Speculation About a 'MacBook Touch' Builds

[11thIndian]

HAH! Good one... Its all pretty on paper and after you watched Minority Report, but in REAL life, try WORKING with any graphics/video on a dirty screen... Its a disaster; crap distracting you, colors screwed up, random spots everywhere etc...

So... is it coming? Maybe... In this revision? probably not...

But I'm not talking about touching the screen with the still or video images. You're right, laying fingers on the images like in so many Microsoft demos is not the answer. I think there's still a lot of merit to most applications continuing to have a separated viewing screen and input device, like the current monitor/keyboard. Only now, the keyboard will change into it's own screen, allowing for a more application specific and fluid interface.

And to be blunt, I don't take my want for non-keyboard editing from Minority Report; but from my years of experience as an editor, from editing film on a Steinbeck, to A/B videotape editing, and now digital tools. There's things to be gained from all those interfaces, things that I think would result in a solution a lot better than what we have now, which is video editing via a typewriter.

 

[happydude]

i think apple will come out with a tablet, if not now, soon. it's just the next direction for mobile computing. other early versions have failed, or at the least not taken off. but apple tends to be able to pull things like this off. there's no way i'll buy one, still paying off student loans and working for the wrong political party to be a millionaire, but it'll be interesting no doubt. but i'll be at the apple store shortly after release to dream about owning one!!

peace!

 

[iMacmatician]

No need for any ports other than the dock connector and audio / video jack (everything can be done over BlueTooth and Wifi), no need for an optical drive and no need for large amounts of storage.

I'm thinking same ports as MacBook Air.

I want one. Thinking about a Kindle when v.2 comes out later this year, but if Apple can pull this off, I think the Kindle's niche will have a very short life span indeed.

Maybe Apple will…

Mac Touch.

10"

OSX Multi-Touch

Firewire 400
USB
802.11N

No Optical drive.


September.

By "OSX Multi-Touch," do you mean regular OS X with multi-touch or OS X iPhone?

All right, I feel your thinking needs to be clarified.

[snip]

The tablets are coming. They will not replace your desktop or laptop. They will not run Mac OS. Nevertheless, they are miraculous. You WILL lust in your heart.

I've been a proponent of this view ever since the AppleInsider rumor about a larger iPod touch came out.

But in light of recent rumors I don't think this will happen. But then again the rumored touchscreen iPod was rumored to use iPod OS.

 

[Vulpinemac]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I fail to see the use of this type of product, beyond the corporate/business customer. What could I use this in my home for, that I can't do with any other regular mac or macbook or iphone?
I just don't see myself walking around with a tablet just to browse the net. The keyboard will be a touch keypad, which is not conducive to long typing sessions, so its use would be limited to touch-friendly apps like a browser, sms, light email, etc... just like the iphone.

Where does this product fit?

Any ideas what the market for this will be? Am I missing a key use for this product?

Actually, you are missing a key use... actually a lot of them. Let's think out of the box for a moment.

Medical: Way back when, doctors annotated a clipboard at the foot of a patient's bed in the hospitals. Your family doctor used a clipboard to hold your records as he annotated his tests and diagnoses during your annual visit. Today he carries a laptop computer around and has to take up desktop space so he can type in his notes, having to tab between fields on a form and essentially losing time when he should be focussing on his patient.
A book-sized tablet could let him revert to the clipboard style of use where he doesn't have to turn his attention away from you as he makes his notes.

Professional: When's the last time you looked in on some sort of business meeting? It seems today that everyone attending has some sort of laptop computer cluttering the conference table while the person at the head is using another one to display his presentation through some form of video connection. Note taking is either the clattering of keys on the laptops or maybe the scratch of pen on paper with some of the more old-fashioned (and I personally think more reliable) notepad.
Bring in a book-sized tablet PC and the clutter is gone. The attendee can make his notes almost completely silently on a glass display and even the presenter can use his to transmit to a projector via bluetooth and have full control with a hand-held device without having to try to keep track of multiple pieces.

