'Sources' say no Apple tablet until 2010
By Paul Miller 
posted August 13th 2009 8:36PM
posted August 13th 2009 8:36PM
[Via Daring Fireball]
posted August 13th 2009 8:36PM
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Haha
It's not going to be big anyways, there just isn't the market for it beyond all us nerds here on the interwebs
note to self: "very reliable sources" on a rumor from endgadget are no longer reliable
thats what you get for dickriding apple engadget
I have to agree to an extent, I don't want a tablet right now. I have good use for a touchscreen laptop/netbook, and unless the tablet has e-paper like readabilitiy in color, with no contracts so I can just tether my phone, I don't want it.
apple tablet rumors make me lolz.
Im not a huge fan of the thought of an Apple Tablet (if it indeed does exist) and am in no way a huge fan of apple, but it may be good idea to wait to release it till they can put something different out into the market. Maybe they can come up with something pretty cool and not viewed as a "giant iphone." Who knows....
It's not the tech-nerds that want an Apple tablet. Tech-nerds have already decided it won't succeed because of their knowledge and set ways of how things are supposed to be. So many tech-nerds have not even seen the tablet or what it can do and have already decided it's a failure because most tablets before it have failed. Even the Apple-fans are saying "Sorry, but it will not be useful because of this and this and this." It's a failure before it's even used. That's close-minded thinking because of living in a tiny pure-tech world.
The tablet will likely appeal to people that barely ever heard or seen a tablet device and believe me there are plenty of people out there like that. They won't have preconceived notions of what works and doesn't work. They'll just take the Apple tablet and use it, not even rationalizing it's limitations. Apple is not selling products to the brainiacs of Engadget who know everything there is to know about hardware and software, they're mainly targeting non-techs who see technology as magic to make things easier for them in life.
I can't believe any of you brainiacs ever sit down and ask a non-tech person why they like to use certain products or what makes things easier or harder for them to use. Many of you older tech-heads should think back as to why so many people never learned how to set their VHS recorder clocks. You didn't care because you could set yours and you figured they were just stupid.
The Apple tablet will have to be tried by non-tech consumers before it's deemed a failure.
@Jordan
I'm inclined not to write something off until we've seen it. The assumption is that we know what it is (typically either a touchscreen Mac or giant iPod Touch) but the thing is that we don't know what it is, or what Apple thinks we would use it for. Given this I want to see the pitch for it before saying whether it would succeed or not. It also needs to be noted that analysis of what will or will not succeed also tends to be wide of the mark - just look at the iPhone as evidence of that.
You'll have to wait a year for their version of old technology, an expensive crippled version that is.
It doesn't matter if they have preconceived notions of what works and what doesn't. What matters is this: Why would they want one?
Let's take the basic form of a tablet, set aside anything special Apple might try to throw in that we dont know of. We've got a, most likely, touch screen and a probably around 10 inch form factor. What is any person going to use this for? The pro user is going to realize they can't do their work on it. The college student, though some will buy it because they think they look cool, would realize they need a full fledged computer. Then there's the home user. What would they really use it for to justify the price? The home user wants a computer, not a toy. Then we've got the portability factor. Yeah peolel carry around laptops, but laptops again are full-on computers. Do people want to carry around a tablet that is completely touch screen as far as input is concerned? Where's the productivity? We all know what it's like typing on an iPhone - how do you think it's going to be typing on a tablet? It's bigger for one thing - am I going to set it down on a table everytime I want to type?
Then there's the price. To compete with the ipod/phone and to make their price look justifiable, Apple would need to price something like this at 600 or above. Probably more like 800. Again, who, besides the average nerd, is going to look at that and think it's worth it? Yes, I could buy this cool looking thing, or I could get a full fledged computer with much better performance, memory, and usefulness. No matter how bad you may want one, there is not a market for a product like this. Then we've got netbooks. Again, full-on computers that are extremely cheap. They may not have the best performance, but they are cheap and really small computers. Put the two side-by-side. Sure one may look more cool, but which one is more useful?
@Kelmon: You can't use the iPhone as an arugment like that. Everybody uses a phone. Getting an iPhone isn't that big of a deal. Do you think that many people are going to run out and buy a tablet? People found the iPhone useful, not many would find the same about a tablet.
It seems rumors are worth more than actual products.
Wrong. Never underestimate Apple's marketing power. When this thing's launched, the media will be all over it, commercial ads running every night and fanboys lining up days before release day. And before you know it, every average Joes who like to think of themselves as being "in and cool" would want one.
I want one. I'll continue to use my Gateway tablet to run iTunes some other applications until they come out with one. I would like iPhoto, Aperture, and Final Cut Pro as well as the automatic backups.
I also have a bluetooth keyboard & mouse that would probably work with this tablet when I am at my desk at home.
You're going to run Final Cut Pro on a tablet?
I laugh at you.
To be honest, I'm not convinced this Apple tablet exists at all.
