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Finding a place for an Apple tablet
John Gruber has written a nice substantial post asking a question I've often asked myself here: who really needs an Apple tablet? He says that he's heard the tablet is real, and that it's still a well-kept secret -- all of the rumors we've heard so far are still just rumors. But the real question behind the device is what it's for. Like Gruber, I don't believe it's just a tablet PC running OS X -- the MacBook is already portable and powerful enough, in all of its incarnations, to serve that purpose, even if it doesn't have a touchscreen or a smaller footprint. I agree with Gruber that if Apple is releasing a "tablet" next month, it'll be more towards the iPhone side of things: a specific OS and UI designed for doing all of the little computing things you do with a portable computer. You don't necessarily sit down to edit video while curled up in bed or sitting on the train, just like you don't edit video (though you can) with your iPhone. But you do read, browse the web, check and write email, watch video, maybe play some games. The phrase Gruber eventually attaches to all of this is "personal portable general computing," and I think he's dead on. While the iPhone is a suitable replacement for most of this, there's an upper limit on it as a smartphone. But the tablet, with a specialized UI, OS, and even App Store-style apps, can fit that category perfectly. Very interesting writeup. Gruber says early in the post that the iPhone was a complete secret before it released, and that's not quite true -- we all knew there was going to be an Apple phone eventually, even if we didn't know specifics (and yes, some of the guesses were silly). And I think likewise, we all have a good idea already of what an Apple tablet will be like, even if the specifics of the device will end up surprising us after all.
Rumor du jour: Apple ordering 10" tablet screens
Another week, another day, another round of tablet rumors for the now all-but-confirmed January event. The latest news bouncing around the Interwebs is that Apple has placed an order with panel supplier Innolux for a bevy of 10" touch panels to stick in the new devices, be they called iSlate or whatever the marketing team eventually hits on the dart board. This vibes with what we'd heard earlier about the screen being either 7 or 10" in the diagonal, and it reveals a little bit more about the process: apparently Apple wanted to go with this release earlier, but they were concerned about the strength of the glass. Now they've got the stronger glass they need, so supposedly the rumors on the wind say they're ready for a January announcement, with a release coming in March or April. They've even got another supplier lined up to crank out even more of these screens if needed. A translated WSJ article also says a Taiwanese company called Chang Uei Precision has been signed up to provide "connectors" for the device, but that sounds quite vague and they say a release isn't planned until Q3 of next year. As always, this all remains hearsay -- Apple hasn't even officially announced an event in January yet, much less hinted that they'll be releasing a revolutionary tablet-style device. So remember what Grandma said about counting chickens before they hatch, and don't. But if any of these rumors prove to be true, it'll be an interesting 2010. [via Engadget]
Apple tablet terrorized by component rumors
Took some time off for the holidays, did you? Well, things haven't changed much since you've been gone. The world is still afraid of terrorists and Apple's still rumored to be working on a tablet. Regarding the latter, two rumors have coalesced this morning from component suppliers. First, Taiwan's Economic Daily is reporting via the Wall Street Journal that Cheng Uei Precision has landed "connector" orders for a "new flat-panel Apple Tablet PC" expected to begin shipping in Q3. Then DigiTimes piles on with its claims that Innolux (not WinTek) will be the initial supplier of 10-inch glass "touch panels" for Apple's new tablet. DigiTimes then muddles things by claiming that the tablet will begin mass shipments (presumably to consumers) in March or April based on its analysis of shipping schedules from Apple's upstream component suppliers. One thing's for sure: if Apple does ever announce an iSlate or whatever they decide to call it, you won't be using it during the last hour of your flight into the US.
Video: another Apple tablet fantasy
French site Nowhereelse.fr has published some very cool video of what appears to be a multitouch tablet device. The user is browsing through an electronic version of an Ikea catalog. The device itself is very slim and seems to incorporate a multitude of Apple technologies: cover flow, shake to shuffle, Pure Coolness. Is this the Apple Tablet? Probably not. It's just a beautiful mockup that should give Apple some concern if their tablet isn't as cool as the device shown in the video. Check out the vid and let us know what you think of the device's authenticity in the comments.
Apple tablet to be surprisingly cheap?