Manufacturing: Ok, depending on the particular product, a computer on the manufacturing floor is not recommended. Extremely dirty environments are murder on anything electronic and not so good on paper products. However, in other environments the tablet computer could make the foreman's job easier by letting him annotate something once rather than handwriting his notes then transcribing them into a desktop computer in the office and giving him real-time comparisons of production speed and quality while the data can be relayed wirelessly to management for overall analysis of the progress of any component on the manufacturing floor without having to wait for reports or going out on the floor himself.

In the home:
Compact cookbook that can be placed conveniently while taking very little countertop space with a capacity far larger than any single cookbook.

Ultimate remote control, capable of operating any component either individually or as a system that would be easier to program and more comprehensive than any current device.

Per your own comment, how about one device that could do the job of all three? Not necessarily to replace them, but to supplement them so you don't have to run from one to the other to the third to get any one job done.

Arts & Crafts:
For photographers, it could serve as display and graphics pad for reviewing and quick touch-ups without the bulk of a full-sized laptop.
Woodworkers could have copies of plans loaded into the device allowing him to pull details and dimensions easily and go back to an overall and even finished view without taking up workspace with large paper blueprints.
Handcrafts like needlepoint, knitting, crocheting and other thread-based crafts could have their patterns and instructions in a single, easy-to-carry devices so you're not having to thumb through a huge collection of curled paper and watching them blow away in the breeze should you be outdoors.

The uses for such a device could almost literally eliminate the need for a conventional laptop computer by giving them a smaller form factor that's easier to carry and easier to use. While I don't expect this to be an instantaneous change, it could well be that a standard laptop is as rare as a tablet is today. In fact, that laptop may end up being tomorrow's desktop.

 

[Lesser Evets]

View attachment 126344

Personally, that would be really cool.

I have to break it to you harsh:

That is the STUPIDEST thing ever designed. And for one serious reason: one screen is unused when the product is complete. Screens don't grow on trees; they cost big cash. Maybe in 20 years when screens cost $5, because there are billions of them made every year and they are made by every small factory in every 3rd world nation, this idea will be feasible for mass market.

Let's be serious here and think about the market - workers, students.

First- iMacs for work are just blatantly idiotic because they have too much power for simple office work, and not enough power for advanced art/graphics/sound/3D work. There's too much computer there, and you don't need a large screen.

Second- Most work force and student activity functions around word processing and spread sheets, simple email and internet, calendars, contacts, some music and video.

Third - they need portability, which isn't explored well at this time. Laptops are not that portable, because the ergonomics and design function are comparable to something made by primitives. The need to unfold and run all sorts of mechanical pieces makes it an energy eating beast. Absolutely retarded. You can't write directly on most all screens on laptops unless modified.

What Apple, or any computer company, should do is make a small screen with ability for portability, on screen keyboard, total stylus/pen recognition, and it should not have any mechanical parts needing power. It should have wireless, and full internet capability.

And to give it a boost in power, and connectivity to mechanical drives it should have a dock/base that powers it up and has a DVD/BluRay/Large HD/wireless connection and broadcast. You disconnect the small 10" screen and wander, having a home for the tablet that boosts the memory and power when the person sits back down. On screen keyboard for portability, wired keyboard into base for 'home' use.

And why isn't this out yet? It is all there in other devices, it would be inexpensive to make, and there is a titanic market for the device. It would be a kind of iMac-lite, or iMac replacement. Maybe it is the next iMac coming in September.

My liking:

Tablet alone (maxed out) -

• 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (or whatever is affordable)
• 4BG RAM
• 128 GB SSHD
• AirPort
• USB 2/Audio Out/power slot for dock
• 11" widescreen aspect - 1152x720
• Built in Mic & iSight

Base includes -

• BluRay or DVD Superdrive
• 2 USB 2/2 Firewire/Ethernet/audio out/video out
• Second monitor capability
• 1 TB HD
• 4 GB more RAM
• Wireless base station
• Power dock

Will Apple make something like this? No. Someone will get the idea and make it, soon.

There. Took 2 minutes to conceptualize. Just get a team of Italians to make it look nice and fit into the product line, and spend $20,000,000 to research the market. Done.

