Apple iTablet/iSlate/iPad (NDA lifted)

[msduncan]

So in about 24 hours we will know the details about Apple's iTablet (or whatever they plan to call it).

I've been wanting one of these since last summer when it became a reliable rumor that it was in the works. When I first heard about it, I thought that it would be way out of my price range because -- well -- Apple loves to charge lots of $$ for their stuff.

However, early rumors were that Apple was trying to pinpoint $1000 as a price point. The rumors seem to have had legs. Most Wall Street analysts have said the price point has to be around $700 for it to be successful, and are watching closely on how close it will be to $500 or $1000.

We are now 24 hours away from everything being revealed to us. A news story broke today (I'll see if I can find the link and edit this later) that it would "be nowhere near $1000". The story doesn't say if they mean it will be much more, or less. With Apple you have to assume more. Another story claims to have intercepted a twitter that says it would be 899 Euro which would be around $1200 US. This would be slightly out of my price range but I might be able to swing it with some extra time saving.

I was all set to immediately preorder one of these and then go about selling stuff to pay for it around the house. For this to happen it MUST be $1000 or under. So all this hype building about a sub $1000 touch tablet from Apple and then a few late breaking stories about price are making me nervous.

[Isgrimnur]

Rumors are also that there will be two different carrier tie-ins with data plans to allow a subsidization of the price, which would likely take ~$300 off the top.

[msduncan]

Rumors are also that there will be two different carrier tie-ins with data plans to allow a subsidization of the price, which would likely take ~$300 off the top.

UGH!!! I already have home internet AND an iphone data plan. I can't justify to my wife having ANOTHER data plan.

[LawBeefaroni]

I was all set to immediately preorder one of these and then go about selling stuff to pay for it around the house. For this to happen it MUST be $1000 or under. So all this hype building about a sub $1000 touch tablet from Apple and then a few late breaking stories about price are making me nervous.

It's just a toy. Don't forget that.

[msduncan]

I was all set to immediately preorder one of these and then go about selling stuff to pay for it around the house. For this to happen it MUST be $1000 or under. So all this hype building about a sub $1000 touch tablet from Apple and then a few late breaking stories about price are making me nervous.

It's just a toy. Don't forget that.

I know... but I really want it.

I'm hoping the price point is as follows:

$1000 for the device straight up.
$700 for the device if you sign with a carrier

That would make it doable for me. I could raise $1000 and just use wireless which I'm seldom without.

[YellowKing]

Aaargh! MSD how can you want something that you don't even know what it is???? Stop buying into the Steve Jobs hype machine! You're the very reason why Apple overprices everything! STEP AWAY FROM THE KOOL-AID.

[The Preacher]

Assume that we know what it is: $1000, 10" tablet with 640x800 rez with cell service built in like Kindle's Whispernet (this is the set of numbers I've seen most recently).

What exactly do you plan on doing with that object at that cost?

[msduncan]

Assume that we know what it is: $1000, 10" tablet with 640x800 rez with cell service built in like Kindle's Whispernet (this is the set of numbers I've seen most recently).

What exactly do you plan on doing with that object at that cost?

Since having sex with it is out of the question.... I'm going to lay down next to it at night and make pillow talk.

[The Preacher]

Assume that we know what it is: $1000, 10" tablet with 640x800 rez with cell service built in like Kindle's Whispernet (this is the set of numbers I've seen most recently).

What exactly do you plan on doing with that object at that cost?

Since having sex with it is out of the question.... I'm going to lay down next to it at night and make pillow talk.

Apple releases... the iSticky!

[EvilHomer3k]

The following devices are in competition for the iThing for me.

Creative Archos 5/7/9
Dell Streak
Crunchpad/JooJoo
HP Slate
Fujitsu Stylistic ST5111

Not to mention the older slates like the HP TC1100. When I could not find a netbook that worked I started looking at tablets. I eventually spent $200 on an old HP TC1100. It runs Windows 7 so it does pretty much anything I want it to do. The only issue is that the acceleration on the dedicated graphics card (nVidia 420) need to be disabled. Unfortunately, it won't play Hulu. It does play 720P Youtube and Netflix watch instantly runs very well.

It will take a truly awesome device to pull me away from the TC100. It is about the size of a netbook (thinner than many), has decent battery live (3 hours), a detachable keyboard, and runs Windows 7. For ~$250 it's a fantastic device. I love mine.

It is hard to argue with Mosspuppet, though.

[Chaz]

Turns out that Krazy Ken Kutaragi was talking about people like msd when he gave his famous quote about the PS3.

[YellowKing]

For me to buy an iSlate/iPad/iStatusSymbol it's all going to boil down to content. I want to see full color magazine/books on iTunes. That might tip me over the edge, assuming it has all the other functionality of the iPhone.

