A 17-inch MBP isn't that portable. I'd like something I can simply put to the side, like a book, not something that has to be carefully put onto the table. A small tablet device would be much much easier to use.
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Two New Devices from Apple: Category Defining 'Media Pad' and 'iPhone Lite'?
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But reading for an extended period on a backlit screen is terrible compared to reading e-ink (Kindle etc.) Maybe Apple will convince people to put up with the pain - like the hockey puck mouse. My hand's still cramped from that one.
Maybe for most people that's true (I don't know) but for me reading on a well backlit screen is far easier on my eyes than e-ink (granted I have poor eyesight). I don't often read paper books anymore because there is not enough contrast for my weak eyes to see the text clearly, and reading is tiring for me as a result. Reading on a backlit screen however is much less tiring because I can get plenty of contrast. Unfortunately (for me at elst) the e-ink devices try to mimic paper books and have the same low contrast problems (for me). Even reading on my iPhone (tiny text and all) is far easier for me than reading a paperback under a good light.
You may be missing my point. I do NOT have an iPhone. I have the Samsung Eternity. It is more or less the same as the iPhone in terms of internals (3G chip, aGPS chip, decent mobile CPU, touchscreen, no multitouch or WIFI though). However, it is treated like all other "normal" phones on the network. That is, I get to pay only $15/month extra for unlimited data as opposed to $30+. However, that means I am forced to pay for even the smallest apps that are any good (they want $3-$5/month for a freaking weather app). Not to mention they lock EVERYTHING out of the aGPS chip. It is AT&T navigator, or go **** yourself. Not even YellowPages, an app that came with the phone and can do maps, is allowed access to that chip. Kind of ridiculous, and I have a feeling it is all in place so that people are more likely to go iPhone. In all reality, my phone could do most of the things the iPhone can (and more, MMS/3MP cam/video), but AT&T makes sure that you have to fight tooth and nail and pay out the @$$ for it, more or less seem like only the all-mighty iPhone can do the "cool" stuff.
LOL sorry everyone, rant over.
So, i just walked into my local rogers store as my old phone has broken and I was trying to haggle a deal, and mentioned I wanted the new iphone when it came out. The girl at the counter said "how do you know about that" i mentioned I had jsut read about it in a few articles... she then went on to say, well you DO know that its going to be smaller, and only 4 gigs, right?
Not saying it means anything, but thought it was kind of interesting given this rumor. She said pretty confident about it.
Not saying it means anything, but thought it was kind of interesting given this rumor. She said pretty confident about it.
Just noticed this in the Tech section of CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/ptech/04/29/cnet.apple.mobile.computer/index.html
From CNET about the tablet.
this is getting a lot of play
intersting.
You can trace this BS back to one loser me thinks.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/ptech/04/29/cnet.apple.mobile.computer/index.html
From CNET about the tablet.
this is getting a lot of play
intersting.
You can trace this BS back to one loser me thinks.
Being a Verizon subscriber myself I would love to see Apple products, especially the iPhone, come my way. But everyone keeps on making a lot of these speculations off of Apple hiring people and spending millions in the field of CDMA based technologies. But doesn't anyone realize that Japan (the 2nd biggest market for the iPhone I believe) does NOT use GSM at all and only CDMA (W-CDMA & CDMA2000) based phones for their 3G network? That might be a good indicator why Apple spends money in that field. But I still REALLY hope that it does trickle over to the Verizon market and so do many of my iPhone using friends.
I doubt they would waste any space on the front of the device. And to have it locked towards one type of phone.
I also feel like having the "iPhone Lite" with this tablet would be like having 2 devices one running a dumbed down version of the Mobile OS X and the other running a full advanced version of the mobile OS X. I really see no reason for those devices working together any deeper than the iPhone and this rumored device.
I see an amazing universal device in the works here. Picture a more advanced kindle. This could be the perfect at home phone like the verizon hub, it could be the perfect universal remote for an AppleTV, TV, computer. This device could be the do it all control center for your home media and communication. One device to control it all.
Wake up, sit down turn on the TV, check the news weather whatever while watching something else on TV, be able to make phone calls or recieve them. Any other time it could be around the house for basic computing tasks and it could control all your media whether it be through your computer or your AppleTV or whatever. Portable enough to go anywhere also.
I agree.
But think about that scenario (eg. using at home where there are perhaps different family members using the device at different times etc.) .......would it not also be very cool to just "dock" your own iPhoneLite and have the tablet instantly update and be personalized to your favorite settings (see all your bookmarks, AppleTV playlists, games [which we know are coming!] etc.etc.
Plus.... like I said in my previous post. there is nothing stopping them enabling this functionality with other (full-blown) iPhones also. I just see the docking ability being more of a way of attracting new buyers who don't currently have an iPhone and would appreciate the ability of essentially merging the two discreet devices into one, sleek form-factor at will.
Like I said.... who really knows, but it's not long now to find out what Apple have in store (and I am sure it is going to be the goods!)
But think about that scenario (eg. using at home where there are perhaps different family members using the device at different times etc.) .......would it not also be very cool to just "dock" your own iPhoneLite and have the tablet instantly update and be personalized to your favorite settings (see all your bookmarks, AppleTV playlists, games [which we know are coming!] etc.etc.
