Speculation About An Apple Tablet

worm eater writes "The Register reports that Apple has filed for a European design trademark on a tablet computer. El Reg speculates that this could may make Apple Expo Paris more exciting that previously thought. Could this be the tech that finally brings the Mac desktop, iPod, and AirPort Express (and let's not forget the iPhone) together into the media household of The Future? (Of course, we've heard speculation about this before.)"

Comments

Estimated cost?

[Trigun]

$8499 MSRP.

Re:Estimated cost?

[Aadain2001]

And that, lady and gentlemen, is why tablet PC's will NEVER take off! I know that that price is inflated (or is it?!?!), but tablet PC's are just too damn expensive. Why buy a tablet that is kludgy to use, limited in power/graphics, and costs more than a ultra powerful desktop computer? Until tablets are $500 or so, they will only be a niche market.

Re:Estimated cost?

[Kenja]

"Until tablets are $500 or so, they will only be a niche market."

What are you talking about? You can get a tablet PC for under 50$ off of eBay. Granted it'll have a 386-486 CPU in it.

What I love are all these people talking about tablet PCs like the're a new thing. I still have my 486-33 tablet around some place, running Windows 3.1 for Pens off of its 40MB hard disk.

Re:Estimated cost?

[shufler]

Actually, tablets have come down in price. You can get a decent tablet from LG or Toshiba, for around the same price as a laptop. Not to mention that the latest tablets also douple as laptops (ie. The screen flips around).

The price of a tablet will never be less than the cost of a laptop. The cost of a laptop will not be rediculously low like that any time soon.

Re:Estimated cost?

[geoffspear]

Yeah, and I'm sick of people complaining about the price of Macs. You can buy one on eBay for $20. Granted it will have a 68040 in it, but it will run OS 7.5 just fine. Therefore, the Mac market isn't a niche market, either.

And don't even get me started about the deals you can get on wrecked Ferraris.

Re:Estimated cost?

[Twirlip of the Mists]

And don't even get me started about the deals you can get on wrecked Ferraris.

Bad analogy. A totaled Ferarri is worth a fortune for the spare parts alone.

Re:Estimated cost?

[cristofer8]

If this is in fact a wireless monitor, for the imac or otherwise, it's isn't a new idea. Microsoft came out with a reference platform to do exactly this, see viewsonic's version, but unfortunately they cost a ton. It'll be interesting to see if apple goes down the same route.

I would be pretty cool to have an imac with a detachable wireless monitor, but the imacs are supposed to be 17" and 20" neither of which is particularly portable.

Re:Estimated cost?

[Blue-Footed Boobie]

The Viewsonic models are not Wireless Monitors no matter what they try and tell you. I sell them, they are WinCE based (most of them) PDAs. They let you control a Windows XP machine from a Terminal inside of WinCE. Basically, they are Wireless Dumb-Terminals.

Re:Estimated cost?

[crem_d_genes]

Granted it will have a 68040 in it, but it will run OS 7.5 just fine.

Has there been an update? Anybody got a gopher link that describes it?

Re:Estimated cost?

[ScottSpeaks!]

Bad analogy. A totaled Ferarri is worth a fortune for the spare parts alone.

So is an old Mac.

OK, maybe not "a fortune" (they were never worth that much when new), but a used Mac - even a broken one - can have surprising value on the second-hand market. "Obsolete" Mac hardware retains pretty good value, despite the fact that all the beige units prior to the original iMac have been effectively written off by Apple's OS division. Of course the fact that everything since the original iMac is still well supported by the OS helps keep the price of old G3 systems - and the parts to keep them running - fairly high.

Re:Estimated cost?

[Anonymous Coward]

I dunno. Lemme fire up Archie and Veronica and see if I can find any ftp/gopher sites...

Re:Estimated cost?

