What is the Ultimate Role of the Apple Tablet?

[KnightWRX]

And all of them have the same problems. They don't run the new SlateOS and therefore won't be successful, just as it was with all the so called smart phones, and when iPhone was released, suddenly all smart phone manufactures started to wake up from sleeping more than 10 years each and every smart phone is now trying to compete somehow with iPhone. So why is this? If the iPhone is so bad and have so less function as some people claim, then why all the others seeing the iPhone as something they have to compete with or trying to copy it?

Same will happen with iSlate. But all your examples you stated, are not running the soon upcoming SlateOS and with it, they will be lacking the ease of use and user experience all the others are craving for but unable to reach.

Conjecture. You don't know if there is a SlateOS, much less if it will be any good, much less if it will catch on. You're a good example of the hype machine I'm talking about.

Maemo is a pure touch based, tablet made OS. The Nokia N810 is not running some kind of desktop OS on a tablet. Yet it's still not a big seller.

 

[kellen]

I guess I am a little short sighted in the true usability of this tablet. Just to watch movies? To draw on? As an ebook to read magazines, books and papers?

To me it seems to limited and with apples historical pricing, I don't see it being a big hit outside of people who will buy anything apple, show offs or the limited audience it will attract that need a gadget to do this.

I guess all rumors point to it not replacing a computer, so where does it fit in? Do I carry this around, plus a laptop?

If it has some kind of input for word, email and internet, something keyboard like to type with, plus the features above, I can see how it could be a kind of macbook air for the people who like their entertainment.

That said apple is smart enough not to release something not needed, so I must be wrong. I just can't think of how they can cram it all into one flat tablet and make it "work".

 

[FtrV8]

As a student, if they can get my textbooks on this device that is all I'll need to buy it, without hesitation.

Oh and I sold my MacBook Pro (circa 2006), for this device. =)

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Hardly. Us oldsters prefer actual print.

MY library orders more large print books than regular it seems. I thought, it can't be "that bad" to read one - at least i won't need my glasses.

ye gads i was wrong! LOL!!! I wait in line for books now from another branch instead of the large print. It was just.... awkward?

at that price is should include free 3 or 4 G for life.

The prices quoted in the message you were referring too were at/cheaper than an iPhone. So then IT should have free 3G for life?

 

[DeLoradore]

Conjecture. You don't know if there is a SlateOS,

And how do YOU know that? Maybe I know? I don't think that you know me. So how can you be sure that I do not know?

 

[LagunaSol]

A PS3 makes a better HTPC, supports all the same streaming options and more, and has blu-ray and games. Even without the games, the PS3 is a better AppleTV than the AppleTV. And at 299$ for a 120 GB option today, it's a better value too.

As a PS3 owner, I agree that at $299 it's a steal for all that it does. But it's not a great content machine. You can't buy music on it. You can buy/rent movies on it, but there they will stay. You can't shift them to your iPod, iPhone or computer.

While I can stream content from my Mac to my PS3, I can't stream video purchased in iTunes. So there's a real gap there. I'd rather purchase my content in iTunes because it's more portable. But the PS3 is a better choice on my television set. But there's no good bridge between the two.

Yeah I do too. I still don't see the tablet as a MacBook replacement though.

Then again Apple has done quite a few single revision models on their computer line.

My mother, who just retired last week, wants a new laptop. I want to get her a MacBook despite the higher cost because I don't want to be her Windows support person/weekly malware remover. But cost is an issue for her now, being retired. I thought it was silly for Apple to keep the base model in a plastic enclosure. So I'll be waiting for Jan. 26 with the hope they'll bump up the specs of their laptop line and possibly lower the costs. And if they don't lower the costs, I can look for a bargain on the current models, which will then be outdated.

 

[SactoGuy18]

A couple of comments:

1) IscariotJ, I do agree that the "iSlate" would be wonderful with the Cortex-A9 CPU, provided it doesn't seriously become a power hog. A dual-core CPU means it has a better chance for truly very smooth playback of 720p HD files downloaded through the iTunes Store.