During the latest episode of Diggnation, Digg's Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht interviewed John Hodgman, AKA the "PC" from Apple's "Get a Mac" ad campaign. Rose prodded Hodgman for information on Apple's supposedly forthcoming tablet Mac, but Hodgman claimed to have no inside information on the product. Diggnation co-host Albrecht, however, claimed to know how much the tablet will cost, saying, "I was shocked at how cheap the price point is going to be." He didn't provide any information beyond that. Price estimates for the Apple tablet have been all over the place, from US$500 on up to US$2,000. Considering no one outside of Apple (and possibly a few privileged people with inside information) even knows if the tablet exists for certain, much less what its features or capabilities are, nailing down a specific price for the fabled product seems as futile as predicting 2010 Olympic gold medal winners. Personally, I hope Albrecht is right and the tablet Mac does turn out to be surprisingly inexpensive, because I can't see it selling well if Apple prices it as high as or higher than a full-featured, traditional portable like the MacBook. [Via AppleInsider]
The Huffington Post has seen the iTablet... not!
Gerald Sinden of the Huffington Post writes, with tongue firmly in cheek, that he was given the first production model of the iTablet and 24 hours to play with it. According to his post, it's gesture based and sports a 10" screen along with being a phone, albeit a large one. And foam corners. To prevent people from inadvertently blacking their eyes when they try to use it as a phone. Mmm-hmm. Really. There will be two cameras in it, and an option to mount it on the dashboard of your car when one camera will serve as a back-up camera, an option present in many high end automotive GPS systems. And it will come with apps to show you what your new haircut will look like. Insert giggle sound effect here. Books will be sold by the chapter instead of by the book, which sounds odd to me but does seem to go along with the iTunes concept of buying individual TV episodes or songs. And it's at least consistent with Apple doing its best to extract maximum profits out of every device sold. My first and primary thought is that T The article is a hoax. The only reason I'm telling you about it is that it came from the Huffington Post which, in my experience, doesn't print many rumors and their fact checking has usually been excellent. Also their humor is a little bit... arch. However, this does seem HIGHLY suspect. Why would Apple give the Huff Post one and no tech venues? And a 10" phone? Really? It's beyond suspect. It's just not all that funny. Take a gander at Mr. Sinden's post and tell us what you think. Could this be real? No. The consensus of the TUAW crowd around the water cooler says it's somewhere between parody and satire. Thanks to Stuart Carnie for sending this in.
Wired shows off an Apple tablet-formatted copy of Wired on a fake Apple tablet
It's a wild land of imagination over at Wired and Condé Nast these days. The pair have managed not only to dream up a colorful, animated copy of Wired magazine for the so-far imaginary Apple tablet, but actually whipped up a concept of a Apple tablet to go with it. The Willy Wonka-style pairing are being shown off at the Wired Store in New York, and go along with word the other day that Condé Nast was taking the development of "iTablet" versions of its publications very seriously. Perhaps a bit too seriously? We're not ones to judge. Video of the tablet is after the break.
Nvidia CEO loves Apple, possesses mysterious alien device
Talk about burying the lead -- Shufflegazine did a piece on Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Hwang during a visit to Dubai recently, in which he talks about how much he and his family love their Macs, and Apple's machines add value, and in his house it's just "Mac, Mac, Mac," and OH MY GOD, what is that SITTING ON THE TABLE in front of him? OK, it's probably not definitely not an Apple tablet (yet), as there's no clear Apple logo on it, but man that's a nice looking tablet device, and even Engadget says they have no idea what it is. The thing is, this picture just appeared with Shufflegazine's piece, and while Hwang did go on and on about how much he loves Apple stuff (and yes, the two companies have a long history of sharing some hardware), there's not word one about that tablet or anything like it in the piece, no hint of any other hardware or partnership announcement. It could be a prototype, it could be another tablet we're just not recognizing, or yes, Hwang could have just thrown it down on the table during the interview, and Shufflegazine could have just completely missed it. [They didn't. -Ed.] Though if that last one is true, we have no idea how it happened. How do you cover Apple and their gadgets and avoid being drawn to that tablet. It's so... thin and well-designed. We'll be honest, if we were in the room, we might have licked it then and there to claim it as our own. Thanks to Nemanja for the tip.
