Twitter is going nuts right now. Apparently the McGraw-Hill CEO let it slip that Apple is introducing a slim tablet computer running an iPhone-like OS tomorrow.
Yeah I've been hearing rumbles about it all week. It's piqued my interest. Still no definitive word if its running a slimmed down version of Snow Leopard or a beefed up iPhone OS. I think that if it is running Snow Leopard lite it ought to be very interesting. From the leaked photos I have seen it appears to be thin and looks to be in the sub 2lb weight class. If it has all three features and can run parallels then this is a product to keep your eyes on. Yeah I know there there are other existing tablet platforms out there (Toshiba, Motion Computing, Lenovo, Fjitsu, HP), but they are relegated mainly to business use. Apple has the chance to hook the consumer market into the world of tablets. Think of the possibilities when their marketing machine gets moving. Of course Apple's intro will be moot to the business and wide adoption in the consumer market if they make it like the iPhone and it has a non removable / lack of spare batteries and its running the iPhone OS. Then it just becomes an expensive and uber cool toy. I know that if they come through with the first scenario then I will be strongly considering moving my business from its current tablets onto an iTablet, or what ever the hell they call it.
Is this really considered a slip? Everyone knew what Apple was announcing tomorrow. The big surprise will be if they announce an iPhone for Verizon.
Don't think you're going to see that, however. In the Apple conference call they held yesterday with the media to discuss Apple's earnings it was mentioned (and no one seems to have glommed on to this) that Apple was projecting iPhone sales to slowdown significantly.
The announcement for the iPhone on MULTIPLE carriers is supposed to be made shortly. The CDMA versions are alleged to be out on the street in 4Q 2010. As for the iTablet having just the iPhone OS...well Apple was apparently just going for the Kindle market
I am also not excited about a really big iphone, call me when it can run Snow Leopard and is a fully functioning computer.
What I'm reading is probably just fanboy wank, but it looks like y'all are right in saying that the Tablet is just a big iPhone. But, it will have built-in mobile broadband from Verizon. Apparently there's nothing in Apple's contract with AT&T that says they can't do business with other carriers with devices other than the iPhone. If so, this would be a departure for Verizon because I've read that one of the big sticking points for Verizon is that they don't want to sell a device that they can't offer insurance protection for due to Verizon's above industry average return rates.
I don't know. What I'm reading, and I fully admit that I could be wrong, is that worldwide, GSM/HSDPA outsold CDMA/EVDO phones 20-to-1 last year and that's expected to grow to 50-to-1 by 2013. Face it, the rest of the world uses GSM, with it holding 73% of the world's marketshare. If Verizon wasn't the powerhouse that it is, CDMA would be relegated to the dustbin as smaller networks like Sprint languished. If you're apple, why bother?
But as you said in the other thread about smart phones, if Verizon offered the iPhone you would switch. Besides, who cares if your phone works in Europe? How much time do you spend there? If you do spend a week or 2 over there just pick up a local throw away phone, using your iPhone would cost you a small fortune.
This is true. And, lemme just say that I may, or may not, start spending some time in Europe. I was instructed to be sure my passport was up to date the other day. But, this has been some time in the making and I'd be lying if it didn't influence my decision to get an iPhone. If Apple does make a CDMA phone, I hope that make it a cross-compatible "world phone."
theiphoneblog.com has been buzzing about the iTablet for over a year now. Of course, Apple has yet to confirm it. I'd rather they increase the functionality of the iPhone or MacBooks instead of introducing an inbetween device. I'm not so buzzed about it myself.
If they think this is a way to take on the Kindle, they're not understanding why the Kindle is a hit.
But thats the thing, in the US, Verizon is the 800 lb gorilla in the room and apple has left a huge segment of the marketplace untouched by going with AT&T. Remember this is the US market place and I dont expect Verizon to have much of a 4G (based on LTE) network up in '10. In fact probably the only carrier in the US that will be running a 4G network with any significant presence in the US would be Sprint. So Apple needs to expand their market base and will do so by putting out a CDMA phone. Don't forget that you can indeed make a phone capable of running on CDMA / GSM.
Wifi, AT&T plan for £30 per month with no contract. The other AT&T plan is $15 for 250MB of data. The Apple iPad's Official Price: Starts at $500, 3G is $130 Extra Still has a shitty 1Ghz processor.
If it was running OS X, I'd buy one today. But, my iPhone will do everything this thing will do and it fits in my pocket. I can see what they're doing. They're trying to take on the Kindle and Netbook markets. But, while I do have a more than mild interest in the Kindle, I just don't care about netbooks. Ironically, the only thing that has kept me from buying a Kindle is the cost. But, the newest Kindle is $100 cheaper than the no-frills base model iPad. The only geek factor I see in this is that I could say, "Let me get my PADD."
I wish everyone would just switch over to the GSM line. However a big point of the GSM phone is that you can keep your service and switch phones easily. Or you can keep your phone and switch service easily. If MetroPCS/Verizon/Sprint wasn't CDMA based but GSM based I would have told ATT to get lost a long time ago. I like unlocked phones. I just want a PDA with wi-fi capability that operates as a phone. I don't need the outrageously priced data plans. Unless I went with MetroPCS and their flat rates I don't want to pay for those plans. If one goes to Europe (or somewhere else) they could buy a prepaid sim card for their unlocked phone.
It isn't going to work. The main selling point of the Kindle and other e-readers is that IT IS NOT like a computer screen but that it is like reading paper. You use less battery power and it is less of a strain on ones eyes. The Netbook markets aren't in any real danger IMHO because of cost issues of the tablet and if the specs are true it's no better then any other netbook. It just looks prettier.
I'm perfectly happy with my cheapo Acer netbook. It's everything Jobs says it is: slow, low res screen, not much power, but man was it cheap! It does everything I need (not all that fast, but not so slow that it's irritating) and it's a breeze to carry. While I agree the Apple is better looking and sexier, it's also expensive enough that losing it or breaking it would ruin my whole fuckin' day and probably the week. If my Acer craps out, or I break it, it would piss me off for a while, but I probably would just go get a new one. Bottom line for me is like all the other Apple products. Great looking, excellent quality, but not so much that I'm willing to spend the extra money.
The Kindle also has limited 3G browsing capability via Whispernet... and without having to pay for a data account. It's also a comfortable form factor for reading.
Uh... if you mean the emergence of a new type of technology I agree... if you're trying to compare the capabilities you're out of your mind.
Exactly and as the eReader progress into their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations you can expect to see the color barrier totally broken and the ability to view web pages if not out right video.
