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New Apple tablet rumor: Larger form factor running Mac OS X

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Just when you thought your credit card was safe

New Apple tablet rumor: Larger form factor running Mac OS X
Citing a "100 percent reliable" source, a new report alleges that Apple has fully working prototypes of 13-inch and 15-inch touchscreen tablets, with one model running Mac OS X.

The rumor reported Friday by Gizmodo states that the two new devices could be in addition to the long-rumored 10-inch device believed to be coming in early 2010.

"This source claims that the two touchscreen prototypes -- made of aluminum, but on the shape of big iPhones -- were in a factory in Shenzuen, China," the report states. "One of them 'was running Mac OS X 10.5.' When I asked, the source didn't know if these were built for demonstration purposes, or if they were preproduction units. The company has a tight relation with Apple but 'it's not FoxConn.'"

Writer Jesus Diaz goes on to call the rumor "surprising," given that most sources, including AppleInsider's own, have stated that the only forthcoming hardware has a 10-inch screen. The report speculates that perhaps Apple is exploring other form factors as internal prototypes, whether or not they will become final products released to market.

Given a report earlier this month that Apple investigated screen sizes of 4, 7, 9, 10 and 12 inches, these reports, if true, suggest that Apple has explored touchscreen devices at nearly every possible screen sizes. In the earlier report from a financial analyst, it was stated that Apple purchased large numbers of some screen sizes, suggesting they could have been for more than prototypes, but a more significant small production run.

As for the latest rumor, AppleInsider sources have been adamant that the 3G connected device due to arrive in early 2010 would come only with a 10-inch form factor.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...umor_larger_form_factor_running_mac_os_x.html
 

Dale Allyn

New member
I like that Apple is doing this product, and think it's cool that they're possibly exploring different sizes and OS's. That said, I'm not not too hopeful that the tablet, especially the 10", will have the I/O options that would be best for us – Firewire. USB is a likely possibility (or mini-USB, ugh), but that often sucks for tethered shooting. An express socket would be helpful though. I'm not holding my breath, but it would be cool to have the right interface and a real OS.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Just think shooting tethered to a 10 inch tablet in the field. Could be pretty cool but yes we need firewire
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
I would think they have to be looking at larger sizes. A major future market for Tablet computers is in the medical field. There are some teaching hospitals out there now testing out WiFi linked tablets for use by doctors and nurse to do data capture directly in the patient's room. For a doctor it allows him to show imaging right at the bedside. I can see bluetooth devices to record temperate, heart beat, blood pressure directly to a tablet and the patients medical records.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
This sounds like good news. I currently use an Acer netbook for travel, and Windows really sucks compared to my old Mac.

I'm not too worried about Firewire anymore. WiFi is much more functional if the speed is high enough (which is one of the reasons why I consider the Canon 7D, with WiFi in a vertical grip "Look, no cables!").
 
R

Ranger 9

Guest
If they actually do make that 15-inch tablet, I hope it comes with screw-on legs so you can use it as a coffee table. Otherwise, it seems as if it'd be a bit awkward: you'd have to hold onto it with one hand and one-finger all the controls with the other.
 
R

Ranger 9

Guest
I'm not too worried about Firewire anymore. WiFi is much more functional if the speed is high enough (which is one of the reasons why I consider the Canon 7D, with WiFi in a vertical grip "Look, no cables!").
If my experience with the Nikon WT-4 is any indication, the speed is still a bit of an issue. The same 12-mpx raw file that takes about 2.5 sec to transmit via wire takes about 11 sec. to transmit via WiFi. That means that if you shoot a burst of five frames, it will take almost a minute for the last one to appear on the laptop -- which feels like eternity when you've got a client staring at the screen saying, "Where are the pictures?"

