The sketchy
Apple tablet rumors have continued apace in the past few days, and rather than hit you with each bit of fluff as it comes in, we're going to be rounding them up from now on. Today's edition builds on earlier reports that Apple's trying to drag print media kicking and screaming into the future, with whispers that Apple execs recently met with Australian media execs to pitch them on new ways to distribute their content on a device "small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket." Apparently the deal involves a 70/30 revenue split, just like the iPhone App Store -- and unlike the
insane 30/70 split Amazon demands on the Kindle, which Apple executives called an "unattractive industry structure" during an investor event a few days later. Of course, Apple tends to say it's not interested in something right before it enters the market, so read that as you will. And finally, China OnTrade today posted up an "Apple iPhone 4 Generation Midboard," which would be a totally boring piece of plastic with no connection to anything... except these guys managed to score some iPhone 3GS parts way early as well. Is this just junk, or is it is really a new iPhone leaking months and months early? Or maybe just leftovers from a
camera-equipped iPod touch that never was? Or... is this
also some
random part of a new tablet? No one really knows -- which is why we're sticking it all in this post and moving on with our lives.
Read - Apple pitches to Australian media
Read - Apple execs call online print media "unattractive"
Read - China OnTrade iPhone 4 Generation midboard
posted Nov 4th 2009 1:33AM
How is this news?
Apple, duh.
Oh, and two roundups?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/26/apple-tablet-rumor-roundup-nyts-speaks-of-impending-apple-slat
@ )ROFL(
Yeah but like... they don't know what it is, if its for an iPhone, a tablet, or old unused things for the iPod touch... So like... whats the use of posting about it?
its cause engadget hasn't had their fill of apple for the day so they had to make a "news" story on something apple based...
love my ipods but engadget is just silly with their blind apple love
Seriously, I m sick of it.
I suggest you visit Gizmodo every once in a while, just to remind yourself what bias really is. By comparison, Engadget is usually pretty darn fair in their portrayal of the tech world. That's not to say Engadget is unbiased, because nobody is. It's human nature to have opinions, after all. I just get tired of reading all this crap in the comments section about how Engadget is so pro-Apple or anti-Microsoft. Even when people defend a story or an author, they always make sure to include a disclaimer saying how this particular example of fairness is still the exception at Engadget, and how Engadget is still a bunch of amateurish, biased, douchebag Jobs worshipers with nothing better to do than spread Apple propaganda every chance they get.
Seriously, give it a rest.
There's only been one other Apple post today, and it wasn't exactly positive either:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/03/apple-rejects-macworld-iphone-superguide-from-app-store-for-u/
Are you guys done with your accusations that Engadget is somehow sponsored by Apple under the table? If it were true, not only would it be completely obvious, but they would've been investigated and shut down years ago. To think that Apple would actually pay a blog money to always bring them up and always portray them favorably is pretty ridiculous when they've got Gizmodo to do it for free. There's a reason that blog is Steve Jobs' favorite when there's countless numbers of Apple Rumor or Apple Insider blogs out there. Gizmodo unfairly gives Apple undue praise in the name of unbiased gadget blogging.
no more apple/mac crap... it's becoming irrelevant
Apple still hasn't invented a tablet device?
Man! What are we gonna do with all those multi-touch friendly operating systems of tomorrow?
Looks like a graphical render that was done in either Photoshop or MS Expression Design by someone that has way too much time on his/her hands.
I like you Nilay. Engadget rounding up all the related news in one post instead of several pointless posts is almost a dream come true. If you will please extend this practice to ALL Apple announcements like you do to every other announcement, I will rescind the 'bias' sticker I have pasted on you.
The plastic board looks interesting, but do we have any sense of its scale?
"If you will please extend this practice to ALL Apple announcements like you do to every other announcement, ..."
Err no. They are always posting one article per announcement, be it Apple, Sony or whatever. Apple is just announcing more stuff usually. I really don't see the bias, especially since you can't deny that Apple always has been one of the most important companies in the IT market that often pushes the industry forward.
jeez, get over it.
