Slashdot Mirror
Why Everyone Has High Hopes For Apple Tablet
waderoush writes "The deafening roar of anticipation around Apple's expected 'iSlate' announcement on January 27 is strange, to say the least, given the public's utter apathy about tablet computers to date. What's going on? Xconomy's analysis makes three points. 1) Previous tablet makers have shown little imagination around UIs and how a touchscreen changes things. 2) With the iPhone, Apple has shown what's possible in this regard. 3) There's latent demand for a mobile computing device that's smaller and lighter than a laptop but has more screen real estate than a smartphone — something reminiscent of a Star Trek tricorder or PADD. Hence the hopes for the iSlate — which are so high that it may be difficult for even Apple to meet them."
same goes for Apple's tablet
Photoshop.
Mac is still, and long will be the favorite computer of most graphicians/artists.
Tablet+screen has some serious disadvantages. You draw in one place, image appears elsewhere.
With a good touchscreen capable of providing precision comparable to decent Wacoms, this can become a dream tool for an artist.
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
This is true. What Apple Tablet? Shall we just wait for the actual pres release before doing any discussion?
"the deafening roar of anticipation" I'm in Australia right, a moderately wealthy fairly technologically developed nation. We're no Japan, but we're no Sudan either. No one I talk to gives a crap about this. My friend is doing a graphic arts diploma and he doesnt even know anyone who cares about this. It will come, if it is good some people will like it. Apple is not a religion, they are a technology company. GTFO with your fake hype.
The majority of PAD users aren't going to give 2 flips for photoshop, per se. For the most part, they'll be doing what people do now. Email, IM, shopping, surfing. Writing and now, reading.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
I bet its called the iPad
-Jaguarstrike
I think it's safe to say the Apple Fanboys have high hopes, but Apple has a number of things going against them:
1) Android quickly catching up with Apple in terms of usefulness and it's working across a large set of diverse devices. ChromeOS will only make Apple's problem worse
2) If the expected price of $1000 is to be believed, it'll be a real turn off for anyone looking for a low cost MID. You can buy two (or three) netbooks for that price.
3) Let's be clear, if it's not e-ink or similar, this is in no way competition for the Kindle/Nook/Sony eReader
There's latent demand for a mobile computing device that's smaller and lighter than a laptop but has more screen real estate than a smartphone...
Nothing latent about it - this is _EXACTLY_ what I'm interested in seeing. While I would love a high end Mac laptop (among many other tech toys), I really just want an iPhone/iPod Touch on steroids and, from what I'd imagine, the "iTablet" (or whatever it will be called) will almost certainly fit that bill perfectly. The fact that it's from Apple and will surely have some additional surprises along the way is just icing on the cake.
Of course, time will tell if they deliver what I am looking for, but I suspect it'll be another damn cool piece of tech that I try to find a justification to buy.
The article is like, "Everyone is waiting for this thing"... I'm not. All in all, I'm pretty happy with my desktop.
This is my sig.
If the netbook and smartphone markets are any indication of the potential number of sales that exist out there, then I would wager even competitors hope Apple's tablet takes off. Because it's been shown time and time again that once Apple establishes via ads and quality that it's cool to own an iPod Nano or an iPhone or i-Whatever then the competitors step in and scoop up the very large market of people that want a product like it for less. They're not even knockoffs per se but I would bet that on the whole MP3 player manufacturers like iRiver enjoyed unseen benefits from Apple popularizing the MP3 player. The same might be said of the many cheaper smartphones that followed the iPhone--they were there but not 'accepted' as a necessary commodity for a consumer.
I don't mean to sound like a fanboy but the competitors that have been waiting to market tablet PCs now have the luxury of waiting for Apple to either make a brilliant move or blunder (an expensive wager) and then step in to enjoy the market that Apple works to establish with tablet PCs. The great part is that there are so many consumers that will gladly take a second rate device for cheaper money and in their mind think that they not only got a deal but now are keeping up with Joneses who all have iSlates or iTablets or whatever the devil Apple may hold. I actually think it benefits both Microsoft and Apple for them to release their products in tandem. It adds to the rivalry and people love that. Not to mention, they're certainly going to be compatible with only their respective products so a long time Mac user isn't going to be stolen nor will a longtime Windows user go over to the iSlate.
My work here is dung.
Tablet shmablet. Do you see the ads on TV for the Dell computer with touchscreen? Can you imagine the hurt you would be in after an hour or so with your arm raised up off the desk to reach the screen?
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
I'm part of that group and I have no interest in the thing at all.
Just Sayin'
AT&ROFLMAO
No, people haven't liked tablet PCs because what they've seen are useless tablets that can't convert to laptops. Others have seen too many heavy tablet PCs by companies like Acer that suck. Lenovo Thinkpad tablets are the best the industry has to offer.
For this new tablet to succeed, it will need to be lighter, yet allow people to install third party applications.
One think I've noticed is that websites are poorly optimized for gesture-based navigation? If any novel UI implementations are going to come out of an Apple tablet, this is probably the place to look.
I doubt there's "latent demand for device bigger than smartphone smaller than laptop". It either fits in a pocket or doesn't: IPhone already fits in, netbooks & laptops already fit "out".
Ok here is my take on it...
If it can't fit in my pocket then I won't be buying it. I would like a device that is like old scrolls and roll out. Folding it neatly into my shirt pocket when I don't use it. At most four times larger than a ball point pen.
Anything else is stone-age.
For all the bitching and moaning that a lot of the Slashdot crowd does about Apple and how overhyped/overrated/overpriced/over-everything their products are, I think most would have to grudgingly agree that Apple has driven innovation in the marketplace. This is a story that has been repeated a number of times:
1) A class of product exists in the marketplace, but has only received lukewarm adoption for a variety of reasons.
2) Apple enters the market with their own device, which has a bunch of features that may or may not have been seen in other devices, but on the whole is a very well integrated package. Somehow, they saw a way to make the product work.
3) Consumers see Apple's product, like it, want it, and buy it in large numbers.
4) Profit for Apple.
5) Competitors see Apple's success in that market segment and begin to rush in with their own products. Some are just copycats: adding or removing a feature or two from Apple's benchmark. The smart ones see what made Apple's product a hit, absorb the new technological paradigm, and introduce their own innovative take on it.
6) Consumers see the competitor products, like (some of) them, want(some of) them, and buy (some of) them in large numbers.
7) Profit for competitors, maybe.
8) Profit (continuing) for Apple, maybe.
9) Consumers have many choices or amazing gee whiz products that are vastly superior to what existed before Apple's entry into the marketplace. Win.
It certainly doesn't always happen this way. But it has happened often enough.
Steve Balmer seems to be naming everything in sight "Slate". I heard he named his cat Slate. They definitely seem convinced it's going to be named "iSlate". It'd be the greatest hoax in history if Jobes came out, held up a mini chalkboard and chalk and just said "got ya!" The flying chair would cause a sonic boom.
The iPhone is why I have low hopes for an Apple tablet. Apple has demonstrated that they're willing to turn computing back 30 years and put stupid restrictions on their devices for the sake of control. I don't trust them to make a tablet that's open and has all of the capabilities that a device like this should have.
The reason I want a tablet computer is that that I can write on it with a stylus like a pencil, and take notes, including sketches and mathematical and engineering symbols, on what is essentially a limitless notebook, and on top of this I can annotate my notes with audio, video, and hyperlinks.
And on top of this I would like to store my textbooks in it.
I could go to school with one single item.
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
The majority of PAD users aren't going to give 2 flips for photoshop, per se. For the most part, they'll be doing what people do now. Email, IM, shopping, surfing. Writing and now, reading.
You fail to realize that it has an influence on the people who aren't artists. Average people look at Macs and PC's and think that Macs are the fun computers and PCs are the work computers, why is that?
Because the people who WORK on the Macs are the people who draw for a living, compose music, make videos, etc. They are the people who have the jobs Cubible Joe wish he could have (and are obviously successful enough at it to afford apple products).
This "Niche Market" is what drives alot of other people to Apple.
My iPhone just isn't that big a deal. I don't understand why everyone thinks the iSlate will be.
I'm using a convertible tablet right now, and I've been using them for ten years. Big whoop, Apple's making one.
Yawn.
StoneCypher is Full of BS
As a nod to the Newton and a play on "eye of newt."
Their they're doing there hair.
Apple knew they'd be releasing after CES, so they had to play the expectation game to depress sales of competing products. Would you buy a tablet now if you knew that a company that has a track record of being a game changer is going to release a tablet? We know the design will be elegant, and we know through patent searches their tablet could have some interesting features. What will it do? Think of what market they haven't disrupted? That is a clue to the possible functions of the tablet. Will they even release a tablet? We won't know until the Steve says "one more thing."
photosMy Photostream
Can we wait with more speculative crap "stories" until there's more substance to this tablet rumor than there is to Duke Nukem Forever?
You were modded 'Flamebait"?!?!
WTF, there are Google fanbois now?!?
