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What is the Ultimate Role of the Apple Tablet?

MacPhilosopher said:
I really doubt that this device will use cell phone technology. Most likely 3G for data. I believe that the iPhone uses separate transmitter/receivers for phone and data, so that means one less trans/rec and associated hardware, as well as less power requirements. That will help lower the price a little. Plus, Apple has reduced technology cost with development of the iPhone/Touch technology and therefore can pass that savings on to the tablet. I do think an Apple Tablet would be closer to $1000 than it will to $500.
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Sorry. When I say cell phone technology, I mean 3G technology. And if they are going to build in 3G for data, why not build in 3G for phone? It's not like leaving the latter out would drop my guess from $799 to $399.

And both in an iPhone seems to work OK for the power requirements. As someone else suggested, with all the added "space" in this bigger package, it can probably include a bigger battery.

Yes, Apple could pass bulk buying savings along to customers, or they could price it at the usual premium and enjoy the extra margins. I bought someone an :apple:TV for Christmas that uses 3+-year old technology that I'm sure costs a lot less now than when the :apple:TV first rolled out. But the price didn't drop from the Apple price offered 3+ years ago at all.

So yes, let's be hopeful that all the iPhone volume means that we are going to get that kind of hardware for even less in this Tablet. Unfortunately, however that is factored into my guess of $799 unsubsidized.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
So, no one would be carry a full-sized bag if they were carrying a 10" tablet. And there's also this rumor of a 7" version, which would fit just fine in the average pocket.
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It'd give an excuse to buy this very stylish messenger I saw the other day.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
Sorry. When I say cell phone technology, I mean 3G technology. And if they are going to build in 3G for data, why not build in 3G for phone? It's not like leaving the latter out would drop my guess from $799 to $399.
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Why have everyone pay for a feature no one will use ? Again, even at 7" diagonal, this isn't a cellphone people would want to use as a phone to make calls.

3G data makes sense. GSM or CDMA voice (not 3G) makes no sense whatsoever.
 
KnightWRX said:
For a 10", you'd still be carrying around a bag. A man purse maybe ? I don't do purses. Just look at what people use to drag around netbooks. It sure as hell ain't purses or pockets. It's laptop bags.

And an iPhone is quite snug already in my pocket. I doubt a 7" version would fit just fine in the average pocket, unless you're talking G-Unit type jeans.

Neither would make a good cellphone that's for sure.
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OK, so it's definitely not a product for you or your pockets. Now how about giving us your answer to the thread's question: what purpose does it serve? I'm trying to figure that one out myself. So please, let's hear it.
 
ntrigue said:
Picture-241.png


Why not allow the user to interact with Magic Mouse and wireless keyboard? I would absolutely eBay my MBA if this is the tablet for $1000.
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And I would happily stick with my Macbook, thanks but no thanks.
 
gfiz said:
Well I've bought 4 kindles myself. One for me, one for the wife, and two for Christmas presents for family members.
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Interesting. I don't have a Kindle. When you want to read a book your other family members bought and read can you transfer it from one Kindle to another? I buy a (generally used) book, read it and then pass it along to my son to read. Years later my other kids read it. This is a big problem with the new ebooks. I don't cotton to constantly rebuying materials. I bought them once.

Then there is the whole problem of selling my copy used. I bought it. I get to sell it. Once. The big e-publishers are trying to stop that. This right of resale is a traditional right to purchased published materials.

I speak as a consumer, creator and a publisher. I don't like the way the digital rights management is going.

Cheers

-Walter
 
KnightWRX said:
Why have everyone pay for a feature no one will use ? Again, even at 7" diagonal, this isn't a cellphone people would want to use as a phone to make calls. 3G data makes sense. GSM or CDMA voice (not 3G) makes no sense whatsoever.
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Hmm, I guess I am no one then. If I bought a Tablet, I would use it to double as a cell phone. I don't want to carry it and a cell phone if it could do that job.

Just because you already own an iPhone doesn't make your situation universal.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
OK, so it's definitely not a product for you or your pockets. Now how about giving us your answer to the thread's question: what purpose does it serve? I'm trying to figure that one out myself. So please, let's hear it.
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Who knows. I've been saying all along that looking at current tablets, you have to wonder why Apple would even make one. No one seems to be able to sell decent volume, and pretty much everything a tablet could be as been tried. Laptops and smartphones fill about every niche out there, and there's very little overlapping in both devices that requires the screen of a laptop with the input difficulties of a phone.