I bet when apple releases tablet n perfects it makes it mainstrem n desirable n sells million in 3 months. Iphonehaters will say apple didn't invent tablet. But again they sure as heck perfected n with apple os perfected it fir the masses. Agree?
and by then nobody will remember your post
You may have the worst grasp of the English language I have EVER seen in my entire life. And my life has been full of illiterate morons...
You started a sentence with and. Tsk, tsk.
Uh...yeah? The only thing I could comprehend was "perfecting =/= inventing", which I agree is correct. The other stuff? Not so much.
So how many accounts is this for you Shugg, Shank, Guru, Truth, Word? I know I'm missing a whole bunch of others.
You'd think after the first or second time you got banned you'd get the hint.
Wait....Truth was his FOURTH ACCOUNT?
Lol! Obvious trolls, man....
With apple's history, I can almost guarantee you that this thing will be at least $500. That being said, just like apple computers that sell the same hardware for thousands more, whats to stop people from getting the kindle or the nook over a giant sized iPhone?
I'd be surprised if it cleared 100K in 3 months, although they're are about a million of you fanboys though.... Just the right size for a cult
Meow! I want it... I'll take 2
Or maybe just leftovers from a camera-equipped iPod touch that never was?
Oh sure, rub that in... Grrrrrrrrrrr
Who the F wants a camera in the Nano?
I have no idea.
The new iPhone (4G) should have a better resolution screen.. 480 x 320 isn't cutting it these days, other companies with their phones have way better resolution. This is an outrage! (Insert 300 joke here.)
The question that should be asked is if apple decides to go ahead and stream cabletv via Itunes......what effect net neutrality have?
Great. We all chipped in and bought Captain Blurrycam a proper piece of kit, and now he's forgetting to include other objects in the picture for a sense of scale.
Wait it has a camera? I guess this won't be a great gaming device.
Yeah, that's why I've refused to buy the Playstation Eye.
No, he's referring to Apple's silly excuse for removing a camera because "it's a gaming device" (yes, that makes no sense).
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/09/steve-jobs-says-ipod-touch-didnt-get-a-camera-because-its-a-g/
Mark, meet sarcasm. Sarcasm, Mark.
Engadget realized that it needed to put the excessive amount of "Speculative Apple Future Product" news into one post! It's about time
At this point, they can't afford to not make a tablet. Amazon is making a mac app to sell kindle books directly , ebook readers are popular, even though apple has plenty of cash, they can't let this slip by them as a revenue stream.
Just like I said the iphone was real, when all called fake
For sure the apple 'tablet" is real, mostly ebooks that will be sold through itunes
heres my two cents based on what i would do..........
Apple has their eyes (or should have their eyes) on killing 3 birds with one stone as in targeting the following markets segments with one device:
-innovative e-reader
-netbooks
-tablets
also interesting is weather Apple will be able to extend their current revenue sharing model (70/30 split) to the ignorant hard headed print media companies if so then their content will fit perfectly in between the itunes store and the app store like it was meant to be there if not which i highly doubt given Apples track record but if not then you will see something like an iTunes+ account with a monthly subscription model so the media companies dont have to share their revenue either way it would be a smart move for print media to go digital and a smart move for Apple in general to finally tap into the above segments in a very apple-esque way
if Apple is smart they will encourage the newspapers big and small to adopt a unified format similar to digital magazines instead of scrolling down you just turn pages, ebooks will of course fit nicely into this already and duh so will magazines and once these three print mediums come together on a unified format it would be a truly revolutionary breakthrough a unified file format optimized for rich content presentation/consumption (Apples proprietary format of course) interactive and innovative much better then a pdf (inside the adobe reader yuck) or any word document (yuckness i dont want to edit the content i just want to consume it) webpage (way to much clicking and scrolling YUCK) or kindle/wanabes (WTF e-ink NO COLOR YUCK) so appealing that everyone will race to replicate it and thats Apples MO right there :)
if that happens im willing to say for certain that the device will not be a table and have 2 screens both of which will be multi touch to take FULL advantage of this new unified content presentation format and of course it will accurately mimic the reading experience of a magazine or book on a digital device....thats where its at as far as e-readers go
for the hardware the screens will be bigger then the iphones screen but the device overall will be smaller then the smallest netbook on the market still to big to fit in a pocket but more portable then any other e-reader or netbook/sub par notebooks in its class on the market it will also have an accelerometer a cam w/video (led flash maybe) and of course it will be a 3G/wifi interconnected device together with AT&T
also keep in mind that if the designers are feeling creative they will be able to of course create a form factor where one of screens may actually be able to swivel thus creating a tablet and your dream of an apple table would come true but it will not be just a tablet for the sake of making a tablet nah its GOTTA be a hybrid device a tablet, an innovative e reader with two screens and a revolutionary new kind of netbook with multi touch thats sounds more revolutionary then just a bigger iphone to me.......