Jesus Titty Fucking Christ, people! It's an operating system. It's a product of a giant corporation. Apple, MS, Google, IBM etc... are businesses!
It never ceases to amaze me how folks can base their identity on the stupidest shit and get insulted because of a comment about a PRODUCT!
Some of you are just as stupid as the "sheepeople" you like to disparage.
I am completely on board with this concept because if it is anything like what I imagine I could use it to replace the reams of worthless legal pads and loose note papers I have strewn all over my desk. I need to take notes on something the size of a pad of paper, preferably be able to use a pen/stylus to freehand, and now with the ability to easily catalog, date, and label the notes this is a dream come true.
As a bonus I imagine you could pop up a little virtual keyboard on it and use it to work on little side projects on a train/plane/etc. I would also not be completely honest if I didn't acknowledge the star trek TNG angle and the warm fuzzy feeling it gives me...life imitates art.
while [ 1 ]; do echo -n -e "\xe2\x95\xb$((($RANDOM&1)+1))"; done
So will it come with a warning to not wear a red shirt while using one?
Squirrel!
unless they work out Flash for it and the iphone, it'll flop in my opinion.
Bill Atkinson outlined a plan for a "magic slate" in his "HyperCard Handbook" over 20 years ago.
The Newton was a step in that direction, as was Sony's MagicLink; after that (about 1995) nothing happened.
I agree with those who say that the smartphones have made such devices seem to be too little, too late.
At this point, what would a "magic slate" do that a smartphone with a larger screen, larger hd, and wifi capability couldn't/wouldn't do?
No mention of Go Corporation and PenPoint (Jerry Kaplan's _StartUp_ should be required reading for everyone who writes anything about pen computing). The NCR-3125 came out in 1991, running one's choice of Windows for Pen Computing or PenPoint.
Fujitsu in particular has been doing pen computers running various versions of Windows for a long while, w/ models of the Fujitsu Stylistic ranging from the 500 (1993 or so) to the contemporary ST6012.
William
(whose NCR-3125 was donated to the Smithsonian by the guy he sold it to)
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
As someone who has worked as both a graphic artist AND a programmer, I can assure you that I would rather be cubicle Joe. As an aside, I find Macs to be a pain in the rear. I prefer Linux.
And as far as computers go, Macs are niche market. The majority of human activity has little to do with the direct creation of art.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
What would you use it for?
Movies, as you mentioned. Or games.
A web browser that has no keyboard
There exist web browsing use cases that need no keyboard, but you don't see these if your web use clusters around posting on forums and editing wikis.
and likely is only useable in your house where you (presumably) have a desktop/laptop.
Unless the device has either a SIM or CSIM slot or a USB port for an external 3G radio. Or unless someone else in the house is using the desktop/laptop. Or unless you're at a public hotspot.
iDon't
"But this one goes to 11!"
1977 actually.
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fifpxqy5ld0e
It's nothing new, apple already did this with the Newton platform. That was a cool device. The new inewt looks cool too
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Newton
http://www.theapplecollection.com/design/macdesign/iNewt2.html
Actually, everything I do for my job - software engineering for the Solaris platform - is done on my Mac laptop. The only exception is Outlook, for which I switch the KVM over to the company supplied PC.
Truth, Justice. Or the American Way.
Pixel QI (combo LCD & eInk screen) is supposedly shipping screens, but nobody's announced that they're using them. A brand new ultra-cool technology that seems almost custom made for the Jesus Pad. It also makes sense as a way to one-up everyone else. Why buy a $300 Kindle or Nook when for $450 you can buy an iSlate which has color AND month-long battery life if you so desire it.
Of course, I'm personally still hoping it'll have 2 cameras and videoconference capabilities. I'm using a netbook for something like that now, and it needs some work. Done right, it could be a killer app. (But then again, there's a reason we don't have videophones now...)
"Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples
And I understand the first part. I WOULD claim I'm a graphic artist if I were any good at it, but I do dabble in it for some side projects, but all in all I prefer the nice logical problems that programming offers. Macs are also annoying around our office. Why they need to use Keynotes over a power point or even one-note or some FOSS that could do they same task I don't know.
But I'd be hard-pressed to say that Macs are a niche market. I'll admit that when people ask me "Why a Mac over PC" I tend to mention the niche market things, only because they are what set Macs apart. But with their whole iLife system (which I have not tried, nor do I have any intention to) it seems like they have actually made a product with everyone (or everyone rich) in mind. Thats not to say I couldn't find an equally good product system on the PC that will do the same thing, but the point is that Macs are no longer JUST for Artists, even though thats one of the major reasons they sell.
yet you have time to comment on the subject and let it bother you. go figure...
about tablet computers to date. What's going on? Xconomy's analysis makes three points. 1) Previous tablet makers have shown little imagination around UIs and how a touchscreen changes things. 2) With the iPhone, Apple has shown what's possible in this regard
Yeah. As a 2-year+ iPhone owner:
For all the uneducated jokes about 1-button mice, the touchscreen UI is even worse. I like the trackpad swipe shortcuts on my MBP for home/end and back/forward, but I have yet to use a single one of the multitouch actions (the stretch/rotate ones, for example.)
Please help metamoderate.
My buddy has a WINCE cell phone. It sucks ass because you need to touch it with a stylus, and because you can't find anything through the 7 levels of menu hell.
My iPhone seems to have everything I need no more than 2 fat finger touches away. There aren't any flyout menus.
This exact same problem is why Windows tablets suck and will continue to suck. WINCE is just WINDOWS writ small.
PS I know it's not WINCE anymore, but it makes me WINCE to look at it.
Because the people who WORK on the Macs are the people who draw for a living, compose music, make videos, etc. They are the people who have the jobs Cubible Joe wish he could have
You sure about that? Having known substantial numbers of these people, they don't seem especially happy or fulfilled.
(and are obviously successful enough at it to afford apple products).
Or they have indulgent parents who supply them with money while they work their dead-end freelance graphics designer jobs. Or they're willing to splurge on computers while splitting rent with 5 other "artists" in a run-down loft in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
I want to get a mac so I can become succesful
How many people do you know with the same position? How many are in the same company and how many are in different companies?
(I'm actually just curious this has nothing to do with point/counterpoints)
>They are the people who have the jobs Cubible Joe wish he could have (and are obviously successful enough at it to afford apple products).
Ive seen the "envy" argument so many times its baffling. An Apple computer isnt a 100,000 car or a million dollar home. Its as affordable as any higher end PC. I think this stinks of the 'faux riche' attitude many young middle class people suffer from and leads to heavy credit card debt and collapsing mortgages.
As far as "Joe Cubicle" wishing he was a graphic designer? Err, what grounds do you have to make that statement? Im in IT and I dont want to work in art or advertising. All the GDs I have worked with made less money than me and were constantly stressed about deadlines and the whims of the marketing directors/bosses who dont know what they want. They all seemed more than a bit miserable. No one envied them. Maybe you do. Perhaps you should stop projecting and go to art school and buy a bunch of Apple products.
Owning this niche market didn't help Apple to expand the Mac consumer base for decades.
They've owned the graphics space since forever, but that alone didn't make them cool/fun for average people - it just made the PC the work computer, and the Mac the computer for 'that one graphics person at work'.
Freedom is the freedom to say 2+2=4, everything else follows...
Unless Apple is planning some truly revolutionary new input (in terms of computers) on this device, I don't see how it will be able to tell us anything about alien life/air/soil samples. We've seen other tricorder-like devices before; hell we've even discussed them on slashdot before. And this Apple tablet is a long ways from that.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
They do have an integrated spell check....
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
I live eat and breath linux every single day but when it comes to devices my iphone is not
something I would want to live without. It is practical and does nearly every single thing
I need it to do and does it well. The iphone market penetration is huge and still growing
it is going to take some real wow factor for google to unseat it. I still have not seen a android device
yet that has the capability to come close. A software feature is not going to do it apple can respond
quickly enough to counter, same with hardware apple can respond fairly quickly to any threats.
As a programmer I would like to see it be a little more open but I understand the general
public could really care less about that.
Got Code?
Hence the hopes for the iSlate which are so high that it may be difficult for even Apple to meet them.
Anyone who regularly reads rumors about Apple products knows that this is always true. The expectations set from rumors and fanboys are always too high for Apple to meet.
It may be 7 digits, but at least it's a semiprime
The GP's link is precisely what they need. The dominant battery drainer for an LCD screen is the backlight. The e-book readers get their tremendous battery-life in part because they don't have a back-light. It seems like if you could design any tablet, you would want an LCD that could act as e-paper, i.e. still get a decent readable image in direct sunlight without a back-light, but have the option to turn the back-light on for low-light or situations where a higher intensity color (e.g., watching a movie) would be beneficial that would be the best of both worlds. If Apple has somehow managed to do that, I would be very impressed and it really would revolutionize the tablet market and compete well with the kindle to boot.
Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the war room!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
start talking about how Apple couldn't possible do anything new and then argue that they might?
