Apple Tablet rumors evolve into Zen koans: 'it's a big iPhone, but it's not a big iPhone'
By Tim Stevens 
posted January 7th 2010 7:04PM
posted January 7th 2010 7:04PM
Can you hear it? It's the sound of wishful thinking, of hopeful optimism, of more Apple Tablet rumors. The competition is certainly not holding back in releasing theirs, so what's up with Apple? According to rumor one, from an "industry source" who has seen the OS, the software is "a big iPhone, but it's not just a big iPhone," and it's "pretty." Moving on, rumor two indicates that the device itself will have the internal hardware to work with multiple wireless providers, with Verizon apparently getting priority but there being no single-carrier tie here. Finally, the device is said to be going on sale in March, which sounds reasonable enough if that unveil on 26th comes to fruition. What does Apple have to say about it? "We are not going to comment on rumors and speculation." You can feel free, though -- that's what comments are for.
They sound very insightful.
@Ethan
Agreed - I think that just about covers Apple's whole line of products.
@(Unverified)
I find it funny, that the apple tablet is getting more coverage then any other gadget, and we don't know a single thing about it.
@Kamil R
Things are always better in our individual imaginations, once it is revealed everyone will have something to complain about because everyone is expecting something different.
Actual apple product information and apple product speculation follow an inverse correlation. At least this site did a roundup.
Please, Apple, just release it already so we can go back to our regular lives.
@Slutty McNugget You're hired. What's your rate?
@Slutty McNugget Sorry, only in Fatburgers.
@Kamil R I hope that all of this is just part of the reason it falls flat on its face. I have never been so frustrated with vaporware in my life that I hope apple fails this time and I can devote my funds to a company that doesn't ignore its customers during development. Oh, and the fact that I trust apple less than ever due to their restrictions on developers...
@juanvaldez
If you know anything about good consumer research, you never ask your customers what they want. That is what the company is for; to innovate, give you options you never even deamed of. You obviously care about the apple tablet and you are expressing your anger in an immature way. Apple does not do this because they are snotty; they do this because it works. Their strategy earns them millions of dollars in free advertising. They love people who have complaints like yours. You are advertising for apple. You and I were played right into their hands.
@Slutty McNugget
LMFAO!! Made my shitty night great!
@James Yup. Basic psychology. Anyone in the stock market knows that a stock will rise meteorically on news, speculation and rumors of a product, no matter the company or industry, and then, on the release of said product, no matter how amazing it is, the stock drops.
@Ethan
*runs his finger across this thread*
What is this, banhammer dust?
@juanvaldez
If that approach was taken 30 years ago, and they looked to 'see what the customers wanted' we would have never ended up with a mouse on our computers.
Back to picking coffee beans for you.
comment
So, in other words, it's not going to be running a proper OS like the HP slate does.
Although I don't see the point in tablets I have to congratulate Ms for completely raining on Apple's parade here.
@MarkAnderson Well of course the MS 'tards are going to work themselves into a frenzy of "hahas" running their mouths thinking they know what Apple is going to show this 26th. Oddly enough fat boy Ballmer's "tablet" presentation yesterday showed pretty much nothing pretending it was something new.
If Apple does debut a tablet can we remind you of this post after you've soiled your pants?
@(Unverified) I'd call it a light shower. I think the only thing that could have rained on the apple tablet / slate / whatever it's called parade is the courier.
@MarkAnderson What parade is there to rain on? The tablet hasn't even been confirmed and you - like the rest of the world - can't say for certain what it will or won't do.
@MarkAnderson
Everyone, your attention please!
This MarkAnderson guy thinks he's been inside Apple's R&D labs, been given full accesss to test and examine this rumored Apple tablet and he has concluded it is useless.
Tell us more MarkAnderson!!
@HighestRanked
As usual you are getting way to emotionally involved. Calm down.
@MarkAnderson and Highestranked
Your guys know youre fighting about nothing right?
"OMG its going to be amazing"
"Its going to suck, its not even running a full OS"
How about we wait until its released to start fighting over whats better because right now its like arguing about if a unicorn tastes better than a horse. You just dont know until you can taste them both.
This kind of reminds me of the whole original Zune thing. Remember when everyone was excited that Microsoft had produced a Widescreen iPod type device like two months before the iPhone came out? All the fanboys were talking about how great it was, that is, until Apple showed them how to really do a Widescreen iPod like device.
After the iPhone debuted, it was obvious that Multi-touch was coming very soon to the iPod. I expect something very similar to happen later this month. The HP Slate really isn't anything we haven't seen before.
@MarkAnderson: Please, think about what you're saying for a minute here. Do you really think that a tablet running a full desktop OS is a good idea when accessed with a finger? Even if you can somehow shoehorn in enough UI changes to make the OS itself useable like that can you imagine trying to use firefox on an 11" screen by proding buttons? How about Office or, god help us, Photoshop?
A tablet designed around finger input makes NO sense when running a full desktop OS and I include Windows, Linux, OS X and every other OS designed to be used with a keyboard and mouse. The interface will always be a cludge (think the close button on the latest Windows Mobile devices being in the very top right of the screen and very small....) and applications built for that OS just won't work right without their usual interface controls.
