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What is the Ultimate Role of the Apple Tablet?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this in this massive thread (unless they have and I missed it), but a tablet is a perfect place to implement a shapewriting input system, where you drag a single finger over keys on a keyboard to "draw" words rather than stroke each key individually. This would allow easy one-handed entry, something that will be crucial for a larger-format device. The software is already available on mobile devices and Windows-based tablets via 3rd-party software, but Apple would be wise to integrate this functionality at a system level in their upcoming tablet (if indeed it exists).
 
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LagunaSol said:
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this in this massive thread (unless they have and I missed it), but a tablet is a perfect place to implement a shapewriting input system, where you drag a single finger over keys on a keyboard to "draw" words rather than stroke each key individually. This would allow easy one-handed entry, something that will be crucial for a larger-format device. The software is already available on mobile devices and Windows-based tablets via 3rd-party software, but Apple would be wise to integrate this functionality at a system level in their upcoming tablet (if indeed it exists).
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Have you tried any shape writing systems LagunaSol? I just looked and it appears there are some solutions for Android and I may give one a go on the Archos.

If Apple ever did attempt incorporating it into the os there is no doubt in my mind it would be good.

I'm off to do some research!
 
hitekalex said:
Pretty much anyone who lives and interacts with people in the real world.. (as opposed to apple fanboy bubble)
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Everyone in the "real world" communicates using...Microsoft Word??? :rolleyes:

ChazUK said:
Have you tried any shape writing systems LagunaSol? I just looked and it appears there are some solutions for Android and I may give one a go on the Archos.

If Apple ever did attempt incorporating it into the os there is no doubt in my mind it would be good.

I'm off to do some research!
Click to expand...

I have ShapeWriter on my iPhone, and while impressive (and fun), it's 1) no faster for me than typing on the virtual keyboard and 2) not terribly useful because it's not integrated at a system-wide level.

On a tablet I can see shapewriting being a lot more effective because you can't grasp it in the same way as a small device (like the iPhone) and type with your thumbs. Unless Apple has some magical new scheme planned.
 
hitekalex said:
Yes LagunaSol.. my employer and all of our business partners use MS Office.. my real estate agent uses MS Office.. my lawyer uses MS Office. Shocking I know.
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That's strange, it seems that most of the world communicates via e-mail, texting, skype, chat, cell, fax, etc.

Microsoft Word is hardly used for communication, while it is only one constituent of MS Office.

Case in point.
 
DMann said:
That's strange, it seems that most of the world communicates via e-mail, texting, skype, chat, cell, fax, etc.

Microsoft Word is hardly used for communication, while it is only one constituent of MS Office.
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Are you just playing with words (pun intended), or trying to make some sort of point?

When my business partner sends me a complex redlined 120-page contract, originally created in MS Word.. which my iWork doesn't convert correctly.. How am I supposed to communicate my changes back to him, without MS Office? Or do you suggest I Twitter them to him?
 
hitekalex said:
Are you just playing with words (pun intended), or trying to make some sort of point?

When my business partner sends me a complex redlined 120-page contract, originally created in MS Word.. which my iWork doesn't convert correctly.. How am I supposed to communicate my changes back to him, without MS Office?
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Pun taken. :)

The same way I, and many, indicate changes on legal documents: using Portable Document Files (universally read/copy protected) and e-mail notes regarding specific changes.

At one time, we sent MS Word docs back and forth, making editorial changes along the way, until it became apparent that some changes went unnoticed - it wound up being redundantly necessary to articulate any changes via e-mail.

Also, I believe the point here had to do with communication in general, not the submission of editorial revisions of documents.

I apologize if I misunderstood.
 
hitekalex said:
Are you just playing with words (pun intended), or trying to make some sort of point?
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I think the point being made is that the vast majority of the world is able to share information without MS Word, despite what Microsoft would have you believe. ;)
 
DMann said:
Pun taken. :)

The same way I, and many, indicate changes on legal documents: using Portable Document Files (universally read/copy protected) and e-mail notes regarding specific changes.
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Uhm.. I can tell you haven't worked on complex contracts.. ;) Redlining/accepting/revising the changes in Word is an industry standard way of contract collaboration/negotiation. I couldn't imagine managing complex changes via e-mail, that would be hugely cumbersome and unproductive.

DMann said:
Also, I believe the point here had to do with communication in general, not the submission of editorial revisions of documents.

