The Apple Tablet

[SicEmBaylor]

Is anyone besides me waiting with baited breath for Apple to announce its tablet this Wednesday? I've been drooling over the unconfirmed leaks of this thing for a long long time.

What I'm most excited about is that Apple is rumored to have made a deal with several textbook companies which would just be freaking awesome. I'd much rather carry a single tablet in my backpack than 3-4 byzantine tomes that weigh 20 lbs each.

I'm also pretty intrigued by the yet to be officially announced Microsoft Courier. By the looks of the thing it looks amazing. Apple and Microsoft seem to be aiming at different markets with their two products, so I'll have to make a decision between the two. Both definitely seem awesome.

[SoonerJack]

Is anyone besides me waiting with baited breath for Apple to announce its tablet this Wednesday? I've been drooling over the unconfirmed leaks of this thing for a long long time.

What I'm most excited about is that Apple is rumored to have made a deal with several textbook companies which would just be freaking awesome. I'd much rather carry a single tablet in my backpack than 3-4 byzantine tomes that weigh 20 lbs each.

I'm also pretty intrigued by the yet to be officially announced Microsoft Courier. By the looks of the thing it looks amazing. Apple and Microsoft seem to be aiming at different markets with their two products, so I'll have to make a decision between the two. Both definitely seem awesome.

I like byzantine tomes.:D

[Crucifax Autumn]

My favorite type of tome as well.

[jiminy]

yet to be officially announced Microsoft Courier.
Huh?

[SicEmBaylor]

Huh?
http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

[Tulsa_Fireman]

Are you the master of baited breath?

[Mjcpr]

Estimated cost: $12,000

[SicEmBaylor]

Estimated cost: $12,000

I predict 800.00

[OUHOMER]

I saw $1000 some where the other day. But i will wait for the bugs to get worked out and the price to fall

[soonerboomer93]

if it's just a big iPod Touch (7-10") then blah.

rumors are that some developers have been asked to make app that will work on a larger screen iPhone/touch. In that size range it should be running osx and not the iPhone os.

[JohnnyMack]

The iPad.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/27/apple.tablet/index.html?hpt=T1

[soonersis]

I think I will keep my netbook as a bridge between my iPhone and my laptop. It works just fine for browsing the internet and such. Plus it only cost $225.

[Okla-homey]

Is anyone besides me waiting with baited breath for Apple to announce its tablet this Wednesday? I've been drooling over the unconfirmed leaks of this thing for a long long time.

What I'm most excited about is that Apple is rumored to have made a deal with several textbook companies which would just be freaking awesome. I'd much rather carry a single tablet in my backpack than 3-4 byzantine tomes that weigh 20 lbs each.

I'm also pretty intrigued by the yet to be officially announced Microsoft Courier. By the looks of the thing it looks amazing. Apple and Microsoft seem to be aiming at different markets with their two products, so I'll have to make a decision between the two. Both definitely seem awesome.

I'm not panting Sic, bit I may check 'em out. I like gizmos, especially Apple stuff. Some of my friends love their Kindles and I've held-off taking the eBook plunge awaiting this debut.

However, I must say, since I liked to use a highlighter and make lots of notes in the margins, not so good for textbooks IMHO. Personally, I eschewed taking notes in spiral notebooks or on my laptop and just scribbled-in the prof's key points from lectures right into the pertinent portion of the text. That way, when studying for tests, all I needed was my textbook.

[delhalew]

Is anyone besides me laughing at the people who act like 14 years old girls chasing the Beatles down the street every time Apple announces a new overpriced piece of eyecandy for tech fashionista's to prove that they are the hippest geek on the block.

This is what I know. It will cost twice what it should, it will have some serious limitation so obvious it could only be an oversite, and it will be very pretty. Enjoy.
P.S. Not saying you are one of these people Sic Em.

[SicEmBaylor]

Is anyone besides me laughing at the people who act like 14 years old girls chasing the Beatles down the street every time Apple announces a new overpriced piece of eyecandy for tech fashionista's to prove that they are the hippest geek on the block.

