Apple Tablet -- Who needs it?

[HarryT]

It it's a "big iPod Touch", then I'm sure that I'll buy one. If it's a "Tablet Macbook" then I shan't.

[pking36330]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It it's a "big iPod Touch", then I'm sure that I'll buy one. If it's a "Tablet Macbook" then I shan't.

Hadn't thought of it in terms like that, but I'm thinking exactly the same way.

[LDBoblo]

I have no idea what the product will be like. I don't know if I'll need it until it's at VERY least publicly announced, and probably not until it's on the market and people have feedback about it.

I've never been fond of Apple's products though, so I can't imagine I'll suddenly do a 180° with whatever product they're going to have available.

There will be other products that I'd prefer to look at. Never quite liked how so many people would be so susceptible to the rumor marketing game.

"Oh my god an Apple tablet?! What's the point of anything else existing?!" Please.

[EowynCarter]

Apple tablet ?
Come on. It's a total rumor.
Wait until apple have acctually anonced someting to get exited about it.

[dmikov]

Originally Posted by crutnacker

Some problems I see (based on speculation about the product):

1. Too expensive
2. No keyboard
3. Battery life (if my iPhone is any indication)
4. Display (if they intend for this to be an e-reader, it better be pleasing to the eye for long periods of time)
5. Not different enough from what I already own.
6. Portability vs. durability

Not for me, for reasons first and last. Even at $500 (sooo doubtfull) it's too much for ppl who already own iPhone and can add ereader for 199.
If I travel to other country then having one dedicated device will pay off, if just commuting then alleged 10" screen is just too big of a device to carry with your phone on top of it.
The rest of the list is actually a plus for me.
No keyboard - great
Battery - don't care, 4 hours is plenty for me
Display - I am starting to hate e-ink gray on gray, will take eye tiring but pleasing display instead.

[Yoshi 1080]

I find the iTablet extremely fascinating. I like the idea of a tablet PC, too, but most of all I'm impressed by the hype created around this vaporware and its consequences.

It reminds me of this company in the 80ies, which promised a ground-breaking new PC and ended up in bankruptcy because everyone stopped buying their current models and waited for this new device. Unfortunately I forgot the company's name, but AFAIK it's pretty famous.

The iTablet has gained an enormous presence in media, influences Apple's stocks and even drives competing companies into rushing out their own visions of tablet surf whatevers. And at the same time I believe that it is one of the main reasons why these competitors like the Joojoo will fail, as everyone's waiting for Apple. I believe that it even influences the eBook reader market since it's said to be supporting interactive magazines and whatelse.

Most fascinating: Apple never even mentioned a tablet! All the hype, all the symptoms described above were created solely by rumors and fanfiction. Apple didn't do anything to provoke this hype and that's really the brilliance of it. Apple has always been one of the driving forces in the computer industry, but now it has reached a point where it even influences the industry by simply saying nothing. Brilliant.

---

Me, I'm most likely going to buy it. As long as it won't be more expensive than a MBA and have multitasking, that is. I could envision many cool things to do with such a device. To be honest, if Joojoo had a real operating system, I could have seen myself preordering that.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Yoshi 1080

It reminds me of this company in the 80ies, which promised a ground-breaking new PC and ended up in bankruptcy because everyone stopped buying their current models and waited for this new device. Unfortunately I forgot the company's name, but AFAIK it's pretty famous.

The "Osbourne 1", but I'm afraid that the idea that they went bankrupt through pre-announcing a new model is just an "urban myth" .

[WillAdams]

An interesting book on the history of an early pen computer company is Jerry Kaplan's _StartUp_. Highly recommended.

William

[dmaul1114]

I want a tablet device for reading and marking up academic PDFs and academic books, maybe for grading and marking up student papers and e-mailing them back to them etc. Also with being my PDA, being a good web browser, video player, having games etc.

That said, I don't think the Apple tablet is likely to do any of the mark up stuff, as it will likely be a big iPhone and thus be a finger touch device with no stylus support--just virtual keyboard etc. and I firmly want stylus markup as I want to highlight and annotate like I do with pen and paper today.

So I don't think the Apple tablet will fit my needs. So my main hope is it will achieve some success and lead to a flood of different tablets coming out so I can find one that fits my need and budget in the next few years (I'm in no hurry).

[Yoshi 1080]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The "Osbourne 1", but I'm afraid that the idea that they went bankrupt through pre-announcing a new model is just an "urban myth" .

Oh man, I searched Google for Oswald and for Orwell and for some variations but I didn't think of Osbourne I only remembered it to start with an O.

Too bad it's only an urban legend then, but I'm sure there were other companies as well that broke apart over the expectations they raised (Infinium Labs *ehem*). Hypes can easily fire back at you. In the case of the iTablet, though, it seems to fire at everyone and everything except Apple.

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by Yoshi 1080

Hypes can easily fire back at you. In the case of the iTablet, though, it seems to fire at everyone and everything except Apple.

I bet you're right. I can see a lot of people not buying eReaders or even netbooks and laptops just to wait and see what the mythical apple tablet will look like and do. On the other hand a year from now when the rumors of the Apple tablet mark 2 abound, I can see sales of the first one slipping, but, with their diversity, probably not enough to do any damage

[Madam Broshkina]

I received the following tweet today from TV's Andy Levy.

The Apple Tablet is the Barack Obama of technology. It's whatever you want it to be, until you actually get it.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You were using a web server. Calibre is running one for you on your PC, for the specific purpose of getting around this silly restriction of not being able to copy files directly to the iPhone. The fact that people have written tools (such as Calibre's web server) to get around the restriction does not change the fundamental point that it's silly for Apple to have put that restriction there in the first place.

No your being silly and way too picky. for the average user using ebook software or itunes or direct from a bookseller the iphone is EASIER to get books onto than anything except the kindle AND allows purchases from multiple places.

saying the iphone is restrictive because of design choices well thats like me saying Sony have restricted transferring to a sony reader! as you have to do it via USB which requires a special cable and usb driver software!

Its simple both devices come with the facility to add files to them, thats it, one requires itunes or another piece of software the other requires an OS and a cable.

Its no less restrictive of the iphone to require free software to transfer files than it is teh sony to require a free cable to do it! In FACt the software is easier to carry so the iphone is to the average user more open to a transfer from the book seller than any other reader except Kindle!

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

I want a tablet device for reading and marking up academic PDFs and academic books, maybe for grading and marking up student papers and e-mailing them back to them etc. Also with being my PDA, being a good web browser, video player, having games etc.

That said, I don't think the Apple tablet is likely to do any of the mark up stuff, as it will likely be a big iPhone and thus be a finger touch device with no stylus support--just virtual keyboard etc. and I firmly want stylus markup as I want to highlight and annotate like I do with pen and paper today.

So I don't think the Apple tablet will fit my needs. So my main hope is it will achieve some success and lead to a flood of different tablets coming out so I can find one that fits my need and budget in the next few years (I'm in no hurry).

You can buy a stylus that works fine on iphone, however it has a large tip as its designed for the iPhone but the technology for a stylus to work with the capacative touch screens exists and I would be AMAZED if the 'iSlate' doesnt have a stylus.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by stustaff

I would be AMAZED if the 'iSlate' doesnt have a stylus.

I'd be dumbfounded if it did.