iTablet
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Bluetooth Thumb Keyboard apes Backflip, may or may not be shipping now
iTablet has found itself on the pages of Engadget before, primarily for vaporware slates and cheap attempts to garner attention with its iMoniker. Now its parent company AHX Global is back with an actual product -- a thumb-friendly Bluetooth keyboard. That's right, no capacitive touch screens here, just backlit QWERTY keys and a "patented rear-facing touchpad" (oh, you mean like the Backflip). You can order the inventively named Thumb Keyboard now at the source link for £79.99 (about $132) but, having only seen renders and considering the company's track record, we're hedging our bets on whether this thing is actually shipping yet. Full PR is after the break.
X2 promises a clutch of elusive iTablets for Computex
We're gearing up for Computex, and so is X2, apparently. The iTablet (which has been announced and then failed to materialize in the past) will be making an appearance at the show with not one but five variants. Seems like they're throwing the kitchen sink at us to see what will stick, eh? According to JKK Mobile we can, look forward to no less than three Intel-sportin' devices (including the iTablet Lite, which features a 10.1-inch display and 1.6GHz Atom CPU and both the T23A and T23X tablets with Core 2 Duo 743 1.30GHz CPU and 12.1-inch display) as well as a pair of 10.1-inch bad boys including the iTablet Speed-Lite (Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz, 1GB RAM, 512MB NAND Flash storage) and the iTablet Ex-Lite II, which is pretty much the same but for the Freescale 800MHz CPU. The latter two will rock either Windows CE 6 or Android 2.0, apparently. We'll hold out for prices and actual product before passing judgement, but until then you can hit the source link -- you know, if you've never seen rendered images of vaporware tablets.
X2 brings the Amtek iTablet back from the abyss, forgets that no one cared the first time
Apple might have surprised everyone -- including us -- by naming its tablet the "iPad," but the UK's X2 isn't letting this opportunity pass it by: it's managed to drum up some cheap attention today by announcing an "iTablet" powered by a "1.6GHz Intel processor" and running whatever flavor of Windows from XP to 7 your heart desires. Of course, what X2 isn't telling anyone is that it's actually not doing anything more than simply reselling the Amtek iTablet, a product that's been out for ages and that we've covered in the past -- you might recognize this early post by one Mr. Joshua Topolsky in which he said the resistive touchscreen looked "quite frisky." How dramatically things change. Anyway, we don't have a detailed spec list right now, but the Amtek iTablet has a 1.6GHz Pentium M, not an Atom, so this thing could potentially be a serious dog. Feel like making with the goods, X2? Update: X2 tells Register Hardware that its iTablet will go on sale in April in both 10 and 12-inch sizes, but declined to say what kind of Intel chip is powering this thing. If we had to guess, we'd say they're using the name and pictures of the older Amtek device to cash in on iPad hype right now while they get their actual product in order -- and hey, it seems to be working. We'll let you know if we see the real deal anytime soon.
First iPad sales estimates: four million this year, double that in 2011
Even though the device won't be released for another two months, Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray has been quick to revise his sales estimates for the iPad. His former estimate of 1.9 million units sold in the first 12 months was based on an estimated average price tag of $600; now that we know the iPad is priced much lower than that, Munster has revised his estimate accordingly. With the official pricing revealed, Munster now projects iPad sales of 3-4 million units in the first twelve months and double that amount in 2011, which would generate $4.6 billion in revenue for Apple next year. Munster doesn't think the iPad will cannibalize Mac sales, however. "The gadget is a premium mobile device, not a computer," Munster believes, and goes on to say that "consumers looking for an affordable portable computer will likely stick with the MacBook lineup." Munster thinks it far more likely that the iPad will cannibalize sales of the iPod touch, and has revised his sales estimate of that device downward by 1.8 million units for 2010. I can tell you at least one person who won't be part of that 3-4 million sales for the iPad: me. When we at TUAW posted about our dreams for the then-unnamed tablet last August, I said, "In order for me to get really excited about an iTablet, it would have to be more than a gap-filler between the iPhone and the MacBook. It would have to be revolutionary, a device that does something neither existing product is able to do." Based on what I've seen about the iPad so far, though, the device seems to be something targeted toward people who don't already have that particular setup and are missing either an iPhone/iPod touch or a MacBook. That might be exactly what 3-4 million people are looking for this year, and maybe 8 million more next year, but it's not something that suits my own computing needs in any way. What do you think? Are you planning on getting an iPad and joining Munster's legions? Let us know in the comments.
Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!)
Here it is folks, the Apple iPad. The screen is gorgeous, tilting is responsive, and the thing is super thin. Still, if you've used the iPhone before -- and you can see the two devices side-by-side here -- there's not a lot of surprises here so far. Here are some initial thoughts on the iPad: It's not light. It feels pretty weighty in your hand. The screen is stunning, and it's 1024 x 768. Feels just like a huge iPhone in your hands. The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at. It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew. There's no multitasking at all. It's a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you're working in Pages... you can figure it out. It's a real setback for this device. The ebook implementation is about as close as you can get to reading without a stack of bound paper in your hand. The visual stuff really helps flesh out the experience. It may be just for show, but it counts here. No camera. None, nada. Zip. No video conferencing here folks. Hell, it doesn't have an SMS app! It's running iPhone OS 3.2. The keyboard is good, not great. Not quite as responsive as it looked in the demos. No Flash confirmed. So Hulu is out for you, folks! Update: We've got video, head after the break to check it out! %Gallery-84055% %Gallery-84092%
The Apple iPad: starting at $499
After nearly a decade of rumors and speculation, Apple's finally unveiled the iPad. It's a half-inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds, with a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display, and it's running a custom 1GHz Apple "A4" chip developed by the P.A. Semi team, with a 10-hour battery life and a month of standby. It'll come in 16, 32, and 64GB sizes, and it's got the expected connectivity: very little. There's a 30-pin Dock connector, a speaker, a microphone, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi and optional 3G, as well as an accelerometer and a compass. There's also a keyboard dock, which connects underneath in the portrait orientation, support for up to 1024x768 VGA out and 480p composite out through new dock adapter cables, and a camera attachment kit that lets you import photos from your camera over USB or directly through an SD reader. The device is managed by iTunes, just like the iPhone -- you sync everything over to your Mac. As expected, it can run iPhone apps -- either pixel-for-pixel in a window, or pixel-doubled fullscreen -- but developers can also target the new screen size using the updated iPhone OS SDK, which is available today. The 3G version runs on AT&T and comes with new data plans: 250MB for $14.99 and an unlimited plan for $29.99 a month contract-free. Activations are handled on the iPad, so you can activate and cancel whenever you want. Every iPad is unlocked and comes with a GSM "micro-SIM," so you can use it abroad, but there aren't any international deals in place right now -- Steve says they'll be back "this summer" with news on that front. It starts at $499 for 16GB, 32GB for $599, and $699 64GB. Adding 3G costs a $130 per model, so the most expensive model (64GB / 3G) is $829. The WiFi-only model will ship in 60 days, and the 3G models will come in 90. Hey, check out our first hands-on right here, and here's all our additional coverage: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event iPad powered by custom 1GHz Apple A4 chip iPad can run all iPhone apps unmodified, new iPhone SDK out today lets developers tweak apps for iPad use Apple's iPad keeping Adobe Flash away from your couch Apple reveals iBookstore and app for the iPad Apple announces iWork for iPad Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case iPad vs. iPhone... fight! Apple iPad first hands-on! iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you? %Gallery-84060% %Gallery-84025% %Gallery-84062%
Apple iPad unveiled, like, for real f'real
It's finally over ... and it's just beginning! Apple has introduced the iPad to the world, ending a long-drawn-out development phase fraught with rumor and speculation. Today -- like, just now -- the iPad made its stage debut at Apple's "Latest Creation" event in San Francisco. Quite the production, er, introduction, eh? Here's what we know right off the bat, courtesy of Steve Jobs: "It's very thin -- you can change the homescreen to whatever you want" "You can browse the web with it" "Phenomenal for mail" "Album, photos ... you can look at all of them, flick through them, it's a wonderful way to share. Calendar ... months ..." "We have the iTunes store built right in. YouTube and YouTube in HD" "And it's awesome to watch movies and TV" "Even bigger than the DSi XL" (okay, so Steve didn't say that -- we did!) Cool, but does it play games? Update: Yep, it does -- your old iPhone games! We even played a few in our hands-on preview. Some additional specs: 0.5-inches thin; 1.5 pounds; 9.7-inch IPS display; multi-touch; powered by 1GHz Apple A4 chip; available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models; Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR and 802.11n WiFi; speakers, mic and 30-pin connector; syncs over USB; and up to 10-hour battery life. First-party accessories include a standard dock (think: picture-frame mode), a keyboard dock and a case. As for pricing, the 16GB model is $499 (or $629 with 3G compatibility); or 32GB for $599 ($729 with 3G); or 64GB for $699 ($829 with 3G). 3G-compatible models have an option between two data plans through AT&T: 250MB of data per month for $14.99 or unlimted data per month for $29.99. The data plans are prepaid and activated directly on the iPad -- there's no contract (so you can cancel anytime). WiFi models ship in 60 days (late March); 3G units in 90 (late April). %Gallery-84102%
Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
Will the Apple tablet finally, really be unveiled? We're at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco (see above) patiently waiting to get inside and get this thing underway! Keep reading after the break for the minute by minute coverage!