If so, can we just copy old post from when Apple was going to release an mp3 player and replace mp3 with tablet?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
How long will it take before Dell, HP and the like copy this tablet innovation?
Utilizing the synergization of benchmark e-solutions to pre-workaround action items!
Edit a complex video? what huge advantage does portability and low power consumption bring to video editing?
What we need is something with a decent interface, USB ports, and tons of free software. The USB ports must be there so you can hook up a keyboard. TFA is wrong: virtual keyboards still suck, and will suck. Handwriting recognition cannot be fast and accurate without retraining the writer. Voice recognition is cute, but for most people cannot be the basis for a sustained interface: unless you have a compelling need to use your voice, it's usually slower than typing, far less accurate, unwieldy to edit, cognitively consuming (as you must concentrate on the screen transcribing your spoken words), and socially awkward (until, at least, the computer talks back).
So if the task requires extensive texual input, it's going to require a real keyboard. What are the odds that Apple's 1G tablet will have a USB port that works in host mode, or a non-proprietary accessories connector?
As a tablet user for two and a half years, I have an idea what they're useful for: a helluva lot. Every task where a computer can help, but isn't the focus of the activity works better with a tablet. Every task where a computer is too heavy, or has too awkward power requirements works better with a tablet.
Every task that works better with some other portable gadget is not for a tablet. You want a phone -- get a phone. You want a camera -- get a camera (now, a decent webcam that works with * and Skype is a different story). Windows 7 ain't gonna fly here: a tablet needs to be instant-on, and low, low power (think ARM). So, maybe the iSlate will take off; hopefully someone else will succeed in selling something better. But the market will soon explode with every variant.
Dell had a foundation for building products in this size and got run over by the smartphones and "one device for all" movement. So if there's a tablet movement it will be with little satellite devices via bluetooth to make it a bag phone that happens to be a computer. Only take it out when you need to, otherwise, voice dial with the earpiece. But only within 30 feet of your briefcase. What goes away comes back later...
"I got it all together but I forgot where I put it."
I have a iphone and when I am not near a computer it is perfectly capable of doing what I need to do on the go. My next
step up would be a laptop nearly all the power of a desktop with the portability built in. The tablet is somewhere in
the middle so it really does not interest me in the least. Its cool but in everyday life I would really have no need
for it.
Got Code?
That's exactly what I meant but the 7334 h@xorz @ /. don't know there is more than technical stuff on this planet. ;)
-- Cheers!
This just goes to show that the world is finally listening to what I've been saying for YEARS, namely we need to ditch all this tied-to-a-carrier smartphone BS and bring back the PDA. Small device, pile of processing power, able to run general purpose software, buttload of storage, touch screen, go.
Ive seen the "envy" argument so many times its baffling.
The envy arguement I was making was about their job description and not the machine they use. Which you addressed later in your post so I'll jump there.
As far as "Joe Cubicle" wishing he was a graphic designer? Err, what grounds do you have to make that statement?
The success of games like Rockband, Drawn to Life/scribblenaughts, or even those silly "Make your own Movie" sims they've got out there. The games that target people who wish they were a rock star, or a graphics artist, or a film producer.They're doing particularily well. Those jobs that Macs do particularily well...
Until Apple starts shipping mobile systems with a GTX 280M they're systems are completely uninteresting.
A stylus should push impossible over to irritating.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
I am cubicle Joe and I want to work as a graphics designer. How do I get started? Do I grow a pony tail get a Macbook hang out at a coffee shop all day and act as though I am superior to everyone else? Will that net me a trust fund and a girlfriend in a corduroy skirt?
WTF? Wanting to be a rockstar is like wanting to be a GD? Haha right. A rockstar is a millionaire who tours the world. A GD is the sad looking guy in your office who shares a loft with 5 other artists in a bad part of town.
Dont just lump a bunch of games together and say "See, these are all the same."
>Those jobs that Macs do particularily well...
Its software, not magic. It runs on an OS. Photoshop runs just fine on my XP machine. Nothing magical happens when it runs on OSX. Well, your wallet gets lighter.
There is no Majority of PAD users...
That is one of apples strong suit... When they make a product they come up with uses for it to make them useful.
What you stated can be done on the iPhone.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Honestly, I am more excited about the HP and Lenovo tablet pc's that were shown at CES this year.
Both of those look pretty sick, and the HP 1 in particular is pretty cool. It works as a laptop, but then you can twist the screen to have the screen over the keyboard to make it s tablet pc (check google to see videos of it, there are a couple videos out there).
I have no clue why people buy into the Apple hype every single time one of their products is on the horizon. Seriously, there are other options besides buying into the Apple hype.
The world is how you make it
I'm sitting in an Aeron chair in front of a brand spankin' new iMac, neck deep in Perl code to automate stuff on heavily-customized FreeBSD servers in my sweet new office at a job I just started last month. The rest of the employees (software engineers, i do tech support and system administration) are also on Mac hardware. I also recently obtained a MacBook Pro for myself and unloaded a bunch of PC hardware on my friends.
With virtualization I can run BSD (FreeBSD and Dragonfly BSD in my case), Linux (usually CentOS), Windows Vista, or whatever else I want to run. I have a real UNIX host OS with nearly all the tools that I need/want (hey, apple, where's my 'vmstat' ? seriously... wtf?), and when I want to relax and work on hobby stuff I can run Photoshop and Lightroom (I've made a hobby of photography on and off since I was about 12 and recently made the switch from 35mm to digital SLR to encourage myself to go out and shoot more).
I used to make fun of Mac hard core before OS X came along, and took a really long time to get into it, but now that I work with it a lot, I'm pretty impressed. I studied literature and history in college and know a lot of art school people through my sister, so I always knew a lot of Mac users. I wouldn't say I'm particularly artistic (photography is every bit as much a science as it as an art, but I can't really draw for shit... I'm a half-decent writer though). That said, I'm actually kind of excited about the possibility of an "iSlate" myself.
I have a Wacom tablet and I can doodle fairly efficiently (about as well as I'm able to) on it in Illustrator, but if I didn't have the disconnect between where I was drawing and where the picture was appearing, it'd be nice. If the tablet had a little thing for a stylus like a Palm Pilot and used the Inkwell stuff natively so I didn't have to get my grubby fingers over the screen all the time, then I think it'd be something nice to just chill out with on the sofa and read or sketch. Whether or not it'd be good for "serious" art work or anything, I don't know, but I'm not a serious artist so my opinion doesn't really matter on it.
A lot of tablet devices in the past have seemed like they might be neat, but turn out to be sort of #fail. If this is done right, then I think that it would be really popular and depending on pricing I may be inclined to pick one up in the future (I doubt I'd be a first-gen adopter). Otherwise, this might just turn out to be an expensive gamble, but there will still be a lot of people who buy them and use them just 'cause its an Apple product and convince themselves its bad-ass to avoid buyer's remorse.
However, its not official yet so there isn't really anything to get worked up about with this specific product. Time will tell and if its real, then I'll be willing to at least check it out.
It is just PR firms hyping it up, combined with "technology" journalists that know little about journalism, less about technology, but love Macs because that's what the news room has.
The really funny thing to me is that they act like this tablet is something new and amazing. No, not at all actually. Tables PCs have been out for years. In fact Windows 7 has quite good tablet features integrated right in to it. Install it on a tablet system, or add a tablet to a desktop (there are desktop tablet input devices made by people like Wacom) and it turns on a whole bunch of related features like text recognition and so on. There are also convertible laptops. One of our professors uses those. They have a tablet screen, but a normal keyboard and touch pad. You can use them like a normal laptop, or twist the screen around and close them with it exposed and use them like a tablet.
This isn't a case of them boldly forging in to a new market, this is them releasing a device that has been around for years. As such all I've seen is PR/fanboy hype, and little in the way of genuine enthusiasm.
If Apple hasn't even announced the damned thing yet, then why are we calling it the "iSlate"? Has slashdot really sunken so far as to making up product names for products that don't even exist? What is wrong with just saying "speculated Apple tablet"?
Hell, even just saying "iTablet" would be more bearable...
"linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
I don’t. Nobody I know does. Nobody I know even knows it exists. Most don’t even care.
I also don’t care.
I generally don’t buy products from certain companies. Amongst them Apple, Microsoft, Monsanto, Halliburton, Eli Lily, Elsevier, any **AA company (Sony gets a special mentioning for being in there twice), and so on.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Just like there are musicians who tour around all over town in a broken down van trying to get by doing public gigs at the local bar.
There ARE a margin of very successful Artists and Graphics Designers to reflect how many successful rockstars there are.
You think the guys who worked on Avatar got half your salary?
You think the guys who do Blizzards Concept art don't get paid?
I personally know graphics designers who drive Ferraris simply because they can colour co-ordinate web pages better than I can.
If you have never looked at art, and wished that you could produce something of the same quality, then that is one characteristic you don't share with alot of people.
