|
|
Apple iTablet due in November?
Author: Gareth HalfacreePublished: 3rd August 2009
According to an un-named analyst, the as-yet unannounced tablet PC from Apple could launch in November - possibly taking over from the Air as the portability king.
According to a report over on Barron's - via I4U - an analyst is claiming to have seen a prototype of a "slate-style computer" which the company is planning to announce in September for possible release in the US in November.
Expected to retail for somewhere in the region of $800 (£480), the Mac OS-based device is centred around the multimedia experience: the anonymous analyst claims that the tablet was "better than the average movie experience, when you hold this thing in your hands" and confirmed that the device supports high-definition video playback - scotching rumours that any Apple Tablet would be little more than a souped-up iPhone.
The analyst - who has asked not to be named - also states that it is "close [...] now to a final design" and that the device is already pretty much ready to go out of the door.
The move makes a lot of sense for Apple, as an ultra-low voltage device based around a simplified Mac OS would give it an entry into the lucrative netbook market without having to backtrack on its earlier scathing indictments of that particular industry sector. Further, we know the demand for an Apple tablet PC is there - enough so that the unofficial ModBook device fromAxiotron can enjoy reasonable success.
Would a Mac OS-based tablet fill you with the deepest joy, or are you still unconvinced at any full-size device that expects you to ditch your keyboard and mouse - no matter how pretty? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Related
Comments (30)- Site Links:
- About
- Email Editor
- Newsletter
- Privacy
- RSS
- Score Guide
- Our Other Websites:
- Auto Express
- Channel Pro
- Computer Buyer
- Computer Shopper
- Den of Geek
All content © bit-tech.net 2000-2010
© Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited licensed by Felden
That last link is a bit messed up..What exactly does simplified Mac OS mean? What will this device offer that the iPhone doesn't? IMO it's a stupid move, if people want to watch HD video, they do it on a TV. On planes or trains, everyone is happy with a device that is the size of an iPod Touch. It will have to stay thin and aluminum and unibody, thus eliminating the possibility of it having good battery life, and nobody has pulled off a netbook without a keyboard, and I don't expect any company to be able to.
If in fact Apple is releasing this product, they are doing it just for a quick cash-in.
docodine if everyone was happy with iPod Touch sizes then why do netbooks exist and sell VERY well?
As for netbooks without keyboards ... the iPhone seems to work very well with the virtual keyboard and I'm sure that this tablet will even easier to use due to a bigger sized screen?
---
On a side note, can anyone confirm if the chinese worker who died by "jumping" out his window; lost a new prototype iPhone or one of these babies?
I know that most sites have reported it as an iPhone but I find that hard to believe as the 3GS is so new and this tablet hasn't been seen yet, so I wonder if it's likelier to be one of these?
I ask because o2 say I can have a free upgrade to iPhone 3GS in December, BUT, if the chinese guy lost an even knewer iPhone maybe I should wait ... ?
I suppose Xmas will reveal all.
Enjoy the tech, it is good stuff!
S*D
Edit: maybe they'll build in functionality within snow leopard for this?
problem is, with Apple, they may make a cut-down version of OSX, which may mean not all OSX apps can run. that would suck and i'd rather buy a netbook and build hackintosh
If Apple really build this thing it should be more than just a bigger iPod Touch.
If Apple really build this thing it should be on my Christmas list.
As far as pausing, that may depend on the plane and the duration of the flight. On both Delta and Continental flights overseas, you can pause, rewind, and fast forward. The movie selections are on-demand, rather than everyone watching the same stream.
For shorter domestic flights here in the US, if you get a plane large enough to have video monitors then you'll typically get whatever they happen to be playing that month. Rather than everyone having their own screen, there will be a few screens placed overhead, and everyone watches the same video.
-monkey
Ah right I'm talking about long haul flights so slightly more than a "few hours". If I fly to Europe (being in the UK) I wouldn't normally care about the screen or features. And you must have not read past my first post as in my second I corrected myself.
But thanks for trying to educate me ;)
Netbooks are definitely targeted toward a different audience, as they are about double the price and 4x+ the size.
Netbooks without keyboards: http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary
The Chinese worker:
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Foxconn_employee_commits_suicide_over_missing_iPhone_in_China
I'd buy. Definitely.
With the Mac OS having compatibility issues with everything other than an Apple product, this tablet will end up being as useful as a cock flavoured lollipop.
What compatibility issues? Mac os has plenty of programs from third party developers, and works with most pc peripherals. Have you ever even used one? You could just as easily say pc's have compatibility issues because mac programs don't run on them. If you going to bitch about apple, at least go after something thats partly true, like how overpriced and under powered they are.
Well said.
crazyceo, don't join the ranks of sub 25 year olds on this forum who slag Apple of for all the wrong reasons. I know you got some sense in that noggin of yours because I heard you use it on many occasion!
I'm not knocking people who buy them but I'm a gamer so that's out the window straight away. I also run a business which if I kitted out the office using Apple hardware and software it would cost 3 times as much. I know that because I've priced it for someone else. Not only was the Apple rep surprised I was thinking about placing an order they then proceded to give me a ridiculous price which you would have to an idiot to have paid it.
On to this iTablet. You just know, to keep the price down (Well, down by their terms) they will use a much lower spec. Then the reduced OS rumoured above. Then it will probably be tired down to iTunes to play back any media which if we are being honest is not the best for playback.
With Dual Atoms out in a month or two and everyone looking to utilise touch screen technology. The new netbooks with Windows7 coming out will be a better alternative if this is the kind of thing you need to buy.
Hey Crazy,
I believe your 3x factor is generous in Apple's favor. When you consider the cost of the Mac Pro with a comparably equipped ASUS box, I believe you would be looking at a multiple of 4. My home systems are a 2.4 iMac and a 13" Aluminum 1st gen Macbook, as well as several Windows XP boxes, so I don't have a dog in this fight. My opinion is that the Apple hardware is generally better constructed then most of the competitors, but is it worth the premium, well that lay in the buyers court.
I'm not doubting they look cool but at what cost and who gets to see it. So is it hefty price because of the polished aluminium or the gloss white finish? I think a few Custom designers here could do a better job and cheaper.
I'm a big fan of "Lie to me" the american tv show with Tim Roth in it. They have the iMac 24" flat screens on every desk. It looks good but I think it's a only in Hollywoodland thing.
The reason it was only 3X the price was I got quotes for branded hardware from Dell, HP and Apple. I think out of all of them the HP quote was the best value for money out of interest. I'm not here to blow their horn either.
The technology in these machines is likely to move very fast (VIA/Intel (nano, pineview, CULV), NVidia ION[2], AMD?, SSDs - at a decent price/size, Windows7 & touch screen, higher resolution screens, etc etc) and they are at such a price point that you can afford to get a new one every 12 months. If the thing was going to cost the best part of a grand, I know I'd rather get a more capable machine that would last a little longer before it needs to be relagated to the scrap heap - let's face it, the current crop aren't even capable of playing back HD videos on YouTube!!