Plus.... like I said in my previous post. there is nothing stopping them enabling this functionality with other (full-blown) iPhones also. I just see the docking ability being more of a way of attracting new buyers who don't currently have an iPhone and would appreciate the ability of essentially merging the two discreet devices into one, sleek form-factor at will.
Like I said.... who really knows, but it's not long now to find out what Apple have in store (and I am sure it is going to be the goods!)
Someone mentioned using a pad as a universal remote.
A touch device really makes a horrible remote control. The upside is that it's infinitely programmable.
The downside is, buttons are much better for common remote control functions. And that's why universal touch LCD remotes are less popular than universal LCD ones with programmable buttons.
Who wants to look down at the control to make sure you're hitting the channel / volume / guide buttons? Like a virtuoso pianist, the proverbial couch potato keeps one hand on the remote, with fingers at the ready, knowing without looking where all the buttons are.
A touch device really makes a horrible remote control. The upside is that it's infinitely programmable.
The downside is, buttons are much better for common remote control functions. And that's why universal touch LCD remotes are less popular than universal LCD ones with programmable buttons.
Who wants to look down at the control to make sure you're hitting the channel / volume / guide buttons? Like a virtuoso pianist, the proverbial couch potato keeps one hand on the remote, with fingers at the ready, knowing without looking where all the buttons are.
They are all just technical / design challenges that are all solvable if the motivation is there.... That's why we have engineers and industrial designers after-all (and clever Apple execs to manage them all!)
Wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if these guys get acquired by AAPL in the near future:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/2...hnology-that-could-come-to-a-device-near-you/
Wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if these guys get acquired by AAPL in the near future:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/2...hnology-that-could-come-to-a-device-near-you/
Try this one - best of both worlds, touch screen plus buttons.
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/devices/3898&cl=us,en
So to preface, I don't *really* care what Apple releases but am extremely interested in a small laptop computer that I can download torrents on, browse the web and manage a photo library. I am not interested in anything running the iPhone OS because in its current state, I couldn't use torrent programs, couldn't manage my main Aperture library etc etc. If they release what I'm looking for I'll buy it, if they don't then I won't - what I mean is I'm not one of those "they better include this feature or they won't get my money!" kind of guy.
Having said that, this morning I was looking at a mock-up on 9to5mac.com and started thinking... what if the device was a tablet and ran iPhone OS BUT because it was bigger they could bump up a lot of the specs and you could run multiple programs in the background... and what if they someone how had 'Media Pad' only apps? What if Transmission could re-code/compile/whatever their app and release it for the Media Pad and then I could get torrents on a tablet? Basically, the iPhone OS as we know it is limited by the processor, size, i/o of the current devices. A tablet running iPhone OS might allow me to hook up a mouse that could be seen on the screen, might allow me to connect a keyboard, might let me run Aperture as an 'app', might let legitimate desktop apps be set-up to run on the iPhone OS just as they would on a desktop computer (but then NOT run on the iPhone/Touch)?
The obvious concern is that you create confusion in the app store if certain apps are built to run on different devices though. I'm sure there is a work-around that could use a device ID to just not display certain apps but I don't know if it'd be worth while to do.
In conclusion, I decided to keep more of an open mind about a tablet that runs iPhone OS (if that's what it'll be) because it's possible that the device would do things the iPhone (maybe not the NEW iphone, but certainly the current) can't do and even though it's iPhone OS it would still be close to a true desktop experience.
Having said that, this morning I was looking at a mock-up on 9to5mac.com and started thinking... what if the device was a tablet and ran iPhone OS BUT because it was bigger they could bump up a lot of the specs and you could run multiple programs in the background... and what if they someone how had 'Media Pad' only apps? What if Transmission could re-code/compile/whatever their app and release it for the Media Pad and then I could get torrents on a tablet? Basically, the iPhone OS as we know it is limited by the processor, size, i/o of the current devices. A tablet running iPhone OS might allow me to hook up a mouse that could be seen on the screen, might allow me to connect a keyboard, might let me run Aperture as an 'app', might let legitimate desktop apps be set-up to run on the iPhone OS just as they would on a desktop computer (but then NOT run on the iPhone/Touch)?
The obvious concern is that you create confusion in the app store if certain apps are built to run on different devices though. I'm sure there is a work-around that could use a device ID to just not display certain apps but I don't know if it'd be worth while to do.
In conclusion, I decided to keep more of an open mind about a tablet that runs iPhone OS (if that's what it'll be) because it's possible that the device would do things the iPhone (maybe not the NEW iphone, but certainly the current) can't do and even though it's iPhone OS it would still be close to a true desktop experience.
Oooh. I like that one. Not the headset in the 2nd picture, but the first one:
Clearly shows using it with a physical keyboard. Though, I would prefer the docking station to be landscape, not portrait. Put a smaller bluetooth keyboard into a folio case, with the tablet facing the keyboard, and you'd have an improvised Apple netbook.
That, in a 9" or 10" screen, would have a lot of promise for me.
