I think the most salient comment in the whole article was the "Customers don't know what they want." That really rings true and it kind of defines true innovation. I just wonder how many of the naysayers who lambasted the idea of the iPod when it first came out now own one.
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Steve Jobs Meetings, Tablets, and iPhones
- Thread starter Blue Velvet
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Agreed.
Don't start using bad design, its poor design.
Were at an amazing place with technology and we want to incorperate scribling. Why type, when you can slopply scribble on a screen.
I like the modbook idea for digital designers, or possibly medicine. Photoshop mobile with a stylus would be great for showing clients an idea in a coffee shop. Or showing a patient a procedure or drawing on things to make notes, like circling or emphasizing. Even that is pushing the market.
I'll go with a third party if I need one. We're not replacing the keyboard for pete's sake.
I'll reiterate my "tablet" thoughts from previous threads.
I'd still like to see something about the size of a hardback book, designed kinda like the iMac or iPod with the HDD and CPU behind the screen, which can use BT or USB input devices. and has at least 720p capable screen. Think of it as a MegaPod or iMacMini. Touch screen is not necessary, but would be a plus. Give it plenty of ports besides the wireless (USB/FW/HDMI), and you'd have a great little media/web surfing/light computing box.
B
I'd still like to see something about the size of a hardback book, designed kinda like the iMac or iPod with the HDD and CPU behind the screen, which can use BT or USB input devices. and has at least 720p capable screen. Think of it as a MegaPod or iMacMini. Touch screen is not necessary, but would be a plus. Give it plenty of ports besides the wireless (USB/FW/HDMI), and you'd have a great little media/web surfing/light computing box.
B
The tablet format would possibly work a whole lot better if you could leave the guts of the laptop behind, in your bag, on your desk whatever, and then you took the screen portion only. That way you leave behind most of the weight and power consumers.
Use flash memory for storage so its low power, and set up some java apps or similar for basic apps (word processing, spreadsheets etc). Then provide a synch between those apps and MS Office etc when the tablet is reunited with the base. I guess two flash cards, one for apps (inside the device) and one for data which can be ejected by the user.
Insurance industy would love it, when you have assessors on site for car accidents or building inspections you won't need to be away from the base for extreme amounts of time.
Of course, it all sounds good until you have to figure out how to power the sucker
. The big issue is the screen as always.
Use flash memory for storage so its low power, and set up some java apps or similar for basic apps (word processing, spreadsheets etc). Then provide a synch between those apps and MS Office etc when the tablet is reunited with the base. I guess two flash cards, one for apps (inside the device) and one for data which can be ejected by the user.
Insurance industy would love it, when you have assessors on site for car accidents or building inspections you won't need to be away from the base for extreme amounts of time.
Of course, it all sounds good until you have to figure out how to power the sucker
. The big issue is the screen as always.
I don't want to jog with my current smart phone. It just costs too much.
While I don't know the numbers break down for iPod sales, which models sell the best, I'd be inclined to believe that the $250 - $350 iPod doesn't sell as well as the $79.. $150.. even $200 model.
An Apple phone might hurt the bigger, bulky, expensive ipod.. but I don't think its going to hurt the majority of apple's sales, the smaller ipod.
What I want is a smart phone that doubles as usb mass storage drive. Allow me to view everything on my portable drive with the phone, but when I plug it into a desktop, notebook, or tablet, I can edit everything on my portable drive. The best part would be if I could take my apps with me. Almost like being able to boot from it.
Plus give it a rock solid WiFi and enough pixels to see something.
This device would make the desktop, notebook, or tablet secondary. The data and applications are what are important, not the "design" of the hardware.
Plus give it a rock solid WiFi and enough pixels to see something.
This device would make the desktop, notebook, or tablet secondary. The data and applications are what are important, not the "design" of the hardware.
iPhones etc.
Too late to worry about it, but here is my take. There should be an iPhone. I don't need or want one, but talking to my son, he and all his friends (college age) would get one in a minute. The idea is having only one electronic toy to carry. My point is that right now it doesn't make sense to go from one set of ear buds to any kind of phone connection. However...
If they have created a good quality set of bluetooth ear buds that can also act as a phone headset, then you really have something. Of course you would HAVE to have voice navigation so that you could move through your tunes and your contact list without taking the phone out of your holster.
That would be something I would buy
Too late to worry about it, but here is my take. There should be an iPhone. I don't need or want one, but talking to my son, he and all his friends (college age) would get one in a minute. The idea is having only one electronic toy to carry. My point is that right now it doesn't make sense to go from one set of ear buds to any kind of phone connection. However...
If they have created a good quality set of bluetooth ear buds that can also act as a phone headset, then you really have something. Of course you would HAVE to have voice navigation so that you could move through your tunes and your contact list without taking the phone out of your holster.
That would be something I would buy
Let's hope it really is better than a computer or phone by itself
yeah, let's hope for that!
No time to read the whole thread, but very interesting article.
The reason tablets aren't popular is because no one makes one that's decent. I've been watching closely for 5 years, searching google extensively, waiting for someone to release one like I want. Nada.
I love technology, but as a software developer I'm extremely critical of it and continually evaluate whether it will like my life better, without adding unnecessary aggravation at the same time. Almost always, the answer is no. A proper tablet, with proper form factor, software, cost and features, would. But no one has made one yet.
I'm pretty convinced that there are damn few companies out there that could properly design one. Apple could, which is why I keep hoping, but....
The reason tablets aren't popular is because no one makes one that's decent. I've been watching closely for 5 years, searching google extensively, waiting for someone to release one like I want. Nada.
I love technology, but as a software developer I'm extremely critical of it and continually evaluate whether it will like my life better, without adding unnecessary aggravation at the same time. Almost always, the answer is no. A proper tablet, with proper form factor, software, cost and features, would. But no one has made one yet.
