tablet-laptop

[neilt]

Here is what I would like to see.

G4 Powerbook crossed with a Wacom Cintiq (the graphic tablet that is an LCD)

Attach the tablet/screen to the base of a powerbook the same way the new Sony Clié Peg-NR70. If you haven't seen one of these, they are pretty cool. Just imagine a NR70 the size of a laptop. Open it normally, and use the keyboard and track pad. Or, rotate the screen on its axis, close it back down and you have a sketch pad.
Since Jaguar will include inkwell for converting handwriting straight to text (ala the newton), this is completely doable.

what do you all think?

neilt

 

[AlphaTech]

Include links or images of the sony product you are talking about.

I don't see it happening. For one thing, I don't see Apple making the display of a TiBook detachable. MAYBE a touchscreen feature will be included in a future Mac system, but NOT on the TiBook. More likely it would be in the G4 iMac or eMac.

I COULD see Apple releasing their own drawing table for an input device. MAYBE with a display built in, but I doubt it. Apple is more apt to not do the display on the device mainly because of the cost of such an item. Considering how the 15" version retails for $1900 and the 18.1" goes for $3500. Apple would have to increase the cost of the Mac laptops way too much if they included those items. I wouldn't mind seeing how many of those items were sold to Mac users. I doubt that they meet what Apple would like to see before including them in a system.

Think about this... How many touch screen/drawing screen Mac's are out there?? Have you seen/heard of more then a few locations that have them??? There is a reason they are not all over the place, it's call $$$$$.

 

[neilt]

image of clie

here is the clie i referenced:
notice how the screen turns. When you open it up, you get the screen in the upper half and the keyboard available underneath, just like a laptop. but you can twist the screen 180º, then close the device and you have a standard palm with the touch sensitive screen.

do the same thing with a G4 and a cintiq....
and about the price....yeah, it won't be doable in that sense for a while.
The technology is still too expensive. Just a concept I thought would be good.

Where I work these things would be wonderful (medical research hospital and labs) The doctors would love to be able to do their charts in this manner.

neilt

 

[menoinjun]

that sony is one of the coolest PDAs that I have ever used. If apple made one of those they wouldn't be able to make enough of them...

-Pete

 

[AlphaTech]

There is no way that would work for the display of the TiBook or even iBook. It MIGHT work for a sub-notebook but I doubt even that.

Besides, the G4 iMac does essentially that with the arm that the display attaches with. Adding a touchscreen feature to the G4 iMac for those that really 'must' have it would be more realistic.

Essentially.. NFW.

 

[clubmedia]

i just want a tibook please!!!

 

[topicolo]

I just want that NR-70! I've been drooling over it since the first day Sony announced it. *drool*

Seriously, if that thing was running an Xscale processor and had an IBM microdrive, I'd eat a box of donuts for it.

 

[boymerang]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
There is no way that would work for the display of the TiBook or even iBook. It MIGHT work for a sub-notebook but I doubt even that.

oh, to say that it's not likely to happen because of demand is one thing...and even inciting cost as a factor is somewhat reasonable...but to just say there's no way it would work...well that's just plain bombast.

of course it could work. it might not work in exactly the same way - pivoting around a single point on the bottom of the screen...but you could just as easily have it mounted with-in a frame (which would lend structural support) and have it pivot on each side of the screen. it could totally work, and it could totally work for the display of the TiBook.

You're right, it would be expensive. but when apple's selling (i presume people actually buy them) a 23" HD flat panel display for US$3,499 (or $5,599 in Canada)...it hardly seems implausible that they'd add a touch-sensitive 18.1" screen for $3,500. i genuinely don't think the cinema displays are flying off the shelves in their own right...and certainly a touch-sensitive screen / tablet is a far more useful think to have around your art department.

ultimately...i don't think you'll see a touch-screen iMac, unless it's offered as a top-level option. and i certainly don't think you'll ever see an eMac with one, it does't fit the design brief (inexpensive, robust, etc).

 

[jefhatfield]

unfortunately, apple is just one company...and a small one at that

if hp makes something cool, then apple is under pressure...or toshiba makes something, or sony, compaq, etc...

a touchscreen mini-laptop would be great for apple as the ipod has been but apple probably has a lot to contend with with the new emac, the classic imac, and the main 4 machines they have (ibook, lcd imac, powerbook, and powermac)

just keeping those six machines updated is a lot of work for a company like apple (which is just one tenth the size of intel or the hp part of hp-compaq)

 

[GabrielX]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
There is no way that would work for the display of the TiBook or even iBook. It MIGHT work for a sub-notebook but I doubt even that.

Besides, the G4 iMac does essentially that with the arm that the display attaches with. Adding a touchscreen feature to the G4 iMac for those that really 'must' have it would be more realistic.

Essentially.. NFW.

Okay, I'm using AlphaTech merely to ask a question that has been bothering me.

I THINK I know what Inkwell is, and what I think that it is advanced handwriting recognition.

So, my first question is, am I right?