Our live coverage of the Apple 'latest creation' event starts tomorrow at 10:00AM PT / 1:00PM ET
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Apple is supposedly set to introduce a tablet device (AKA the Apple Tablet, iSlate, etc.) at its latest event that will change the lives of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Sure, it could just be a fresh version of iLife and an 8GB iPhone 3GS, but we kinda doubt that. If you know what's best for you, you'll tune in for our minute-by-minute, live coverage of the event. There won't be a better seat in the house... well, except for wherever Steve Jobs is sitting. The show gets going on Wednesday, January 27th at 10AM PT. You can follow updates on Twitter or Facebook as well. Here's the URL where you should park your browser, and below are starting times around the globe: 08:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 03:00AM - Tokyo (January 28th)
EA, Namco Networks gauge 'Apple Tablet' gaming possibilities
"If it's got a great screen, some buttons, you can turn it on and it connects to the Internet, it's got the ability to be a games machine." That's what EA Sports president Peter Moore shared on Apple's heavily rumored tablet device, predicted to be unveiled during a media event this Wednesday. Moore recently told Bloomberg that his knowledge on the project was derived from media reports -- in which case he must know about the connection drawn between EA and the unannounced device's game offerings. In the same report, Jon Kromrey, general manager of Apple games at Namco Networks America (which recently trumpeted 23 million downloads on iPhone and iPod Touch), expresses a notable amount of optimism regarding the platform's gaming possibilities. "I'm having fun thinking about all the wonderful things we can do with the device when it's announced," he said. You know people have had enough speculation the moment they start saying "when." If you've had trouble keeping track of the nigh-mythical tablet's history, head over to Engadget for a comprehensive summary. Joystiq will be attending Apple's media event tomorrow (psst, we cover games!) so expect to hear more then -- even if it's just a really powerful paintball gun.
First Apple tablet game announced ... kind of
Unwilling to wait until the rumored Apple tablet thing becomes a reality (probably tomorrow!), iPhone app developer Stand Alone Inc. announced that it's working on a version of its Crosswords iPhone game for the theoretical device's possible 10-inch screen. "We have been anticipating the Apple tablet as the greatest piece of hardware for App developers since iPhone itself," Stand Alone president Bob Gottlieb said in the announcement, "and Crosswords will be even better on the new device." The existence of a game for the tablet shouldn't be taken as confirmation of the tablet itself; though we've had plenty of that. Brian Akaka, of Stand Alone's PR firm Appular, told Joystiq that the game design is speculative. "Stand Alone hasn't received any hardware or specs from Apple," Akaka said. "However, based on the general consensus available publicly, the tablet device is almost guaranteed in our opinion. Thus, the developer has prudently begun work on a new design for the game, in order to take advantage of the expected increase of real estate. The game is being designed to fit a 10-inch screen." So, in the absence of advance info from Apple, Stand Alone has given itself a head start on tablet development -- it hopes. [Via Mac|Life; Kotaku]
Can Apple save gaming magazines?