Look, no one is playing "Designer Hero" like Guitar Hero. People arent clamoring to match colors to a palette. Its sad you cant accept this fact.
fanboy spelled backwards is asshat.
What Apple Tablet?
Indeed. but it is still of some interest, as the submission says: given the public's utter apathy about tablet computers to date. A lot of that is because the Windows-based offerings from other manufacturers have been clunky and generally second-rate. If Apple can pull off a successful hardware release, I won't be sad. A decent, lightweight, non-bulky tablet computer will suit a lot of people (including me, if I can afford it).
But I suspect Apple only has the one shot at it. Like the MacBook Air, the iSlate idea might be just a bit too far ahead of its time.
>Who writes anything anymore?
Mathematicians, Engineers, Physicists, and basically anyone in a technical field of work or study have to resort to writing because inserting mathematical or engineering symbology on-the-fly while typing is very tedious at best.
I love typing, and I am very fast at it, and it worked great for all of my liberal arts studies.
But for the real work, I have to use pencil and paper.
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
I've seen the product you are speaking of, and it was clever. Basically you would draw on special graph paper, and by touching symbols at the bottom of the page the pen would know it was time to record audio, or an annotation, or whatever.
The problem with it is that at the end of the day it is still a real pen and paper. A notebook is still going to be a physical notebook limited in size and capacity as a normal notebook. Yes, it is clever that you can annotate things to it, and even download the notes into a computer, but I'm stuck with real paper for the data entry. I want to skip the paper and draw right on-screen.
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
Maybe turtleneck universe, but when I was working in printing (which is really part of the design world) we had Macs (G4's and the like - really ancient stuff), the vast vast vast majority of all the machines used in production were Windows machines. Reason? Cost - pure and simple.
The sad reality is that all these once niche apps run on Windows and Mac these days and they generally run faster on Windows - not because Macs are slow, but Apple generally have a lot longer hardware upgrade window for some reason.
Case in point: the fastest Mac's money can buy are Core 2 based 3 GHz machines where you can already get i7's and AMD systems on the PC side that are faster and more efficient at the same clock speeds for less money than Apple is selling their stuff - and i7's have been out since last year.
And as far as computers go, Macs are niche market. The majority of human activity has little to do with the direct creation of art.
I work for a federal government agency and the developers (myself included) ALL use Macs with more on the way. It's not a niche, it actually works for us. "Macs are a niche market" is a phrase from previous 2006.
i suspect apple may indeed have a better chance here then previous, and upcoming, windows based products, because what microsoft did was basically bolt on stylus/finger input on top of the existing windows ui.
sure, that allows them to leverage the existing software ecosystem, but its a ecosystem thats been focused on a mouse pointer that can hover over a area of the screen without there being a interaction unless a physical button is pushed.
so if apple comes up with a "islate" it will be based on the iphone ui, not the osx ui, and as such will have limited software at first (tho i suspect they will have a quick route to port iphone apps using the new screen size and some new api).
what i find interesting right now is not the win7 based products showed of at ces, but the android based smartbooks and other related products. See the HP demo for instance, where they have reworked the keyboard and trackpad to fit android use. The problem for android is the same as for iphone, where a larger screen may require a reworking of the UI of a app. This unless it was made using vector graphics in the first place (or where its mostly text, so it can be reflowed to fit). Still, android is the newcomer, and have less inertia built up (altho apple have a history of giving the third party developers the proverbial middle finger if needed, unlike for example microsoft, whos old dos bugs still exist in some form to attempt to keep old software still working) and so can get interested parties to adapt to new screen sizes quickly (they introduced support for variable screen sizes in 1.6, iirc).
and so far i would say that the fragmentation of android have been minimal, as the interfaces shown are more or less reskins of the android interface, with some extra widgets and similar added. And android was built for this level of modification. The one place where one may notice a issue is with apps using the NDK to get extra speed, rather then working thru the java vm.
comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
Wikipedia:
Drawn to Life is an action-adventure/platform game for the Nintendo DS developed by 5TH Cell and published by THQ.[1] In the game, players create their own playable characters, level objects and accessories by drawing them using the DS's stylus and touch screen.
Sales
According to Next-Gen.biz from the game's launch (September 2007) until March 1, 2008 the game had sold 820,000 units for the North American and Western European territories and was ranked 61st of the top 100 selling video games of the last 12 months.
QED: Designing obviously doesn't have the same fanbase as music but people DO enjoy it.
Not the eurly 1980's. 1977 to be exact.
I, for one, could hardly care less about an Apple tablet.
-Rich
I buy a smartphone because it can fit in my pocket plus do phone calls, email, browsing, video, cameras, games, and some light special purpose business apps.
I buy a laptop because there are times when a smartphone isn't beefy enough, I need to do serious data input, document editing, presentations, or just about anything else I can do with a desktop.
I see no compelling reason for any tablet to replace either of these devices. If I want convenience, I can grab my smartphone. If I want power and am willing to put up with a device that won't fit in my pocket, I can grab my laptop or netbook.
I certainly wouldn't think "Hey, what I really need is a larger smartphone that won't fit in my pocket or a laptop without the nice tactile keyboard I am used to."
So - the negatives of a tablet are that it won't fit in your pocket and doesn't have the single, reliable input device we are all familiar with - the keyboard. In my mind, the pluses would need to be significant to overcomes these drawbacks.
If it had a roll-up or fold up screen that allowed it to still fit in my pocket, while having the power of a laptop, you might get me to take a second look.
1)
the iPhone and touch keyboard are the best out there for that screen size, I wish my G1 implemented a similar style.
2)
You need t get the right kind of glove.
I use these:
http://www.rei.com/product/305045
or make your own using conductive thread:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/03/diy-touchscreen-gloves-are-as-simple-as-a-few-stitches/
3)
The iPhone touch screen is awesome, and I wish they would enable multipoint touch on my G1.
I find it useful as hell on my iPod Touch. I'm not sure what you are doing, or what you mean by 'actual work'.
I would have got one, but it is/was lacking features compared to the G1. TO many to give up in exchange for a more stylish phone with a great UI.
If T-Mobil comes out with a family plan for the Nexus one, I'll grab one in a heart beat.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Yes, and the sales of the bedazzler are pretty impressive too, but something tells me people arent envious of bedazzing cell phones.
Not to mention there is a difference between drawing and design. Not to mention a difference between all those things and fine art.
Among the engineers / developers I know, I seem to be an isolated case, though a few people have expressed interest. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that my MacBook Pro is personal property and I'm pretty sure I'm in a "grey area" as far as its use within the business. If someone from IT ever checked, I might get in trouble, but no one in my group has complained in the three years I've been doing this. The files I create are all interoperable; I'm not making anyone adapt to my way of doing things, so what's to complain about?
Truth, Justice. Or the American Way.
Um, I think we're just witnessing Apple's marketing campaign, and boy they must be spending a bundle on it. They have to cut through the clutter somehow....
*wavy screen*
1) Apple can't beat nomad
2) iPod is too expensive
3) If it doesn't play open format, it's in no way competing with nomad/creative.
*wavy screen*
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
1) Previous tablet makers have shown little imagination around UIs and how a touchscreen changes things.
Previously, a tablet maker had to write drivers and shitty little programs to make their touchscreen work with an existing OS. However, you can't really make a tablet work well using a windowing system designed for a mouse and keyboard; you just can't. Buttons work well, but titlebars don't, menus often don't (concealed by your hand), things like alt texts don't, you can't mouse over screen edges to make hidden menus pop up or do similar things, there are trouble with any parts of the system when you have to get the pointer to something a few pixels wide, etc. So unless improved features are built into the OS, or you hack an open windowing system like X/KDE/Gnome to accommodate it, using existing OSes is a bad idea.
It requires someone like Apple or Microsoft to modify a full OS enough to really natively support a tablet, and Microsoft doesn't get that sort of thing. They're decent at making things work and they don't look terrible, but they don't innovate, and I think they know it as much as anyone. Apple is the only one who could reasonably be expected to completely rethink their OS enough to accommodate a new paradigm like that.
Friend of mine and I were talking about this earlier in the week. My guess is that there will be something of a tablet and that it will be in the macbook air family. Something like a keyboardless mac book air, but able to use the bluetooth keyboard/mouse they already offer (or a new smaller version possibly for the purpose). This would let the air become even thinner.
Wildly off-the-wall speculation - verizon data card built in or optional.
. 62,400 repetitions make one truth -- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
You can start by not being a pompous blowhard. No. Seriously. Give it a shot. The whole, "Mac people think they're superior" is a load of crap. Know what? Creative, artistic people tend to have a different world view and outlook toward people than, say, Gordon Gecko types. The tools they use make little difference. They can both be pricks, regardless of whether their mouse has one button or two.
Bark less. Wag more.
The only thing I can think of that would be nice about a tablet pc is that it would let you read the internet while laying on a couch.
Is there something else to justify the hype?