Piggybacking on second comment to ask:
Cold "feed", Paul?
Hey! Get off of my comment!
Isn't it technically "epsilon naught"?
Agreed Epsilon. I'm sick of hearing about it.
The return of MacWorld, anyone?
change it to apple inc world then your in business
"your in business" lol.
"lol". I am laughing at this.
That's what i was thinking. Just announce it with the next laptop refresh.
It's pretty clear this upcoming event is iPod. iPod != iTablet.
traditionally iPod Touch is also updated as part of the iPod refresh, that's why the rumor mill is flying that the tablet would be a jumbo Touch and not something super special. This year should be a return to flat, shiny backs again (it's a leapfrog cycle), so we'll have to see what they do.
I cannot confirm or deny the possibility of the probability of any confirmation or denial of an apple pc.
I see what you did there.
in short, no comment.
This struggle will continue for a while now. Great.
I think its a plot from Apple to gain more of a hype, so that many people get worked up over their products prior to launch, and then you have a very select few people who will wait for the tablet's full capacities to be unlocked.
That said, the apple tablet thing could be a success...just make sure to include a OLED screen, and plenty of battery.
Oh yea, and don't rush the tablet before fully making sure it doesn't explode.
/s
Dude, you are high.
These stupid rumors aren't hyping anything, because there is nothing to hype. All of this talk about a tablet coming out next month was by morons. Apple is not going to "surprise" the market with anything. When they release something new, it's announced MONTHS ahead of time in order to build hype. That's how they've always worked.
These rumors are ridiculous, and shame on engadget for even acknowledging them.
thanks for clearing that up for me.
i hope that's not true :/
I'm sick of this bullshit by now. These so-called 'sources' can kiss my ass. Stop running stories on them, how many years have they been peddling this crap and getting it wrong now? It's embarrassing.
All it takes is one semi-decent photoshop by some random person unrelated to the company and off goes the rumor brigade :D
If you don't like it, then you don't have to come to this website, ya know. You can leave....no one will miss you anyways. BYE!
@I REPLY TO LOSERS
Wow what a rich and fulfilling life you must lead. Angry much?
Ummm, my life is good thank you! I'm not angry at all. You, however, seem very angry from my comment...too bad! Why haven't you left the site yet?
And yes, I changed my name to SluttyMcNugget =P
People soon forget that rumors have been absolutely false very recently. We never got the front facing camera nor physical switch on the 3GS.
If it's anything but an alternative to the Wacom Cintiq, I don't see any market for this device. It wouldn't beat the kindle for reading ebooks, wouldn't have any games out of the box nor be as sensible as DS/PSP, is less functional for work or web than a netbook, and overall just a big cumbersome thing to lug around that's as prone to screen damage as 10 ipod touches taped together? And costs $600+? Just what I needed.
Completely agree
I'm thinking they might try to create a market for, essentially, a portable Wacom tablet. They will attempt to convince the public that we are all artists and should all be using a tablet and Photoshop for recreation, and that computing and keyboards are a thing of the past. A vocal minority will then claim that Apple is making everyone an artist, several tech blogs will have posts with headlines like "Apple replaces paper", and Photoshop help forums will become overrun.
In the end, several real artists will find it useful for creating digital art outside with more access to inspiration and having the device double as a digital portfolio, while online art galleries will be flooded with crappy 'art' from your average user who bought the thing and can't feel good about their purchase unless they try to draw some stuff.
Or, you know, it doesn't exist at all.
Hit the nail on the head there.
This device already sounds useless and it hasnt even been materialized yet,
Completely disagree - you are basing your feelings on the subject based on rumours (which, frankly, don't seem to know squat) and conjecture. How you can write off something when you have neither seen it, nor been shown what it is for, is quite beyond me. However, I certainly don't see it being an Apple version of a Wacom Cintiq - Apple could have produced something like that quite a while ago. Whatever this thing is, it's been in Apple's R&D labs for a long time.
Don't get me wrong, you could be completely correct that this device is indeed either useless or its role can be fulfilled better with other devices. My point is simply that people should wait to see some concrete information about the device before declaring it to be a success/failure.
Hahah how many people would love it if at this keynote they were like
"Introducing iTablet" Then show the new iPod touch =D I would love apple even more haha
And so lies the problem with "very reliable sources"
"Very reliable sources" also said that it would land on september w/ the new iPods.
Damn "Very reliable sources"
Well it seems that there is something coming
Check here : http://twitpic.com/ds3g1 and here http://twitpic.com/ds36n
But I don't know if it's real !
Everything on the Internet is real.
That was posted in a gizmodo as a mock up that the author photoshopped himself. There's a contest going on right now about that picture on their site.
If Apple plans to add pen, er finger input, for some kind of character recognition, I can see them delaying the tablet. Their character recognition is baaad. Vista and Window 7 is far ahead....even XP does a better job.