Steve Jobs Also Overseeing Apple Tablet or Netbook Device?

[PaulSorensen]

i wonder what OS it will run, Mac OSX or iPhone OSX...

Mac OS/X and the iPhone OS are actually pretty much the same underneath. The user interface layer is the main difference - Cocoa in Mac OS/X and Cocoa Touch in iPhone OS. If this device is real, then most of the changes will be in this layer.

And I would TOTALLY buy one!

 

[Evangelion]

Actually, while your concept is pretty, it falls into the same major drawback as all the other netbooks: lack of usability. If you have to put the thing down to use it, what purpose is there to such extreme portability?

You need to put laptops down to use them as well, so why does Apple try to make their laptops as portable as possible?

And by your logic, normal laptops have poor usabiliti as well, since netbooks and laptops are so similar. Yes, in many ways their usabiliti does suck. But soe does the usability of the iPhone. They just suck in different ways.

Why not make it so you can hold it in one hand and actually work it with the other?

because actually working with two hands is faster and more efficient that working with just one hand?

I don't deny you might work faster two-handed, but sometimes you need to write and walk at the same time.

A touch-enabled netbook would make that possible. Hell, you could hold the machine with one hand, and use the keyboard with the other if you wanted to. If you just had a tablet, you wouldn't have proper way of doing data-entry. The machine would be about consuming content, it would be next to impossible to create content with it.

Partially off-topic, but.... related to the comments about "Apple has dismissed netbooks in the past".... this is an insightful commentary about it, from 2005.

 

[ibgarrett]

How about another angle of attack for subscriber base...

Instead of it being more resembling an iPhone, what if it was more geared toward the Kindle methodology? What if it had a great iPhone UI, but was geared for medium consumption such as websites, newspapers, magazines and books? What if it had multi-media features to it such as streaming video, quicktime, FLASH (a biggie really), and even, with the right I/O connection, iChat Video we all keep hearing about?

Instead of the phone companies subsidizing the device, how about the newspapers? The cost to produce and deliver newspapers is ridiculous, and it would be in their best interests to provide a medium of real-time delivery to consumers to keep their subscription numbers up while being able to provide advertising streams to their revenue generators and significantly reducing their infrastructure costs all at the same time. It would be in their best interests to do so. So what if the device could be used for other purposes? I say take a page out of the cell phone companies playbook and offer a subscription-based service where you subscribe to "X" newspaper or magazine for 2 years for a reduced rate in the hardware, and then have a monthly subscription rate of another "X" dollars a month to cover the cost of delivery. Amazon builds the cost of delivery of their books, magazines and newspapers into their subscriptions, why couldn't the newspapers do the same thing?

It would use the same 2G/3G network of delivery of the content that the Kindle uses (or whatever method that may be), and if the user wants a more richer experience, they simply use their Wi-Fi function to broaden the experience?

In my mind it's a win-win-win experience for everyone. The device cost is significantly reduced, the consumer gets a great device to do more than just read the newspaper/magazine and the print company can remain in business, producing their product at a fraction of the cost while retaining their subscriber base.

If someone can find a flaw in this thought process, please let me know... I'm interesting in getting feedback on this method of delivery.

 

[sushi]

If the tablet is something along like the OQO Model 2 Plus, in that it will run the full Mac OS, be touch enabled, I think that it would sell well.

Note, when I say along the lines of the OQO Model 2 Plus, I don't mean with a physical keyboard. I don't believe Apple will include a physical keyboard with a tablet computer. Netbook, yes. Tablet, no.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Apple making a tablet, right now, doesn't make a ton of sense.
Apple making a netbook doesn't make a lot of sense either.

I guess we'll be surprised.

I'm anticipating a new form factor. ...but something tells me to get what I need, I'll still wind up shelling out $6,000 for: http://axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbookpro

 

[kornyboy]

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I'll believe this one when I see it. There has been a lot of speculation about a Mac tablet lately. I'm not too sure if Apple is heading in that direction. I guess we will know soon enough.

 

[zedsdead]

Based on Job's comments about netbooks, I am leaning toward Apple making a larger iPod/Tablet type Touch Device.

Either way, it should be very interesting...and likely to cause my wallet some hurt.

 

[BTW]

It would be cool, in the not too distant future, to have a device that has a roll-out screen. It would be similar to unrolling a scroll. For an example and where I got the idea, look up the series Earth Final Conflict. Every episode had the aliens' human agent toting one of the devices. With flexible screens coming about it is just a matter of time before such a device is feasible. Apple may be the one to bring it to market as the iPhone 6th generation device.

A netbook thinner than a Macbook Air with a 10" LED screen and flash memory in 32Gb and 64Gb offerings would be just as neat. Allow for a 3G cellular card and subsidize it via AT&T, Verizon, et al and you have a winner.

