Read my lips. John Markoff brings back the worst kept secret in the Valley. Apple is working on something between an iPhone and a MacBook. If it is let out on the interwebs, that certainly means it is moving beyond prototype.
"That would seem to confirm findings that a search engine company shared with me on condition that I not reveal its name: The company spotted Web visits from an unannounced Apple product with a display somewhere between an iPhone and a MacBook. Is it the iPhone 3.0 or the NetMac 1.0?"
Our sources say there are a few different prototypes running around Cupertino, and "frankly, there have been for years. Jobs won't make a move until the timing/technology is exactly right"
Frankly, you could run a MacOS on a random EEE Hackintosh with any screen size and name you'd like. So, it could all be hot air.
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Probably not
It's probably nothing more than a hacked netbook, MSI wind, Asus, or some other smaller notebook that got an install of OsX.
LOL... you don't even need to
LOL... you don't even need to put OSX on there... it's easy enough to hack that information and publish whatever you want.
What's funny is that this "rumor" has absolutely ZERO corroborating evidence. Just somebody saying that someone saw something in a log file somewhere.
Did they even check to see that it was coming from an Apple corporate IP? (I mean... that can be spoofed as well, it's just harder to do).
And who's to say it wasn't an apple employee having fun with the rumor mill by faking some information for fun.
Maybe an apple table will be
Maybe an apple table will be introduced during macworld 2009!!
ooooh! and Apple chairs!!
ooooh! and Apple chairs!!
and they would be fireproof
and they would be fireproof to. (no firewire their.)
Here we go again! This rumor
Here we go again! This rumor is probably as old as Microsofts' attempt to build a stable OS. Why would Apple bring out a Tablet? Who needs one?
(Please the question is really asking for "NEED" not "WOULD LIKE ONE".
Right now there is no market big enough to justify one.
Wrong. As much as I like my
Wrong.
As much as I like my iPhone, it's horrible for reading a document of any size and/or length. The form factor also limits the performance and battery life characteristics.
A larger device would provide for a lot of expanded functionality:
(a) ability to browse the web in full size
(b) better video viewing experience
(c) ability to work on documents
(d) a bigger battery
(e) a faster processor
My iPhone is great when I'm in a restaurant or on the go. It's a phone and an iPod and a quick and dirty internet device.
A larger form-factor would (a) NOT BE A PHONE (duh), be an iPod with a larger format screen for better movie watching (imagine being on a plane and having a 5 or 6 or even 10 or 11.5" inch screen for watching your own movie?), be a quick and dirty WORK device with a screen large enough to read and edit documents, support for a bluetooth keyboard/mouse or a large enough virtual screen.
This is the device to be "mounted" on the side of the iMac.
I would LOVE and could make significant use of such a device. It would probably be the first and only device I would ever stand in-line for on the first day.
MacNoob wrote: "a 5 or 6 or
MacNoob wrote:
"a 5 or 6 or even 10 or 11.5" inch screen for watching your own movie?), be a quick and dirty WORK device with a screen large enough to read and edit documents, support for a bluetooth keyboard/mouse or a large enough virtual screen.
This is the device to be "mounted" on the side of the iMac."
I agree. Effective syncing would be essential--and the kind of software/hardware innovation apple excels at. The three-connector cable on the newest 24" cinema display solves the docking problem for laptops: i no longer see the sense of sliding a 13" MB or 15" MBP into a 20 or 24 inch display. But a smaller form-format, you slide it in and you're linked to a bigger screen and a keyboard. I agree with your observation that this product would have to have USB for a keyboard, too.
And my own thought, shared here before: the larger display/dock could contain additional HD storage and more importantly a superior graphic chip. That GPU would drive the larger display AND would work in conjunction with the tablet's CPU to accelerate processing tasks. The ability to do that is one of the great advantages of the new NVIDIA chips apple's just adopted.
Apple doesn't need a market
Apple doesn't need a market to justify the touchscreen, you moron! They didn't need a market to justify the first GUI or the first touch-screen cell phone. It's called innovation and it makes it's own market. I hate moronic bean counting retards, like yourself.
Jobs already gave us a netbook equivalent
Apple aren't even nearly ready to start offering tablets yet. Why would they when they have something portable, light and desktop-screen sized like the MB, MBP and MBA, and something handheld and truly mobile ie. touch and phone. It'd be counterproductive to offer a touch screen, netbook sized tablet cos there isn't a market's-worth of people sitting and waiting for a tablet - they either have found solace in a notebook or handheld, whichever is more suitable for their needs.
and claims of this 'netbook' are just silly - Jobs himself said that they already have something in that market...it's called the Touch and iPhone.
