First of all, Apple has it's own market. The folks who buy their products and are fans are not going to be swayed too much, if at all, by a cheaper price from MS for a similar gadget.
Tell that to all the iPod and iPhone users who have a Windows desktop/laptop.
iMac, iPod, and iPhone all serve well-defined markets that were established before these specific products were available.
I have to disagree there. MP3 players were pretty niche before the iPod. Same goes for smartphones, although not to the same extent.
What is the iSlate (or whatever) bringing to the table that will have it succeed where others have failed?
A decent interface? The same thing that has made both the iPod and iPhone household names. Not to mention the iTunes store and a strong developer community.
I'm not sure if Apple's tablet will be as popular as either the iPod or iPhone, but I'm sure it will be a success and ignite the tablet industry.
A "Me-Too" device that is one of a long line of such devices that have run their OS..
To be fair, all of Microsoft's past tablet efforts have simply been shoehorning a desktop OS into a tablet. If they're smart, they won't be taking this approach yet again.
Bill Gates thought so back in the early '90s. Hasn't happened yet.
Yeah, probably something to do with the shoehorning approach.
Steve Jobs killed tablet projects like he was playing whack-a-mole for years.
Probably just waiting for the hardware to catch up. It seems up to the job, now.
True. Although, software can help solve that problem. Also, with something as large as a tablet, width and height are generally not as important as they are for a pocketable device, so bigger bezels make even more sense.
That might be a bit better but it still means you have put two screens in a device just because neither display is ideal. Space taken up by the other display, the housing, and the hinge mechanics is space that you could use for a higher capacity battery to compensate for the higher drain of an LCD or OLED display. Yes, then you no longer get the readability benefits and the battery life still won't be as good, but are those issues really that important? For a dedicated eBook reader, I'd say so, but not for a more general purpose tablet device. I know I'd rather haul around both an Apple tablet and a Kindle rather than a device that tries to do both and does it poorly.
I think you are missing the link between function and aesthetics in design. People often favor a design with good aesthetics, not just because of some over-ruling emotion response, but because it's often a reflection of good functional design. It shows that someone has spent a lot of time and energy thinking about the product, and that they understand certain design principles. This doesn't mean that good looking designs are always functional, of course, but they aren't on the opposite sides of a spectrum like some people here seem to think -- they are quite ingrained together. Design is about communication and aesthetics is a language many people understand. OK, that's enough designer-speak for this place today.
As much as I like the innovation to that goes into such ideas, I can't help but think of this as a hack to try and get the best of both worlds. I think it's poor design. Not to mention the problems with dual screen interfaces.
I'm not interested in doing drawing/photo work on a tablet unless it has pressure sensitivity, like a Wacom tablet. Perhaps something will be available aftermarket for Apple's tablet, but I don't expect it to come with anything other than a capacitive touchscreen -- it certainly won't be shipping with a stylus, let alone anything more advanced. I doubt very much that it will be targeted for artists, although I'm sure some good apps will appear for that. It's main function will be for web browsing and multimedia, because that's what mainstream users will want from a tablet. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but most people don't do much typing when they're just browsing the web, reading things, or watching videos, so losing the keyboard to make a more portable device will make a lot of sense to many people, especially if they've used an iPhone.
If you're a Linux user and work in the engineering field, chances are you have a different idea of counts as easy to use from most people. Just like how many people thought smartphones were easy to use before the iPhone came along.
Apple isn't a hardware or a software company. Do people still not get this? They make complete systems. Both hardware and software are just as important to them.
They also make plenty of software that isn't the base OS.
I think it has less to do with what the masses want and more to do with what is cheap to produce. The masses know TV is crap. Most people simply don't care enough to do anything about it.
I'd expect to see Microsoft ship a tablet OS before Linux. Anything that is just a modification of an existing desktop GUI isn't going to cut the mustard. These sorts of projects seem to be a weak spot for OSS. I'd like to be proved wrong, though.
I doubt it's going to fall flat on it's face. A tablet can offer a larger screen while still being lighter and thinner than a netbook. Combine that with an OS designed for light tasks, rather than a desktop OS, and you have something that will appeal more to many people than current netbooks do.
You really think that they hadn't had the SDK in the works right from the start, that they just whipped it up after reading some Slashdot comments or something? No way. They were just doing what Apple always does -- doing things in smaller steps and only announcing things once they've been polished.
Yeah, but the current tablets don't seem to be selling that well. In order to do so, they'll need their own OS, just like Apple will do, at which point they aren't going to be fully fledged computers. Unless you want to dual-boot between tablet mode and desktop mode, but that will make it too much of an oddball to be popular. Plus you'll also need the hardware to support a desktop OS, which will make it bigger if you want a decent experience.
