After what
AppleInsider claims has been four years of development "riddled with setbacks," Apple is purportedly finalizing its long-rumored tablet for an early 2010 launch.
AppleInsider claims to have been tracking the device get bounced back to the drawing board repeatedly over the past few years, but says that Steve Jobs is finally happy with the product and there's an internal go-ahead to get this thing ready for next year, barring any other setbacks. Purported specs include a 10-inch screen, 3G data and a custom ARM processor courtesy of its
P.A. Semi purchase -- after previously considering Intel's Atom, as the story goes. Rumors elsewhere point to Verizon data instead of AT&T, but that might just be wishful thinking. While
AppleInsider still claims the device is positioned somewhere between an iPhone and a laptop, its inside sources apparently didn't give the thumbs up to early artist renditions of the handheld, and so
AI's new and "improved" render is above -- striking fear in the heart of aesthetes everywhere.
Sure, we've heard so many iterations of
Apple tablet rumors over the years, with varying degrees of confidence behind them, that it's really hard to latch onto yet another promise of this supposedly inevitable device. Still, this is what it is: a decent rumor with some reasonable excuses for "delays" and a glorious promise of tablet nirvana right around the corner. What more could an Apple rumorphile want?
posted Jul 24th 2009 1:34PM
Just announce it already Apple and state when your going to ship it. Even if it's 9 months for now. The four years of on & off rumors is enough cat & mouse.
4 years to settle on a super-sized iPhone. Sounds like R&D dollars well spent.
People have been claiming an Apple tablet for much longer than 4 years - pretty much ever since XP - Tablet edition came out in November of 2002. And so far, every single rumor has fallen flat on its face.
Geeker, oversized iPhone for $2500
Game over for the $300 netbook market. Those companies will wonder why Apple can charge $500 more for a computer with less parts and hopefully the netbook sellers will raise their prices a couple of hundred dollars more and not drive the rest of the computer industry to ruin. Just remember, even Microsoft needs to sell licenses to more expensive computers in order to keep those profits rolling in. And no, the netbook companies are not going to cut the price from $300 to $200 because it will drive them bankrupt, too. The netbook craze is just ruining margins for companies and they should never have been sucked into building them in the first place.
I'm sure the tablet is going to have a lot of detractors because it'll be relatively expensive, it won't have a physical keyboard and it probably won't even have a display cover (I'd get some sort of book sleeve or protective hard cover for mine). But it will sell at first to the loyal Mac users and then it will catch on to non-Mac users as well. Why? Because it will be undoubtedly a very versatile device and it will have that "cool" status which so many people claim is useless. In the end, Apple will sell a mess of those tablets and it will be the most popular tablet computer ever made if it can run App Store apps.
...for only $6999.99.
@iphonesux
Your analysis runs on the assumption that this device will be popular, which it will probably not be.
That's gonna be a big expensive piece of crap.
I'd buy it - but, the key problem for Apple is going to be cost. They have to keep this reasonable.
Hopefully it will have 3G and WiFi.
by the time this actually comes out Sprint will be far advanced on its 4G roll out and your 3G will be yesterday's news.
no keyboard? do you hold it with one hand? if you set it on a table it would be hard to use (try putting the screen on your laptop all the way down and reading it). So i guess its just sort of a ikindle right? Even for web surfing you'd have to hold it and peck with one finger.
A tablet would be worthless without good hand writing recognition software imo.
Have you ever used a windows tablet? Some cool software on it, sure. And I am sure that Apple's version will be even "cooler".
But in the end, it is an awkward size, and the lack of a keyboard starts to get to you. I had a fujitsu tablet at work that stayed in the cupboard after the first few weeks of novely wore off.
I doubt that even Apple will be able to pull this one off.
If it was a little bit smaller, maybe a 7-8" screen, maybe I would be singing a different tine. But devices of that size are a very niche market. Read the comments on the Viliv X70 thread (which I consider a pretty cool device). Not alot of takers here.
I am certain Mr Jobs has considered all the ergonomic and functional issues regarding a tablet pc and has spent time with his staff coming up with innovative solutions for them. This is the reason Apple don't announce their products early.
@Geeker:
The prototypes all probably had too many buttons for Jobs' taste. Takes a lot of work to get rid of all teh buttons...