[The Preacher]

For me to buy an iSlate/iPad/iStatusSymbol it's all going to boil down to content. I want to see full color magazine/books on iTunes. That might tip me over the edge, assuming it has all the other functionality of the iPhone.

Click Here

[EvilHomer3k]

That site reminds me of why I would rather have a magazine. The layout is so cluttered and choppy. It's just not enjoyable to read. Magazine, newspaper, and local tv station web sites are all ridiculously cluttered with ads and everything is so choppy. It's like they just slap a bunch of feeds on there and some ads and then call it web design.

[The Meal]

Don't forget engadget.



http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/the- ... upposedly/

[SpaceLord]

Don't forget engadget.
/

And The Macbook Wheel

[Exodor]

All I want out of tomorrow's Dog and Pony show is a iPod Touch price drop.

Is that too much to ask?

[The Preacher]

All I want out of tomorrow's Dog and Pony show is a iPod Touch price drop.

Is that too much to ask?

Generally, yes. But they may add 8 more gigs and keep the price flat. You know that's the same as a price drop, don't you? DON'T YOU?!

[Exodor]

Generally, yes. But they may add 8 more gigs and keep the price flat. You know that's the same as a price drop, don't you? DON'T YOU?!

So $400 for 72gigs? Hell no. I love the iPod Touch but $400 for the 64 gig version is completely ridiculous.




/posted from my MacBook.

[Isgrimnur]

Actually, haven't they been doing the square function? Wasn't it 8/16/32/64? That means 128 should be up next.

[Mr. Fed]

I think it's going to be 5 inches, but they'll say it's 7 inches.

[Lee]

I'm with MSDuncan. Really want one without even knowing exactly what it is. I love Apple stuff. I just can't see $1000 for a first gen device though, especially if I have to pay Verizon even more damn money every month for shitty reception.

[Mr. Fed]

I like my iphone, and would love to be able to watch movies on a bigger screen and play games and such. As to reading -- it's going to have to be much better than any apple screen I have seen so far to be better than the Kindle's screen.

[Lee]

I like my iphone, and would love to be able to watch movies on a bigger screen and play games and such. As to reading -- it's going to have to be much better than any apple screen I have seen so far to be better than the Kindle's screen.

Read a rumor on the Kindle forums that it may use this new eInk/LCD display. No link or anything, and the Kindle forums are always 100% reliable. I don't even know how a screen like that would be possible.

[Exodor]

I'm not sure I get the appeal of the iTablet. It seems like it combines the weaknesses of the iphone (no physical keyboard) with the bulk of a laptop.

Is it all about the touchscreen?

[YellowKing]

I'm not sure I get the appeal of the iTablet. It seems like it combines the weaknesses of the iphone (no physical keyboard) with the bulk of a laptop.

Is it all about the touchscreen?

That's one way to look at it. The other way to look at it is that it combines the strengths of the iPhone with the strengths of a laptop.

The iPhone user interface is extremely well done - so much so that I have yet to use another phone that replicates it to any measure of my satisfaction (I've played with all the latest Blackberry and Android phones at work).

That kind of interface on a device that is actually big enough to do "computer" work on would be quite attractive. Sure the iPhone can play movies, display ebooks, play games, surf the internet....but in the end it's still a 3.5 inch screen.

Then of course there's the App Store - if it's big on the iPhone, imagine what it could be if developers could start making apps designed for a much more powerful device with a larger screen.

If Apple markets it poorly, then this could turn out to be just a big old giant clunky iPhone. If they market it cleverly, it could be an extremely enticing marriage of the best qualities of the iPhone and a notebook. Considering Apple has never been a slouch in the marketing department, I'm pretty optimistic they'll sell a gajillion of the things.

[Exodor]

That's one way to look at it. The other way to look at it is that it combines the strengths of the iPhone with the strengths of a laptop.

Except it doesn't. It (suppoisedly) runs the iPhone OS so it can't do any more "real computer" work than the iPhone. And how will the app store work when you have two devices working with it - one with a 3.5" screen and one with a 10" screen? Won't apps designed for the iPhone look like ass when blown up that much?

It's Apple so I'm sure it will be very pretty, very well designed and extremely overpriced. I'm also sure I'd love to have one for free.

[The Preacher]

That's what interests me... I can get a 10" netbook with a perfectly fine UI for under $300. What will this do for 2x or 3x that cost? Of course, I also don't understand people's fascination with the iTouch at its currently absurd price.

[ohbalto]

Silly wabbits. You never EVER buy first generation Apple products.

[msduncan]

I have a first gen iphone. It works great!

[YellowKing]

Except it doesn't. It (suppoisedly) runs the iPhone OS so it can't do any more "real computer" work than the iPhone. And how will the app store work when you have two devices working with it - one with a 3.5" screen and one with a 10" screen? Won't apps designed for the iPhone look like ass when blown up that much?