(Oh, well, could be worse: PDN says the EyeFi Pro card -- the only EyeFi that will handle raw files -- takes two to ten minutes to send a file!)
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
If they actually do make that 15-inch tablet, I hope it comes with screw-on legs so you can use it as a coffee table. Otherwise, it seems as if it'd be a bit awkward: you'd have to hold onto it with one hand and one-finger all the controls with the other.
Not the case, before I retired from the university IR group, I tested a large tablet (screen was the size of a letter size sheet of paper) for how tables could be used in the university environment. They use handwriting recognition, and a stylus interface so it's not like using a conventional laptop. I found it not awkward at all to use. Just think of using photoshop with a tablet.
 

Lars

Active member
Just when you thought your credit card was safe
My credit card is still safe (unless I misplaced my wallet... nope. :ROTFL:). There's no way a large sturdy tablet will be priced below a corresponding MBP. There are some niche markets that decidedly prefer no keyboard, but for the rest of us a 15" tablet is a complement to other hardware rather than a replacement.

(Tethered shooting might just be such a niche though. Outdoor screen will be a must, as well as battery life, and color fidelity. That's more than a bit tricky to accomplish in a lightweight device.)

10"? Maybe. Still a complement to a laptop with keyboard, so it's got to be dirt cheap. Hardly sounds like an Apple product in that case.

A 5" device more like the Archos would be interesting though (think oversized iPod Touch). But then it would have to be a phone rather than a complement to a phone.

MID class devices have been tried for the last year (like Intel's Moblin effort) but they land in between a must-have laptop with keyboard and a pocketable phone. At work we're helping Intel with the development platform for Moblin so we have a few different MID devices (5" screen, no keyboard or slideout keyboard). Sure they're cute when you don't want to haul a laptop around but they don't yet replace any device like laptop or phone, and they're still priced above netbooks so as a fashion accessory it's a hard sell (unlike phones).

Tablets is a tricky market, Apple learnt its lesson with the Newton and is treading lightly in that field. I think it's a matter of waiting for technology/miniaturization/battery tech to progress far enough.
 

LJL

New member
This is all so reminiscent to the long ago discussions about "box" sizes. Basically, the prevailing thoughts were that there are three preferred "boxes" that folks tend to want and use. Roughly, the largest is the desktop computer. The smallest is the mobile phone. The in-between size is the laptop. Folks are prepared to blur the lines between sizes, but the issue forces trade-offs in functionality, viewing, ability to hold and manipulate, etc. With the advent of faster processors, cheaper memory, touch screens, handwriting recognizing software, etc., the line between the smallest and mid-sized box keeps getting blurred more and more. That being said, it still seems to remain. The thought was that folks could live and work comfortably with two boxes, laptop and phone, but nobody has really been able to create that one box solution effectively for a large enough and broad enough market to accept. Therein lies part of the problem....while tablets and stuff could be more customized to work in somewhat more limited or restricted settings, and they are doing that now, it is much harder to make something with capabilities and appeal for a larger market to make it profitable on the larger scale. Not saying it will not be done, but my bet is folks will still prefer to have at least two box sizes....a small, powerful and highly functional phone that is easy to carry and use everywhere all the time, and a second box size where a different kind of work or application is done. The tablet, to me, is just a modified extension of the laptop, but generally much more limited. The smaller it gets, the less practical its functionality for viewing, writing, etc. The larger it gets, the more cumbersome it becomes for wider spread use....except in some specific environments, hence the narrower market due to fine-tuning for more specific needs.

Everything else, like 4"-6" mini-tablets and such are probably going to remain as peripheral products that would somehow attach or connect to larger or smaller "boxes" for more complete functionality.

Sorry if that interrupts the thinking and rumors. Not saying we will never see other devices, but just hard to imagine them ever becoming mainstream enough for a larger market. That mid-sized box is the toughest to hit the sweetspot. The smallest box (phone) is easy....smaller is preferred. The largest (desktop) is also relatively easy, since it remains anchored for the most part. It is the mid-sized box that has the broadest set of demands, thus making it the hardest to make for the most appeal and use, regardless of price/cost.

LJ
 

Lars

Active member
And the netbook ? :confused:
If you look at the trend in netbook models over the last two years, screen sizes are going up, to 10, 11, even 12 inches - approaching the form factor of a small laptop. At 7 inches the screen was too small with too few pixels, and there was not enough room for a decent keyboard.