2) KnightWRX, you wrote:

Of course, this is something Apples excels at. Wait till other players make all the mistakes, fix them, and then ship. However, Apple is good at doing this in booming markets with good consumer mindshare and plenty of growth, like the cellphone and MP3 player markets were when they introduced the iPhone and iPod. The tablet market is neither booming, nor really growing, nor does it really have good consumer mindshare. Hence why I think this will be a niche product.

Here's the HUGE potential advantage Apple has over everyone else in the tablet computer space: the potential amount of content deliverable using this program called iTunes. I can perhaps see iTunes evolved into a program that not only allows for digital purchase and downloads of music and video, but also allows for digital purchases of books, newspapers and magazines in the format used by the "iSlate." Unlike the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook or the Sony e-book devices, the "iSlate" will be a far-ranging device that works as an Internet access client, a player for music and video, and a device to read books, magazines and newspapers in the highly-interactive format Apple unveils for this device.

(By the way, a bit of wishful thinking--I wonder why has J. K. Rowling not allowed an e-book version of her Harry Potter novels, even though in the long run it would be more environmentally sound given how big the fourth to seventh novels are. (Yes, I know of her wish for people to read real books.) It would be a HUGE and unprecedented scoop for Apple if we see the Harry Potter novels available for the "iSlate," complete with the artwork in the US Scholastic editions--and attached to the download in a deluxe edition is the audiobook version so you can read and follow along with the voices of either Jim Dale or Stephen Fry. )

 

[rdowns]

And how do YOU know that? Maybe I know? I don't think that you know me. So how can you be sure that I do not know?

The fact that you're posting here says you know no more than we do.

 

[KnightWRX]

And how do YOU know that? Maybe I know? I don't think that you know me. So how can you be sure that I do not know?

I don't know, hence why I'm not speculating on a special based OS or its merit before I find out what it is. That is what hype is, imagination gone wild. The problem with hype is that it's usually followed by great deception.

And I know you don't know. No one on this forum who posts on this subject knows. Otherwise, they'd be breaking the NDA and Apple would find out and you'd be out of a job.

 

[mambodancer]

It just occurred to me that Jan. 24th, 2010 is the "birthday" of the Macintosh. How appropriate that Jan. 26th is the 26th birthday of the Mac.

I can remember getting my "Own-a-Mac" delivered that month. 128K RAM, 400K floppy drive and an MC68000 microprocessor, Imagewriter I and MacWrite, MacPaint & Multiplan. Pure awesomeness.

Hard to believe my iPhone blows that away.

To you kids born this year I say, "I envy you the Mac you will own in 2036." Hope I'm still around to share my "I remember when the Mac had a 9" black and white monitor, and, get this....a mouse & keyboard for crissakes! None of this neuro, iThink 3D, transdimensional OS interface stuff."

See you in the Matrix!

 

[Eric S.]

But If it also has an intel core 2 duo of 2.6 ghz or +, at least 4gb of ram and a 256mb video card, then i'm sold, even at $2.000.

At that price not many other people will be though.

I'm not so sure that every single product Apple releases has to be as profitable as the iPod or iPhone. I will be the first one to agree that, if it's even released, first-year sales for the iSlate will be nowhere near the iPhone but that doesn't mean it will be a flop.

I think we can all agree that whatever it is, it will be more successful than the Zune.

Think big! Maybe you don't have to type at all. Everything might be easily accessible via Gestures and Voice Control Input. The iPhone has already a very good and accurate working Voice Control inbuilt and with the new Slate, who knows, Apple might have set the bar even higher in terms of Speech Recognition Quality.

But the places such a device would seem to be most useful - meetings, classes, airplanes, restaurants - are also the places that voice input would be severely restricted.

To me it seems to limited and with apples historical pricing, I don't see it being a big hit outside of people who will buy anything apple, show offs or the limited audience it will attract that need a gadget to do this.

I'm with you. And this guy.

 

[LagunaSol]

It would be a HUGE and unprecedented scoop for Apple if we see the Harry Potter novels available for the "iSlate," complete with the artwork in the US Scholastic editions--and attached to the download in a deluxe edition is the audiobook version so you can read and follow along with the voices of either Jim Dale or Stephen Fry. )

That would be awesome.

Give me Stephen King's Dark Tower series too, please - text and audio in a single package.