This, of course, also depends on what people end up using tablets for. If people start using tablets as their main computer, then adding peripherals will be a natural next step. But I don't think that is Apple's (or Googles's) plan at the moment. Not sure what Microsoft are up to in that area.
While I do not doubt that Apple could do well selling these on brand alone, tablets are simply not a practical replacement for the standard notebook or desktop
People are using their iPhones as notebook replacements. So clearly tablets are certainly a replacement for notebooks depending on what you use your notebook for.
And Apple won't do well selling these on brand alone. I'm not sure where people get this idea that people buy stuff just because it's from Apple. I'm sure there are a few people who will, but most people need a practical reason to buy their products. It will sell because it actually does a decent job at being a tablet computer, unlike the other junk that went before it, just like the iPhone did.
Because the Apple's tablet won't be a fully fledged computer. It won't run Mac OS X. Not without some hacking, at least. And if a real keyboard and decent range of expansion ports are what's required, then that's what a laptop is for.
That's why some studies are now giving drugs to both groups. One drug is the one they want to study, the other is a drug to produce some side effects. I wish I could remember where I read about it. It's not perfect, either, and it's not for this specific issue, but it's an improvement.
Sorry, but all this BS about what Tibet used to be like is irrelevant since the Dalai Lama has commented on this issue. Even if the Dalai Lama did get Tibet back, it probably wouldn't be under such an old, antiquated feudal state, as he himself admits. Not to mention that he doesn't even have a problem with Tibet being part of China, only with the lack of freedom to practice his religion.
But we wouldn't want to let the facts get in the way of this issue, would we?
And have you come up with a design for such a device that will work reliably enough to make the addition worthwhile? It's all very well to play arm-chair designer/engineer, but implementation is where things get tricky.
Because people might not know which things they need to extract. Cannabis is a good example. Most people focus on THC, yet there are many other similar chemicals that have not been studied to the same extend THC has. In other words, the whole idea of taking plants with benefits and exacting the single chemical that makes them useful to us, then putting it into a pill, may be a waste of time in some cases. Not to mention the complex chemical processes that take place inside a plant that don't happen inside a capsules of extracted plant matter.
As for knowing how much herb you are getting, you can take samples, then you just need some good scales and a bit of maths. This problem has more to do with personal practices and the black market than any problems with plants vs. extracted pills.
Slashdot Mirror
I think we should give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt and assume that they aren't going down that road again.
First of all, Apple has it's own market. The folks who buy their products and are fans are not going to be swayed too much, if at all, by a cheaper price from MS for a similar gadget.
Tell that to all the iPod and iPhone users who have a Windows desktop/laptop.
iMac, iPod, and iPhone all serve well-defined markets that were established before these specific products were available.
I have to disagree there. MP3 players were pretty niche before the iPod. Same goes for smartphones, although not to the same extent.
What is the iSlate (or whatever) bringing to the table that will have it succeed where others have failed?
A decent interface? The same thing that has made both the iPod and iPhone household names. Not to mention the iTunes store and a strong developer community.
I'm not sure if Apple's tablet will be as popular as either the iPod or iPhone, but I'm sure it will be a success and ignite the tablet industry.
A "Me-Too" device that is one of a long line of such devices that have run their OS..
To be fair, all of Microsoft's past tablet efforts have simply been shoehorning a desktop OS into a tablet. If they're smart, they won't be taking this approach yet again.
Bill Gates thought so back in the early '90s. Hasn't happened yet.
Yeah, probably something to do with the shoehorning approach.
Steve Jobs killed tablet projects like he was playing whack-a-mole for years.
Probably just waiting for the hardware to catch up. It seems up to the job, now.
True. Although, software can help solve that problem. Also, with something as large as a tablet, width and height are generally not as important as they are for a pocketable device, so bigger bezels make even more sense.
That might be a bit better but it still means you have put two screens in a device just because neither display is ideal. Space taken up by the other display, the housing, and the hinge mechanics is space that you could use for a higher capacity battery to compensate for the higher drain of an LCD or OLED display. Yes, then you no longer get the readability benefits and the battery life still won't be as good, but are those issues really that important? For a dedicated eBook reader, I'd say so, but not for a more general purpose tablet device. I know I'd rather haul around both an Apple tablet and a Kindle rather than a device that tries to do both and does it poorly.
I think you are missing the link between function and aesthetics in design. People often favor a design with good aesthetics, not just because of some over-ruling emotion response, but because it's often a reflection of good functional design. It shows that someone has spent a lot of time and energy thinking about the product, and that they understand certain design principles. This doesn't mean that good looking designs are always functional, of course, but they aren't on the opposite sides of a spectrum like some people here seem to think -- they are quite ingrained together. Design is about communication and aesthetics is a language many people understand. OK, that's enough designer-speak for this place today.
