Over at iLounge they have got a tip from a very reliable source about the specifics of the new Apple Tablet that a lot of people have been talking about. On Crenk we first talked about the Apple tablet back in May and then again in August. The iLounge source also correctly called the iPod nano 5G, iPhone 3GS and Chinese iPhone 3G months ago.
- Apple has created at least three separate prototypes of its tablet computer. Let’s call it “iPad.”
- Version 1 was designed with a 7” screen, which was judged to be too small. The latest version has a 10.7” screen.
- It runs iPhone OS.
- There have been reports that it looks like an iPhone. They’re sort of true. It looks like an iPhone 3G, complete with a curved back.
- It will come in two different variations: one with 3G networking capabilities, and one without 3G networking capabilities. Think of the 3G version as a bigscreen iPhone 3GS, and the non-3G version as a bigscreen iPod touch.
- Screen resolutions will obviously jump considerably from the iPhone and iPod touch 480×320-pixel displays, enabling easy reading of full-sized book and magazine pages, plus cropped newspaper pages. Expect something like 5-6 times the resolution of an iPod touch or iPhone screen (720p or thereabouts) and 7 times the touchable surface area.
- It is designed to expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch.
- It is not meant to compete with netbooks. It’s an iPhone OS media player and light communication device.
- Apple is currently planning to announce it on or before January 19, 2010, and to use an iPhone-like hype buildup period to start selling it in May or June.
- It is apparently awaiting a final green light from Steve Jobs; chances of it appearing in the market are believed to be 80% at this point.
Dear Readers,
At this stage I’m getting fed up. Every day I open my inbox there are a dozen e-mails from colleagues and readers of the
various publications I write for including Crenk asking about the news or a new product. There’s always at least one talking about the supposed upcoming Mac Tablet.
‘What do you reckon will be included?’, they ask.
Honestly, I’m nowhere near 100% certain. Obviously you’d have a touch screen QWERTY keyboard, media centre of some sort and maybe even fingerprint recognition (I believe Apple have patented that idea).
In truth, only the bigwigs at Apple could tell us. And even then they would probably just numb our brains with pre-release jargon so we all buzz around the internet still asking ‘Ohh, what could it be?!’
My reason for writing this post is clear and simple. I want to know what you would like in a Mac tablet. Send us in your thoughts, opinions and ravings here at Crenk. Either leave a comment below of tell us on the Crenk Twitter.
They could be about anything – ‘when will it be released?’, ‘what features will it have?’, ‘how much will it cost?’, ‘what will it look like?’ and so on. I look forward to reading your replies.
-Dean Sherwin
There has been a lot of talk this morning about Apple producing a Tablet computer by 2010. Business Week’s Peter Burrows recently received word of Apple’s plans to build a tablet-based device, to be released in 2010. Now Gene Munster,of reputable investment bank and securities firm Piper Jaffray, has published a note reinforcing the plans.
“We expect Apple to fill the gap between the iPod touch and the MacBook with a new tablet device (not a netbook) priced at about $500-$700. Apple will likely leverage its multi-touch patents to differentiate its product from the typical netbook. We are anticipating a new category of Apple products with an operating system more robust than the iPhone’s but optimized for multi-touch, unlike Mac OS X. The device’s OS could bear a close resemblance to Apple’s mobile OS and run App Store apps, or it could be a modified version of Mac OS X.
As the App Store is currently in record profits and a new iPhone release on the way there is no rush for Apple to release a tablet computer. Of course it aims to fill the market between the iPhone and Macbook, but I cant see this device replacing a computer any time soon.
This is such an interesting concept design I just had to write about it. The project is called “Brick” and is from Apple and could potentially be the world’s first all-screen laptop. The project is currently being designed by Yves Behar and some concept designs are to the left.
Once seeing this project it automatically looks like a hybrid between the iPhone and a Macbook-Air.
Apple’s “Brick” would be a hybrid laptop/tablet/ebook that dispenses with a physical keyboard and trackpad in favor of a virtual, adaptive UI that blends multitouch, gestures and its own orientation to switch between different modes:
Laptop — When the Brick is held horizontally with the two screens at an angle, the bottom screen turns into a virtual keyboard and touchpad. There’s no tactile feedback for touch typists, but never mind, corrective text handily makes up for the myriad errors. The top screen acts like a regular laptop screen, except that it also is touch sensitive, and is responsive to multitouch gestures like double-tap to zoom, pinching and scrolling.
Tablet — When the two halves are opened fully they snap together in the middle to make a tablet with a continuous touch-sensitive screen. This mode is best for surfing the web, browsing and editing photos, and displaying mind-altering music visualizers.
eBook — Like laptop mode but held vertically. Each screen transforms into an electronic page for easy reading. Displays eBooks, eMags or specially laid out websites. Readers navigate by swiping the screen to turn the pages.
Tabletop — Like tablet mode but for two people. When an onscreen button is pushed, the screens are oriented for two users sitting opposite each other. Great for collaborative tasks and especially games.
And why’s it called “Brick”? Because it smashes Windows!
It has been announced that AT&T will join forces with Microsoft and use the Microsoft Surface. The announcement was made yesterday at the 5th Annual AT&T Press Luncheon during CTIA.
The Microsoft Surface features a 30″ multi touch screen which can detect any phones on its surface. With AT&T the Surface will have the capabilities of dragging videos, photos, ring tones, songs and dropping them into the phones. The Surface is a great concept but I cant see this making too much difference in phone shops throughout the USA. It would be much better if it could be used in restaurants. However, that being said im sure this is a nice additional revenue stream for Microsoft.