[SI.com; tablet concept] What do these publications have in common: EGM, Games for Windows, Official PlayStation Magazine, Computer Games Magazine, Tips and Tricks, GMR, Xbox Nation, and Massive? Video games, sure, but all have also perished in the last five years. With the looming announcement of Apple's long-rumored tablet device, there's a chance that gaming magazines may finally be able to stop the bleeding. It's no secret that just about every video game magazine out there is hurting right now -- save for the absurdly colossal Game Informer (its unique arrangement with GameStop provides the publication with a seemingly infinite subscriber base eager to save on used-game purchases and get extra trade-in credit). The magazine world in general has been hit hard by the evaporation of advertising dollars, and gaming publications have been subjected to some of the worst of that storm due to the movement of their traditionally tech-savvy audience away from print and to digital media. However, Apple is rumored to be launching a device that could make magazines cool again and help the gaming print media crawl off its deathbed. The Wall Street Journal reported several days ago on information from anonymous sources that Apple has been in talks with several print media corporations, including Conde Nast, one of the largest magazine publishers in the world, to bring its publications to Apple's long-rumored tablet PC -- expected to be announced tomorrow, January 27, at a press event in San Francisco. The article speculated that Apple has plans to use this new device to redefine print media in much the same way that iTunes and the iPod revolutionized the monetization of music.
Apple iTablet: the obvious name? (updated)
With all the recent talk about the iSlate, iPad, iSlab, whatever... doesn't it seem like the obvious candidate for the name of Apple's rumored tablet computer is being completely overlooked? Like Apple's first phone that later came to be called the iPhone, isn't the most obvious name for an Apple tablet the iTablet? To support the theory we decided to share the above image that we received from a trusted source and believe to be authentic. It's a picture taken of an Apple Store employee's corporate email after receiving information about the time and place of Wednesday's Apple event. While the content of the email wasn't very enlightening, note the word used in the filename of the second attachment: "itablet." Now this doesn't prove a thing. The administrative assistant who sent the mass email could have been using "itablet' much in the same way that we've been using the term for years as a generic placeholder for the rumored device. Then again, maybe we should heed the wisdom of Occam's Razor when speculating about Apple's naming preference for a 10-inch tablet computer? P.S. Amtek currently holds the US trademark (and itablet.com domain) for "iTablet" and continues to sell products under that name as it has for years. Not that a silly thing like trademark ownership could stop Apple from announcing its iPhone at a time when Cisco owned the rights. Update: Looks like the attached image name above, while authentic, likely originated in a post from Pocket-lint (look at the properties). For what it's worth, the invite image we received was embedded with a name "top.jpg." Regardless, this is probably not Apple revealing its product name in a sloppy pre-event slip-up. [Thanks, MarkNewby]
Analytics company: games among apps being tested on rumored Apple tablet
Mobile analytics company Flurry has released a report on what it claims to be tracking data on Apple's latest creation, which is heavily rumored to be a tablet device. Accompanied by "a fair level of confidence," the results were assembled by identifying approximately 50 devices, all of which "match the characteristics" of the unannounced device, and placing them geographically within Apple's Cupertino campus. Of course, with said characteristics mired within the realm of speculation and the campus no doubt home to many in-test projects, the report is also accompanied by a fair level of skepticism. It's interesting that games form the clear majority of tested applications -- especially if EA is on-board, as the Wall Street Journal suggested -- and may portend one of the device's strongest aspirations. In your snooty face, News & Books! Joystiq will be attending Apple's media event on Wednesday, January 27, so expect to hear more then. [Via Engadget]
Our live coverage of the Apple 'latest creation' event starts Wednesday, January 27th
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Apple is supposedly set to introduce a tablet device (AKA the Apple Tablet, iSlate, etc.) at its latest event that will change the lives of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Sure, it could just be a fresh version of iLife and an 8GB iPhone 3GS, but we kinda doubt that. If you know what's best for you, you'll tune in for our minute-by-minute, live coverage of the event. There won't be a better seat in the house... well, except for wherever Steve Jobs is sitting. The show gets going on Wednesday, January 27th at 10AM PT. Here's the URL where you should park your browser, and below are starting times around the globe: 08:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 03:00AM - Tokyo (January 28th)
WSJ: Apple working with EA on 'tablet's game capabilities'
When a handful of video game outlets (including Joystiq) got invites to Apple's much-hyped January 27th media event to unveil its 'latest creation' – rumored to be a tablet of some sort – it became rather obvious that whatever this creation is, it would have something to do with gaming. If a Wall Street Journal report this morning – detailing everything from book, magazine and newspaper partnerships to a TV subscription service – is to be believed, "Apple is also working with videogame publisher Electronic Arts Inc. to show off the tablet's game capabilities, according to one person familiar with the matter." Insomuch as this rumored tablet is a big-sized iPod Touch, and insomuch as the iPod Touch is totally the 'best portable device for gaming,' games are an obvious component of this mystery device, and the iPhone-friendly devs at EA are an obvious partner for Apple. Whether this has anything to do with EA Mobile's announced support for suspected Apple Tablet-competitor, the Amazon Kindle, remains to be seen, but we've reached out to EA for comment. Knowing Apple's "loose lips" policy, we don't expect much. [Update: "EA refuses any comment on this topic," we've been told. We'll just need to wait until next Wednesday then!]