[dgatwood]

But until a tablet is -far- less than the cost of a laptop (or until computing becomes so ubiquitous that the tablet becomes nothing more than a portable input device for some device built into your home), tablets will not be more than a niche.

Why would anyone buy a tablet when they could buy a laptop? Think about it. You're stuck with a clumsy interface that is barely usable. It's fine in places like hospitals, but that's a specialized market with specialized applications---specifically, the need to take notes in an environment where putting a laptop on a desk is not always possible, and the need to be able to guarantee that those notes can be stored centrally so they never get lost. Those aren't common characteristics of general-purpose computing, nor are they needs that most people would care about.

If they were cheap enough, they could be useful as a replacement for carrying a note pad to class for school students, or for businesspeople to carry to meetings. However, as long as the interface is less efficient for taking notes than typing (and by its very nature, writing is almost an order of magnitude slower than typing), there must be some other significant advantage to outweigh that huge efficiency loss.

I can think of two possible advantages that could outweigh the loss in efficiency: portability and cost. Portability... well, make it as thick as a pad of paper. No hard drives that thin? Well, there's a problem. Besides, if you can make a tablet that's super-thin, you can make a laptop that is equally thin, so there's no advantage. Cost? Well, it can't be cheaper than a laptop, you say? Okay, no advantage there, either.

When I can buy a tablet PC for the same cost relative to the price of a computer that a Palm costs now, it will make sense. Until then, it's just a cute toy that costs way too much to be useful. That said, my ideal tablet PC wouldn't be a PowerMac G5 or a Pentium IV. It would be a Palm or a Newton, with the addition of an iPod-size hard drive (say 20 gigs), only wider and not as thick. Limited OS, designed for one main purpose---to serve as a note pad. Synchronize it with your computer using bluetooth or something. Use it to carry files back and forth to class, too, if needed. Maybe even make it so that you can run normal applications (slowly) so you can show your professor your work instead of printing it out. In other words, something that would cost maybe $150-ish and if it broke, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

That said, as long as tablet computing is a more fragile, more cumbersome, laptop-priced device, it's an eye-roll, IMHO.

how much

[ack154]

Well the big question would obviously be price. Any Mac fan probably knows it would be a very nice piece of hardware... but really, tablets are expensive enough. How much would something like this be from Apple?

Re:how much

[jfengel]

Actually, I think the big question would be "features". Tablets are pricey because they don't have very wide acceptance; people who buy them really, really want them.

Apple's stock-in-trade has always been innovative, functional, attractive designs that make people feel comfortable. People pay a $50 premium for the iPod because its design just works for them. They like using it.

Apple has always charged a bit more for its products, though some of that has been staying away from the most bottom level. You can pick up a bottom-of-the-line Dell for half the price of a bottom-of-the-line Mac, but a comparable Dell is usually only slightly less than the equivalent Mac. (Much of that, of course, depends on what you consider "comparable", since the systems use resources in very different ways.)

The question for me is, does Apple have enough clever ideas to make a tablet computer really work? Can they make a tablet that pushes some laptops out of the market? Perhaps they can make the bridge between the power of a laptop and the convenience of a PDA that it becomes an indispensible item.

Or they may end up with a cumbersome PDA/underpowered laptop combination that nobody wants. It'll all depend on the features. If they can get them right, they'll probably charge twice as much as a laptop and sell as many as they can make. Either way, I bet it'll be higher than the price you're comfortable paying, like the iPod, which has managed to be a breakout hit despite its high price by being exactly the right combination of features for people.

Re:how much

[Twirlip of the Mists]

The question for me is, does Apple have enough clever ideas to make a tablet computer really work?

AirPort Extreme for wireless networking. Rendezvous for zero-configuration connectivity to stuff like AirPort Express. Bluetooth for use with an optional keyboard. Inkwell for real-time handwriting recognition. A voice-driven interface that surprisingly few people take advantage of. And so forth and so on.