If so, how would a normal touchscreen on a iMac, or even a drawing tablet, be an implementation that requires Inkwell, or even could use Inkwell well?

Help?

Gabriel

 

[TypeR389]

Re: image of clie

Originally posted by neilt

Where I work these things would be wonderful (medical research hospital and labs) The doctors would love to be able to do their charts in this manner.

Just curious, do you really think doctors would go for this? I work in the medical/clinical software field, and although the tehnology is cool, and pretty much there for this, we have gotten very lukewarm reaction to rolling out products like this. A few doctors, maybe 10-15% seem really exicted about this, but I feel that most would still use paper, and then have their nursing/administrative staff do the entry. I agree that this would be interesting, but other than small pilot apps, notbody seems to be asking to get rid of paper yet...In general, and any doc's in here don't take offense, but most docs I have worked with on stuff like this are not on the leading edge of technology. They have their hands full keeping up with medicne, computers, other than doing simple queries instead of digging through ref books, seem to be a distraction...

 

[rdoyle720]

I'm surprised that there aren't more of you who think this is coming.

Three reasons:

1) LOTS of companies are working on tablet PCs right now, and Microsoft is throwing it's weight into a version of XP for tablet PCs. Whether these devices catch on or not, Apple doesn't want to be caught with it's pants down.

2) What the heck do you think Ink in Jaguar is for? If it's strictly for graphics professionals, why does it work in any application? Most people don't have graphics tablets. If Ink is for such a small group of people, why have it included in every copy of Jaguar? Ink only makes sense if Apple builds a tablet device where a pen/stylus is used for most of the text input. Apple is tipping it's hand and practically telling us flat out they will make a tablet computer.

3) Many people have been remarking that Apple is acting uncharacteristically. Rather than holding announcements back for MWNY, they have been upgrading hardware and announcing new products. What do they have left to announce at MWNY?

My guess is that if they don't announce a tablet at MWNY, it's at least under development at Apple as I type this.

 

[robodweeb]

what do you think Inkwell in OS X is about ...

Originally posted by rdoyle720
2) What the heck do you think Ink in Jaguar is for? ... Ink only makes sense if Apple builds a tablet device where a pen/stylus is used for most of the text input.

According to MacOSRumors, Apple my be releasing a stylus that works with the iBook (and Powerbook?) trackpads ... see http://www.macosrumors.com/ ...

"When you ponder the purpose of Apple's forthcoming InkWell handwriting-recognition technology, think about the way the trackpad works on PowerBooks and iBooks. Imagine if you could add an inexpensive stylus pen, and enter text much the same way it is done on the trackpad-like area of a Palm handheld or similar device."

While this would disappoint me, it may be a way for Apple to test the market on this idea ... enable a (perhaps limited) range of Inkwell functionality - on existing products - to gauge the market response and to give them time to develop the functionality further and then, eventually, get off the dime and deliver the OS X tablets we crave ...

 

[topicolo]

I think apple WILL release a trackpad that is detachable and wireless (prolly thru bluetooth) and pack a cheap plastic/aluminum stylus with the ibook/pbooks. This would make sure that bluetooth is standard on all the laptops and it would give apple a cost-effective innovative edge

 

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by topicolo
I think apple WILL release a trackpad that is detachable and wireless (prolly thru bluetooth) and pack a cheap plastic/aluminum stylus with the ibook/pbooks. This would make sure that bluetooth is standard on all the laptops and it would give apple a cost-effective innovative edge

For what purpose??? The writing recognition software is for people that already have tablets and such. If they were to include a detachable trackpad, then the price of the system would most likely go up. Remember the screams when they increased the iMac G4 price by $100???

Since bluetooth is going nowhere fast (at least at present) I don't see them using it for a hoaky peripheral like that. More likely it will be USB, so that you can use it with any Mac system, and not have to purchase additional adapters to use it.

 

[iWalkMovies]

iWalk

I know this is old news, but it's probably the most likely candidate for MWNY.

http://homepage.mac.com/iwalkmovies

 

[decimal]

Re: tablet-laptop

Originally posted by neilt
Here is what I would like to see.

G4 Powerbook crossed with a Wacom Cintiq (the graphic tablet that is an LCD)

Attach the tablet/screen to the base of a powerbook the same way the new Sony Clié Peg-NR70. If you haven't seen one of these, they are pretty cool. Just imagine a NR70 the size of a laptop. Open it normally, and use the keyboard and track pad. Or, rotate the screen on its axis, close it back down and you have a sketch pad.
Since Jaguar will include inkwell for converting handwriting straight to text (ala the newton), this is completely doable.

what do you all think?

neilt

http://www.xentex.com/

only its not a powerbook ?

 

[fitzg2md05]

whoo!

that things a beast!! 12 pounds!! christ!! or you could lug around two ibooks....

 

[Royal Pineapple]

more spymac, iWalk pictures
http://www.geocities.com/kilgore_47/iwalk/
they look really real, i dont know if they are real or faked, but if they are fake, thats a damn good job.