But seriously, I doubt Apple can make tablets a success. The usage is in just too awkward a place (too big for comfortable portability, but lacking the buttons that you generally get at that size). Tablets have been neat when they have laptop modes, but without the laptop aspect, I would think a cell phone a better experience without losing much.
Arm is useless, so it is basically a large screen ipod.
is this intended as a solution to the netbook issue, or will is this for artists and thus it will make the modbook obsolete?
It's a solution to the netbook issue. If anyone expects to use a wacom stylus or ANY stylus with this, you'll be disappointed. This is for consumers. Apple is a consumer electronics company. Professionals will stick with the macbook pro/desktop macs.
The interesting thing about this will be the UI, and how it fits with mac osx and iphone os.
Let me guess, your expertise in the field is due to Intel commercials? Admittedly Intel processors are great if you want your machine to double as a fan heater, but for portable, lower power devices one uses the ARM. You can clock either of them as high as you like, and have multiple cores, it's just that ARM hasn't got some Byzantine instructions set and you get the source code for it so you can integrate it into your own chips.
Probably going to be a bigger bust than the macbook air. Seems kinda trivial to me.
The MacBook Air was/is hardly a bust. It's a product which caters to a very specific demographic.
WOAHHHH MACBOY ALERT!
Dude take a step back and tell me it isnt a failure. Its like calling the Vaio P a success.
Yeah -1 to you,
I wanted a super thin and light (read: portable) note-taking laptop for law school with a decent sized screen and a nice full sized, let alone backlit, keyboard (read: no netbooks), and a SSD. Sure it's a little pricey, but I (as well as a few others I know) have been extremely happy with the Air. Definitely a niche product, but an awesome one.
From a business perspective, it's not a failure. They've been selling them as fast as they make them. That means that sales are in line with their internal projections, otherwise their would be huge overstock in the channel.
Look at Apple's last financial results.
Best to keep love, hatred and personal feelings out out financial analysis...
@CraiJ... you're a bit too rational for the whiners and haters here.
Still, nice to see the comment. +1
@ Kyle
WOAHHHH USELESS TWAT ALERT!
Dude take a step back and tell me why I shouldn't think you're a complete and utter moron?
I'm also sure you're probably FAR too old to continue using the word "Dude".
The Zune was/is hardly a bust. It's a product which caters to a very specific demographic.
GM was/is hardly a bust. They have a product which caters to a very specific demographic.
The Apple Lisa was/is hardly a bust. It's a product which caters to a very specific demographic.
I guess you can turn that comment to defend anything...
Even your pathetic attempt at a witty comeback! :)
ProfessorDex, from a neutral point of view, that was terrible...
@Kyle
Since getting my iphone I've been hoping they would make something larger, an Iphone/Touch with an 8" screen would be awesome.
And whats wrong with the Viao P ?? I have 3 of them, 1 for work, 1 as a backup device in-case I lose the work unit and 1 for carrying around in the evening so I can stay in touch with friends.
@ seanchk
You have 3 Viao P's? I think you can put the 3rd up on e-bay as I am sure that one friend you have you can keep in contact with using your iphone.
:-)
@ ProfessorDex
ad hominem
-10 Internets for you
I'm gonna name mine "Newton"!
GD it... you beat me to the punch!
An iPhone already feels pretty sturdy... how heavy would a 10" glass screen be?
The 13" MacBook Pro has a 13.3 inch glass screen on it...and it isn't too heavy to carry around.
Apple lists it at about 4 lbs right? [too lazy to navigate to apple.com to check]
Imagine a 'unibody' MacBook Pro with outward facing screen. I think thats what we will end up seeing. Sort of a MacBook Pro/iPhone hybrid that will have an optical drive, 2 USBs, Firewire, Mag Safe charging and some sort of pop out stand to put this thing at a decent angle if its on a table.
How about inductive wireless charging. Enough with plug in charging already.
I want my flying car already.
=)
What about cells that convert halogen light to electricity? I think that would be more useful than a wireless inductive charge or possibly solar cells.
lol @ Warren, he said "optical drive" as if they were gonna put on in IF they were to ever make a tablet in the first place, which I very greatly seriously doubt much, alot.
The tempered glass screen of an iPhone is very heavy in comparison to the .5mm thick glass of a unibody macbook air. If this is as durable as the iPhone's screen, it will be heavy. Either way, people will manage to complain about it either being breakable, or heavy. I think this will be a lose/lose situation for Apple.