Yeah, I think Apple does have enough clever ideas. What they don't have is miniaturization technology. They could certainly build a table about the size of a closed PowerBook, but they couldn't put a G5 processor in it. From a marketing point of view, I think it would be hard to sell any new system with a G4 processor, just from the point of view of customer perception.

That's not to say I wouldn't take one.

Re:how much

[Graff]

Well the big question would obviously be price. Any Mac fan probably knows it would be a very nice piece of hardware... but really, tablets are expensive enough. How much would something like this be from Apple?

I honestly don't understand why it would be that much more expensive than a regular laptop. The only things different are a hinge that flips around and an overlay which goes on the screen. The flip-around hinge is really just a redesign, that should be a trivial cost, and the overlay is proven technology that has been in use for years. I can't see the overlay costing much more than an extra hundred bucks. That doesn't add too much to the cost when you are talking about a $1000+ machine.

I could easily see Apple taking a 12" iBook, changing the hinge and putting on a touch-sensitive overlay. They already have most of the software to use the tablet in place with Inkwell.

Re:how much

[Dan Ost]

From a marketing point of view, I think it would be hard to sell any new system with a G4 processor, just from the point of view of customer perception

Funny how they sell so many laptops with G4's in them.

I would expect that processing power is even less of a concern for tablet
computers than it is for laptops.

Re:how much

[MyDixieWrecked]

yeah, I recently sat on the train next to a guy coming back from VA. He was so into getting a tablet. I was like "wtf do you want one of them for"

he explained to me how he's in law school and is given much of his research paperwork and books in PDF form. He wants to be able to mark them up and take notes on them in class, and since he sometimes gets the PDF on a CD when he walks in door, he doesn't have time to print out the 100 pages or so.

Also, he was bitching about crappy PDF reading software that's a pain to take notes on. Sure the comment feature in acrobat is nice, but it's not really suited for taking notes in real-time.

Re:how much

[trentblase]

Apple loves money

Who doesn't? Commie.

Are they reading my mind?

[cjwl]

I would LOVE to have a wall mounted tablet running iTunes for my home stereo.

Re:Are they reading my mind?

[NETHED]

Dear sir or madam,
According to my records, you seem to have "WAY TOO MUCH MONEY" and this needs to be remedied. Please donate all you can to me, a POOR COLLEGE STUDENT.

Seriously, this would be cool, but I'm sure there are less expensive ways to do this. Hey guys, are there ways?? I wouldnt mind hanging a Flatpanel on my wall, use it as a small TV, or a touchscreen control. Hmmmmm....

Re:Are they reading my mind?

[rokzy]

tablets will never be done. a tablet is essentially just a very portable laptop with a touchscreen. this is a very good idea and the only problem is getting a good price/performance balance. time will solve this problem.

consider the evidence:
electronic organisers evolved to PDAs with touchscreen and handwriting recognition.

mobile phones evolved to smartphones with touchscreen and handwriting recognition.

laptops will evolve to tablets with touchscreen and handwriting recognition. to claim otherwise seems foolish.

Re:Are they reading my mind?

[rampant mac]

"According to my records, you seem to have "WAY TOO MUCH MONEY" and this needs to be remedied. Please donate all you can to me, a POOR COLLEGE STUDENT."

What the hell? You don't have enough MONEY?!? Get off your lazy ass! What's happened to America lately?

When I went off to college I left with no less than 3 ounces of marijuana which I promptly dealt from from my college dorm room! Did I ever have to call my parents up and beg for money? Nope!

College students today expect handouts! You're destroying the very fabric of our society! Jesus, I'd be nothing without my diploma... Where the HELL did I put that thing? Oh shit, that's right. I smoked it.

Damn.

[Anonymous Coward]

First they put apples in tablets...
next we'll be eating all our food from tubes!

Re:Damn.

[Gilmoure]

I still miss the Pillsbury Space sticks. They were smaller than a hotdog and had a slight peanut butter taste. Yummy!