I would much rather have a
I would much rather have a dock where you can slide your iphone into. The dock is basically a bigger screen and battery but is running the iPhone OS.
how about iRack and iRan?
how about iRack and iRan?
From the madtv show. That was
From the madtv show. That was hilarious.
Yup Yup!!! I loved that
Yup Yup!!! I loved that episode/skit thingy...
IRAQs
I thought IRAQs were Infrequently Asked Questions.
ROFL, God forbid Bush taking
ROFL, God forbid Bush taking Steve's job as Apple CEO.
Whay not a Mac tablet?
To the comment, Why would anyone want a tablet?, "Who needs one?. Why would anyone need a small box that held music in digital files when you have the well proven Sony Discman? Apple is a master at creating a market for products that nobody else thinks of, or building the right product to ignite the market. I don't doubt that they have had prototypes kicking around for a while, but with the new MacBook in aluminum this could be a great case for a tablet, sleek and well styled the mark of an Apple product. It may not be something that is right around the corner, but it is coming. Apple has the talent and staff to work on a number of things at the same time. I lok forward to what they come up with, because with that format they may identify an application and marketplace that I just have to have a MacTablet for.
Because it would cut in the
Because it would cut in the MB air sales.
A tablet is only good for a few applications and at this moment too expensive.
What would you do if you want to use a photo editing software, or music, video (and I am not talking about professional applications).
A tablet is not a new technology. Just the input format is changed.
Crap.
Crap.
Virtual machines?
With VirtualBox and guest addons I can make a Linux or Windows VM any screen resolution less than mine (1440x900 on my desktop) by simply resizing the screen. Is this not possible with OS X?
Besides that, can't a standard monitor run on an Apple machine? Those exist in a variety of screen resolutions.
Or someone could be surfing on something not OS X at all hiding the user agent string.
Dammit! I want!!
Dammit! I want!!
Why a Tablet makes sense for me
I really want a Tablet. I'd love to have a small device that I could use to replace my paper notepad in meetings, and file all my notes and thoughts. Then Spotlight would be able to find my notes, rather than me thumbing back through 10 different notepads trying to find the minutes of a meeting 2 years ago where I jotted down something useful. A tablet Mac with a stylus + InkWell, plus bluetooth to augment it with keyboard and mouse when needed, would be ideal for me. All it would need to run is Office for Mac, Safari and Mac. Doesn't need to be a media workhorse.
This is not something that iPhone can do.
Sure there are Windows machines that do this already, but my home environment is Mac and I'd like my work tablet to integrate seamlessly with this.
Maybe this is the first salvo
Maybe this is the first salvo in a war between Amazon and Apple for the next war format: Books. Why couldn't this product be a viable competitor against the Amazon Kindle?
Paid clicks
This rumor is absolutely ridiculous. This is just making up rumors for the sake of rumors. I have noticed that once Apple has done all of the "releasing" of new items that these rumor websites come up with anything just to draw more traffic. Remember they get paid according to how many people read this garbage, and if there are no legitimate rumors coming around they need to make up something that keeps people reading......... like myself, and why I read this article to begin with.
Enhanced iPhone OS-based
Enhanced iPhone OS-based mini-tablet with ≈5" display and iLife and iWork mobile is my guess. MWSF 2009 release? I hope so. :D
I'm curious, given how Steve
I'm curious, given how Steve Jobs seems to have positioned the iPhone/iPod as in the netbook category, if such a product launch wouldn't happen during what seems to be the new mid-summer iPhone product announcement day?
Just a thought...
But... given that it would be a relative major announcement perhaps MWSF would be the appropriate venue.
My gut tells me this is a 2010 product launch, not a 2009.
How would someone know if it
How would someone know if it is a real mac tablet that there testing out of if it is a hackintosh tablet/netbook?
I highly doubt that apple
I highly doubt that apple would go piss off ppl with an iphone 3.0 2 months after iphone 2.0!!!
MacWorld 2009
I personally don't see anything likely for MacWorld 2009 on the web right now. Last year there were a few rumours of the Air... but I can't see anything likely for '09.
That said...
Funny how Jobs said the iPhone and iPod touch were competing as netbooks, not the tablets they more closely resemble.
In-car navigation+ system...
In-car navigation+ system...