No doubt before the iPod was released there was little talk about it in this CS department. If your CS program is worth a crap, there's little time spent on consumer products and trends. The business and marketing programs are more interested in things like the iSlate, not CS.
Seth
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
"We are now living in the Satire Age, where life has become a parody of itself."
Are you saying life has jumped the shark?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Because ont port PowerPoint to os x and have it be compatible with windows version of PowerPoint. Indeed half of your complaints againist mac users are because windows developers can't properly design multi platform software.
Msft leading the way and other developers follow treating mac ports of their software as bastard stepchildren that they wish they never had.
Personally I can't stand iLife any more than I can stand ms office. Both
y computers are macs yet I keep all my data in open cross platform formats. I have had to work at doing that over the years. It isn't easy. Butknowing that I can install just about any os and download the same software to access it is worth it. I just have to figure out how to mount osx disk images across platforms.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
I know several print shops that way. The kind with multiple multi million dollar presses.
The one app msft refuses to port to osx in msft office is outlook. Since exchanges one redeaming feature is combIned email, calendaring and corporate offices tend to go msft only the workers end up running two computers to fill that need. Full exchange support on a mac for both email and calendars will bring millions of more macs into the work place.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
Pants are overrated. May I recommend a Utilikilt? They're sturdy, and have pockets. ... if you live in a windy environment, you may want to wear some underwear. Also, watch out for cold metal chairs.
Pants are less overrated than I originally implied, but kilts are still [sometimes] awesome. ;)
iMac comes in the 3GHz Core 2, i5 and the i7. You may want to go to apple.com and click on the big f'n picture of the iMac before you post next time...
I do agree with you on the "slow" model refresh, but I haven't notice a real need to be on the bleeding edge either...
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
Of course that neglects the point that corporate isn't going to buy you a new computer annualy just because it is faster. It ignores the point that businesses value a computer over a 4-5year period. That the latest hardware is rarely supported or tested well for a good year after it is released.
Macs also tend to be a five year purchase. While windows pc are at best three to four.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
And that, sir, is exactly why Apple is able to command such premium prices for their products. The company has the ability to develop products and features in areas where other companies were unable to detect a demand and opportunity. Innovation isn't just a matter of crossing a technological hurdle.
People mock Apple's products as being popular through marketing. That derision is too narrow in focus as it assumes 'marketing' is limited to slick ad campaigns. Advertising IS a component of marketing, but the real value is in analyzing consumer interests and creating products, identifying the feature sets to be included, and tightly managing the product lifecycle through upgrade paths.
The hype and anticipation surrounding this product release is justified because Apple has a strong track record of delivering products that define and energize categories. Apple didn't event the all-in-one computer. But the iMac made consumers take it seriously enough to buy into the notion of computing without a floppy drive or serial ports (USB & firewire only). Apple didn't invent the portable MP3 player, but they introduced a compelling enough product that it's become a standard to which third-party manufacturers cater (i.e. car stereos, clock radios, jogging shoes, etc.). iPhone- same thing.
So people are excited to see what Apple is going to do in the tablet category. They want to see what can be innovated in this category where other companies have failed to deliver excitement. Hence, "we haven't been lusting for this sort of thing."
Seth
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
that's nice
I'm sitting in an Aeron chair in front of a brand spankin' new iMac...
Why is the brand name of your office chair important enough to mention? Should I be impressed, should your (or rather your boss') choice in chairs woo me, and convince me that your point is correct? Should it elevate you above me, and my poor butt planted in my inferior office chair whose brand isn't memorable, which came from the downtrodden aisles of Costco? Obviously your exquisite taste in office chairs elevates far behind hoi-polloi. To fully realize this American Psycho moment, perhaps we should comment on each others wardrobe and buisness cards too (mine is an elegant copperplate silk screened on heavy-weight ivory paper).
Snarky commentary aside: I don't get the cult-of-apple idea. Apple hardware is the same as PC hardware, the only real difference is the not-BIOS (EFI), and the case styling. The only difference is the software (which is artificially locked to the hardware), which is rather nice, but no longer vastly superior to the alternatives. The fact that you can pay for Parallels to virtualize other OSs isn't really a selling point, since virtualization has existed before. Nor is Boot Camp innovative, since I've been dual-booting computers long before Apple decided it was innovative (same with Spaces, Time Machine, and a lot of other Apple "innovations"). Over time, I've been less and less impressed with Apple's computers and hardware, especially since the Intel switch. Most of their work goes to gadgets, and it seems their computers suffer. (My Mac Mini crashes more than my Windows 7 box, offered as a pointless anecdote).
I have nothing against Apple, or people who prefer Apple hardware. I don't understand the loyalty though (academically I do, it is nothing but a flavor of post-hoc rationalization/cognitive dissonance). All software platforms are pretty much the same, usability-wise, these days. Most PC (yes, Apple is now a PC too) hardware is the same, coming from the same vendors. OS X, various Linux flavors, BSD, and Windows have pretty much the same functionality, and features.
Currently I have a Mac, and a Windows 7 PC running, and am typing this on a laptop with Ubuntu, Vista, and Snow Leopard on it (Hackintosh).
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
You can start by not being a pompous blowhard. No. Seriously. Give it a shot.
I thought you had to be a pompous blowhard to buy an Apple product. If that isn't true, why are all the people I know who own Apple products pompous blowhards?
The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
Whatever is released, it's guaranteed to upset people that have already made up their mind on what Apple *should* release. Apple would be insane to release Snow Leopard on a tablet due to the usability issues, so anyone wanting a desktop-like experience will cry that Apple is epic fail.
However, here's what I think is more likely, and I'd line up on day one to get it:
- General-purpose *browsing* device. Web browser, ebook reader, magazine reader. I can imagine people getting their Vogue or FHM subscriptions through iTunes, and using their tablet to flick through the magazine. (Fully interactive, hyperlink enabled magazines, mind you, not just static PDF's).
- Very slim, shiny hardware. Thin as an iPod Touch. Standby time counted in days. i.e. low-power ARM based CPU
- App Store for application delivery. Why break something that ain't broken (for Apple and customers at least. Dev's will still hate on it).
- One full-screen app at a time UI. Not neccessary limited to running one app at a time, though. Think full-screen office apps, powerpoint viewer, video players. Maybe use existing iPhone apps as widgets.
- Front-facing video camera, for iChat / Skype videoconferencing.
- Games. The iPhone has been massive for handheld games, this could be even better.
The above would be perfect for 80% of home users. Apple can position the MacBook / MacPros for professionals that need all that complexity, and the tablet for everyone else. With a stand and wireless keyboard / mouse, it would also make a cheap home computer, but it would be ready to pick up and go with you at any time. No complicated file system, no hard to use UI, no settings to worry about. Just works.
My wife has been using the 21" Cintiq for five years now for her graphics work for her job. She uses it all day, every day, and not only finds it the perfect tool for art, but also finds it vastly more intuitive for regular use than a mouse or trackpad.
Even I, who have no artistic talent whatsoever, find it easier to draw on a Cintiq than on either paper or a separate drawing tablet.
Maybe you just aren't all that good at using it?
Dan Aris
Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
My anticipation is in whether Apple will again surpass and leapfrog the competition, or will it end its streak of golden/winning devices with this "iSlate" item. To me the whole category of a "slate computer" is too narrow and of course, as all of you know, how many times "slate computers" were duds in the past. My interest is in whether Apple will, again, "foil" their main competitors. To compliment, this buzz has reached such levels that only an outright knockout product revealed would do- anything else wouldn't be good enough. Lets see...
just say'in....
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
The solution for all three of those questions is the PDA. Apparently, all people really wanted was a bigger PDA, and didn't want it shrunk down and merged with a phone.
Bottom line is that is the logic behind tablets. PDAs, like the old Palms and such, had their UIs designed for interactivity through touchscreens. PDAs proved what was possible for that genre way back with the original Palm III (and I don't include that flop called Newton). PDAs were actually growing larger than smartphones, but because people felt strongly that they should die, killed them off.
The real problem, though, was we all kept calling them PDAs, but there was nothing about, for example, the Palm TX or Tapwave Zodiac that really made me think that it was a replacement for a binder with a calendar and todo list.
However, the question remains...will anyone develop an OS specifically for a tablet rocking a 6"x4" (and up) screen, or will they just "grow" their smartphone OS up (or reattempt the tragic Microsoft attempt to "shrink" down their OS and forcefit their desktop ideas into a small form factor). I really don't think iPhoneOS is practical for a tablet, nor is MacOS. There's a medium between the two, but I'd imagine some entirely different UI elements that neither share as well. I'd really prefer to see the linux variants like Android and webOS on a tablet like that, though. The problem with webOS is it's biggest benefit is being constantly connected to the web...and if you take out that phone data plan, you better have wifi everywhere you go or you miss out on its best features. As for Android, it had better fully support multitouch on a tablet, or you might as well run it on a single touch digitizer with a stylus.
home and end keys that go TO THE BEGINNING AND END OF A LINE. LIKE EVERY SANE COMPUTER SYSTEM ON THE PLANET!?!?!?!? what's that you say? I can just ctrl-shift-alt-apple-R-left arrow instead? IF I WANTED TO DO THAT KIND OF SHIT I'D JUST USE EMACS!!!!