 

[barijazz]

I think if they could make a tablet that was dockable and therefore usable in a desktop sort of situation (similar to a laptop) then this would be an interesting product. I still can't really see the need for a device that is just a tablet.

Similar use as an iphone just this one has a bigger screen and more function. ex. web browsing easier to use without glasses. and more horsepower for more complex apps.

 

[mallrat]

I could see the mactouch as a bigger iphone that when needed fits into a keyboard (that is similar to the current iPod docking station).

So you slip the mactouch horizontally into the docking slot, and it becomes one with the keyboard to form a normal looking laptop when you want to type that way.

But it's mostly for having fun with music, videos, photos and the internet on the go... and I assume it will have the same on screen keyboard as the iPhone...

 

[Pandora01]

Apple should come out with something very much like the tablets by toshiba where the screen can flip around, fold down and be a tablet, or exist as a regular laptop computer with touch capabilities.

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking of as I read through this thread! If Apple ever offers this, I'll be all over it!

 

[barijazz]

I have to break it to you harsh:

That is the STUPIDEST thing ever designed. And for one serious reason: one screen is unused when the product is complete. Screens don't grow on trees; they cost big cash. Maybe in 20 years when screens cost $5, because there are billions of them made every year and they are made by every small factory in every 3rd world nation, this idea will be feasible for mass market.

Let's be serious here and think about the market - workers, students.

First- iMacs for work are just blatantly idiotic because they have too much power for simple office work, and not enough power for advanced art/graphics/sound/3D work. There's too much computer there, and you don't need a large screen.

Second- Most work force and student activity functions around word processing and spread sheets, simple email and internet, calendars, contacts, some music and video.

Third - they need portability, which isn't explored well at this time. Laptops are not that portable, because the ergonomics and design function are comparable to something made by primitives. The need to unfold and run all sorts of mechanical pieces makes it an energy eating beast. Absolutely retarded. You can't write directly on most all screens on laptops unless modified.

What Apple, or any computer company, should do is make a small screen with ability for portability, on screen keyboard, total stylus/pen recognition, and it should not have any mechanical parts needing power. It should have wireless, and full internet capability.

And to give it a boost in power, and connectivity to mechanical drives it should have a dock/base that powers it up and has a DVD/BluRay/Large HD/wireless connection and broadcast. You disconnect the small 10" screen and wander, having a home for the tablet that boosts the memory and power when the person sits back down. On screen keyboard for portability, wired keyboard into base for 'home' use.

And why isn't this out yet? It is all there in other devices, it would be inexpensive to make, and there is a titanic market for the device. It would be a kind of iMac-lite, or iMac replacement. Maybe it is the next iMac coming in September.

My liking:

Tablet alone (maxed out) -

• 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (or whatever is affordable)
• 4BG RAM
• 128 GB SSHD
• AirPort
• USB 2/Audio Out/power slot for dock
• 11" widescreen aspect - 1152x720
• Built in Mic & iSight

Base includes -

• BluRay or DVD Superdrive
• 2 USB 2/2 Firewire/Ethernet/audio out/video out
• Second monitor capability
• 1 TB HD
• 4 GB more RAM
• Wireless base station
• Power dock

Will Apple make something like this? No. Someone will get the idea and make it, soon.

I use an imac 24 with an 8800 and I love it. The imac is a genius all in 1 machine. it's more power than the average user needs but isn't that just future proofing against more power hungry apps sure to come? I don't think the imac in the picture is still usuble and the diagram is more for show. The temporary merge between the portable and desktop client would probably allow one computer (the desktop presumably) to access the other's HDD as well as it's own. So someone can write a document on their nice beautiful imac screen and then still have it on the plane to review before whatever they are doing.

And to this day someone using a laptop as a primary computer still hooks it up to a monitor (and keyboard and mouse) and lot's of people do it.

 

[barijazz]

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking of as I read through this thread! If Apple ever offers this, I'll be all over it!

Same here that would be awesome

 

[Lesser Evets]

The imac is a genius all in 1 machine. it's more power than the average user needs but isn't that just future proofing against more power hungry apps sure to come?