Rumor

[lateralus_1024]

This is the resurrection of the Newton, rumor has it.

P.S. I started the rumor and I want royalties if i'm right.

Apple PDA

[phalse phace]

This is probably the design for the scrapped Apple PDA Jobs talked about. Also, take a look at the pictures the Register has.... on one of them it looks like the so-called tablet has a connector similar to the one found on a iPod, which leads me to believe this was the scrapped PDA

Re:Apple PDA

[MoonBuggy]

OTOH, they have bought a shitload of 60GB microdrives while stating that a 60GB iPod isn't in the works...

Not the first time Apple's been toying with this..

[wfberg]

One of the early designs for the iBook was a design in which the screen could fold 180 degrees. In that position, the keyboard would be deactivated, and the screen would act as a touchscreen. Which is actually a pretty neat idea.

Just make me a GOOD eBook reader...

[TrollBridge]

...and price it right. Given a large enough selection of eBooks to buy/download, they could take the lead on a very large untapped market.

Apple has always been good at making high-quality consumer-grade electronics (iMac, iPod, etc.) and I think a quality eBook reader would do more for them than a "tablet".

Re:Just make me a GOOD eBook reader...

[jcenters]

12" iBook.

Download desired book as PDF.

Open it in Preview.

View --> Rotate Left

View --> Fullscreen

Click mouse button to flip pages.

Done.

Possibly a remote tablet interface?

[neuro.slug]

I don't think this patent is for a tablet or handheld device. As the article states, Apple's iPod already is a great information carrier. However, this patent with, along with Apple's work with a 'wireless monitor' company may be a portable monitor, which connects to your home PC.

I think it would be cool to be able to carry around a tablet-esque device and pen that allows you to do things with your computer. Maybe there will be universal remote functionality and other new features. Just speculation...

-- n

Size?

[tomee]

Will they release a version with the 30'' Apple Cinema display? That would be cool for riding the subway.

Re:Size?

[shepmaster]

Only if you replace "riding" with "being unmercifully mugged and beaten. Then all of your other stuff (iPod, Newton) gets stolen too. Finally you are left lying in a seat, bleeding profusely until a bum pushes you out of his spot. All of this happened on"

What if you drop it?

[mveloso]

Are there any tablet users out there with experience? I'd think that dropping any tablet would cause catastrophic damage to it.

The same could be said with a laptop, I suppose, but laptops seem to have OK survivability.

Re:What if you drop it?

[g3000]

About two weeks after I bought my G3 iBook, my brother dropped it down a short flight of stairs, and hit a wall and tile floor before coming to rest. I guess that virtually bullet-proof, white plastic enclosure is up to snuff, because not only does the iBook still work well today, it barely has a scratch. In case you're wondering, it faired better than my brother's "enclosure." He received a wrist fracture and a strained ligament when I dropped *him* down the stairs shortly thereafter.

Its for the new iMac!

[rogerborn]

Its not for a tablet Mac or a Videoplayer Mac.

Its for the new iMac!

Here is a great article speculating that the new iMac to be released in 19 days in Paris, is to be a miniature iMac, sort of like the old color Classic Macintosh.

http://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=-750

Its small screen will conect wirelessly to the Internet, the Ethernet, via the new mini Apple wireless hub. It will also likely have a small keyboard and mouse to go with it.

Since its supposed to be with an aluminum body, perhaps it will come in mini iPod colors too.

Roger Born
writing.borngraphics.com
Sorry, no refunds.

Re:Its for the new iMac!

[ericdano]

You might be right about this being the new iMac. However, where is the processor to go? If the new iMac uses a G5, and from what I know of the G5, you need a fairly large cooling system. So.....

This would seem to be a step back from the original iMac design. Unless it is the LCD that connects to the base unit. But you'd think Apple would have put that in the filing.......