Apple Tablet rumor roundup: NYT speaks of 'impending Apple slate,' new SIM tray leaks (video)
Bear with us as we bring you the latest rumors related to the most important product that never was: the Apple tablet. Today we have a pair of rumors bubbling to the surface of a delicious tattle brew. First, the SIM card tray pictured above said to be procured from Foxconn (the rumored Apple tablet manufacturer) and available for $14.05 starting October 23rd for the 4th generation iPhone / iTablet... whatever the mythical host device might ultimately be named. It's certainly different than the tray found in previous gen iPhones and its chunkier appearance would be suitable for a larger GSM device. Plausible yes, though really, such a SIM tray could be used anywhere. There's also a pretty big fuss being made this morning over remarks made by Bill Keller, executive editor at the New York Times responsible for the NYT's web presence. Speaking at an all-hands meeting with the Times' digital staff, the supposedly off-the-record speech somehow made its way to Vimeo. Here's the quote that has Apple fanatics and old-media revivalists in a tizzy: "I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that." Now, it's hard to tell if Keller is speaking from insider information or if he's just another member of the media convinced that Apple's tablet will be launched in the New Year. Then again, as Keller himself points out, Apple has always had a special relationship with his paper as routinely demonstrated in Apple's ads that use the New York Times landing page as proof of the "real internet" browsing capabilities of the iPod touch and iPhone. And with Apple supposedly in content delivery talks with the nation's newspaper of record, well, the remarks that begin at about 8:15 are certainly suspicious. Listen for yourself after the break. [Via Gawker, thanks Robert S.] Read -- SIM Tray Read -- NYT 'impending Apple slate'
The future of TV on your iPhone is ATSC Mobile DTV
If you're able to watch TV on your iPhone or iPod touch right now, you're probably having something streamed to your handheld device. That may change -- your phone may soon be equipped with a digital TV tuner to pick up the signals sent out by your local stations. The Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) announced on Friday that they've agreed on a standard that will let local TV stations broadcast directly to mobile devices on their existing frequencies. The devices that can be equipped to pick up the ATSC Mobile DTV signals include mobile phones, laptops, handheld TVs, and even in-vehicle digital TVs. ATSC Mobile DTV will be completely different from the existing services provided by AT&T and Verizon, which are pay-for-view services streaming national content. With ATSC Mobile DTV, you'd be able to watch local newscasts as well as network TV that is broadcast in your area. The signal is carried alongside regular digital TV broadcasts using Vestigial Sideband modulation and the IP transport system. ATSC Mobile DTV can send H.264 video and High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding Version 2 (HE AAC v2) audio and support interactive and subscription-based TV. I want my Mobile DTV! Here's hoping that the next generation of iPhones, iPod touches, and future iTablets can receive ATSC Mobile DTV. [via Macworld]
The future of television is really the present
Editor's Note: There has been a lot of speculation around the future of Apple TV, even though Apple has called it a "hobby" for now. There has also been an extraordinary amount of speculation around an Apple-branded tablet device. Josh Doody has a background in technology, with undergraduate degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering, experience in engineering, product management and development, and is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Florida. Here are his thoughts surrounding the Apple TV and a possible Apple tablet computer. The future of television is really the present By Josh Doody In David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest," he frequently refers to a device called a "Teleputer" (television-computer) or "TP" for short. The TP is high-def, fancy, online and pretty much ubiquitous. Wallace's vision of a TP was probably influenced by that wonky invention called "WebTV," which supremely sucked and mostly served to frustrate people and make them wonder what good the Internet was anyway. Wallace was essentially spot-on regarding the Teleputer, and several signs point to Apple gearing up for another foray into mainstream must-have technology that will flip the script on television as we know it. Many publications, bloggers and users continue to speculate about Apple's plans for the future. But Apple's foray into two technologies that have been languishing in technological purgatory is more than just coincidence. Taken individually, these technologies will build on the Apple empire, but together they will change the way people consume TV shows, movies and video games. The Teleputer's older sibling -– Apple TV -– is starting to disappear without much explanation from Apple. However, Steve Jobs and company might be reinventing a new Apple TV (NATV) that is awesome and game-changing, even though it appears to be recycling decade-old ideas and assimilating other ideas old and new. The iPod re-imagined how we consume music. The iPhone re-imagined how we communicate and what it means to be "Online." The New Apple TV will re-imagine how we consume all media.
Friday fakes: The best of the bogus
TUAW presents to you the best of the obviously fake device shots we've seen in the last couple of weeks. On occasion they're beautiful renderings that are worth a second glance, other times they're out of focus shots that tipsters swear were taken quickly at a meeting on the Apple campus. In any case, they're a lot of fun. Let's begin with this gem from the French blog Le Journal du Geek. In a post titled "Encore un peu de MacBook Touch?" ("Again a little MacBook Touch?"), we see what looks like a page from an Apple website: This fake is fabulous! It shows the device being about the size of what everyone would like to see, with about a 10" diagonal display. They give it a plausible name instead of the lame "iPad" moniker, the power button is located away from the middle of the device, and the faux photos show it being used with a dock, as a music keyboard in GarageBand, and flipping from landscape to portrait. Very cool, and they even endow the MacBook touch with drool-worthy specs on the website.