This is what I know. It will cost twice what it should, it will have some serious limitation so obvious it could only be an oversite, and it will be very pretty. Enjoy.
P.S. Not saying you are one of these people Sic Em.

The announcement is ongoing, but Jobs just released the pricing. It's actually very very competitive. It starts at 500.00 and goes up up from there depending on the memory and whether or not you get a model with 3G. The data rate is 30.00 for unlimited data and you DO NOT need a contract or plan. It's pre-paid and the device is fully unlocked so you can take it to whatever carrier you want.

[Stitch Face]

Apple tablet? Something for your urinary tract or something?

[SicEmBaylor]

Apple tablet? Something for your urinary tract or something?

Yep, that's exactly what it is.
Next time you see your doc be sure to ask for one. ;)

[SicEmBaylor]

I'm not panting Sic, bit I may check 'em out. I like gizmos, especially Apple stuff. Some of my friends love their Kindles and I've held-off taking the eBook plunge awaiting this debut.

However, I must say, since I liked to use a highlighter and make lots of notes in the margins, not so good for textbooks IMHO. Personally, I eschewed taking notes in spiral notebooks or on my laptop and just scribbled-in the prof's key points from lectures right into the pertinent portion of the text. That way, when studying for tests, all I needed was my textbook.

It took me a long time to give up the trusty notebook and pen, but when I started taking notes directly on my laptop (as opposed to simply retyping my handwritten notes later) a whole new world opened up. I use Microsoft OneNote which is just a fantastic program. It's formatted for easy note taking, it has as many tabs/books as you need, and you can embed any sort of link or media you want directly into the note. For example, if I wanted to record a certain part of the lecture then I can do that and embed the recording right into the relevant section of my notes. Or, I can attach a link to a website with more information about whatever was brought up in class lecture. And, of course, I can always put a reference tag to the relevant section of my textbook.

I'm a big big fan of OneNote.

[delhalew]

In the late nineties I bailed on Apple. I won't use I-tunes due to their DRM policies. The Ipod has never been the best mp3 player. The I phone is more trouble than it's worth. Macbooks pricing is downright insulting. Power macs are not so much better than the competition as they used to be. F em in the nose.

[SicEmBaylor]

In the late nineties I bailed on Apple. I won't use I-tunes due to their DRM policies. The Ipod has never been the best mp3 player. The I phone is more trouble than it's worth. Macbooks pricing is downright insulting. Power macs are not so much better than the competition as they used to be. F em in the nose.

iTunes music is DRM free now.

I've used a LOT of mp3 players, many of which have a lot more features than the iPod. But as far as the interface and ease of syncing there is no equal.

I'm not sure what you mean by the iPhone being more "trouble" than it's worth. I've had my iPhone for awhile now and I couldn't possibly love the thing any more than I do. I've never had any "trouble" with it of any kind.

Now, as far as MacBook pricing and all that...I agree. I never owned a Mac computer until last September when I bought a mini as an entertainment server. It ended up becoming my new desktop...I love it that much.

Apple's pricing for the amount of hardware you get is almost indefensible. Having said that, as a long time Apple hater I've been totally convinced. It started with my first iPod and pretty soon I'm planning an iMac purchase.

[delhalew]

Now itunes is changing due to revolt. I was always against that business model on principle.
I phone has always needed att. Not for me. Not to mention in the beginning they had trouble actually making phone calls. Soon I will switch from blackbeery to android.
I will give it up to Apple in one respect. They have always been the kings of the seamless interface.

[JohnnyMack]

I've fiddled around with the Android and wasn't that impressed. Beyond multiple apps running at the same time the phone is remarkably average.

[SicEmBaylor]

I've fiddled around with the Android and wasn't that impressed. Beyond multiple apps running at the same time the phone is remarkably average.

Same here. I actually prefer WinMo to Android though it's a clunky and ugly beast.

[soonerboomer93]

The announcement is ongoing, but Jobs just released the pricing. It's actually very very competitive. It starts at 500.00 and goes up up from there depending on the memory and whether or not you get a model with 3G. The data rate is 30.00 for unlimited data and you DO NOT need a contract or plan. It's pre-paid and the device is fully unlocked so you can take it to whatever carrier you want.

actually, it sounds like the 3G is GSM, so it won't work on all carriers in the US, only on AT&T (T-mobile uses a different band for 3G, Sprint and Verizon are GSM)

The unlocked portion isn't an advantage to customers currently in the US.