 

[KnightWRX]

As a PS3 owner, I agree that at $299 it's a steal for all that it does. But it's not a great content machine. You can't buy music on it. You can buy/rent movies on it, but there they will stay. You can't shift them to your iPod, iPhone or computer.

While I can stream content from my Mac to my PS3, I can't stream video purchased in iTunes. So there's a real gap there. I'd rather purchase my content in iTunes because it's more portable. But the PS3 is a better choice on my television set. But there's no good bridge between the two.

But the PS3 has the DVD and the Blu-ray. Personnally, at the price of a iTunes movie these days, I'd rather use Netflix or just purchase my discs locally. With download speeds, going to my local bestbuy, getting the movie off the shelf, paying and come on probably takes less time anyhow.

Not to mention my cable provider has paid rentals, 4.99$ for 24 hours if I really want to watch something and not get off my couch. Most cable providers have these pay-per-view or ondemand services now anyway.

It would be much better if iTunes could get rid of the DRM in movies like it did with music. I'd probably buy a few then, just like I never bought DRM'ed music off the iTMS.

 

[Eidorian]

My mother, who just retired last week, wants a new laptop. I want to get her a MacBook despite the higher cost because I don't want to be her Windows support person/weekly malware remover. But cost is an issue for her now, being retired. I thought it was silly for Apple to keep the base model in a plastic enclosure. So I'll be waiting for Jan. 26 with the hope they'll bump up the specs of their laptop line and possibly lower the costs. And if they don't lower the costs, I can look for a bargain on the current models, which will then be outdated.

Ubuntu?

As a PS3 owner, I agree that at $299 it's a steal for all that it does. But it's not a great content machine. You can't buy music on it. You can buy/rent movies on it, but there they will stay. You can't shift them to your iPod, iPhone or computer.

While I can stream content from my Mac to my PS3, I can't stream video purchased in iTunes. So there's a real gap there. I'd rather purchase my content in iTunes because it's more portable. But the PS3 is a better choice on my television set. But there's no good bridge between the two.

But the PS3 has the DVD and the Blu-ray. Personnally, at the price of a iTunes movie these days, I'd rather use Netflix or just purchase my discs locally. With download speeds, going to my local bestbuy, getting the movie off the shelf, paying and come on probably takes less time anyhow.

Not to mention my cable provider has paid rentals, 4.99$ for 24 hours if I really want to watch something and not get off my couch. Most cable providers have these pay-per-view or ondemand services now anyway.

It would be much better if iTunes could get rid of the DRM in movies like it did with music. I'd probably buy a few then, just like I never bought DRM'ed music off the iTMS.

I just get my media from the library. I don't see much of a reason to spend money on media to only consume it once.

 

[LagunaSol]

It would be much better if iTunes could get rid of the DRM in movies like it did with music. I'd probably buy a few then, just like I never bought DRM'ed music off the iTMS.

Eventually the idiots in Hollywood will realize this is the way to go, like they finally did with music. There are two reasons I don't purchase video content in iTunes:

1) It's too expensive (often more expensive than the physical equivalent - WTF?). The season pass prices are ridiculous.

2) It's not truly portable. I'm not going to invest in content without the confidence that it will be playable on all my devices. And right now, it's not.

Ubuntu?

I definitely don't want to be her Linux support person. Linux is nowhere close to being consumer-ready. Where are the apps?

Linux is great for geeks and hardcore techies. It's not great (yet) for retired senior citizens. Or even good.

 

[cmaier]

But the PS3 has the DVD and the Blu-ray. Personnally, at the price of a iTunes movie these days, I'd rather use Netflix or just purchase my discs locally. With download speeds, going to my local bestbuy, getting the movie off the shelf, paying and come on probably takes less time anyhow.

Not to mention my cable provider has paid rentals, 4.99$ for 24 hours if I really want to watch something and not get off my couch. Most cable providers have these pay-per-view or ondemand services now anyway.

It would be much better if iTunes could get rid of the DRM in movies like it did with music. I'd probably buy a few then, just like I never bought DRM'ed music off the iTMS.

Bluray looks much better than anything you can stream or download, at least if you've got a big enough set with support for 1080p. It also sounds better if you've got an appropriate amp and speaker setup.

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

It will not be designed for business (as is the case with most Apple products)..

That is simply just false.