Even though I managed to crack the screen on my 1st-gen iPhone, I maintain that it's a very solid durable device -- it survived other drops with no problems until the fateful 4' drop onto hard ceramic tile.
However, I see no way something like this could be remotely durable without weighing 4lbs or something absurd like that.
I can't imagine buying something like this, but am still holding out hope for a "lightweight" Apple notebook/netbook type product at a lower price point. We'll see. Or I'll just buy the 13" MBP when Intel's new chips come out in Jan.
Its a giant Iphone. Works for me.
@paul
it's going to be iPhone OS, trust me.
OK... which one of you is the real Chapel -- Paul "A", Paul "b", or Paul " "?
@ roole
lol, ya, confusing isn't it? i just downrank them all.. :)
Its time to start treating Apple like a company instead of a god. Be incredulous until we actually see the product in action. If we do see an apple tablet early 2010, all we'll know that it'll look nice...thats it.
Apple isn't a god?
Remember, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say yes.
You asked for ugly, we give you ugly.
Sounds like a comment your mother made the day you were born.
WOAH MACFANBOY ALERT... a little protective of apple are we?
Things butt ugly, essentially a big iphone and I like the iPhone.
Yes, because a render from a rumor site is what it's really gonna look like...
@ Kyle
You do understand what a "Mock up" is don't you? No? Ever heard of Photoshop? Well perhaps you should look it up before making yourself look like even more of a tool.
Dex, Apple will never love you the way you love them.
You're just not good enough, Apple can do better.
BTW, I'm interested in an x86 Apple tablet, that mock-up is ugly.
ARM >>>>>>>>>> X86
@ Jon
Good thing I'm not a mindless Apple drone otherwise that may have been somewhat offensive.
Would be good to integrate with iTunes and a whole-house audio system.
For the price it'll likely be, you'd be better off with sonos. Or, you know:
http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
An Apple tablet (iPod HD?) won't be a MacBook or a phone, so it has to have size-specific uses that are popular enough to drive a large market. Probably closest to a MID, with a 16:10 aspect ratio. A 10-inch screen would be about 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches.
- Half the size of a US Letter page, the size of a paperback book. Perhaps a Kindle-compatible ebook with a touchscreen UI.
- An iTunes player for music, video and iPhone games. The custom chip would allow HD Playback.
- It could display photos from a higher-resolution camera than the iPhone, and take higher resolution video.
It would have mobile Safari, and focus on the newest technologies for streaming and animation, probably would not support Flash. To the extent that Netbooks are used to surf the Web, an iPod HD would be an alternative. A bluetooth keyboard and possibly a mouse could be added. Because of the larger size, it might only support WiFi in order to get sufficient bandwidth for streaming video.
Frak!
ARM processor seriously?
Frak!
I was holding out for an Intel so it would run Snow Leopard.
Frak! Frak! Frak!
Hey, it could run Snow Leopard.
Universal Binary support isn't being stripped out, just the PowerPC build. For all we know, Xcode 4 will include an ARM targeted GCC (no short supply of those.)
iPhone is ARM
Apple says they run OS X on the iPhone
Apple has been known to completely redesign their OS for a new architecture (PPC --> x86)
I wouldn't put it past them to run some version of OS X (close to leopard) on it.
And ARM processors can be very powerful there just aren't any major OSs for it yet (Android, Google OS are changing that)
While I only own an iPod Touch 2G, I have faith that Apple. If they are in fact creating a tablet, they execute it quite nicely and it will probably be really good. Good luck to them and hopefully an introduction of said product will drive the rest of the market to innovate and improve their future devices.
Just a large iPod...
Gigantor
Apple= Win
Theres no doubt that people will by this for whatever price it is..., it might even get its own homebrew /hacker community.
I just want to know if I can eat off of it.
Your tablet will be the table and your Air can cut the cake :D
Apple is slowly making utensils and plates obsolete!
Well, I guess we will see next year....or..not.
Manufacturing? Testing? Quality control? FCC etc. approvals?
I cant wait! However they are probably going to have redic pricing.
-- www.loosenthetude.com
nobody wants this.. why does apple waste time on this kind of stuff. put matte screens on your notebooks before you make this
Gahhh.. I'm so sick of people bragging about how awesome Apple stuff is. Like my friend the other day started going off about how awesome his Apple TV is that it can pull content from all his Macs. I wanted to tell him, "hey buddy, Windows Media Extenders were available years before Apple TV that can do the exact same thing, but for like $70 versus $300 for Apple TV." But I didn't, because that's what separates the braggy Apple fans from us regular people.