They did a better price point then I thought. I didn't see any discussion of multi tasking since. Basically it's what i thought it would be. A big iPod touch.

[delhalew]

Android is still in its infancy, by the time I want to switch it should be good to go.

The price point on the tablet is typical. By the time you add some features it will be different story. Though, to be fair, the tablets that have been out are pretty costly.

[yermom]

tablets have always seemed way too expensive to me

my final judgement will require some hands on experience, but so far i'm not ready to call it impressive

i'm interested to see how T-Mobile works on the thing

[SicEmBaylor]

The price of the iPad is very very competitive. In fact, I saw one website that showed a minute by minute graph of Apple stock as it was being announced. It dived somewhat as the announcement went on, but as soon as the price was released it skyrocketed. Investors seem to understand how competitive this is for a tablet computer.

Now, as for it being a giant iPod touch...well it sort of is but it has a LOT of advantages over an iPod touch. First, the software is based on the iPhone/iPod but it has a lot of features and improvements especially concerning the level of "access" and "control" you have over the software. There are also some UI tweaks that take advantage of the screen size that wouldn't be possible on the iPhone/iPod.

Another big difference is that Apple has designed a new version of iWork around the tablet and accepts full keyboards as accessories. This is a huge difference and it allows the iPad to truly be used as a tablet -- meaning it can be used for work and productivity and not just as an oversized media player.

[SicEmBaylor]

If someone comes out with a stylus and a good handwritten note program then I'm sold.

I want the ability to quickly jot down and actually WRITE on the thing.

[NormanPride]

Apple haters are some of the most silly people around. Even more silly than Apple fanboys.

[yermom]

If someone comes out with a stylus and a good handwritten note program then I'm sold.

I want the ability to quickly jot down and actually WRITE on the thing.

Jobs is very anti-stylus from my understanding

i do like the keyboard dock

and i'd agree about the pricing, but i'd rather see an Atom in the thing, and/or multitasking.

[SicEmBaylor]

Jobs is very anti-stylus from my understanding

i do like the keyboard dock

and i'd agree about the pricing, but i'd rather see an Atom in the thing, and/or multitasking.

Oh, I know Jobs and Apple will never ever release a stylus. I'm talking a 3rd party vendor. They have them for iPhones.

The processor is supposed to be fantastic. Admittedly, nobody has had a lot of time to play around with the thing but everyone seems to have described the processor as super-fast.

I think one of the ways they kept the cost down was by using their in-house processor company instead of making a deal with Intel.

And yeah multi-tasking would be really really nice. I'm hoping the 4.0 software will have some multi-tasking ability.

[soonerboomer93]

Jobs is very anti-stylus from my understanding

i do like the keyboard dock

and i'd agree about the pricing, but i'd rather see an Atom in the thing, and/or multitasking.

no chance on an Atom, that would mean the OS could be hacked to be installed on a Netbook. (Just like they patched the OSX to no longer work on Atom processors)

[soonerboomer93]

Apple haters are some of the most silly people around. Even more silly than Apple fanboys.

I don't know if that's possible. Both sides are pretty equally silly.

[instigator]

tablets have always seemed way too expensive to me

my final judgement will require some hands on experience, but so far i'm not ready to call it impressive

i'm interested to see how T-Mobile works on the thing

T-mobile only works with edge. They only support ATT 3G frequencies. I am pretty underwhelmed by the thing. No multi-tasking really bugs me.

[Veritas]

I give it a solid "meh minus".

No Flash. No USB. No media card slot. No multitasking. Meh meh.

I was hoping for a detuned Macbook, not an overgrown Touch.

And FWIW I'm not a hater: we own a 17" Macbook Pro, a Macbook Air, two Touches, and two iPod Classics.

Nor am I a fanboy: we also own more PC servers, laptops, and workstations than I can count on both hands.

[1890MilesToNorman]

I still have a turntable, is this Apple thingy better?

