proven right. Also, you might want to change your signature:

paradox00: "Big/oversized iPhone touch" is also short for "I heard the OS was going be based on iPhone OS but I lack any imagination so it must just be a big iPod touch".

That's embarrassing to both you and paradox00. 😀

 

[megadon]

The point is you have no idea what this thing will be, so quit griping about it as if you have a clue what will show up.

what else do you want to know about a giant ipod touch?