I'd imagine it's for some sort of new "iPodish" like device. Perhaps a PDA or maybe something that would link up to a Bluetooth enabled Cell phone?

It's interesting regardless.......

OS X light?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking that this device could use a light version OS X--iTunes plus music store, email, web-surfing and maybe some kind of photo management. How difficult would it be for Apple to incorporate the option of streaming video from your cable box with the aid of Airtunes?. This could also take care of that small issue of the PC market share people are always taking about.

As Long as We're Talking About Unicorns

[Seanasy]

No, not a tablet. I'm imagining an LCD screen for your Mac/iMac that detaches from its stand and can be carried around the house. Wireless video voodoo. Not intended to be a standalone computer but just a portable display with touchscreen. Needs Wifi and a Mac nearby. You can use it as a remote for AirportExpress, as a 'non-portable laptop,' i.e. it doesn't leave the house, usually. Maybe you can take the screen over to a friends house or to work and log into a Mac there with it. Hmmm....

Re:As Long as We're Talking About Unicorns

[ericdano]

Now that is an interesting idea. That is probably the ONLY thing that really gets in people's way. Apple already has a wireless mouse and keyboard. A way to make the display wireless would be awesome....

Re:It's probably design specs for the new iMac

[Joey Patterson]

The new G5 based iMacs are reportedly designed so that the CPU is attached to the monitor - which looks remarkably like a tablet. We'll know in 2 weeks.

Speaking of the new G5 iMac, ThinkSecret has a report that confirms this, along with supposed specs for new 17" and 20" iMacs.

They would sell really well...

[Steamhead]

If they kept a well organized copy of the WIKIpedia on it and wrote "DON'T PANIC" in large friendly letters on the back...

if done right

[Bauguss]

Apple proved with the iPod that high price doesn't mean poor sales. They completely proved that if done right, it would be a big hit. How many mp3 players existed before iPod came along?

I've never used a tablet pc but always liked the idea. If apple came along and did it right, who knows what could happen.

Of course it could just be a new display for the iPod, or they just want to protect their research on something that they won't actually use.

Personally it'll never sell...

[stienman]

Why would people buy an Apple tablet PC when they could have a P-P-P-Powerbook for practically free, and with all the ability of a tablet?

-Adam

Explain to me slowly...

[Nice2Cats]

...using simple words, why I would want to buy a tablet instead of my current 12" iBook. A tablet doesn't have a keyboard, and I can't shut it to protect the screen; and when it is too old to deal with Mac OS X 14.5 or whatever it will be by then, I can't install Linux on it.

Obviously, Steve Jobs is better at this than I am (or I'd be making one dollar a year plus a few benefits), but this would not seem like a clever move.

Re:Explain to me slowly...

[Axfish]

I beg to differ...

A tablet doesn't have a keyboard, and I can't shut it to protect the screen

I have an Acer C111 sub-3lb (or sub-1.5kg) TabletPC that does include a reversible screen (you can close it with the screen facing down) and a keyboard. If Acer can do it, I'm sure Apple can make a MacTablet (or whatever) with the same form factor.

As for the "slow explanation" you asked for which, I assume (but correct me if I misunderstood the title of your post) addresses the question of why anyone would want a Tablet-type machine in the first place:

I've been using this machine now for a few months (>6, <12) in both "Laptop" (sub-notebook, since it has a slightly small keyboard and a small-but-1024x768 screen) and "Tablet" (screen reversed over the case, use stylus only) modes, and I can say, in answer to a lot of the posts that claim it turns a PC into nothing but an overgrown Palm-type machine, that it works surprisingly well.

I can sit in a meeting and scribble notes while looking at the speaker - not easy to do when you'r playing hunt-and-peck on a keyboard.

I can sketch things as if on pen and paper, but the software can help me correct diagrams (making rectanguloids into rectangles, ellipsoids into ellipses and circles, etc) as I sketch them, taking my eyes off the speaker no more than with pen and paper.

