NewtonTalk.net April 2009 archive: Re: [NTLK] Safari Pad

From: <Reilly001os_at_aol.com>
Date: Tue Apr 21 2009 - 20:03:30 EDT

Hi Joel,
Well if apple keeps avoiding markets where they would shine(tablets, netbooks, etc) they're going to lose revenue anyway. I personally would buy an apple netbook or tablet instead of a full size laptop but since apple doesn't offer either my new "Mac" is an Acer Aspire One running Leopard. The machine only cost 232USD, but I would gladly pay 2-2.5 times that for a real apple netbook. Apple would've lost even more revenue if I had just downloaded (pirated) osx86 without buying leopard but I'm too honest for my own good and bought a Leopard family pack to cover my 2 desktops and hackintosh netbook (I know I'm totally violating the eula on the netbook but I at least put an apple sticker on it to kinda, maybe, sorta make it apple branded hardware....of course I did leave the "designed for windows" sticker on it too lol).
I think a lower cost tablet or netbook would be a much better way to draw switchers then the mini as more people use laptops these days. Plus they could easily divide the ranks by only offering single core Intel atom cpus(netbooks) or dual core Intel atoms (if such a beast exists)/low end core 2 duo cpus for tablets.

Joe
------Original Message------
From: Joel M. Sciamma
Sender: newtontalk-bounce@newtontalk.net
To: NewtonTalk
ReplyTo: newtontalk@newtontalk.net
Subject: Re: [NTLK] Safari Pad - Apple's Tablet Computer
Sent: Apr 21, 2009 17:57

I have to say I'm getting a bit cynical about this tablet business.
Take your own personal fantasy, do enough damage to it so that you
would be disappointed by the resulting device - and that is probably
closer to the mark.

The pattern of the current non-Mac devices has been for them to have
a content browsing emphasis, for which fingers are fine. This is the
most likely direction for a new product. Web, movies, pics, PDFs, a
bit of email - that sort of thing.

While we know that one could do a lot of useful work with something
that has the capability of the Newton, but boosted by current
hardware, what's in it for Apple other than a loss of Mac laptop
revenue - the most important part of the business?

The only solution would be to price it like an Air, or maybe a bit
less, arrange to give it a proper keyboard/mouse via Bluetooth for
when you really need them (for sure minimal ports) and have a touch
screen that builds on what has been learnt from the Touch products. A
stylus is almost certainly not a runner but a virtual keyboard seems
logical and makes data entry a bit of a pain in comparison with a
MacBook unless you lug the keyboard or it has the sliding screen
arrangement seen in recent patents. Remember the price of the MP2K
when new - not cheap (I got over it, eventually).

They have probably been playing around with an interface makeover (or
perhaps more) so that the next OS X can work with finger input to end
up with something that sits somewhere between an iPhone and an Air
and is a companion to, rather than a replacement for, a MacBook/Pro.

On the other hand, all this might be bollocks.

Joel.

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