Rumor: Apple event September 9th, tablet not included
The rumor mill is churning yet again -- the latest Apple rumor is that an event is coming on September 9th. Multiple sources are saying that they've heard Apple will host an event in San Francisco to talk about music, including upgrades for the iPod and iTunes. This is hardly a surprise -- Apple usually holds an event this time of year to pump up back-to-school sales of expected iPod refreshes. So while of course it's a rumor until we hear it from Cupertino, it's pretty believable that sometime around September we'll be hearing about new iPods of some kind.It's also pretty believable that this event won't be about the rumored iTablet. While mockups, leaks, and fake shots (oh my) seem to be appearing more and more often lately, the same folks that are saying September 9th are also saying that Apple isn't planning to tell us anything about a tablet quite yet. That doesn't mean that it's not coming, of course (eventually -- keep hope alive!), but definitely don't hold your breath for a September announcement or a holiday release. Looks like we'll find out whether those iPod camera rumors are true soon, but we'll probably have to keep waiting for the tablet.
Apple tablet pic 'leaked': this is the real one, we can feel it
Throw away everything you thought you knew about the truth. This is the one. We can't wait to stuff one awkwardly into the fake keyboard tray of our fake MacBook Micro and live life just how Apple rumor sites have always wanted us to live it. Granted, Nowhere Else has gotten some pretty great scoops in the past, so we won't rule anything out just now. The pic above lines up pretty well with all the rumors we've heard so far -- which sort of helps and sort of hinders its veracity in our eyes. Nowhere Else isn't calling it either way, if that helps you in your soul search for the truth. Another pic is after the break. Update: Eagle-eyed tipster Terry points out that the "Welcome" graphic is an easy spot on Google Image Search, with that exact configuration and timing of converging letters from Leopard's intro video showing up in the very first result. Try it for yourself! Not a good sign, folks.Update 2: Definitely faked. [Via Boy Genius Report]
Borders survey adding fuel to the iPAD / iTablet fire
As if it isn't getting bad enough with the iPAD / iTablet rumors, now book retailer Borders has been adding to the rumor mill. Numerous TUAW readers including Jennifer, who supplied the screenshot below, have received a marketing survey from Borders about using Digital Reading Devices (also known as e-readers or ebook readers). Hidden among the responses about Kindles and Sony Book Readers was the response "I plan to buy an Apple iPAD (large screen reading device) this year." Lest any of our readers think that this is just a doctored screenshot, we did receive multiple unique full-screen shots from several readers. This can mean one of three things: The company performing the survey for Borders knows something about an upcoming Apple tablet device The survey company is clueless and loves operating off of rumors and innuendo The iPAD was thrown in there just to see if anybody would fall for it The survey also refers to the iPod touch as the "iTouch", so I'm pretty sure that #1 is probably out of the realm of possibility. Still, it's fascinating to see just how pervasive this rumored device actually is! Thanks to everyone who sent in this tip
A Kafkaesque announcement of an Apple keynote the week of September 7th
Kafkaesque is defined as "characteristic or reminiscent of the oppressive or nightmarish qualities of Franz Kafka's fictional world." That's the way Wall Street Journal All Things Digital blogger Peter Kafka (no relation as far as I know) must be feeling. Music industry sources are telling him that Apple is planning one of their classic September keynotes, but they're not giving him a date other than "the week of September 7th", and have no idea what exactly Apple is planning on revealing. That sounds nightmarish to me... So, he fired up the Apple rumor machine this morning and wrote a post about the upcoming event. Kafka feels that the event will probably be used to announce something about music (duh!), most likely "Cocktail", which is Apple's rumored album format that adds cover art, liner notes, and other interactive goodies. Kafka also notes that unless Apple announces the legendary iTablet at the event, Apple faithful are likely to be very disappointed (My personal feeling? Turn on the tears, folks). The September event is often used to announce new iPods, and there have been rumors of a camera-enabled iPod nano, so we might hear more about that. Whatever happens, it would be nice to see Steve Jobs on the stage again, especially if the mythical iPad is finally announced. Any reader comments on this announcement of an Apple event with no set date or concrete topic will be greatly appreciated. Update: While Gizmodo's Brian Lam is adding fuel to the iTablet fire with a recounting of a phone call with a reputable source, The Loop's Jim Dalrymple is categorically contradicting any suggestions that the September event will include the tablet device -- it's going to be a pure music announcement, he says.