THAT'S the lesson of the iPhone / iPod Touch: build the interface to compliment the hardware and do so from the ground up. As a result the iPhone, Android and Palm Pre (all of which are ground-up designs around the concept of touch) work very very well indeed for both basic functionality and any additional applicatons where Symbian and Windows Mobile struggle as they're still built around a legacy platform based on Stylus input.
Sadly all Microsoft did with the Slate concept was show they still really don't understand the emerging consumer space in computing. They're mired in old design and the metaphors of the enterprise. Folders, Files, Desktop... it's outdated and unintuitive in the extreme. There's a market emerging very quickly for people who want something that Just Works with a shallow learning curve, integration with THEIR world (media, web, e-mail etc) on devices that need little to no upkeep. I really hope Microsoft realise that and are moving to meet that demand because if they don't they could find themselves relegated to a predominantly enterprise and power user suplier in a surprisingly short time and that'd be a shame.
@HighestRanked
tatester48 Posted Jan 7th 2010 7:09PMNEUTRAL
"The HP slate sucks so far. it is just a cheap watered down netbook"
No response to this, huh?
I guess baseless ignorant comments are ok, as long as they aren't about Apple products. Or potential Apple products.
@MarkAnderson
Why would I want to run applications designed for a keyboard/mouse on a multi-touch tablet? At least with the old style stylus based tablets the stylus was precise enough to act as a good pointing device. My fingers are far too big for that on a multi-touch tablet. I would struggle to click on menus or select small toolbar icons I would need to learn different finger gestures to cover left click, right click, hover, drag, etc. For keyboard input none of the applications would be aware of the multi-touch keyboard overlay almost certainly blocking my taskbar/dock or other UI elements.
Additionally what compelling desktop software is there to run on a low power tablet? Modern PC games are out of the question. The lack of a physical keyboard suggests that MS Office wouldn't be a great fit. A low power tablet isn't going to do any serious graphics work. I'm obvious not going to run Visual Studio on the thing. There's little value in running legacy desktop applications on a modern tablet. People just want to browse the internet, watch/listen to media, and play games.
@jon Well maybe you can tell us what is so grand, innovative or progrssively new about fat boy Ballmer's HP "slate"
@BOFH
While you do make some excellent points about the standard Windows interface being too small to be all that effective for touch controls, there is a flaw in your argument: The interface for an OS and the OS itself are two entirely different things.
First off, the windows 7 interface looks to be practically designed for tablet use: In its standard mode it uses lots of large icons, most of which are easily bigger than your finger tip on a decent sized screen like most of these tablets seem to be sporting. Furthermore, everything on the interface can be scaled up to be even bigger if you should so choose. Also, it has full support for gestural input, so you don't even really need to use the little buttons to close or minimize a window if you don't want to. And even if it didn't have these built in, it really wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility for a manufacturer to code their own front end interface to replace the Windows one.
Having used the windows mobile interface you've referred to and the new W7 interface on a tablet (yes, with my finger, not a stylus,) I found that the experience was like night and day. Windows 7 works great on tablets, and it has the added bonus of being able to use existing applications without any kind of little tricks required. The on-screen keyboard is easily resizable, and it has full handwriting recognition as well if you should so choose, so input really isn't a problem. And, of course, one could always grab a stylus and get all the precision one needs for photoshop and other applications that aren't as responsive to fingerpainting.
I have no doubt that whatever interface Apple is going to be using for their tablet (if in fact that is what it is, rumors have been wrong before) will be great. But I also know that if it doesn't run applications like photoshop or office, there are going to be a lot of very angry people ready to charge Apple's offices.
Frankly I'm unlikely to get any kind of tablet from HP or Apple. I like my keyboard. But from my standpoint, it's hard to argue the superior utility of a machine capable of running a real operating system over one that uses a proprietary solution with no real chance of seeing any kind of support from major developers. Say what you will about netbooks and the like being highly limited computers, but they're beasts compared to something like the iPhone. And if the tablet is all iPhone under the hood, it's going to look like a very shiny toy compared to the ones running Windows.
Not that any of this matters, of course. Apple's got a built in userbase. They'll sell loads no matter what. But they're unlikely to garner much new support for it.
@BOFH I agree with many of your points, except for when you said files, folders, and the like are on their way out. I honestly wish my iPod Touch had a file directory, as it would make managing files much easier to do.
Although many applications and such are indeed moving to the web, folders and files are necessary for organization.
And for me, personally, I like having a desktop. Almost no icons sit on mine, I just like to look at my wallpaper from time to time. It provides sense of uniqueness to a computer. Aside from that, I agree, its a bit useless. :D
@MarkAnderson Anderson, what's a 'proper' OS if it works best with whatever device it's on? To me a proper OS is one that makes things work best while still allowing the devs to create functional applications.
I think you said it best when you stated "I don't see the point of tablets."
This isn't your thing, don't sweat it.
@HighestRanked
NOTHING! That's the beauty! There is NOTHING new.
Here's the thing though. This is the reason why tablets failed initially outside of education institutions, construction, and medical facilities: They were extremely expensive.