Plus, by opening the writing bar at the bottom of the screen, I can input handwritten text into any application, be it designed for Tablet or not...

And then the goodness: I can transfer all that stuff into "real" applications with a lot less work than copying it all off paper.

Of course, I'm speaking from someone who uses a (gasp! I'll get modded flamebait, I expect) machine running Microsoft Windows XP Tablet Edition, and Apple or Linux have yet to show a similar offering, but I expect that, if these things catch on, Apple and Linux will come up with equivalent solutions. (Perhaps, in Apple's case, the tables are reversed for once, and this time it's Apple waiting to see if a technology catches on before they implement it...? ;)

Bash me if you like, but personally, I think that the Tablet Edition of Windows is actually one of the better things MS has come up with lately (whether they nicked the fundamental research off someone else or not - it's a product, and it's available). However, I'd like to see that sort of functionality clad in the elegance that companies like Apple (among others) have a reputation for. That, I think, could really make pen-based laptops into a killer tool.

I just hope...

[jbarr]

I jukt h%pe th2 hand3uit&ng re)oGni7iob is Bet7Er thaN oN tfe N0wtan!

Re:I just hope...

[Roguelazer]

Both can learn. The cursive mode was what is now known as Calligrapher and Transcriber (by ParaGraph and Microsoft). The Print was the Newton Recognizer, now known as Inkwell and present in every copy of OS X.

Re:What happened, Apple?

[callipygian-showsyst]

Apple literally invented the PDA market

Not quite! I'm a big fan of PDAs and portable computing. I've owned many PDAs, including Newton Messagepad 110 (which Apple gave me when I was working at Adobe), but before that I had a Tandy 100 and an HP 100 both of which pre-dated the Newton by quite a bit.

Re:It's probably design specs for the new iMac

[ericdano]

Yeah, but look at the existing G5's. They require a LOT of cooling, and that sketch does not look like it could hold a G5 at all. Unless Apple has some extremely advanced liquid cooling they are putting in it.....

It is NOT a tablet.

[rogerborn]

Tablets are dead. Even Micro$oft may be getting out of the tablet business. Laptops outsell tablets a hundred to one.

http://engadget.com/entry/8312965763231519/

I think this new screen is for the new iMac.

It is wireless.

It may detach from the CPU/hard drive.

It is aluminum (in colors?).

It has the full OS X.

It may be small like the old Macinosh Classics.

Here are the links:

http://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=-750

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/13/apple_tabl et_mac/

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/imacg5specs.html

Roger Born
writing.borngraphics.com

Please Yes

[pyrrho]

Early this year I would have bought a powerbook except that I wanted a tablet. Why? Because I hand draw diagrams to prepare my work and because I don't like typing notes at meetings.

Tablets do for handwritten work what word processors did for typing. Yes it's a niche, not everyone uses hand drawn notes, diagrams, etc... but it's also not a niche that's going away. A tablet computer is much preferable to lots and lots of paper notepads.

As for price... well, I need a notebook too for programming and got a combination tablet/notebook, it cost the same as other good notebooks like IBM T41 and the Powerbook with similar specifications EXCEPT the display, which is more low resolution. That is... the tradeoff was between higher resolution and the ability to write on the display... fair trade. (fwiw, keyboardless tablets seem useless to me... but they might make sense in hospitals, for delivery people, that sort of thing)

Another reason to get a tablet from Apple besides the fact that this tablet is the only reason I have to run WinXP is I suspect Apple will smooth the edges... the interface in XP Tablet is not really as pen freindly as it could be.

I hope they do this. But having said all that... Jobs has vowed not to before... he loathes the Newton experience (so I hear anyway)... so I'm not holding my breath.

Are Apple laptops that expensive?

[Smeagel]

They're slightly more expensive than a Dell, but not by any great amount. When you consider how much faster they run, and their performance, it is hard to recommend a non-apple laptop to anyone who isn't an MS addict. Their desktop hardware is a little insane, but their laptops are well priced IMO.