 

[ljocampo]

....A tablet would make sense for gaming, internet, email, reading. Pretty much all the activities that people use netbooks for. It would *not* make sense for extensive data input, or manipulation (without a paired bluetooth keyboard, and even then, it's not a given), but that's fine, that's what larger computers are for.

You'd probably be right on this if you only think consumer markets, but I can think of many places in business that could use a small touch screen tablet based data entry device. For example, Mac Donald's was one the first companies to use this method to take orders. They eventually made all their cash registers this way. FedEx and UPS use proprietary devices that work the same way. Plant operators, security guard stations, etc etc.

The key factor and benefit of these devices are programmability. This programmability has moved to the consumer with the iPod Touch, its App store, and freely available intuitive development tools. Apple has made this opportunity for average people to become the developers using their innovation and need. Small business is a hugh market place.

 

[Saturn1217]

+1

Carrying around both the tablet and a separate keyboard would be such a drag, though. I think people misunderstand how people use their netbooks. I have no official stats, but I suspect many of those who also own the "main" computer, be it a full laptop or a desktop, spend even more time with their netbook than with the "main" one. They might not admit it, because that sounds cheap. But when your netbook can do pretty much everything you ever do with a computer (including typing, a lot), and when you have all the motives in the world to carry around your netbook instead of your "main" laptop (much more portable, so cheap that you wouldn't mind it that much if it's damaged, etc.), that's just a natural consequence.

I think people type on their netbook a LOT more frequently than you think. The netbook is effectively their main computer in so many cases.

Yeah typing this from my netbook. I didn't even like the concept of netbooks when they first came out (I wanted a macbook) but the netbook has become my main work machine. I think it is for exactly this reason that apple won't make a traditional netbook. It would cannibalize regular macbook sales too much.

 

[LukeW16]

the new tablet/netbook will look like a large iphone but with a full slide out keyboard (landscape)

 

[theheadguy]

i really hope this is true, and they announce it in june. i'm guessing $600-700 range though

I'd love to be wrong here but with Apple's prices, and the admitted Apple tax (which I happily pay), why do people think Apple would release something for $300 - 700?? I'm sure Apple thinks $799 is insanely cheap... I can see that price point but not much less.

 

[organerito]

I would like an ipod touch with a bigger screen and other extra stuff. Iphone OS 3.0 will bring accesories. We can have a bluetooth keyboard just in case. Camera and good speakers area a must-have feature. GPS would sweet but I doubt it. It has to be a complete experience. Otherwise it won't have a chance against all of the good netbooks available. 8Gb would be very difficult to convince someone that it is higher product than the ipod touch. Perhaps, the Ipod touch will be 8,16 and 32Gb. The tablet might start at 32Gb and another model with 64GB.

 

[Mister Snitch]

The myth of netbooks and price

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I'd be really interested at what price point they would offer such a device. Netbooks usually fall in the $300 price range. A multi touch netbook would surely cost more than that.

The myth of netbooks, which I think Jobs and Apple are about to explode, is that they're mainly about price. They're not. Oh, presently they're all within a certain range, and they're all cheaper than laptops. But that's not the entirety of their appeal. Their primary appeal is portability.

Let's face it: A laptop is portable, but it's nowhere near as portable as a cell phone or a pocket camera. Think of how often you have your laptop with you. Then consider how often you have your cell phone with you. The cell phone wins every time.

The problem with substituting an iPhone for a laptop is that the iPhone is too cramped a working environment. A netbook is a compromise: Big enough for a decent working environment, compared to an iPhone, but more portable than a laptop (and therefore more likely to be with you when you need it).

Clearly the marketplace has spoken here. It wants a product of a certain size and portability. It also expects that product to be cheaper than the average laptop, but there's nothing holy about the $2-300 range these things seem to sell in. Apple could sell a low-end model for $600 or so, and a high-end for $1000, and find a market for the product. All it needs to do is offer a superior user experience. You know how the typical Apple customer rolls.

Of course, I've been saying this since they discontinued the (MY) Newton. But (sigh) the world has always had to catch up to me...

 

[Bubba Satori]

Based on Job's comments about netbooks, I am leaning toward Apple making a larger iPod/Tablet type Touch Device.

Either way, it should be very interesting...and likely to cause my wallet some hurt.

Agreed. 7"-9" screen, slide out keyboard.

 

[eastercat]

Instead of it being more resembling an iPhone, what if it was more geared toward the Kindle methodology? What if it had a great iPhone UI, but was geared for medium consumption such as websites, newspapers, magazines and books? What if it had multi-media features to it such as streaming video, quicktime, FLASH (a biggie really), and even, with the right I/O connection, iChat Video we all keep hearing about?