"But I didn't, because that's what separates the braggy Apple fans from us regular people."
Regular people? You mean people who make up little stories like this to try to impress their fellow anti-Apple friends? Funny how you people always got some silly little story like this ready to go for any mention of Apple. Time for a new script Winbots you have used the same old stories too many times for them to be credible anymore.
This is the first time I have ever told that story.
@ Cander...
"Time for a new script Winbots you have used the same old stories too many times for them to be credible anymore."
Ummm... You do realizing you are commenting on story based solely off of a rumor, that potentially has no credible source. It also should be noted that this is the "same old story" we've been hearing for quite some time. So... to say that this other gentleman is lying... well...basically... You're an idiot.
Keep saying the same things and eventually they'll come true?
"I want a million dollars, I want a millions dollars!"
"I want a millionss dollars!"
I'm sure it's already true that you want a million dollars. However, if your hypothesis is correct, try saying "I have a million dollars! I have a million dollars!" repeatedly. It will make people think you have a severe lack of humility, but it may eventually get you a million dollars.
They say the first million is the toughest... I'm gonna skip that and go straight for the second.
cromag rally was an awesome game....
Nvidia Tegra in this = GODLIKE
I'd prefer something more along the lines of ION. Seems too big to have to settle on Tegra
@lawyer bird
Not comparable. Ion is a GPU. Tegra is a whole system-on-a-chip CPU.
As long as it runs OS X properly and doesnt use that iPhone OS junk, it seems tight. It'd also be nice if it had expandable DDR2 RAM as I have 4GB of it laying around... =P
Did you really just use the word expandable in a comment regarding an Apple product?
This is going to be a giant failure.
Seriously. You mean a failure just like the iPod and the iPhone was in your eyes. Define your definition of a failure. Because you won't buy it or because Apple will only sell a little over a million tablets a month.
I own an iPod, thanks.
It'll be a giant failure because a purely touch-screen tablet has very little practical use, period. It'll be a long time until the internet and many forms of multimedia are designed to accommodate a purely touch interface, which means implementation of this technology is going to take time.
And in that time, this thing is going to sit on your desk and do nothing.
Play music? Use something interfaced with speakers. Browse the web? Ok. Download something? Use a terminal. Blog? Write by hand? No thanks.
Exactly what are we going to use this tablet for, entertainment or otherwise, that's truly useful and makes it a desired product?
Seriously you guys...
If Apple ever releases a tablet, I'll be the first to say I was wrong. Until that time comes, I stand firm saying that an Apple Tablet is a bad idea. I don't think they're going to make one, I think if they do it'll be an awkward device which people won't really know what to do with once the good feeling of "getting something cool" wears off.
I just don't see where this thing fits into the Apple product line...
Amen to that
I cant speak for anyone else, but if they did this I would pick one up in a hear beat. As long as I can run ableton on it, I spend a lot of time traveling and in airports something like this would be great because it would not be a bulky or big as pulling out my laptop all the time to work in ableton.
Might be just me, but don't you think it would be a little awkward to hold?
Whip out a thing thats kind of like a pizza tray, cool.
Kindle killer...
I think this looks more like a big iPod / e-reader than a tablet PC. They better start selling e-books on iTunes...
a big iPod / eReader is what I want anyway. A lot of people say they want a tablet, but really, for most serious work you need a keyboard and a screen that stands up by itself...
This is almost exactly what I was thinking. A full color, full-size ebook capable device using iTunes as the market for ebooks would be really kickass. I'm generally not a fan of Apple products, but I would be sorely tempted by something like this.
If the Apple's answer to netbooks is an unergonomic device like a tablet it's not an answer
How would you type on it, if its a 10inch tablet you would need to hold it with both hands not like an iphone or anything similar to how would you function with this on things such as a train, bus or even an airplane unless it lays completely flat on a table and this you would be bending your neck at an angle to use it.
Optional bluetooth keyboard for heavy duty typing, my friend.
well i think good old jobsy has Amazon kindle's market in sight! Just think, he always emphasized on how apple was "the worlds biggest education company!"
I was hoping it would be thinner... like the kindle 2.
But I will def. buy it!