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

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
I use a netbook when travelling, and I hate the thing. If Apple can give me a 10-12" tablet that runs OS X (and Photoshop/ACR), I wouldn't hesitate to change. 100-200 GB of memory/disk, a couple of USB contacts, a slot for SD-cards and a wireless mouse is what I require. 4GB of RAM would be sufficient.

I'm sure Apple will offer all of that, and then some, including lots of kewl features that I may or may not use.
 

Terry

New member
I use a netbook when travelling, and I hate the thing. If Apple can give me a 10-12" tablet that runs OS X (and Photoshop/ACR), I wouldn't hesitate to change. 100-200 GB of memory/disk, a couple of USB contacts, a slot for SD-cards and a wireless mouse is what I require. 4GB of RAM would be sufficient.

I'm sure Apple will offer all of that, and then some, including lots of kewl features that I may or may not use.
Somehow I think you will be disappointed or I will be very very pleasantly surprised or even ecstatic.
 

Lars

Active member
Lars,
What do all those people using netbooks do with them? Email, web, movies (when traveling). Give it a faster interface, better screen, better interface, great access to content through apps and I think you make a lot of people happy.
Sure, but it won't have a fruit logo and it won't cost $1K. More likely $200 and some form of Linux. There's a good reason Apple has stayed away from the netbook market.
 

Lars

Active member
I use a netbook when travelling, and I hate the thing. If Apple can give me a 10-12" tablet that runs OS X (and Photoshop/ACR), I wouldn't hesitate to change. 100-200 GB of memory/disk, a couple of USB contacts, a slot for SD-cards and a wireless mouse is what I require. 4GB of RAM would be sufficient.

I'm sure Apple will offer all of that, and then some, including lots of kewl features that I may or may not use.
My new small laptop Samsung X120 has essentially those specs, minus touchscreen plus keyboard. C2D SU7300, 4GB/320GB, Win7 x64, 9 real-life hours battery life, 1.56 kgs. Price here was about EUR 600 plus tax. An Apple device is usually 20-40% more expensive, so $1000 seems like right on the money for an Apple tablet with decent specs.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Sure, but it won't have a fruit logo and it won't cost $1K. More likely $200 and some form of Linux. There's a good reason Apple has stayed away from the netbook market.
HI Lars
That is the reason I understood . . so one can only assume that in changing their mind they're bringing something to the table.

Still, your arguments against them are the same ones which were used against the iphone before it's launch, basically:

too late to the party
too expensive
others more experienced.
the wheel already exists.

From a personal point of view, nowadays, my life revolves around a 17"mbp and an iphone, my desktop machine has been used to replace the television set.

Something with a 10"screen, decent touch screen keyboard which would do all my email and music, and which would run photo apps at a pinch would be very attractive for travelling and casual use around the house.
But I'm really not interested in a netbook, even if it's running linux - linking it to my existing system requires time and fiddling which I'm not remotely interested in.
Nowadays there is a really large number of mac and iphone users who would like something in between which works in the same kind of a way - these people represent a big starting market, and aren't likely to be looking at any kind of a netbook as a competitive object.

P.S. the samsung X120 is nice - but likely to be twice the weight of the apple device (although probably faster).
 

Lars

Active member
HI Lars
That is the reason I understood . . so one can only assume that in changing their mind they're bringing something to the table.

Still, your arguments against them are the same ones which were used against the iphone before it's launch, basically:

too late to the party
too expensive
others more experienced.
the wheel already exists.

From a personal point of view, nowadays, my life revolves around a 17"mbp and an iphone, my desktop machine has been used to replace the television set.

Something with a 10"screen, decent touch screen keyboard which would do all my email and music, and which would run photo apps at a pinch would be very attractive for travelling and casual use around the house.
But I'm really not interested in a netbook, even if it's running linux - linking it to my existing system requires time and fiddling which I'm not remotely interested in.
Nowadays there is a really large number of mac and iphone users who would like something in between which works in the same kind of a way - these people represent a big starting market, and aren't likely to be looking at any kind of a netbook as a competitive object.

P.S. the samsung X120 is nice - but likely to be twice the weight of the apple device (although probably faster).
Hi Jono,
Yep Apple's success in the phone market took lots of people by surprise. But that doesn't mean Apple will always pull a rabbit out of their hat. The argument here really is whether anyone including Apple can make tablets become mainstream devices.

I've spent the last year with a mobile software startup here in Stockholm, and across the hall is another startup doing battery research. They both emphasize the reason Moore's law is not working in the mobile segment - more performance means bigger battery. This will affect a tablet as well - if you want to run OSX with multitasking and a few gigs of memory, with decent battery life, then you'll need a heavy battery. A light device requires lightweight apps or a lean processor, so Aperture or any kind of image processing is probably out of the question.
 