Now, this is a sensible idea that makes more sense than Apple going the netbook route. Because if they released an expensive netbook, you know MS would probably release another one of their Apple Tax commercials. Also, you'd hear the bitching of fan boys (and girls) everywhere.
As far as newspapers subsidizing the price, that seems unlikely. You may not have seen the reports of newspapers either folding or going online altogether. Even the papers owned by the big publishing companies, are seeing cuts. Its owners are not likely to spend that kind of money to subsidize a Mac Tablet.
Also, corporations are greedy (just in case you didn't hear about AIG, Halliburton, etc.). They'd probably charge more to use their services on the tablet than for a print copy of their product. It sucks, but that's capitalism for you.

 

[nefster]

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.

Your right in pointing out you don't see many people with these type of machines and that's because it just hasn't been done well yet. I'm in a huge industry (medicine) that is dying for these kind of devices, particularly a tablet with a really thin form-factor. Right now my particular team is using iPod Touch devices for data entry on our patients, but a tablet would make the user experience that much better. So here's my run-down on the markets for this product:

1. Medicine (Electronic Medical Records, Data entry)
2. Education (University students - books, notes, online or closed network exams)
3. Tech-oriented Home Users (Quick web-searching, control iTunes, Apple TV)
4. Pharmaceutical Reps (Data entry, drug promotion)
5. Business (any basic data entry needs in the field)

The interesting thing I have also found in my own use of technology is that while I crave convergence, I also often crave pieces of equipment that just perform certain functions well. So, sometimes I hate having to go to my iMac or MacBook Pro to look up the latest Mets score - so I go to the Touch. But often I am frustrated by the lack of screen real estate. So, for home I could really use a larger tablet device that sits on my coffee table to complement my desktop, laptop, Touch (and hopefully one day iPhone).

 

[firewood]

Apple making a tablet, right now, doesn't make a ton of sense.

Apple makes a tablet right now. It's called an iPod Touch, and they've sold over 13 million of the things.

Of course, they're portable music players. But an interesting hidden secret may be that several million of them have no music on them and are never carried in pockets. So what are these iPod Touches being used for? And could millions more new customers find similar uses, and more, if the display were a few times larger?

The App store itself is a billion dollar business. Could App Store app developers do even more really cool things if the greater area for a thin battery under a larger display allowed much faster multi-core ARM CPUs?

e?

 

[tibi08]

Don't people realise... it's just an Apple iPhoto Frame they're working on.....

 

[iMacmatician]

I'd love to be wrong here but with Apple's prices, and the admitted Apple tax (which I happily pay), why do people think Apple would release something for $300 - 700?? I'm sure Apple thinks $799 is insanely cheap... I can see that price point but not much less.

The iPod touch is $229~$399. A mini-tablet's price would depend highly on specs and features, but given iPod touch prices, I don't think it's too far out that at least one model will be $699 or less, especially if it had less flash memory than the highest-capacity iPod touch at that time.

 

[Bonte]

$499 is the sweet spot, it would sell more that the iphone. Same specs as the ipod Touch but a bit faster and a bigger screen, extra profit would then be generated via the Appstore. I really can't see Apple producing a touch device without the Appstore, it's perfect for there business and we get apps specially geared towards a touch interface on a small screen.

 

[leez]

So, my 3 words to the discussion. Do you remember, while ago, someone found TV out API in the iPhone SDK. It could be used in this rumored tablet, besides, I can see a lack of such a device in the market as well (something between iPhone and MacBook Air - small enough to fit in your pocket and powerful enough to fulfill your more complex needs ).

 

[azjosho]

I just want a 10" Macbook

 

[Gold89]

I like the thinking behind the idea of a slightly bigger iphone with a bigger screen and perhaps a slide/fold out keyboard.

This answers the critics of the iphone for email and business use and turns it into a real blackberry competitor.

The existing iphone can then perhaps be slimmed up slightly (perhaps without camera or something) and be turned into the iphone nano.


There is not enough room between the Macbook/Air and iPhone to make a tablet viable, perhaps a slight increase in iPhone screen size but the market for a tablet does not fit in between the existing products in terms of price and usability.

 

[Eric S.]

Apple making a tablet, right now, doesn't make a ton of sense.
Apple making a netbook doesn't make a lot of sense either.

That's my thinking too. Neither could find a price point that would satisfy Apple's profit margin structure.

Apple makes a tablet right now. It's called an iPod Touch, and they've sold over 13 million of the things.

Of course, they're portable music players. But an interesting hidden secret may be that several million of them have no music on them and are never carried in pockets. So what are these iPod Touches being used for? And could millions more new customers find similar uses, and more, if the display were a few times larger?

They'd have to be priced such that a regular Macbook would be a better option. It's a Catch-22.