As much as I like the innovation to that goes into such ideas, I can't help but think of this as a hack to try and get the best of both worlds. I think it's poor design. Not to mention the problems with dual screen interfaces.
If Apple do release a tablet, then tablets will become about as niche as smartphones and MP3 players.
I'm not interested in doing drawing/photo work on a tablet unless it has pressure sensitivity, like a Wacom tablet. Perhaps something will be available aftermarket for Apple's tablet, but I don't expect it to come with anything other than a capacitive touchscreen -- it certainly won't be shipping with a stylus, let alone anything more advanced. I doubt very much that it will be targeted for artists, although I'm sure some good apps will appear for that. It's main function will be for web browsing and multimedia, because that's what mainstream users will want from a tablet. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but most people don't do much typing when they're just browsing the web, reading things, or watching videos, so losing the keyboard to make a more portable device will make a lot of sense to many people, especially if they've used an iPhone.
If you're a Linux user and work in the engineering field, chances are you have a different idea of counts as easy to use from most people. Just like how many people thought smartphones were easy to use before the iPhone came along.
Apple isn't a hardware or a software company. Do people still not get this? They make complete systems. Both hardware and software are just as important to them.
They also make plenty of software that isn't the base OS.
I think it has less to do with what the masses want and more to do with what is cheap to produce. The masses know TV is crap. Most people simply don't care enough to do anything about it.
I'd expect to see Microsoft ship a tablet OS before Linux. Anything that is just a modification of an existing desktop GUI isn't going to cut the mustard. These sorts of projects seem to be a weak spot for OSS. I'd like to be proved wrong, though.
I doubt it's going to fall flat on it's face. A tablet can offer a larger screen while still being lighter and thinner than a netbook. Combine that with an OS designed for light tasks, rather than a desktop OS, and you have something that will appeal more to many people than current netbooks do.
You really think that they hadn't had the SDK in the works right from the start, that they just whipped it up after reading some Slashdot comments or something? No way. They were just doing what Apple always does -- doing things in smaller steps and only announcing things once they've been polished.
You have good reason to think it will run OS X, or just that it doesn't exist?
Yeah, but the current tablets don't seem to be selling that well. In order to do so, they'll need their own OS, just like Apple will do, at which point they aren't going to be fully fledged computers. Unless you want to dual-boot between tablet mode and desktop mode, but that will make it too much of an oddball to be popular. Plus you'll also need the hardware to support a desktop OS, which will make it bigger if you want a decent experience.
This, of course, also depends on what people end up using tablets for. If people start using tablets as their main computer, then adding peripherals will be a natural next step. But I don't think that is Apple's (or Googles's) plan at the moment. Not sure what Microsoft are up to in that area.
While I do not doubt that Apple could do well selling these on brand alone, tablets are simply not a practical replacement for the standard notebook or desktop
People are using their iPhones as notebook replacements. So clearly tablets are certainly a replacement for notebooks depending on what you use your notebook for.
And Apple won't do well selling these on brand alone. I'm not sure where people get this idea that people buy stuff just because it's from Apple. I'm sure there are a few people who will, but most people need a practical reason to buy their products. It will sell because it actually does a decent job at being a tablet computer, unlike the other junk that went before it, just like the iPhone did.
Because the Apple's tablet won't be a fully fledged computer. It won't run Mac OS X. Not without some hacking, at least. And if a real keyboard and decent range of expansion ports are what's required, then that's what a laptop is for.
That's why some studies are now giving drugs to both groups. One drug is the one they want to study, the other is a drug to produce some side effects. I wish I could remember where I read about it. It's not perfect, either, and it's not for this specific issue, but it's an improvement.
Sorry, but all this BS about what Tibet used to be like is irrelevant since the Dalai Lama has commented on this issue. Even if the Dalai Lama did get Tibet back, it probably wouldn't be under such an old, antiquated feudal state, as he himself admits. Not to mention that he doesn't even have a problem with Tibet being part of China, only with the lack of freedom to practice his religion.
But we wouldn't want to let the facts get in the way of this issue, would we?
And have you come up with a design for such a device that will work reliably enough to make the addition worthwhile? It's all very well to play arm-chair designer/engineer, but implementation is where things get tricky.
I doubt it, because phones are still cheaper and more portable than laptops or netbooks.
Because people might not know which things they need to extract. Cannabis is a good example. Most people focus on THC, yet there are many other similar chemicals that have not been studied to the same extend THC has. In other words, the whole idea of taking plants with benefits and exacting the single chemical that makes them useful to us, then putting it into a pill, may be a waste of time in some cases. Not to mention the complex chemical processes that take place inside a plant that don't happen inside a capsules of extracted plant matter.
As for knowing how much herb you are getting, you can take samples, then you just need some good scales and a bit of maths. This problem has more to do with personal practices and the black market than any problems with plants vs. extracted pills.