You couldn't get a decent tablet for under 1,000 bucks, and only recently has the technology from netbooks finally converged with the technology made popular through the iPhone (capacitive touch screen and other such things).
For crying out loud though. Don't be an ass. You're seriously screaming insults at Microsoft and its proprietors for something as stupid as a tablet. You don't even know yourself what the iSlate (or whatever) is even going to LOOK like! You have nothing more to back you up than a bunch of wildly varying rumors!
I guarantee that since Windows 7 has a much better multitouch experience than anything that Microsoft has put out so far, and since the cost of hardware has decreased, that these new waves of convertible tablets (which I myself am going to get now that the prices have come down) and these sorts of "screen only" slates are going to become much more popular.
@(Unverified)
"Why would I want to run applications designed for a keyboard/mouse on a multi-touch tablet? "
A better question is why would you get something 10 to 11 inches in size and run widget apps on it?
Unless you boil this thing down to a glorified e-Mag reader that will play some party games, then you WILL need it to run something of heft, especially for the price it will cost.
With my tablet PC, I do run any application that my desktop runs. I'm not limited to some quickie programs to calculate tips or play content from TMZ.
And guess what? They all run fine! Heck even some of them I interact better with on a tablet with a stylus, which by the way, is a requirement for anything beyond entertainment applications.
@HighestRanked
Not to mention, what is the point of a 10 inch "slate" in any form? My iPod touch does an awesome job of being an instant on internet machine, and the HP tm2 that I want is going to be awesome as a writing/ notetaking/ light gaming/ work device.
I don't see the niche.
@LAY
I completely agree.
@MarkAnderson
Hey genius Microsoft has been releasing tablets for years with your so called proper OS which has failed woefully.
@BOFH
Well said, this is the same thing I tried to mention in the HP slate post and the Microsoft jihad descended on me like flies.
@Mike10010100 Actually, tablets failed beacause they could not find uses for the general consumer market, not because of price. The niche markets that found uses tablets have already purchased them.
Cheap or not, if tablets don't meet a general consumer necessity they'll stay relegated to their current status.
@Goona
"Hey genius Microsoft has been releasing tablets for years with your so called proper OS which has failed woefully"
You couldnt be more wrong about Microsoft tablets being a failure. HP, Levono, ASUS, Dell, Samsung, Fujitsu and Toshiba all make tablets with full windows on them and they all perform and sell quite well. Personally the price isnt worth what you gain with the abilities of the tablets (Im perfectly fine with my mini 310). And I believe Microsoft is going towards the "Slate" name for these new devices like the HP slate because tablet PC's are already heavily established in the market and have physical keyboards unlike the "Slate" style PC's which are just a big touchscreen much like UMPC's.
I dont get why you guys get so angry about Microsoft and Apple competing. If you like Apple buy their products and support them with your dollar and if you like Microsoft, Google, or whatever do the same. Id much rather be able to chose whether I want Windows 7, Winmo, Andriod, OSX, MobileOSX, Linux, ect on a certain device myself than have someone who doesn't know my preferences and needs tell me whats best for me and force something upon me.
@James
Have any figures to show they are selling well? The Apple TV also sells well.
@James Unicorns are unfortunately the basis of 90% of gadget lust
My horn can pierce the skyyyyy
@Goona
http://news.softpedia.com/news/In-2009-the-Tablet-PC-Market-Will-Exceed-15-Billion-5490.shtml
You can use google and find out more if you would like, this is just the first thing I found.
I also never said anything about the apple tv and dont think anyone else has either in this thread. I actually bought one and its nice for what it is and my sister enjoys it now ever since I gave it to her and built my HTPC running XBMC over windows 7. Unlike some people on here I buy what fits my needs and preferences the most whether they be Apple, Microsoft or Linux products and dont consider one brand godlike and all others inferior.
@James
You give me a link from 2005 and from your very own link, one of the first sentences:
"Tablet PC shipments which run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition are still below the initial predictions."
Tells us everything we need to know.
I don't know if it's just me, and I hope I'm not repeating something previously asked, but does anyone think it will be called the Apple Newton Tablet?
@jcarb
Nope id almost guarantee its going to start with an "i". iSlate, iPad, iTablet, ect...
The HP slate sucks so far. it is just a cheap watered down netbook
@tatester48
You don't know anything about the HP Slate, other than it's looks and OS.
@Steve Jobs Jr
Of course we do genius. It was introduced yesterday with a desktop OS, the same formula which has been repeated for the past 10 years with tablets and failed.
@Goona
Like I said, we know nothing about it except for the looks and OS.
Learn to read.
@Steve Jobs Jr
And you should learn to use your brain. Putting a desktop OS on a tablet is a recipe for failure like has been proven many times.
Alright I'm sorry. Not an Apple-hater - love my iPhone and MacBook Pro.
But "it's like a big pretty iPhone but better" from an unnamed source is NOT newsworthy.
C'mon guys. we're already inundated with CES stuff.
@triptych Well this is suppose to balance out the [entire] CES stuff :P
It's like having that thought of waiting for next year's SI swimsuit issue when you have this year's, in your hands, now.