Ze Atomic Device! It iz Ztolen!
I really believe that the keyboard (or lack of one) is by far primary issue with tablet computing. Everything else is a niggling issue by comparison.
The first image many people conjure up when someone says "tablet computer" is stuff you see in movies, where people are shuffling images around and "enhancing" them, speaking to someone in a videoconference, playing a game with their hands, etc. That sounds great! In reality, *most* work that *most* people do with computers involves inputting a lot of text: writing a journal or document, putting in web addresses, tagging or naming files, writing emails or instant messages.
The niches where tablets are effective are always the ones where text input is not required: where the bulk of the user's work is reading data that's already on the devices and displayed/organized in such a way that it's "at their fingertips," like the canonical example of a doctor reading a chart.
Until Apple (or anyone else) can figure out how to make the average user's computing experience cease to rely on inputting text, or make a slate computer incredibly cheap so people can justify buying one as a toy that they don't do much with, slates are going to have a hard time in the marketplace. The only convincing example I've heard someone give (I think it was here on /.) was replacing your home magazine rack next to your couch with a net-enabled slate that has a great UI for managing tons of bookmarks to popular sites and a good on-screen keyboard for when you really need to type an address. Unfortunately, a slate that *only* does that is going to be too limited in functionality for most people to bother purchasing it. Most people will continue to purchase what they already do: laptops. They're fine to use on the couch and they do everything else as well, and prices are low.
A detachable/separate keyboard doesn't solve the problem - now you have another part that you need to keep track of that's not chained down somewhere, so you're going to have to find it every time you want to use it, and then wrestle with connectors/hinges/latches to get it on and off. The best solution is a minimal hard keyboard parallel to the screen that slides out when you need to use it. It works, but just like the phones that have them, you're not going to want to type a document with it, so the use of the tablet still needs to be largely confined to activites that require no text input.
If you really want a tablet and really need to write, but like the vast majority of other users out there you still need to input a great deal of text, get a folding/converting laptop. Still the best of both worlds, especially if they get thinner.
I think part of the reason why tablets have failed in the past is because the developers haven't made tablets more 'data appropriate'. They make the tablets in such a way as to display/use data in laptop form. That is, the nearly full ability to manage information (cut, paste, copy, image manipulation, database queries, etc.), but in a form factor that should be attached to a laptop, not a tablet.
The smartphones of today are displaying 'data appropriate' information in a form factor designed for a ~3" screen; that is why they succeed. Typing out a thesis on an iPhone isn't 'data appropriate', but viewing a PDF of a thesis is more 'data appropriate' for the smartphone form factor. I'm hoping Apple will develop a UI that will allow the tablet to be displaying/manipulating data appropriate for its size.
I hope it takes off and that the price is right. I'm sure the former depends on the latter, though.
Fanboys (and maybe even the fangirls) will go crazy when the first jailbreak equivalent allows them to customize sounds and interfaces. I can't wait to see a fully functioning PADD
That's what I get for not bothering to check... thanks AC and jocknerd.
-- Cheers!
... but even in the older powerbooks, there were third-party utilities that gave you the ability to right-click by hitting a certain spot on the trackpad (vs. a dedicated button). And as mentioned, the new MBPs just use the two-finger-tap gesture (or click a certain corner of the trackpad) to render a right-click.
I agree that Mac laptops used to be at a disadvantage with respect to this... but now with the multi-touch trackpads I think they're ahead of the game.
I agree 100% that forcing people to use a mouse with only one button was the dumbest-idea-evar... but those days are gone. You could always plug in a third-party mouse and have the right/middle/scroll buttons work pretty much as expected. Now even Apple has gotten with the program - the "magic mouse" has a virtual right button. You just click on the surface of the mouse where you'd expect the button to be, and you get a right click.
Try vm_stat and iostat.
I just really love this chair... I've never had a job where they gave me such nice stuff before and I'm still in awe of it myself. Plus, I just feel like I'm living the dot-com dream with it. There wasn't really any other point in mentioning it.
Like any professional is going to get an imac right?
Your right - I only looked at the Mac Pro and the laptops.
There are other markets Apple has tried for, and has not disrupted at all. A good example would be the standard server market. Apple has their Xserv line for some time. They are servers targeted at the normal business, who needs something more reliable than a regular desktop (and rack mountable) but has neither the need nor money for a real high availability system. They compete directly with rack servers from companies like Dell and so on.
So what has happened in response to them? Nothing. They have had a negligible impact on the market. People who want a Mac server buy them, others do not. They have not disrupted the server market at all. It continues as it always has.
That seems to be the case of all of Apple's forays in to the business market. While they've not been failures, in that they've made sales, they've caused no disruption, no changes. A limited set of people who are interested in using MacOS for that purpose have bought them, nobody else has really taken notice. Apple is just another company in those markets.
I think you are correct, the only markets they've caused a "disruption" of any kind in are the consumer electronics market and then only on a small subset of that. For that matter there are parts of that market they've tried at and really done nothing. A current example would be the Apple TV. There was the standard flurry of hype when it came out and it has now gone on to become nothing anyone really cares about. Another gadget to hook to your TV, and probably one that sold enough to justify the project, but it hasn't changed the game at all.
Apple has certainly made waves with some products but it is rather disingenuous to pretend that happens with all their products, or that they've done it for all markets.
I haven't seen any comments referencing the Macbook Air. Everyone keeps stating the new tablet could, if it even exists be an oversized iphone/itouch. But has anyone given any real serious thought into the macbook air, possibly reconfigred to have a touch screen on a swivel or something similar? This could provide both a laptop with a keyboard, and possibly a touch tablet similar to other competing offerings, just built on OSX instead of the iphoneOS. Meh, just a thought.
I'm almost certainly not buying this iSlate thingy - I already own a MBP and an iPhone, and don't really need anything in between. But I would most definitely buy an iSlate rather than a Kindle - 1) I can't see paying hundreds of dollars for something that for the most part, just reads books... especially when the e-books are almost as expensive as the paper ones. I would want the thing to be able to browse the web (you know, in full color, etc), view movies, and that kind of thing. 2) The battery life issue doesn't really matter to me, because 99% of the time I've got a plug available. For the few times I don't, I don't mind limiting use to a few hours at a time.
Not to say the Kindle is worthless - if you do a lot of flying, I can see where it would be great. Or if you read outdoors a lot. I'm sure there are other situations where it really shines. But I would find it a lot less useful than something like a giant iPod touch.
same goes for Apple's tablet
Oh yeah I forgot. The batteries must have died again.
"Socially awkward" doesn't even begin to describe it. Can you imagine working in a cube farm where everyone talked to their computers to get them to work? Or even a few people did? I would go stark, raving insane.
There are probably some situations where voice control of your computer makes sense. People with disabilities that affect their hands. Jobs that keep your hands busy with other controls, while you still need to bring up info on the screen. That kind of thing. But I've never really understood the impulse to bring voice control to the masses.
Why don't you have it? For one, there are tablet PCs out there already, have been for quite some time. Vista and 7 in fact have native tablet stuff built in. You install them on a tablet, or add a Wacom tablet to an existing PC and they turn on automatically. A fully functional tablet has been something you could have for many a year, and we indeed do have a few in our department.
Also, you can get something like the Livescribe Pulse pen, which you write on paper with and then upload your notes to a computer later. It can also record audio, and sync what you wrote with the recording.
If you want a computer based, handwritten note system, this is available.
... with the (rumored) Apple tablet, I think Steve would have a hit on his hands. It's not clear to me, though, that you will be able to. Steve has consistently pooh-poohed the idea of either attached physical keyboards or handwriting capture/recognition for the iPhone, which I think bodes somewhat ill for the much-anticipated tablet. Although to be fair, Apple may be warming up to the idea of allowing third-party keyboards with the iPhone (at least the dock port has been freed up for developers to attach third-party hardware to), so there's that.
a penis enlarger that "just worked".
To be fair, this has never been much of an issue for me, even though it's plenty cold enough around here to wear gloves. I just don't need to stand around outside using the iPhone very often, and when I do, I can do without gloves for long enough to get the job done. But yeah, there are definitely some advantages to the stylus+physical keyboard arrangement (former Treo owner here).
Not for Android - for the tier one OEMs. No doubt Microsoft's helpful licensing representatives have already picked up the phone and reminded the big vendors that "Hey, it's got a CPU, so that's a Windows license - and hey, aren't we reviewing your licensing commitment this year? There have been some pricing changes and we'll want to review your partnership commitment."
They'll need to spin off some wholly owned subsidiaries with a few layers of shell companies to hide their tracks before they ship a slate type device with Snapdragon and Android.
But man, the thing looks to be really neat and inexpensive and I hope the indie shops get them soon. HTC could probably build a line of these and sell them direct on Amazon.com for $3-500 and I'd put several of them under the tree this year.