[Mjcpr]

I give it a solid "meh minus".

No Flash. No USB. No media card slot. No multitasking. Meh meh.

I was hoping for a detuned Macbook, not an overgrown Touch.

And FWIW I'm not a hater: we own a 17" Macbook Pro, a Macbook Air, two Touches, and two iPod Classics.

Nor am I a fanboy: we also own more PC servers, laptops, and workstations than I can count on both hands.

So you're a Bruce, go tit.

:D

[SicEmBaylor]

I give it a solid "meh minus".

No Flash. No USB. No media card slot. No multitasking. Meh meh.

I was hoping for a detuned Macbook, not an overgrown Touch.

And FWIW I'm not a hater: we own a 17" Macbook Pro, a Macbook Air, two Touches, and two iPod Classics.

Nor am I a fanboy: we also own more PC servers, laptops, and workstations than I can count on both hands.

What possessed you to buy an Air?
FWIW, I give the thing a D+ so far. I honestly was expecting so much more.

[delhalew]

Apple haters are some of the most silly people around. Even more silly than Apple fanboys.

Yeah, God forbid you form an opinion on personal experience that differs from the slavish devotion shown by the kool kids.

[colleyvillesooner]

I think it looks cool.

[delhalew]

They always do. That's how the get ya'. :D

[KC//CRIMSON]

I wouldn't trade my Classic or Touch for anything. Great products.

[sooneron]

Yeah, God forbid you form an opinion on personal experience that differs from the slavish devotion shown by the kool kids.

Dude . srsly wtf? You bailed on the mac back when they weren't making a stable machine ( a whole ****ing 10 years ago!). Basically everyone that I know that were mac haters and are in graphics have now moved to mac. The mac pros are beasts. Unless you have an alien (which is over$ moreso) then more power to you. You just sound like another hater. That's fine. I agree with what was stated, the mac haters are as annoying as the big mac "humpers".
:rolleyes:

I guess there's always the "I'm so cool, because I bag on mac crowd" to make the mac poseurs look mainstream. ooh, cutting edge...

[delhalew]

I am allowed an opinion whether you like it or not. I used to like Macs, and now I don't. Live with it.

[sooneron]

no. srsly , I could care less. You're the one with the panties all wound up around your cankles. I think the idiots at a Jobs announcement are as big of idiots that go on message boards and try to slam all things apple to seem edgy or the dissenting voice. You offer NOTHING. Your mp3 player "wisdom" was offered with no other option. Brilliant.

[Veritas]

What possessed you to buy an Air?
It served a very edge case need my biz had.

[sooneron]

Apple can't give those things away.

[royalfan5]

My issue with gadgets like these is that I can't show off how well read I am without shelves full of books.

[sooneron]

My issue with gadgets like these is that I can't show off how well read I am without shelves full of comic books.

fixed:gary:

[SicEmBaylor]

no. srsly , I could care less. You're the one with the panties all wound up around your cankles. I think the idiots at a Jobs announcement are as big of idiots that go on message boards and try to slam all things apple to seem edgy or the dissenting voice. You offer NOTHING. Your mp3 player "wisdom" was offered with no other option. Brilliant.

To be fair, nearly all of the people invited to these things aren't your average morons. They're Apple shareholders and journalists.

[sooneron]

To be fair, nearly all of the people invited to these things aren't your average morons. They're Apple shareholders and journalists.

No, if you watched the Apple doc (culture of apple) a couple of weeks ago, you'd see that a lot are apple fanboys. And yes, a lot of them hold shares.

[Cheerin' 4 OU]

T-mobile only works with edge. They only support ATT 3G frequencies. I am pretty underwhelmed by the thing. No multi-tasking really bugs me.


Where you been? Tmobile's been 3G for several months now.

[SCOUT]

I am conflicted on the Tablet. I do not like my MacBook, but I love my iPhone. I love my PC but haven't seen a compact device from Microsoft worth ANY time. However, Microsoft Courier looks like it could be good.

I love having to decide between two great technologies!