I'm pretty convinced that there are damn few companies out there that could properly design one. Apple could, which is why I keep hoping, but....
I don't want iPod functionality at all. I already have an iPod, and I like it's simple design and functionality as it is.
What I do want is for Apple to do what the combined minds of the entire mobile industry is seemingly incapable of: designing a sturdy yet slick phone with a sensible and clear UI.
Apple could no doubt bring innovation to that, and also the current iPods, but there's really no need to weld the two things together.
All this integration stuff - I don't buy it. Seperate devices, sensibly designed to be small and space saving, allows you to buy what you need, take what you need with you, and doesn't force compromises.
Communication between devices, directly or through a cpu, can make up entirely for having seperate devices.
What I do want is for Apple to do what the combined minds of the entire mobile industry is seemingly incapable of: designing a sturdy yet slick phone with a sensible and clear UI.
Apple could no doubt bring innovation to that, and also the current iPods, but there's really no need to weld the two things together.
All this integration stuff - I don't buy it. Seperate devices, sensibly designed to be small and space saving, allows you to buy what you need, take what you need with you, and doesn't force compromises.
Communication between devices, directly or through a cpu, can make up entirely for having seperate devices.
Exactly! Somehow, people are rating this absence of tablets more negative than positive. I'd also imagine that most people have no experience in using one of these in the field. Tablets are not everything they are cracked up to be. On top of that, what Apple innovation would make a tablet worth lusting for? It will always be faster/neater to type. I'm not resisting a tablet movement, I just do not think everyone knows what they want.
I view a proper tablet more as a natural evolution of a book, notepad and day-planner. It's not about "computing", it's a more convenient way of carrying information around where you need it, and capturing it when you get more.
Conceptually, those tablet-like devices on ST:TNG are a good starting point.
The Worlds SMALLEST & LIGHTEST Macintosh Laptop/Palmtop/UMPC
Sorry to link via this "composers" web site but I can't seem to link directly to his "Macmini Portable Project" (side tab) page but conceptually his MMP mk111 Tablet Edition - I think is spot on!
Yes, I know Mr Ives needs to do some work on it but - there's a market for this!
Maybe next Monday we see something like!?!
http://www.petergreen.org/
Sorry to link via this "composers" web site but I can't seem to link directly to his "Macmini Portable Project" (side tab) page but conceptually his MMP mk111 Tablet Edition - I think is spot on!
Yes, I know Mr Ives needs to do some work on it but - there's a market for this!
Maybe next Monday we see something like!?!
http://www.petergreen.org/
The fact remains that people want a device that they can wear on thier person that offers a reasonable way of accessing, entering, and modifiying text. There are only 3 technoologies that, even in the mid-term future, offer any chance of making this happen.
1.) Tiny keyboards
2.) Handwritting Recognition
3.) Voice Recognition
Number 1 sucks, has always sucked, and will for ever after, suck. They are fine for short text messages such as a crackberry.
Number 3, even if it is 100% perfect, is not suited to a myriad of situations and scenarios.
Number 2 is the only viable text input methodology and only 1 device, ...wait for it....
"The Apple Newton Message Pad"
....ever delivered on this feature.
It's true, one thing I like about computers is that you don't loose the information (if it's backed up) and don't need to carry/have tons of paper sheets.
Yup - just like it. I'm sure everyone would be very happy with a 6-inch thick palmtop computer.
Actually, that did look like a pretty fun and interesting little project...
For some strange reason, most people who say they want a tablet, suggest that they want one so they can take notes in meetings. I would suggest that it is never actually the case that these are effective note-taking devices. From everything I've seen, the most realistic usages are the following:
1. Mobile snapshots of your day planner
2. Capturing small one-line "To Do" tasks from meetings
3. Mobile snapshots of your address book
4. Capturing new address book information when away from your computer.
5. Viewing all manner of information, video, photo, text, document, etc that doesn't require a large screen and was probably put there by syncing with your computer.
Taking notes during class or at meetings just doesn't work on these devices. Everyone who tries eventually gives up and goes back to pen and paper. But if you were to make it ridiculously simple to create small one-line to-do tasks from a meeting that would end up in your calendar, and to capture contact information from someone that ends up in your address book, while giving you view-only access to a large variety of information, then you'd have something usable.
Most of the one-line stuff you'd like to capture would probably lend itself very well to voice input, but then you couldn't capture it _during_ a meeting (since someone suddenly talking into their UMPC would be a bit distracting). Typing is equal distracting (click, click) and so the most subtle form of input remains handwriting recognition. In general handwriting recognition is very, very poor (even 99% success means around 1 error every sentence or so - completely unacceptable from a general use standpoint). However, if the recognizer understood the _context_ of what you were writing, success could go up quite a lot.
If apple produces a UMPC, I hope it is focussed at a particular set of tasks, with the capacity to do more general stuff, but optimized for specific things.
Yup - just like it. I'm sure everyone would be very happy with a 6-inch thick palmtop computer.
Yes, not quite PSP thin but 8" screen Tablet interesting! I'm sure Mr Ives' needs to do the Apple thin thing!
Doctors around here are using Tablet PC (laptops) that have a "fingerprint reader" in them. Looked pretty cool.
People are STILL wanting a friggen tablet? Are you serious?
Its a niche market, thats all I can see it as, ever being.
People dont comfortably hold clipboards, especially ones that weigh 2-5lbs.
as simple as they buy a huge lot of ibooks and find the way to rotate the screen with a film that alows the touch screen funtionality.
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN AN APPLE COMPUTER WAS INDID A NICHE PRODUCT....... SO WHY NO TRY THE TABLET?