Apple Tablet rumors evolve into Zen koans: 'it's a big iPhone, but it's not a big iPhone'
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.
3D UI patent snapped up by Apple in 2008: could be bases-covering, could be life-changing
We've seen this done badly so many time that it's hard to imagine anyone so self serious as Apple taking a crack at it (even if they've already done so in the desktop space), but for whatever reason the company picked up this 3D UI patent back in 2008 under the guise of a few French employees. The patent was just released in December, and describes in some detail a method of zooming around in 3D using multitouch. Of course, this picture seems to imply that it's for jumping through some representative icons on a 3D plane, but the patent seems more concerned with the core mechanics of using multiple fingers at once to get around in 3D space and manipulate 3D objects -- and then going to great lengths to cover Apple's back in regards to multitouch, capacitive touch, and "multifunction" devices. So, this could be something we see in "the tablet," the next iPhone or even never, but at least we can rest assured that pinch to zoom won't be the only multitouch game in town forever.
'Major' Apple announcement coming January 27th, devs already working with beta SDK (update: shipping in March)
According John Paczkowski over at All Things D, Apple is planning a "major product announcement" for Wednesday, January 27th -- not the 26th as we've heard in previous reports. Additionally, the French site Mac4Ever says developers have been given a beta of the iPhone OS 4 SDK which includes a "simulator" for reformatting / scaling applications to a new, tablet-sized screens. Here at Engadget, we can confirm that sources very familiar with the situation over in Cupertino have been given info about a tablet heading for launch at the end of January, which will -- in fact -- require reformatting and resizing for (we assume)... yep, its new screen size and resolution. As far as details, they're pretty scarce right now, but you can probably begin preliminary salivating and / or player hatin' as it relates to new Apple hardware. We'll have more info as it becomes available, but for now, stay tuned. Update: The Wall Street Journal just added its support for the rumor by saying that Apple will unveil its "new multimedia tablet device later this month" with a "10- to 11-inch touch screen" with plans to ship it in March. The WSJ's sources claim that Apple believes it can "redefine the way consumers interact with a variety of content" as we've been hearing all along. [Thanks, David]
Apple event scheduled for Wednesday, January 27th, NOT the 26th
Apple is toying with us. Remember the information a few weeks ago about the big event scheduled for the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on January 26th? Of course, all of the Apple bloggers and pundits jumped all over this date as being the date for the announcement of something big like the tablet. After thousands of posts have touted that date as the day that Steve Jobs will come down from the mountain carrying the 7" tablet under one arm and the 10.1" tablet under the other, the Wall Street Journal's Digital Daily is reporting that the event is going to be held on Wednesday, January 27th. According to Digital Daily's John Paczkowski, sources have told him that this event is planned to announce a "major new product." We're all assuming that this is going to be the most widely-hyped product since the iPhone, so wouldn't it be hilarious if it was actually something completely different? I, for one, am beginning to think that Apple is going to pull one of the biggest pranks ever on the world at large. How 'bout you? Leave your comments below for the world to see. [Awesome graphic from MacDailyNews.com]