software you can pretty much bet that they will use the iphone os but a slight hybrid if they go with 2 screens i seriously doubt they will do 1 screen but hey jobs is getting old and losing his edge so you never know but anyways if it has 2 screens it will be a hybrid if you hold it like a book its like looking at two iphones side by side when you swipe thru pages your swiping thru 2 pages at a time now or if they can optimize it where it will go into your digital print media application immediately if you hold it like a book, if you hold it like a notebook it will be like a widescreen iphone page on the top and if you have that many icons you can of course swipe thru the pages and the bottom screen will fill completely with a digital keyboard and maybe some hybrids like one thats a caculator and a widget screen one created just for games and all of these you can swap on the fly and if one of the screens swivels thus creating a tablet it will be just like holding a bigger iphone there may of course be a tablet app that will replicate a stylus driver GUI of hardcore stylus users but as far as the core GUI or functionality being driven by a stylus i just dont see that happening
it will of course fit nicely with the app store as well and devs will be able to easily scale their apps between the iphone and the ibook? form factor if they want to add additional features and take advantage of the additional screen for the ibook? think DS like for games they can if not then the app will automatically scale to fit the top screen while the bottom screen fills with a default keyboard or just additional space for on screen controls
done done and DONE they will dominate the netbook market share with this especially if its in the 500-600 dollar range not only that they will also dominate the e-reader market (from then on no e-reader will ever be black and white e-ink will be a thing of the past) and of course it will dominate the tablet market if there is still even a market for tablets in this day and age
or at least thats what i would do if i was Apple :)
With all the features you mentioned (a very nice list, by the way) there is no chance Apple would price something like this under $800. I mean isn't the unsubsidized iPhone alone over $500? So, realistically, with what you're proposing as a type of "dual-iphone" setup should actually cost over $1000 with the extra features. (the original $800 estimate was giving Apple the benefit of the doubt that they would price it reasonably, in Apple standards)
"Is this just junk, or is it is really a new iPhone leaking months and months early? Or maybe just leftovers from a camera-equipped iPod touch that never was? Or... is this also some random part of a new tablet? No one really knows"
So, basically, you know nothing, by your own admission, but you're still posting it? Hmmm, you guys should really start charging Apple for all this publicity! :)
anyone else hope they do this just so we can put windows 7 on it?
"small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket."
So...they'll all be pink? Perhaps His Steveness will also introduce the iBag so the 'male' Metrosexuals won't be left out.
Cubytes, you just about summed it up...This device will sell millions, due to the innovative features of multitouch and always connected internet. From young to old, the masses will have the media experience that we techs dream of, reaching niche markets like graphics artistry and hospitals with full fledged drawing apps, multimedia streaming, the ability to query external databases, game, surf the web, read books and magazines, you name it, it'll do it...Except breakfast...(but you can remote desktop to your Mac and use Toast to burn a cd.) ;) ~xobmo
Nope, it will fail because it will be an inbetweener product.