I apologize if I misunderstood.
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The point was someone asking "who needs MS Word" (as part of discussion of Apple's rumored touch-enabled iWork for the Tablet). And the answer is - "me and many others".
 
hitekalex said:
Uhm.. I can tell you haven't worked on complex contracts.. ;) Redlining/accepting/revising the changes in Word is an industry standard way of contract collaboration/negotiation. I couldn't imagine managing complex changes via e-mail, that would be hugely cumbersome and unproductive.
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Uhm... the complexity of entertainment contracts can be quite high. Resultant of the unusually high rate of f*** ups attributed to Word's inconsistent file rendering and spontaneous formatting screw-ups, (using Word 2007/2008)

we decided to make editorial notes on the PDFs themselves, rather than risk possible, if not probable file corruption. The PDF method has proven to be a safer method, as well as time saving, in our opinions - YMMV. :)

hitekalex said:
The point was someone asking "who needs MS Word" (as part of discussion of Apple's rumored touch-enabled iWork for the Tablet). And the answer is - "me and many others".
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Perhaps, but this was the reply which you had originally questioned:

LagunaSol said:
Everyone in the "real world" communicates using...Microsoft Word??? :rolleyes:
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In respect to real-world 'communication,' MS Word is not all that high on the list, editorial revisions notwithstanding. ;)
 
DMann said:
In respect to real-world 'communication,' MS Word is not all that high on the list, editorial revisions notwithstanding. ;)
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There is no single tool or program that's "end all be all" in respect to real-world communications..

Obviously Apple still deems office productivity apps to be quite important, if they're indeed working on touch-enabled iWork for clearly consumer-oriented Tablet. I can only hope MS Office version follows - I would probably still be on Windows, if it wasn't for MS Office 2008 for Mac ;)
 
genuine question - why don't some people use open office, when it can save in word format anyways?? is there something about the program that OO just can't do??
 
cmaier said:
OO is not 100% file format compatible with word.
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It might not be, but it works for generally 95% of documents out there, and for most office works, it's just 100% compatible. The advanced features found in Word since the early 00s are hardly used anyway.

For general home use, there's about 0 valid reasons to picking MS office besides ignorance.
 
KnightWRX said:
It might not be, but it works for generally 95% of documents out there, and for most office works, it's just 100% compatible. The advanced features found in Word since the early 00s are hardly used anyway.

For general home use, there's about 0 valid reasons to picking MS office besides ignorance.
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Home use, maybe. But for work, I can't be the guy who gives a partner or a judge a document that doesn't show up correctly in word, or the guy who can't see the formatting in my clients' documents. If it happens only once in awhile, they're not going to accept "it usually works!"

and since I, like many people, use my home machines to work with work documents, I need real Office on my home machines as well.

For documents with lots of formatting, VBA macros, lots of tables, complicated headers and footers, tables of authorities, etc. I've found that OO almost never works 100%.
 
cmaier said:
Home use, maybe. But for work, I can't be the guy who gives a partner or a judge a document that doesn't show up correctly in word, or the guy who can't see the formatting in my clients' documents. If it happens only once in awhile, they're not going to accept "it usually works!"
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Yet, they accept MS Office, that does the same thing between versions :rolleyes:

At work, I've had to send back documents because they were saved using a higher version and my lowly older office couldn't open it. I then had to explain to the person to "save as" and find the older format in the drop down... and just print to PDF and send me the PDF.

Which brings us to another problem. Read-only distribution using MS's Office format is plain ridiculous for the reasons you said. PDF will always show up exactly like it looks on your screen when you make it everywhere else.
 
KnightWRX said:
Which brings us to another problem. Read-only distribution using MS's Office format is plain ridiculous for the reasons you said. PDF will always show up exactly like it looks on your screen when you make it everywhere else.
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I send my lawyer PDF's.....

Her word docs open all funky for me in the margin area on iWork. luckily everything is just for me to review - and i'd have to go show her how to create PDFs :D
 
tmofee said:
genuine question - why don't some people use open office, when it can save in word format anyways?? is there something about the program that OO just can't do??
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Because the support costs of something that works 'a bit like Word' are much higher than just using Word.

It's the same sort of argument as "Why do people buy Photoshop when they can use the GIMP" which is pretty much discounted when a graphic designer tries to use the GIMP.
 
Pelorus said:
Because the support costs of something that works 'a bit like Word' are much higher than just using Word.
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This argument falls apart with Office 2007. Office 2007 was a heck of a lot more different from Office 2003 than OO 3.0 is. Yet people move to Office 2007 and retrain/support both versions.

The only reason more people don't use OO is vendor lock-in through undocumented or poorly documented document formats that prevents interoperability.
 
KnightWRX said:
This argument falls apart with Office 2007. Office 2007 was a heck of a lot more different from Office 2003 than OO 3.0 is. Yet people move to Office 2007 and retrain/support both versions.
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Meh - I can't speak for your region but here 90% of our PC-using clients haven't upgraded to Office 2007. And are unlikely to.

KnightWRX said:
The only reason more people don't use OO is vendor lock-in through undocumented or poorly documented document formats that prevents interoperability.
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That argument "Not compatible enough" is obviously the best argument.

There is the other one - OpenOffice is pretty crap.
 
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