Same here. Do you realize how much money apple would make if they introduced a nice, small, inexpensive, regular cell phone with an iPod in it? Shoot, it doesn't even have to have hardly any data capabilities outside of texting and it will be MASSIVE with the 14-18 year old market. Personally, I'd buy one the first day they're available.
They already had one. "Regular cell phone with an iPod in it" was a regular phone with iTunes integration, if I recall correctly (was it the first gen ROKR? I don't remember now). And it didn't really do that well.
On the other poster's flip phone suggestion... I think that'd be AWFUL. Doubly so if it was styled like a RAZR (not the ugliest phone ever, but I think it takes effort to make a phone uglier than that). But that's just me.
It seems like a "just an iPod in it" flip phone suggestion would look a lot like those early speculation mock-ups about an Apple phone being an iPod Classic design, where the scroll/touch wheel folds down to reveal a number pad. Sure, they could refine it some, but that's pretty close to what it would amount to. And, I think that kind of iFlip would iFlop pretty hard.
the SLVR.. was one of the first iphone integrated phones.....
now im sure the phone would sell no doubt... BUT maybe the lower price needed for a phone like that, and the fact it has great "ipod" like features may hurt i pod sales? Im not saying im right just throwing that out there.
My fiance would LOVE a turned down iphone. She said she wants it to be a little smaller physically..
now im sure the phone would sell no doubt... BUT maybe the lower price needed for a phone like that, and the fact it has great "ipod" like features may hurt i pod sales? Im not saying im right just throwing that out there.
My fiance would LOVE a turned down iphone. She said she wants it to be a little smaller physically..
If you're saying an iPhone-Lite, yeah, I think one will sell.
I just think that a successful iPhone-Lite would be neither:
1) merely a phone with "iPod Classic only" capability, nor
2) a flip phone.
I could be wrong, but I sincerely doubt it.
Two years ago I would say that apple might make a cell phone (flip, candybar, etc) but now.. two years later after they've seen the App Store take off and have pushed the iPhone OS as much as they have I just don't see *WHY* they would do it... I would think we'd be likely to just see a smaller version of the current iPhone (full touch screen) as opposed to any flip device or non-"smart" phone.
A nano i phone would be my bet.....
My fiance loves her ipod nano. I tried to buy her a touch and she refused she wanted the nano.
I agree on keeping the touch screen.
Iphone nano with a color line up would probably sell great to the more fashion aware, female, less feature concerned, main stream people???
not trying to step on toes at all but alot of people see my phone and go "what for"???
now i cant hardly live without it but they can. They want the touch screen, i pod, and app store. Maybe the nano could be with or without the internet package???
My fiance loves her ipod nano. I tried to buy her a touch and she refused she wanted the nano.
I agree on keeping the touch screen.
Iphone nano with a color line up would probably sell great to the more fashion aware, female, less feature concerned, main stream people???
not trying to step on toes at all but alot of people see my phone and go "what for"???
now i cant hardly live without it but they can. They want the touch screen, i pod, and app store. Maybe the nano could be with or without the internet package???
Agreed, and I think the display will occupy a much larger % of the frontal area of the iPhone Lite. I also expect the same resolution and a display around 3.0"~3.2".
Unfortunately, this design isn't going to be the one, because it comes from outside of Apple (and Apple doesn't tend to publish their concept designs like this) ... but, that said ... if their tablet ends up looking like this thing, I'd buy it in a second (imagine an apple-ified version of the OLPC2 concept).
Here's the main pic:
And here it is with the lower half being used as a virtual laptop keyboard and trackpad:
I doubt I'd use it much that way, as I've said before, I hate virtual keyboards. I might in a highly mobile pinch, but I'd be more likely want to use it as a tablet, maybe with dual thumb keyboards for quick work. Then I'd just use my matthias folding USB keyboard with it when I'm at a desk/table.
The images say it's a 13" screen (A4 paper size) when fully flat open, and that each half screen is about 8.5" screen size. Unfortunately that doesn't fit with the 10" screen rumors (in either mode). But, still, if this is even close to what Apple is planning, I'd probably jump right back into "full on Apple Fan Boy" :-} (though, probably still not with an iPhone).
That thing as a 10" screen fully open, or as a 10" screen when in half-tablet mode, would be an amazing mobile device.
Here's the main pic:
And here it is with the lower half being used as a virtual laptop keyboard and trackpad:
I doubt I'd use it much that way, as I've said before, I hate virtual keyboards. I might in a highly mobile pinch, but I'd be more likely want to use it as a tablet, maybe with dual thumb keyboards for quick work. Then I'd just use my matthias folding USB keyboard with it when I'm at a desk/table.
The images say it's a 13" screen (A4 paper size) when fully flat open, and that each half screen is about 8.5" screen size. Unfortunately that doesn't fit with the 10" screen rumors (in either mode). But, still, if this is even close to what Apple is planning, I'd probably jump right back into "full on Apple Fan Boy" :-} (though, probably still not with an iPhone).
That thing as a 10" screen fully open, or as a 10" screen when in half-tablet mode, would be an amazing mobile device.