You can ask that question of the mac mini. What I just proposed is a Mac mini with a detachable screen. You get portable notes/internet/apps, and can hook up to the base for heightened storage and optical drives. Simple.

It's a limited machine for people who don't need or use the power. Like a laptop to a floor mac, but this idea has greater possibilities for mobility than a laptop.

Your ramble you erased was delusional insane, btw.

 

[Darrin Bell]

a regular stylus wouldn't work on a touch screen based off apple's current technology.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/ipod-touch2.htm
the screen detects the electrical difference between itself and your finger. you would therefore need a stylus that has an electrically charged tip with a charge roughly equal to that of a human finger. now, this would require a separate power source in the stylus, which would most likely have to be custom shaped to fit in a narrow cylinder, along with a controlled (what i believe would be) very small charge. i don't know how easily this would be accomplished by apple, but that's what we're looking at in order to have a stylus for a mac tablet.

I'm no engineer so this may be far fetched, but wouldn't it possible to make a stylus that conducts the charge from your hand to the stylus nib?

 

[ninjapenguinart]

I'm no engineer so this may be far fetched, but wouldn't it possible to make a stylus that conducts the charge from your hand to the stylus nib?

Yes it is possible, but you have to have a very conductive metal that goes all the way from where you touch the stylus to the tip, and since you do not want to scratch the screen the tip has to be very well rounded, but not only do you have to do all of that you also have to have it light weight for the consumer, also in fear that you might drop the stylus and it hits the screen and cracks it. It is possible though.

 

[Ninja-Mage]

eh i'm rather hopeful for stylus support, I need this baby for photoshop 100%, and drawing with my fingers doesn't fly, i'm not mork.

 

[iMacmatician]

Think of a larger, media playing, eBook reading iTablet with 3G, GPS, and Bluetooth. Now think of it in 6, 8 and 10-inch screen sizes.

With screen sizes like that, I highly doubt it will run Mac OS X. Not when text is going to be half the size of that of regular screens (or the resolution will be really low).

 

[Sam Yikin]

A MacBook touch could be great....
If they add enough features, and can run full OS X.

 

[Eric S.]

What Apple, or any computer company, should do is make a small screen with ability for portability, on screen keyboard, total stylus/pen recognition, and it should not have any mechanical parts needing power. It should have wireless, and full internet capability.

That sounds like something that looks like this:

 

[Pandora01]

That sounds like something that looks like this:

Oh, man, flashbacks! When my stepdad got one of those, I thought it was so awesome! Now I have an iPhone and he doesn't!

 

[BigNTasty]

Just double the iphone's screen size to 7 inches.
like 180ppi so a webpage can be viewed without having to zoom in.
Keep the iphone OS.
Keep it the same thinness.
The Same ports.
Lose the GPS.
Make the 3G optional but only for data transfers.
Add ebook reading.
Add an ichat camera above the screen.
Lose the camera on the back.
Add ability to use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
8 - 10 hours battery life.

Finally, add ability to easily link with a desktop computer. (Use it's hard drive, it's cd player, etc.) The people who buy this tablet will already own a desktop. I think of the tablet more as a Satalite device. Use it as a second monitor when your working on your desktop.

Done. Wallet opens and I buy.

499.00 for the 16 gb version and
599.00 for the 32 gb version with 3G.

And for those people who ask why you'd buy this instead of a laptop. My response is cause it's half the price but still provides most of what they would buy a laptop for. Internet, Email, and Multimedia. I own a laptop now but what I'd really rather have is this.

 

[BigNTasty]

Oh one last thing. As an additional option. Sell a stylus that works with it and bundle it with something called InkWell Pro for 59.00. Perfect for Illustrators and Graphic Artists.

While your at it add a bluetooth bar code scanner for retail and inventory jobs.

There really is an enormous amount of occupations that could benefit from this device.

 

[stone315]

Yes it is possible, but you have to have a very conductive metal that goes all the way from where you touch the stylus to the tip, and since you do not want to scratch the screen the tip has to be very well rounded, but not only do you have to do all of that you also have to have it light weight for the consumer, also in fear that you might drop the stylus and it hits the screen and cracks it. It is possible though.