This coming from a person who has never owned an apple (aside from my ipod) and who spent last year working tech help for my university and repaired hundreds of laptops from all brands (but apple) for people.

Re:Are Apple laptops that expensive?

[mrchaotica]

I agree. I bought a 12" iBook 7 months ago, and chose it because I couldn't find a comparable PC laptop any cheaper (and it was simpler to just get Mac OS than to get Linux working with arbitrary PC laptop hardware).

It's iWalk all over again...

[Bones3D_mac]

Steve has already told us no PDAs are being made. The market for tablets is anything but profitable. How about a more realistic rumor, like a powerbook with a touch sensitive display or somrthing?

Wake me up when we have an official word from Apple...

Sheesh.

[JHromadka]

Jobs takes a month off on medical leave and they try to sneak the Newton back in while he's gone. :)

No hard drive?

[Anonymous Writer]

If this is a tablet computer equipped to do a network boot of OS X through 802.11g, would it be possible to have the unit work as some sort of a thin client without a hard drive? Perhaps rather than a unit working independently of a computer, it would be a thin-client supplement for a desktop or laptop. I've always wondered if this could be done, because I presume that it would lengthen battery life and could be very thin in design. I would love to see a tablet computer that simply looked like a detached screen of a powerbook without all the buttons and extraneous shapes the Tablet PCs have. That may be possible by excluding a hard drive, CD/DVD drive, and keyboard from the unit.

I recall reading something that may have been a hint about this alleged product. Here's a quote from AppleInsider...

"When Jobs was demonstrating the new Airport Express, Walt Mossberg said that the biggest problem he saw was that users had to get up and walk to their computers to change play lists. Jobs joked that walking was good, but when pressed, he smiled a wry smile. AppleInsider correspondents took this to mean that Apple is developing in this area, and the Airport Express is just a step along the way."

Common misconception

[AllenChristopher]

Wacom tablets don't use touch overlay technology. It's RFID tweaked to locate the stylus precisely in space. That's why it's pressure/tilt sensitive instead of just on/off.

You could build a non-pressure sensitive tablet PC, heck, maybe someone has. You couldn't sell it as an Apple. Graphic designers will buy Apple tablets with Wacom parts like chocolate bars. Digital sketchbook done right, yay.

I'd love a tablet. I don't care about the high price right now, I don't care about the lower cpu power. All I care about is that the current tablets run Windows and are made by insane PC firms. You just can't rely on the sleep functionality in Windows laptops.... not until someone you know has been using the specific model you're going to buy for three years and has had no problems.

Re:Common misconception

[tb3]

Bingo! Graphics people are the target market for this gizmo, not suits who want to take notes. This is why Windows-based tablets fail, Windows still doesn't really 'get' creative graphics. The killer app for the tablet Mac is Alias Sketchbook Pro which recently became available for the Mac.

I don't see this happening

[curtlewis]

There have been two waves of tablet PCs in the industry: The original with Go, etc back in the early to mid 90s and the recent wave that fell flat on it's face.

This history makes it a rather risky move for anyone to enter that market. I just don't see Apple making this move. I see them sticking with their excellent laptops.

Now I do see them considering more integration between computers and the iPod. Apple may well license iPod technology to other vendors than Motorola (for their upcoming iTunes compatible phone). Before too long 4gb of memory in a cell phone is going to be commonplace and that's what the iPod mini has now. I think Apple's deal with Motorola shows that Apple knows they won't be able to sell the hardware forever, so they've taken steps to move the technology beyond that.

I think an iPodPhone is a great idea. One less gadget to forget to grab on my way out the door in the morning. I don't see Apple making the phone, though, so count out your dreams of an iPhone. An iPod-white SonyEricsson T630 with 8gb of memory sounds great to me, though! Talk about a big selection of MP3 ringtones!