If you limit businesses to bean counting. But the whole world is full of creative professionals and lots of them are using a MAC.

 

[Eidorian]

I definitely don't want to be her Linux support person. Linux is nowhere close to being consumer-ready. Where are the apps?

Linux is great for geeks and hardcore techies. It's not great (yet) for retired senior citizens. Or even good.

Believe me being the Mac support person isn't fun either. I just had to endure the holidays and a variety of problems and questions from the people that I suggested said Macs to and how everything just worked on Windows. I also was handling iPods better than the owners themselves after a few seconds of thought. I really don't like to be the one to come up with excuses for Apple.

What applications do they need? The even better Ununtu package manager can handle plain word searches just fine.

 

[firewood]

And the killer app for this large-screen device will be <drumroll>....

Large-type books for the old folks! (And maybe a few apps like big button calculator and big button phone. )

...

Yep, this device is for the oldsters. They have the money and still subscribe (aka, "dependable revenue stream") to their periodicals.

Not just for large type, but a tablet is something that people can hold a lot closer to their face than a MacBook/netbook usually is placed (*), better within the range of their reading glasses, and easily usable when sitting in their wheelchair or rocking-recliner.

(* I've measured. For reading stuff (web pages, ebooks), I usually hold an iPod Touch 40% closer to may face than the typical placement of my MacBook Pro display.)

A niche you say? The AARP will tell you that this "niche" is much larger than the total current installed base of all Mac users. Not a bad niche to go after.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Conjecture. You don't know if there is a SlateOS, much less if it will be any good, much less if it will catch on. You're a good example of the hype machine I'm talking about.

Maemo is a pure touch based, tablet made OS. The Nokia N810 is not running some kind of desktop OS on a tablet. Yet it's still not a big seller.

Of course it's conjecture. That is what this entire thread is intended to be. If you are not looking for conjecture or hype then why come to a site with the name Rumors as part of its name? What is Nokia really known for now -- supplying the work with quality, but boring, inexpensive phones. No one gets excited when Nokia announces anything new.

Also all the existing tablets you list are made by a solid company but one that is neither able to take their gadgets to the next level nor properly market them. No one chases Nokia, and Maemo to most people is, what?, who?, never heard of it.

Apple, OTOH, has a pretty great record of this of late of making gadgets that ordinary consumers, i.e., non-geeks want. Other than AppleTV, I can't think of any huge product flop, while the iPod, then iPhone, reinvigorated their respective market category.

So I'm pretty confident that when/if Apple announces a tablet later this month it will be drool worthy. However, whether anyone can afford it will be another matter.

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

Based on what I've heard on TWiT Network's This WEEK in Tech and MacBreak Weekly shows, here's my three-day "wild guess" on what we'll see on January 26, 2010:

1) We will have not one, but TWO different tablet computers, one with a 7" screen and one with a 10.1" screen. Both screens will be LED backlit (for now) to keep power consumption reasonably low.

2) The 7" version will offer 64 GB of flash memory, while the 10.1" version will offer 128 GB of flash memory. Mind you, if the next-generation flash memory is available by the time the tablet computers reach retailers in April 2010, we could get 128 GB for the 7" version and 256 GB or the 10" version.

3) The touchscreen could sport some soft of haptic touch feel--though the technology used is still unknown.

4) It will use improved versions of the CortexA8 ARM CPU and PowerVR GPU, using PA Semi technology that Apple owns because Apple bought out PA Semi. These improvements will speed up performance and allow for flawless playback of HD video downloaded through iTunes (720p plus full interactive LP liner notes).

5) It will run a new, "intermediate" MacOS X version that is more functional than the iPhone OS but less functional than MacOS X 10.6.2 found on real Mac computers. This new MacOS X variant allows for true multitasking and cut-and-paste, and will use an interface designed specifically for touchscreen functionality.

6) Will include 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless network connectivity as standard, with optional GSM 3G HSDPA/HSUPA / CDMA 3G EVDO multi-standard cellular network connectivity (probably using a Broadcom chipset).

7) External connectors will include iPod dock connector (for charging and syncing through USB 2.0 port) and Mini DisplayPort connector (with optional Mini DisplayPort to HDMI 1.3) adapter.