What keeps "netbooks" from growing past 10 inches is really the limits imposed by Intel for a laptop using Atom CPU. Intel is worried about the remarkably efficient Atom cannibalizing on Core series sales. Somehow some netbook manufacturers are finding ways around Intel's artifical rules.

I've set up a file server at home using the dualcore Atom 330 (which Intel won't let you put in a laptop), and it's quite competent while running very cool.
 

LJL

New member
Lars mentions that other side of the equation....the manufacturers and hints at what they can gain or lose in the battle.

Oxice Blu.....to your point, as I commented above: "It is the mid-sized box that has the broadest set of demands, thus making it the hardest to make for the most appeal and use, regardless of price/cost." To my thinking, the netbook is in this realm. The smaller they make it, the less functional and underpowered it becomes. The larger they make it, the more "lattop-like" it becomes, and that niche already has many good choices. Bacically, the netbook is one of those devices that is attempting to erase that now blurry, but maybe real line, between the mid-size and smallest sized "boxes" in my vernacular.

While there may be a niche by definition, it may never really be filled by something that works and thrives. My analogy here is a "grass-eating snake". Why do they not exist? Lots of grass. Snakes live in grassy areas. Just not a niche that is filled.

LJ
 
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Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
If my experience with the Nikon WT-4 is any indication, the speed is still a bit of an issue. The same 12-mpx raw file that takes about 2.5 sec to transmit via wire takes about 11 sec. to transmit via WiFi. That means that if you shoot a burst of five frames, it will take almost a minute for the last one to appear on the laptop -- which feels like eternity when you've got a client staring at the screen saying, "Where are the pictures?"

(Oh, well, could be worse: PDN says the EyeFi Pro card -- the only EyeFi that will handle raw files -- takes two to ten minutes to send a file!)
The Canon seems to use the same 802.11b/g protocol, so the speed (or the slowness) might be the same. Haven't found any data for the Canon yet, but the Nikon is 10Mbps, which corresponds to around 14MB in 11 seconds. Sounds about right.

Shouldn't work too badly in a studio setting though, considering flash recycling times. I'm not going to do the 100m final in the Olympics anyway...
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
I don't understand why they aren't using 802.11n. Much faster than the old 802.11b/g. It will be a full IEEE standard in October and some vendors have had draft versions out for the last few years.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
If you look at the trend in netbook models over the last two years, screen sizes are going up, to 10, 11, even 12 inches - approaching the form factor of a small laptop. At 7 inches the screen was too small with too few pixels, and there was not enough room for a decent keyboard.

What keeps "netbooks" from growing past 10 inches is really the limits imposed by Intel for a laptop using Atom CPU. Intel is worried about the remarkably efficient Atom cannibalizing on Core series sales. Somehow some netbook manufacturers are finding ways around Intel's artifical rules.

I've set up a file server at home using the dualcore Atom 330 (which Intel won't let you put in a laptop), and it's quite competent while running very cool.
An important consideration for photographers, is that ACR won't run properly below a certain screen size (number of pixels, but that is limited on some netbooks). I run ACR/PS on my Acer sometimes, but ACR is rather dysfunctional, since I can't see the whole user interface. There's no scroll bar, but I can move it up and down with the mouse-wheel and arrow keys.
 
O

Oxide Blu

Guest
If you look at the trend in netbook models over the last two years, screen sizes are going up, to 10, 11, even 12 inches - approaching the form factor of a small laptop.
I am not familiar with netbook trends -- didn't even know the little critters existed until the last few months or so, 'Brains' wants one, been looking into getting her one. I noticed there seems to be an invisible 10-in screen-size barrier for netbooks, perhaps for the reason you mentioned. At or over 10-inches I automatically start comparing the machine to other laptops.

I agree, a 7-in screen doesn't allow enough room for a reasonable sized keyboard. 'Brains' wants something to surf the web, email, and watch DVDs on. Fwiw, the smaller screen netbooks don't have enough room for a DVD player, either.
 
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