I'd say a stand-alone e-book reader with e-ink a la Kindle makes more sense than any kind of iPhone OS tablet at this point. But that's not Apple's style.

For all we know, all these tablet rumors are just junk and they are introducing 3G data across their laptop lines (with either HSPA+ or EVDO) and the new Macbook Mini with 10" touch screen, full keyboard, no trackpad.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
Who's paying for all those comic subscriptions?
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We do. We have paid subscription to online comics. It's wonderful. The biggest reason to buy the daily newspaper was to read the comics. But somedays we would miss the paper or the publisher would goof a comic and not print it. We have no delivery out here in a rural area and even if we did there would still be delivery problems. With the online PAID subscription we get our comic fix, on a lot more than is carried by the paper.

Or are you assuming that since they can be delivered without being printed on paper, pricing- and thus profits- will be heavily cut?
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Actually, yes, prices can go down a lot. I published a print magazine for over a decade. The cost of printing was horrendous. The cost of mailing was the second largest cost. Doing the magazine digitally costs less than 1/10th as much and meant the creative people could get paid MORE and we didn't have to ship the magazine out to the printer and the post office. Some of this savings we passed on to customers. Yowsa!

Sure Sports Illustrated super multi-media edition would be incredible.
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Why?!? Is it going to be a fully enhanced touch screen?!?

The last thing the newspaper industry needs is reasons to charge less- thus make less revenue- from sales of their papers.
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Wrong. The first thing they need to do is cut their costs of production so they can increase their net revenues and stay in business such that they have time to adapt to the new models of information delivery. One can make less gross revenues but make more net profits and then come out far ahead. For a small example, my farm is billions of times more profitable than AIG, General Motors, Chrysler or even the US Federal Government. We make a profit. They're all losing money. It's the net that matters, not the gross.

Cheers

-Walter
 
Is it too late to request that the tablet have built-in wireless tethering to my iPhone's 3G data services?
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
Sorry. When I say cell phone technology, I mean 3G technology. And if they are going to build in 3G for data, why not build in 3G for phone? It's not like leaving the latter out would drop my guess from $799 to $399.
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You are missing the point. You can buy "works on just about everyone's data network chips". Most of the 3G data networks are derivatives of CDMA (including those run by GSM folks ) the more substantive differences in the radios/protocols is in the voice backwards compatibility aspects. With very minor software/firmware updates can deploy the onto any carrier; not need for these exclusivity contracts with specific vendors. For example:

http://www.qualcomm.com/news/releas...ogy-deliver-3g-connectivity-lenovo-thinkpad-3

So you can have a tablet that doesn't necessarily need to be tied to one of the service vendors. Likewise there is likely something that keeps a "phone" exclusive to AT&T. With a "data" only radio it is not a cell phone.

There are numerous laptops and netbooks already deployed with this kind of functionality (e.g., http://www.gobianywhere.com/products.php ). Certainly something Apple would have seen over the recent year or two of development.

If the network radio is built in ( certainly an Apple trend not to have sockets and things dangling on the outside) most folks are more comfortable with a device with which you can tell the service vendor "go away" if decide want to move to another option.

To tie back into a voice service means device has either chips to insert or is vendor locked. Neither one of those is something Apple is inclined to do if have a choice (in light of recent trends).
 
bobob said:
Is it too late to request that the tablet have built-in wireless tethering to my iPhone's 3G data services?
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If want to kill battery life as fast as possible on the iPhone you might want to run 3G and WiFi at the same time. Would also likely have to route packets over two TCP/IP networks so both radio going full black and CPU software router overhead. Or can just do bluetooth ... slightly better power on the second radio but lower speed.




Possibly a USB socket on the Slate/Tablet that could tether similar that you would a laptop without killing the iPhone battery as badly. Also simplifies it for the iPhone if it just has to interact with "computer" on the other side of its USB connection
 
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KnightWRX said:
You joined this site just to post such an obvious fake ? Wow, trying to get page views for free for your site or something ? :rolleyes:
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It's not my site. Gizmodo posted these specs too, but after few minutes the article was gone. Propably it's fake, but this is a rumor site.
 
Flavioparentiq said:
I find so sad that some people are actually waiting this islate thinking it will be a macbook air with no keyboard, with iphone capabilities a full osx support and 8 hour battery life, wanting to spend something like 1000$ max.

Wake up, please.
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Get a job deadbeat.
 
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