Pricing will be US$549 for 7" version, US$749 for 10.1" version.

Sounds plausible. But why on earth would I want one of these? I hope apple does something that we have not thought of yet.

 

[guet]

Your other points about Windows are conjecture and subjective, I won't argue against you.

The windows used on those so-called tablets is a desktop OS, designed for keyboard interaction and clunky if used with the pictured stylus. They still have a start menu for example. That is not a subjective point or conjecture.

I still wouldn't buy a HP tablet because I would never use it in tablet mode.

The HP 'tablet' is just a laptop with swivelling screen, it's really in a very different class, and any purported slate will not be targeted at people who want a full keyboard, swivelling screen, etc etc. If you want a keyboard, why not just buy a laptop? That's fine, but there is a market for lightweight touchscreen slates which can be used for consuming media, which is a superset of the market for slates which can be used for reading books (e.g. kindle etc).

What is exciting about a new slate from Apple is precisely the factor that you seem to be ignoring here - the software that will come with it (presumably based on iPhone OS) could be a radical improvement from the present unconvincing slate offerings. Comparing it to tablets running Windows and using a keyboard and stylus combo for input is missing that point. It doesn't have to be a first to market to be far better than all the others, but of course we'll have to wait and see what they offer before any judgements can be made on that point.

However, the bolded part is just false and FUD.

My mistake, based on previous Nokia offerings. Didn't know they had a full Mozilla browser on offer now, as I've only seen friend's devices. Not so much FUD as uninformed; thanks for the correction. Not sure what the browser UI is like, but presumably they have gestures and pinch or double tap to zoom etc too?

I would note that the N810 is a tiny device, and is more in the range of the iPod or a phone rather than any slate. The screen is only slightly bigger than the iPod touch, and thus it would be a similar experience to that rather than anything to compare with a slate/tablet. Apple won't be the first to ship any sort of touchscreen tablet, but they might be the first to get it right. All the offerings you have listed so far are really quite unconvincing for various reasons (at least for me, your mileage may vary), and are not directly comparable to a slate format in many ways (too big, too small, desktop software etc). Those windows attempts are a kludge which keep all the disadvantages of laptops, and the other stuff from Nokia is close to smartphones or music players.

The tablet market does not exist as yet as a separate market. Those areas which do come close to a tablet (like smartphones, iPods or ebook readers) are booming and just about to expand massively.

Soon we won't have any physical CDs, DVDs, books, magazines, newspapers. In some of those sectors the transition has already begun (music, newspapers), in others it's just starting (books), and all that content needs killer devices to consume it on. That's where Apple comes in.

 

[xhambonex]

Of course, that's all conjecture. Can Apple redefine the tablets and give them a real purpose or will it end up as just another iTunes content consumption device, not really giving us more than the current offerings, except for a sleek no button look with a centralized media store (the current ones can already play music, video, ebooks, heck even run iTunes and thus the iTMS on the Windows ones) ?

Hence the iPod vs AppleTV comparisons...

"But it's smaller and more portable!" says the guy in my office that drags it around in a full laptop suitcase and always needs to plug it in.

That's the thing...they don't have to redefine the tablet market, they just need to build another part of the iTunes store around it.

And this is why I don't see its success. iTunes is lacking outside of its music selection, and big time. I think the real hype about this tablet is more about the new content offerings through iTunes. Whether it be new models to the already available content or entire new content like digital magazines.

 

[excommie]

I hope that with the introduction of the Tablet, MB will not be discontinued. I don't know if it's by luck, but my all of the iBooks/Macbooks in my family where always more reliable than the PBs/MBPs. I like the white MB.

 

[rolandvs]

Apple Tablet -> BookReader

Dear Mac lovers,

Subtle changes in the iTunes application/store leads to one conclusion (IMHO): with the tablet, Apple will bring an alternative for the e-book readers and will start another revolution....

They started differentiation in the iTunes store with regards to iTunesU
The iTunesU section can deliver rich content in PDF, PODCAST, VODCAST, Audio and Video.

The tablet could well be a student's ultimate lecture/notebook. The tablet becomes the tool for (interactive) reading and doing homework and iTunesU in the center of it. It will kill the eBook readers before they become mass-market ;-)

I'll bet a bottle of good wine on this...