Thin copper wire with a large bulge for you to grip, then encase the rest of it in plastic? I think I'm gonna try that out on my iPhone and patent it if it actually works.

 

[chevitron]

First of all, I haven't read ALL the posts, so I hope to not to be redundant.

The way I envision it is an ultracompact notebook ala Asus EEE, still with a standard keyboard but where the trackpad is actually a dock for the iPhone. This would work for a) advanced trackpad with multitouch (see more below), b) provide all the data connectivity, including 3G without any new subscrition (you already have an iPhone), and c) charging your iPhone.

In other words, this "UMPC" would be pretty much as a cheap terminal but with HD storage, a decent keyboard and a 10" screen, and basic document edition, enough for powerpoint/keynote presentations or editing docs.

Regarding the integration of the iPhone, I remember a patent filed by Apple (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=774) showing a trackpad as wide as the whole length of the laptop) that is able to interpret different situations depending on the resting position of your hands on it. Although this patent was based on imaging sensors, in my scenario, the iPhone would be docked where the regular trackpad is (middle) and the palm rest spaces on both sides of the trackpad would act as pressure sensors. While typing or using the trackpad, most of us have at least one hand resting on the computer, triggering the "trackpad" mode. When you release both hands, it could switch to "iPhone" mode, using the full functionality of it (scrolling through contacts, selecting apps, etc). Now, the simplified version: just press the "Home" button to bring up the iPhone, and press for 2 seconds to toggle back to trackpad.

This would be a baby step transition to a keyboard less tablet that still fails to find the right place in the market.

Disclaimer: I'm still hangover ;-)

 

[Squelch]

In the home:
Compact cookbook that can be placed conveniently while taking very little countertop space with a capacity far larger than any single cookbook.

Wow, I don't know about you, but the cookbooks in my house are covered in flour, melted chocolate, vanilla/almond/peppermint extract, tomato sauce, soy sauce, etc... There's no way I want to be touching a computer with the same dirty hands that stained those cookbooks.

 

[Sam Yikin]

First of all, I haven't read ALL the posts, so I hope to not to be redundant.

The way I envision it is an ultracompact notebook ala Asus EEE, still with a standard keyboard but where the trackpad is actually a dock for the iPhone. This would work for a) advanced trackpad with multitouch (see more below), b) provide all the data connectivity, including 3G without any new subscrition (you already have an iPhone), and c) charging your iPhone.

In other words, this "UMPC" would be pretty much as a cheap terminal but with HD storage, a decent keyboard and a 10" screen, and basic document edition, enough for powerpoint/keynote presentations or editing docs.

Regarding the integration of the iPhone, I remember a patent filed by Apple (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=774) showing a trackpad as wide as the whole length of the laptop) that is able to interpret different situations depending on the resting position of your hands on it. Although this patent was based on imaging sensors, in my scenario, the iPhone would be docked where the regular trackpad is (middle) and the palm rest spaces on both sides of the trackpad would act as pressure sensors. While typing or using the trackpad, most of us have at least one hand resting on the computer, triggering the "trackpad" mode. When you release both hands, it could switch to "iPhone" mode, using the full functionality of it (scrolling through contacts, selecting apps, etc). Now, the simplified version: just press the "Home" button to bring up the iPhone, and press for 2 seconds to toggle back to trackpad.

This would be a baby step transition to a keyboard less tablet that still fails to find the right place in the market.

Disclaimer: I'm still hangover ;-)

Most signs are pointing to a full tablet computer (IE the whole screen is touch), so this probably won't happen. (Even though that is a good idea)

 

[Peace]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5A347 Safari/525.20)

Think of a larger, media playing, eBook reading iTablet with 3G, GPS, and Bluetooth. Now think of it in 6, 8 and 10-inch screen sizes.

With screen sizes like that, I highly doubt it will run Mac OS X. Not when text is going to be half the size of that of regular screens (or the resolution will be really low).

Think independent Resolution.