"Original Palm III"? Why, in my day we had Pilot 5000's (yes, I still have mine!). And we liked it!
We are waiting for the iPhone tablet not because of the hardware and the experience. They only have to be better than average, not superlative (viz: iPod, iPhone) We are waiting for Apple because of iTunes.
The formats for magazines, ebooks, and movies will standardize when Apple releases its tablet. I'm not saying that everyone will adopt Apple's standards, just that, when some do, the others will polarize to a few alternatives instead of each one inventing their own form factor.
I'm predicting iFrame to be a big deal on iTunes and the Mac Tablet, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFrame_(video_format) and actually do expect that to become a standard screen resolution for ebook players and slates.
Do not say that everyone has high hopes for it because that would include me and I do not have any hopes for it.
Please change the title to say "Why Some Have High Hopes for Apple Tablet".
No, it's true.
Welcome to the real world and check your "facts". Macs running native Windows usually benchmark faster than dedicated PCs at the same clock speed. Also iMacs are available with i5's and i7's. Of course there are the Mac Pros with dual i7's for a bunch more money.
Nope. Sorry. I just want to see apple & its fanboys rot in hell.
We use iMacs as desktops here. We also have a 8-core Mac Pro running the Xeon "Nehalem" processor. The i7 is a desktop version of the "Nehalem" platform from Intel.
I would put our team firmly in the "professional" category.
The MacBook Pro is currently limited to the Core 2 Duo. However, unlike the tech sites, I believe Apple will refresh the MacBook Pro 15 and 17 with the i5 and/or i7 on January 27. I'm thinking the i7 will be limited to the 17" if it is included in the MacBook Pro line.
I do take my 3 year old MacBook Pro 15 on the road, and I haven't really needed the speed.
Again you need to learn how to visit apple.com before you post.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
Obligatory
My first response was "Everyone, really? I don't have high, medium, or low hopes. I don't need another expensive, stylish fadgadget. Really.
But reading TFA got me thinking... previous tablet offerings have kinda sucked. What I really need is something with netbook capabilities at a netbook price but in tablet form, and I haven't seen anything yet that wasn't half-assed or too expensive or both.
When Apple comes out with a tablet, regardless of what it's like or how much it costs, there will be huge numbers of Apple fanbois lining up overnight to acquire one, which should have the effect of finally waking up interest from other manufacturers, which leads to the possibility that one of them will produce something actually useful at a reasonable price. So it's all good. Go, Apple. Blaze the trail so others can pave it.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
"Because the people who WORK on the Macs are the people who draw for a living, compose music, make videos, etc. They are the people who have the jobs Cubible Joe wish he could have (and are obviously successful enough at it to afford apple products)."
I am a "Cubible(sic) Joe". I have a job that doesn't involve drawing (much), music or videos. Sure, I could work on a Mac -- and I can even afford Apple products.
You are an insulting git.
I'll leave it at that.
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
The problem with computerized handwriting recognition is that people expect it to work every time. When it doesn't, you have to somehow go in through another interface (keyboard for instance) to correct the faulty recognition. That's time-consuming and sort of kills the whole reason to be using the stylus in the first place.
Of course human handwriting recognition fails all the time too. People have trouble reading their own handwriting sometimes. But somehow, it's more frustrating when a $1000+ computer fails at it.
That is why handwriting recognition has never been a hit in the marketplace and likely never will be (at least for the foreseeable future). To meet most people's expectations, the computer would actually have to out-perform humans at recognizing handwriting--a tall order.
The only company that has ever had a successful handwriting-recognition product is Palm, and their secret was to invent a new alphabet that you had to learn. That way when the recognition failed, most people blamed themselves for not writing the new letters well enough. Graffiti solved a user-expectation problem as much as it solved a technical problem.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
A problem that utterly destroyed the work of amateurs like DaVinci, Michaelangelo, and Raphael, right?
You got a problem with the purple Turtle?
And no, I didn't just create this user.
Mmmm.. Donuts
The last time I looked for these sorts of things they cost in excess of $1000.
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
I realized after I submitted my article that I don't really need handwriting "recognition". What I want is the ability to write on digital paper in my own handwriting. As long as I can read the resultant document, that's good enough for me.
Handwriting recognition would be nice, because perhaps it could turn my notes into something more legible and sharable with others.
But really, I just want digital notepaper.
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
I rarely read my notes again, but just using my brain to write them down helped understand and remember. When I didn't take notes the info didn't stick as well.
Your sig was perfect for this comment.
Sweet informative mod.
While musician is still top of the list of dream jobs, graphic artist is most likely second.
Places in design courses are highly competitive, the same as for music courses. Millions of people spend years at the desk on their own for a chance as an artist. So don't tell me it's any different. Most of them dream of being an art director in a big-budget game or movie with hordes of subordinates at their dispense. Yes it's disillusioned, but then most kids wanting to be rockstars don't imagine scraping together a few hours a week in a friends basement and playing at bars on the weekend as part of the lifestyle.
Well, there is Entourage. But every Mac user I know who is using it hates it. I do recall reading somewhere that M$ is finally porting Outlook fully to the Mac, but I don't remember where I read it.
Of course you could always do yourself a a favor and toss the exchange server and replace it with the far superior Kerio mailserver. Then you can use Mac Mail, and iCal on the Mac, and Outlook for the poor bastards still forced to use windows.
http://www.kerio.com/mailserver
If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
If this was Microsoft trolling a Apple release, we'd call it FUD and wonder if the tablet would be made of folding chairs, and if you would throw it to reboot.
I'm not going to get into a price comparison, but Apple does offer the i5 and i7 in the iMac line currently.
http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html
# 21.5-inch and 27-inch models, one of the following:
* 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache
* 3.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache
# 27-inch models only, one of the following:
* 2.66GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache; Turbo Boost dynamic performance up to 3.2GHz
* 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache; Turbo Boost dynamic performance up to 3.46GHz; Hyper-Threading for up to eight virtual cores
They will buy anything that man spraypaints silver.
Microsoft has already announced that they'll ship a Mac version of Outlook with their next release of Office for Mac:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/aug09/08-13MacOutlookPR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press%20Releases
If it works well, this might allow me to drop the PC I keep in my office and just use my iMac.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Don't jinx it, he's only one s away from being successful.
Apple sold over 3 million computers last quarter. About half of the computers they sell through their own stores are sold to people who have never owned a Mac before. There's no way that is driven entirely by people coming into close contact with art departments and music composers. There just aren't that many designers, composers, and video editors in the country; and as others have pointed out, not every designer, composer, or video editor uses a Mac (far from it).
Apple is a lifestyle brand now. The view that their growth is driven by the hard core of designers and fan boys is outdated. That is one reason, for instance, that Apple pulled out of the Macworld conference. They don't need it anymore. They're front-page news in major newspapers and have product placements in all the most popular shows, movies, and magazines. The people they reach through these channels will be the people this tablet is aimed at.
I remember when The North Face was just one of several manufacturers of high-end mountaineering clothing and equipment. Today some climbers still use and prefer TNF gear, but that's not the majority of their sales any more. Most of the down jackets they make today never make it past a cold day's walk. Likewise, most Macs sold today will never run Photoshop.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
But I suspect Apple only has the one shot at it.
Correct in my case, except "had" not "has". I bought into the hype over the Newton, and have nothing but indifference for this.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
I had an Aeron chair once - kept sliding off of it, felt like slippery plactic. Just like a Mac IMO - sytle over usability.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Because Apple user don't know shit until they are SHOWN... LIKE CHILDREN. Actually children are more intuitive than Apple users.
Technology is a big scary monster to Apple~tards them until uncle Apple holds them by the hand and shows them delicately how they can check their email and paint with their fingers.
You have to be a homosexual to buy an Apple product. The pompous blowhard thing is just the people you know.
The one app msft refuses to port to osx in msft office is outlook. Since exchanges one redeaming feature is combIned email, calendaring and corporate offices tend to go msft only the workers end up running two computers to fill that need. Full exchange support on a mac for both email and calendars will bring millions of more macs into the work place.
I disagree with this statement. For one thing, Outlook is supposed to be part of the next release of Microsoft Office for Mac. Secondly, do you not consider Visio to be an "Office" app? Frankly, I think Visio is really the "one app msft refuses to port to osx". I hate Visio, but it gets used a lot by pointy-haired types.
#DeleteChrome
Its similar for me except I use suse linux where the GP uses macos. I am currently setting up a mac for my wife to use for her architectural practice and I have the say the biggest annoyance is that lack of standard, trusted software repositories. I really miss these from working in bsd and linux.
Its back to downloading stuff from random places which is really not good.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
excellent... thank you.
I want a 12" powerbook "app" on my iSlab. Launch it and you get a regular OS X desktop in a super-lightweight package to replace my 12" PB. No need to refactor the OS for multitouch - just use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse for the regular desktop interface. Close the powerbook app and you're back to the mobile OS X interface and multitouch.