It will probably run the iPhone OS 4.0. We don't know what that's going to allow that the current OS doesn't. And it could very well be a modified version of the OS on top of that. I don't think it's necessarily going to be able to fully replace a notebook in terms of doing business, but with the right apps it could certainly be a functional alternative.

The App Store solution is simple - you have some apps that will be tablet only, just as there are some apps on there now that only function with the iPhone 3GS. If you build it, developers will come. And the apps looking like ass thing isn't necessarily true - I'm sure a lot of - if not most - apps are developed on computers and scaled down for the iPhone, rather than vice versa.

P.S. I'm not arguing the point from an Apple fanboy perspective, as I generally hate Apple. I love my iPhone, but I wouldn't touch a Mac with a 100-foot pole and bought a Zune and never looked back. The PC vs Mac commercials piss me off so bad my wife knows to immediately change the channel if one comes on, because their commercials are by and large slanderous, libelous 30 second chunks of unadulterated bullshit designed to prey on the ignorance of the public, and I think they're borderline criminal and utterly reprehensible. Also I think Steve Jobs is a freakish AIDS-looking cult leader, and his devoted followers are mostly ultra-liberal latte-swilling Prius driving tree-hugging techno-snobs. Chances of me buying an iSlate or whatever the hell they decide to call it are virtually nil. But I like to ponder the possibilities.

[msduncan]

Except it doesn't. It (suppoisedly) runs the iPhone OS so it can't do any more "real computer" work than the iPhone. And how will the app store work when you have two devices working with it - one with a 3.5" screen and one with a 10" screen? Won't apps designed for the iPhone look like ass when blown up that much?

It will probably run the iPhone OS 4.0. We don't know what that's going to allow that the current OS doesn't. And it could very well be a modified version of the OS on top of that. I don't think it's necessarily going to be able to fully replace a notebook in terms of doing business, but with the right apps it could certainly be a functional alternative.

The App Store solution is simple - you have some apps that will be tablet only, just as there are some apps on there now that only function with the iPhone 3GS. If you build it, developers will come. And the apps looking like ass thing isn't necessarily true - I'm sure a lot of - if not most - apps are developed on computers and scaled down for the iPhone, rather than vice versa.

P.S. I'm not arguing the point from an Apple fanboy perspective, as I generally hate Apple. I love my iPhone, but I wouldn't touch a Mac with a 100-foot pole and bought a Zune and never looked back. The PC vs Mac commercials piss me off so bad my wife knows to immediately change the channel if one comes on, because their commercials are by and large slanderous, libelous 30 second chunks of unadulterated bullshit designed to prey on the ignorance of the public, and I think they're borderline criminal and utterly reprehensible. Also I think Steve Jobs is a freakish AIDS-looking cult leader, and his devoted followers are mostly ultra-liberal latte-swilling Prius driving tree-hugging techno-snobs. Chances of me buying an iSlate or whatever the hell they decide to call it are virtually nil. But I like to ponder the possibilities.

Wow. You need to let go of your Apple hatred! You sound like a 360 fanboy railing against Playstation. (or a Playstation fanboi railing against Xbox.... whateva)

[LawBeefaroni]

Also I think Steve Jobs is a freakish AIDS-looking cult leader, and his devoted followers are mostly ultra-liberal latte-swilling Prius driving tree-hugging techno-snobs.

I don't like Apple or Jobs and agree about the cult, but he's a freakish liver-cancer-having cult leader, not an AIDS-looking one.

[The Meal]

It's an iPad. Silly name. Sounds like a hygiene product.

[LawBeefaroni]

It's an iPad. Silly name. Sounds like a hygiene product.

Looks like the Slate (or vice versa).

Initial market reaction for AAPL is blech.

[EvilHomer3k]

Doesn't look like it's got flash. That's not "the best web experience I ever had."

[The Preacher]

Price is the key here. Jobs may not like netbooks, but they are $300 and do 90% of what he's saying. If he can get this in at $500 or so, he'll have gold. If it's 1K, I think he's out of his mind.

[The Meal]

Initial market reaction for AAPL is blech.

That's my reaction to the iPad as well. Neat toy, but unless it was a Kindle-slayer, it wouldn't really hit me in a sensitive spot.

[YellowKing]

Yeah so far it's a giant iPhone, as many suspected. I'm waiting for Steve to lay down some crazy twist that makes everybody go OOOOOH!!!!

I'm not crazy about the look. While it's sleek, it still looks like a giant iPhone. If the iPhone didn't exist, it would be awesome. As it stands, it comes off as one of those giant TV remotes you give to your grandmother who can't see.

[Exodor]

I'm in the market for a new iPod and I've got a MacBook I use almost strictly for webbrowsing.

IF this hits the price sweet spot (~$500) then I can totally see me getting one.

If it's more like $1000 then I think this will be another MacBook Air rather than another iPhone.





And definitely no flash support. Very odd.