Let's get up in arms and compare it to the internet tablet. Some of you may say that this is an unfair comparison because they are obviously two different classes of device. But I offer the following proof.
a.) They both have touch screens
b.) They both have the word tablet in their name
No word yet on whether or not the Apple tablet will be a cell phone as well, but judging on the handdrawn pictures I would recommend the following IKEA furniture to compliment it:
The RAMVIK Coffee Table (While this has two drawers, make sure all of your Apple products are displayed on the shiny glass top. If you catch the perfect angle, the reflection will make it look like you have twice the number of Apple products! At the price you paid, that's almost what other equally good equipment would cost!): http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/90103720
HASTVIDA Chair (Perfect for enhancing your slouchy posture and "I'm hip and don't care" unkempt head of hair. Won't even further rip the pre-ripped jeans you bought at the mall!): http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/80075483
I eagerly await word of whether or not it will have a cell radio. We put a pillow next to our head every time we sleep at night, why not a 15 inch tablet while talking on the phone?
Sarcasm aside, tablet PCs interest me. I just know that it's going to be treated like a stone tablte with Lord Jobs' commandments etched into them.
Fanboyism aside, I wonder how it's going to compare horsepower-wise with it's desktop brethren. They've obviously got experience cramming processing power into sleek form factors, I hope it translates well to tablet form. I wonder how durable it'll be? And most importantly, how much it'll cost. (And second most important, can I dump Ubuntu on it?)
What I dread, is the inevitable apples and oranges comparisons that I guarantee are coming.
If Apple ever releases this device, I will buy one and eat it publicly on YouTube.
I just don't see the point. A4 tablets have specific niches in which they make sense, such as in hospitals or warehouses, but for everybody else they're just too big and clunky. Why would anybody want such an unportable device that lacks a keyboard?
Also, Apple's chief business plan for the last 10 years has been built around multimedia and the home user (iPod, Apple TV, Mac Mini). How will an A4 tablet fit in with that? And Apple tend to be innovative but how could they make an A4 tablet any less of a disaster than it already is? The A4 tablet form factor is broken. There's nothing you can add to it to make it work. You can't simplify it to make it any better, which is how Apple usually works.
Now Apple might be considering producing an smaller tablet but they've effectively already done that with the iPhone and the iPod touch. But they could easily produce a Nokia Internet tablet competitor -- a dedicated internet tool with Flash, Java, full media support etc. My prediction remains that they will do this within five years and pretty much blow Nokia out of the water.
I think this would be really cool. It seems most tablet pc's have been aimed at business people and students, good for jotting down notes and giving presentations. I see thet apple tablet as a very good tool for graphic designers and artists. Macs are very popular with artists and combining the Mac OS with the ease of drawing using a stylus would be a good thing for them. (This is all assuming that they give it enough power to be useful) This is a small niche, but its also just a non-windows option for people that want a tablet.
I think the problem is, is that these devices are always too expensive to just be mass-market toys. If Apple could pull off making this a family-friendly, kickstand-havin', coffee-table-sittin', etch-a-sketchin', internet-surfin', remote controllin' TOY for around the house, it could be a smash. Of course, Apple would price the thing way out of the general public's fun budget and it would turn into a piece of pseudo religious iconnery for the cult de la jobs.
I think something like this would be a great home companion for a device like the N800. I'm guessing it would have BT mouse and keyboard support- which would make it an ideal second computer for more business-oriented tasks.
Still, the apple tablet will probably end up being the $2000 equivalent of a giant Ipod touch, which will do nobody any good.
Unportable? No keyboard? Until we see otherwise, I'm going to assume this is like most of the commonly released tablet PC's that are the same size as a laptop, open like a laptop BUT can swivel around and be used in tablet mode.
if Apple made this, I will finally upgrade my macbook pro
Now Apple might be considering producing an smaller tablet ... they could easily produce a Nokia Internet tablet competitor -- a dedicated internet tool with Flash, Java, full media support etc. My prediction remains that they will do this within five years and pretty much blow Nokia out of the water.
It would be interesting to see what Apple would put in such a tablet, if this prediction were to come true.
Still, having used Macs for most of my computing since I first had one back in 1985, I would be especially surprised if this predicted tablet didn't cost 50 to 100 percent more than the Internet Tablets available at that point in the future.
It's probably going to look something like this. Hopefully they actually make one. There's only been rumors of a mac tablet for the last 6 years or so.