[hotshot13422]

Jobs: let's build a 800 dollar device that can't browse the internet and listen to music at the same time!
Guy: You mean it can only do one thing at once?
Jobs: Yes, but it will be really cool looking and huge while only doing one thing. We can also make it an eBook reader but we'll make it have to have a backlight so people will only be able to read for twenty minutes before their eyes burn out of their skull.
Guy: Good idea!

[soonerboomer93]

Where you been? Tmobile's been 3G for several months now.

T-Mobile uses a different frequency then AT&T for 3G though (however edge and voice are the same for both companies, as I recall).

Also just read that it's a micro-sim card for the 3G, which means it's not possible to just pull the sim card from your iphone, pop it in your iPad to grab some data.

[NormanPride]

Yeah, the more I read and think about this thing, the less I really care. It looks neat, but not something I want. Add this to AppleTV and the Mac Air as things that were fun ideas but not really practical for the mass market.

Of course, if they added multitasking and flash card slots I'd be much more inclined to buy. Maybe a camera would be nice as well?

[yermom]

yeah, the Air is cool, but i'd rather just have a full MacBook

[Veritas]

yeah, the Air is cool, but i'd rather just have a full MacBook
Agreed. The Air is cool as hell but I can't say it's worth the premium for the mass market.

[Frozen Sooner]

Jobs: let's build a 800 dollar device that can't browse the internet and listen to music at the same time!
Guy: You mean it can only do one thing at once?
Jobs: Yes, but it will be really cool looking and huge while only doing one thing. We can also make it an eBook reader but we'll make it have to have a backlight so people will only be able to read for twenty minutes before their eyes burn out of their skull.
Guy: Good idea!

That's odd. My iPhone is perfectly capable of listening to music while browsing the internet.

[SicEmBaylor]

Yeah, the more I read and think about this thing, the less I really care. It looks neat, but not something I want. Add this to AppleTV and the Mac Air as things that were fun ideas but not really practical for the mass market.

Of course, if they added multitasking and flash card slots I'd be much more inclined to buy. Maybe a camera would be nice as well?

Multi-tasking and a front facing camera seem far far more likely than a card reader. It's hard to see how a card reader would be implemented within that kind of OS. I can't see Apple ever putting a card reader in there.

[soonerboomer93]

That's odd. My iPhone is perfectly capable of listening to music while browsing the internet.

but is it capable of streaming that music from the pandora app (or espn radio app) while browsing the internet?

[Frozen Sooner]

Dunno. Probably not. I don't use either app, so not an issue for me. I thought the claim was that the iPod function wouldn't work if you were online.

[yermom]

if you jailbreak it you can :D

[soonerboomer93]

Something I read on dvice made an excellent point. The design of this is more for the computer intimidated people. Those who don't want to multitask, want to just click and go. This is something the iPod Touch and iPhone do very well. The lack of flash support in browser will probably still have a negative impact though as it won't allow things like Facebook game.

[soonerboomer93]

you can multitask with the Apple Apps, outside developer apps won't multitask. IE, you can play music from the ipod section and play a game. However, you can't play pandora and play a game.

The notification system for text messages also just pisses me off. Perhaps there's a setting I can change, but I hate how the notification appears when I'm in something else and I have to dismiss it. Just ding, I'll go look at the text when I want.

[KC//CRIMSON]

The price of the iPad is very very competitive. In fact, I saw one website that showed a minute by minute graph of Apple stock as it was being announced. It dived somewhat as the announcement went on, but as soon as the price was released it skyrocketed. Investors seem to understand how competitive this is for a tablet computer.

Now, as for it being a giant iPod touch...well it sort of is but it has a LOT of advantages over an iPod touch. First, the software is based on the iPhone/iPod but it has a lot of features and improvements especially concerning the level of "access" and "control" you have over the software. There are also some UI tweaks that take advantage of the screen size that wouldn't be possible on the iPhone/iPod.

Another big difference is that Apple has designed a new version of iWork around the tablet and accepts full keyboards as accessories. This is a huge difference and it allows the iPad to truly be used as a tablet -- meaning it can be used for work and productivity and not just as an oversized media player.


After owning one of these for the past six weeks, I concur with everything in this post. These things are awesome. Goof around with one for a while and get acclimated to it and you'll never go back. Schweet product.