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Lars

Active member
Sounds like HP is out first this year, with Ballmer showing an HP slate at CES in Vegas later tonight.
 

monza

Active member
Tablet PCs have never been mainstream but they've been well-received in some vertical markets (healthcare for one.) We are now in year 9 of the tablet PC, the first ones shipping in 2002 using primitive 10" screens with poor viewing angles.

The first multitouch tablet PC (the Dell Latitude XT convertible) did not ship until January of 2008. And it wasn't really multi-touch, not like one thinks of multi-touch ala iPhone...not when it shipped, anyway. They had a firmware update a few months later that brought more multi-touch functionality but it was limited by the OS.

Unlike virtually all other tablet PCs that OEM'd the Wacom pen digitizer, it used the Ntrig digitizer which works with both pen and touch. HP followed with an Ntrig-based model in late 2008.

I worked with Ntrig for a couple of years while they were bringing their device to market, and owned a Latitude XT for about 15 months which was used for product development. Not being a Windows guy, I had no use for it in the general sense. At the time it required Windows XP Tablet Edition; Windows 7 has much more complete tablet integration.

I'm intrigued (no pun intended) as to what *besides* a tablet will Apple bring to the equation. If it's just Mac OS on a slate, that doesn't exite me...I've already had one of those when I was working with Ntrig. ;)
 

PeterA

Well-known member
I want an A4 ish sized tablet with touch screen which does everything my Iphone does and runs full OSX -basically a laptop without the keyboard. It must be able to have at least 4 gigs of ram and a couple of SSD disks for fast access to a few essential programs. Running Bootcamp or Fusion would also allow me to connect to my offices in Australia and HK and use Office programs as well as Bloomberg as I travel planes etc etc - happy to have a laptop sized battery in it since there is no alternative for smaller whilst maintaining fucntionality.

Every one of my research analysts wants somethinhg like this. Phone/Puter in a form factor large enough to type into and also large enough to display stuff - without the silly keyboard and finger mouse - which every person in the real world just hates. the killer apps for business are already written - boring as they are - excel/powerpoint/word and access to servers for email.
 
O

Oxide Blu

Guest
... the reason Moore's law is not working in the mobile segment - more performance means bigger battery. This will affect a tablet as well - if you want to run OSX with multitasking and a few gigs of memory, with decent battery life, then you'll need a heavy battery. A light device requires lightweight apps or a lean processor, so Aperture or any kind of image processing is probably out of the question.

I just read that Lenovo is getting 9-hrs on the battery in their 12-inch touch screen tablet. The suggestion was because touch screen uses less juice than a keyboard. Don't know anything about it beyond that.

Today Microsoft pumped the new "all in one" touch screen table from Lenovo. Haven't seen the specs yet, but from what I read it runs a full blown Win 7 os. There was also something about it being not much larger than a mobile phone -- no mention of battery life. No idea of the value of a dinky little computer for image processing, I'm not seeing the value there -- but perhaps a sign of things to come.
 

Lars

Active member
CES seems completely riddled with slates, tablets, and ereaders. All sizes and platforms (except Apple). No killer apps though, no game changers.
 

LJL

New member
Lars,
Maybe one of the reasons there are so many tablets, slates and other things being put on display at CES is simply to attempt a pre-emptive response to the rumors about Apple having a tablet soon ;-) Interesting article:

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10431012-269.html

Seems like folks feel that they have to show that they too are ready with something, even if no killer apps and stuff, as you suggest. The example of MS showing an HP tablet underscores this......not sure if a trend will develop because of Apple, but they sure want to show they are ready ;-)

LJ
 

Lars

Active member
Lars,
Maybe one of the reasons there are so many tablets, slates and other things being put on display at CES is simply to attempt a pre-emptive response to the rumors about Apple having a tablet soon ;-) Interesting article:

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10431012-269.html

Seems like folks feel that they have to show that they too are ready with something, even if no killer apps and stuff, as you suggest. The example of MS showing an HP tablet underscores this......not sure if a trend will develop because of Apple, but they sure want to show they are ready ;-)

LJ
Apple against the world, eh? No, not really. Media loves to spin things around Apple though.

These products and prototypes have been in the works for 6-24 months. CES is a natural place and time to show off new products and prototypes, regardless what Apple events may be on the horizon. The reason we are seeing many products now is that hardware and software has evolved to a point where it makes sense to make a good and cost-effective device. This includes Apple, who is just as limited by component suppliers as anyone else.

Remember what I said a few days ago about 2010 being the year of the tablet? That's hardly something made up by me just now. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time.
 
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