Apple might be planning keynote for week of September 7th, might have new products on offer
We're hearing "multiple sources" are now reporting that Apple is most likely planning a keynote event -- possibly for the week of September 7th. There's also the requisite murmuring that one Steve Jobs may make an appearance -- though of course, there's also nothing more solid than wishes and fairy dust to back that one up. As far as possible product launches go, well, there have been significant whisperings about upcoming iPod / iTunes developments as of late, including the company's reported dealings with major record labels. This would fall in line with Apple's habit of releasing iPods every fall, and we've heard plenty about upcoming iPod touches which boast, among other things -- a camera and microphone. Daring Fireball has also reported that these bad boys will come in 16, 32 and 64GB varieties running $199, $299, and $399, respectively. In more salacious gossip, there's the possible Apple tablet we've been hearing about, but there's no solid word on any products for now. We'll be watching this one closely, we assure you.Read - Here it Comes. But what is it, exactly?Read - Daring Fireball on Zune HD and new iPod touch
Rumor: Apple shot ad for unreleased product
Here's a post for everyone awaiting the mythical "iTablet." The Sierra Sun is reporting that Apple recently shot a television ad for an unreleased product at the Truckee, California restaurant Jax on the Tracks. The Sun quotes Jax owner Bud Haley as saying that Apple wanted "...to show [the restaurant] as a hip and cool spot for the 20-something crowd." Additionally, there was a ban on all third-party photography during the shoot (of course). We should note that we're pushing the 3rd week of August, and Apple typically releases new iPods in September. Who buys iPods? Well, 20-something college kids, among others. Share your theories in the comments, but we're going to play it safe and guess that Apple is gearing up for a back-to-school iPod promotion. [Via MacNN]
Our iTablet Dreams: What TUAW is wishing for
Last week the topic of the iTablet ranged into dream territory as we TUAWians discussed this speculative post over at Technologizer. Although some team members expressed reservations about the iTablet and its possible limitations, others of us let our hopes range free. With apologies to Robert Browning, at least I think it is Robert Browning, if our dreams do not exceed Apple's grasp, then what is the imagination for? So keeping that expansive philosophy in mind, here are the TUAW wishlists for the possibly probably upcoming tablet. Erica Sadun: While I'm still hoping for a dockable, one that works as a Snow Leopard desktop when docked and runs iPhone OS on the go, I'm not holding my breath either. Today's MacBook storage and battery options prove that with a dockable tablet, I could bring my entire world with me and use that world for reasonable periods of time -- but it would take a significant engineering effort to merge iPhone's ubiquitous touch screen technology with standard Mac OS X interaction models. So, will the tablet really run Snow Leopard? Er, probably not. But could you imagine a MacBook shell, where you could slide the tablet into a frame where the screen normally sits? That would be freaking awesome. Even as an iPhone-OS-only solution, an iTablet would provide wealth of on-the go applications through App Store. Assuming no great leaps forward beyond what we're already seeing in the iPhone OS 3.x SDK, an iTablet would be ready to provide existing iPhone capabilities with a beautiful big screen to work with. If I had to pick two features that I'd want to see added, though, they would be wireless support for external keyboards and ubiquitous TV-out. Although the on-screen keyboard is fine for tip-tapping data into fields, there will be times that a tablet user might want to unfold a portable Bluetooth keyboard and use that for data entry. TV-out support is currently limited to movie playback. Extending that to general application output would help position an iTablet better into the business presentation world. It would also be nice if an Apple Remote of some kind could be used with an iTablet. Even without these features, an iTablet limited to the current iPhone OS will be a major technology leap forward just due to the increased screen real estate. I can't wait to start playing with big-screen iPhone applications!
Rumor: Alleged Apple tablet to be game console
If you spend any time on the Internet at all (hi!), you've no doubt heard the rumors of an upcoming tablet device from Apple -- supposedly, the company plans to enter the netbook market not with a tiny computer, but with a giant iPhone. And according to a nameless analyst who claims to have seen the device, as reported by Barron's, this new thing will play games.The analyst reports that the tablet, with a 10-inch touch screen, is designed to be used as a "home media hub," streaming content over Wi-Fi connections and connecting with other Apple devices in the house. It's also reportedly designed to play games. Whether that means stretching existing App Store products or running new games designed just for the device remains to be seen, as does, you know, whether this thing really exists. If Apple really is making a game console, what an inopportune time for Apple to lose one of its game producers. Of course, every single day so far has been an inopportune time to be a game producer at Apple, so we understand.[Via Engadget, Develop]