That's worth $1000 right there.
Actually, this is like the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in that wasn't like an over-stuffed leather recliner or something of that sort. As to my decision to finally pick up the MacBook Pro, all I can say is that I don't even know how I lived using trackpads before multi-touch. That right there is pretty much a killer feature for me.
The UI of OS X itself is a little candy-coated, but its not bad, and I like the metal case as well, and it seems to be fairly sturdy. Over-all, I'm really happy with the decision though it's not likely to send me on a spending-spree of needing to buy a VM Bug to put the little Apple sticker on the back window or anything like that. I got it for practical reasons and its more than lived up to my expectations, though I don't think its necessarily the best choice for everyone and in all situations... unlike Perl.
I would basically want it for anything I would want a netbook for. I don't tend to do a lot of just straight writing, and I'm definitely not designing in Photoshop or editing video on a netbook.
The biggest question would be text entry, but again--it's not like I'm entering much text when I'm Web surfing. I think I could easily type this comment on a virtual keyboard.
I can think of some cool productivity possibilities with a virtual keyboard. Think of something like coding a Web template--all the places where auto-complete is helpful, like HTML tags, attributes, standard script functions, etc. Instead of autocomplete you would have a constantly adapting "keyboard" of options. Start with a blank page, and your keyboard has "buttons" for the doctype, HTML tag, head tag, body tag, include tag, etc. Add the head tag, and the keyboard gives you buttons for the title tag, meta tags, link tag, script tag, style tag, etc. And every time you go inside a tag, the keyboard has buttons for all the attributes that tag supports. You'd only need to type in some values and placeholder text.
Other people could sell keyboard plug-ins. Buy a "Wordpress" keyboard to add the standard Wordpress API calls as context-dependent buttons. Buy a Jquery keyboard to get Jquery functions as buttons. Etc. Pretty much anything that can get auto-completed in an IDE can also be presented via soft button.
And on top of all that, it will almost certainly have very solid graphic and H.264 chips, meaning it will handle movies and games much better than most netbooks.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
You may want to start here: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/surgery.png
The latest version of Entourage works quite well.
Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
Have you heard of MacPorts and Fink? They're both good for repositories of open source programs. Depending on what you want the software you're looking for might be in one of those two repositories.
God save our Queen, and Heaven bless The Maple Leaf Forever!
You, the article submitter, and Apple fans may be waiting for the next Apple product. But, contrary to TFS's claim, the rest of the world is not.
This is just the first part of the Apple product cycle - it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. The media whips up unsourced weasel worded claims about how "everyone" is interested in what is still nothing more than vaporware, and then as a result of the media awareness, Apple fans go "Look how interested 'everyone' is in it!".
There are plenty of tablets already on the market. Let's have some articles on them, rather than vaporware. If Apple bring a product to market, sure, maybe that might be worth a single article. What's the betting that we'll end up with a single article every day of the bloody year, just like happened with their less than 5% market share phone that they once produced?
Indeed - that's the one that's not vaporware. Predictably though, anything that isn't praising Apple will get modded down, including my own comment I bet.
If Apple can pull off a successful hardware release
If, If, If...
I find it interesting that so much Apple praise isn't just about vaporware, but is about mere hopes of some imaginary product that they should release.
Yeah, and I think it'd be really cool if Amiga release a super new computer that has the latest 3D graphics and costs only $100, that's just the size of a keyboard. Just because I can imagine it doesn't mean that it'll happen, nor does it mean that there's anything good about Amiga or Apple. The products that you or I describe could just as well be released by any company - by all mean describe your dream product, but that's not a reason to say that one company is any better than any other. Let's judge companies on actual released products and actual market share, right?
The really funny thing to me is that they act like this tablet is something new and amazing.
You didn't read the article, did you? The author demonstrates a familiarity with at least some past tablet efforts, and in fact references an article on recent Windows efforts at the end.
Heck, it looks like you didn't read the summary, where it's noted tablets already exist and what the author speculates Apple might do to improve them.
"technology" journalists that know little about journalism, less about technology
The technology journalist who wrote this article appears to both know more and to have thought more closely about tablets than you do...
Tweet, tweet.
Anecdotes are not evidence. I'd have thought most people on Slashdot would get this. But once again, we see the mod abuse: factual information is modded down because it disagrees with the worldview of an Apple fan, whilst your anec
Let's see market share data. Have they breached even 10% yet? And if you're a mod reading this, have the decency to respond with a rational argument, rather than modding down just because you can't bear that some posts an argument that you are incapable of refuting.
By this childhood reasoning, I might as well claim that Amigas aren't a niche, because I have a load in my room. Which is it?
The Mac Pro has been using Xeon 5500s since last year. In fact, the Xeon 5500s were Apple exclusive for about a month before the general PC population could start buying them.
The 5500s are the workstation/server version of the i7.
God save our Queen, and Heaven bless The Maple Leaf Forever!
And the irony is, it's the PC which is what actually people use now for fun (and work), whilst the main use of the Mac has always been as a (niche) work computer.
Apple is a lifestyle brand now. The view that their growth is driven by the hard core of designers and fan boys is outdated.
That doesn't make sense - you're arguing they don't sell to fans, but saying they're a lifestyle brand? I want a computer that just works, and not something that's a "lifestyle brand".
They don't need it anymore. They're front-page news in major newspapers
Apple have always been front page news. They've always been given undeserved amounts of hype, independent of how much market share they actually have - just look at the Iphone. But it's been this way for decades. I imagine it stems for the Mac being traditionally more popular in DTP, so the journalists who write the news are more likely to be Apple fans, and then assume that everyone else must be too.
have product placements in all the most popular shows, movies, and magazines
You do realise that product placement is a form of advertising? Yes, Apple, like most companies, advertise. And obviously they prefer to advertise in popular shows etc. Your point?
Likewise, most Macs sold today will never run Photoshop.
Most Macs today aren't Macs. They're Apple PCs with a "Mac" trademark. Apple may still be around, but the PC won, and custom technologies like Mac hardware and classic MacOS were ditched long ago.
it's going to be called an iPad - I'll wager a Mac Pro tower that iPad will be at least one of the names... there's at least two devices.
Ask Me About... The 80's!
Man, I just kept sliding out of that Aero chair I had, and I even got the right size and spent time adjusting it properly.
I find I'm simply not dexterous enough to get much use out of trackpads. I use a mouse, or when that's just not practical, I use keyboard shortcuts for everything. Perl, is, of course, the best choice in every situation for everyone who has never learned a real language.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Your grandparent poster made a negative reference to "Cubible(sic) Joe". Implying that the artistic type didn't have to work in a cubicle, and made more money.
Your parent poster simply wanted a piece of the action. And asked how that might be arranged. Tongue-in-cheek.
You, sir, are the pompous blowhard.
Now THAT'S what I call the "Apple fanboi" way -- start off with an insulting git, and move to a weirdly self-referential pompous blowhard; all believing that somehow they are providing deeply meaningful comments. It's actually entertaining! Thanks for the grins.
But you know the real take-away for me? You have just given me my new sig!
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
how long has MSFT been releasing Office for the Mac? 10 years? more and the next release is the first with full Outlook support. And this isn't about what Pointy haired types use daily, visio wouldn't be used by graphic designers or printers. so it doesn't matter.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
I dont know anyone that wants a tablet PC. We've had them for years and they're not all that big of a deal. Now a netbook with a removable tablet screen I can can take with me and wirelessly surf the web, watch media, etc? Now that I'd like. Or just ditch netbook/laptop features and give me a lightweight, durable, 12" touchpad to use like an iPhone, apps and all.
"On a scale from 1 to 10, people are stupid"
"Small, no microwave, closed source Apple. Lame"
Slightly adapted.
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
I recently watched my mom (generation 60+) struggeling with a touchscreen notebook I once got her. Having the expectations on Apples Tablet in mind, I wondered if Apple could address the generations of the 'older' ones with such a device: Basically most 'older' ones ( ok. there are techies amongst them, but for the majority I think its true ) use PCs ( Notebook whatever ) for email, Webbrowsing, maybe a bit of Flickr / youtube and reading a couple of magazines. When I listen to my mom, most of her problems have nothing to do with what she wants to do, but with the complexity of the interface and underlying technology. If Apple could produce a tablet that makes the basic popular things you do with a computer easily accessable for extreme non-techies ( like my mom ) could this open up the whole "computer- and internet thing" to the generation of "the old ones" ?
Is there a mod for '-1 unintelligible'? There should be...
> I remember people talking about the iPhone and how they were planning to get one
Correct me if I am wrong, but was that not after the iPhone has been demonstrated on stage?
> why can I not find anyone talking about the Apple tablet now?
I think it is too early for that kind of buzz. Iff the iSlate is announced but won't be shipping until months after the first demonstration, then the comparisons to the iPhone launch can be made.
I paid the going retail price for a Windows screen reader and got a free Unix computer!