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Rumor about Apple tablet device: Does this make sense to you?

By Rain Noe - December 31, 2008

in Object Culture

The web is abuzz with rumors of Apple's allegedly forthcoming "7-9 inch iPod Touch," i.e. tablet device, reported by TechCrunch and giddily re-posted by dozens of weblogs. But no one seems to be looking at the claim closely--for example, here's the supposed rationale for Apple making such a device:

Apple has been experimenting internally with large form tablet devices for years, one source says, but there was concern that users wouldn't like the device. The difference now is the iTunes app store, which has thousands of games and other applications that are perfect for a touch screen device with an accelerometer. Apple says more than 300 million applications have been downloaded since the App Store launched in July 2008. Combine the App Store, iTunes and a browser and you have one heck of a device.

Um...the iTunes App Store is indeed "perfect for a touch screen device with an accelerometer," and Apple already makes that product--it's called the iPhone/iPod Touch. How does the success of the App Store correlate with a decision to produce a device with a larger screen? Are we the only ones this doesn't make sense to? Your thoughts in the comments please!

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stick

15 years ago

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i sooo wish apple would make a tablet. artists and designers would be the market. we're most of apples market anyway. im anxious to do digital sketching without a giant wacom 21ux or even that smaller one they came out with. it would keep me from having to design one with my comp wiz co-horts.
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M@

15 years ago

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Whether it's true or not is outside my ability to answer, however I think it does make sense, given some parameters.

The main drawback of the iPhone/iPod Touch is it's size. The tiny screen is the one thing standing in the way of it becoming a media tablet. *(sorry, but cintiq pales in comparison to what a large-format iPod can do)

Whether it would run OSX (or OSX-lite) is debatable since I do not think this could or should replace one's oversized monitor.
The question of tech cost is valid... I don't think it's around the corner, but I do think it is inevitable.
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McLovin

15 years ago

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This doesn't totally lack sense.
Look at it this way:
Years ago, Apple wanted to make a tablet device.
Concern is, the customers wouldn't like it. Lack of functionality in software perhaps?
Step into 2009, you have the successful iTunes App Store, which fuels the Apple iPhone/iPod touch platform's success. However, it still is different from the latter devices, it's a different form factor, which more often than not addresses different usage. Probably now with the iTunes App Store infrastructure in place, Apple has a new selling point more than the fact that it is a tablet device.

In other words, Apple didn't make the iPhone/iPod touch in order to take advantage of the iTunes App Store, but it's actually the other way around. Hence, the creation of a tablet device wouldn't be so redundant.

Please let me know if that makes sense, cheers :)
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J.T.Carene

15 years ago

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Explanation: Techcrunch predicted a large Apple tablet early last year, they were wrong. Basically it appears they intend to keep repeating the idea/rumor/hope until it actually happens. They know nothing about what's coming out of Apple, their track record on predicting Apple products is near zero. Glad that you point out the ridiculousness of their 'story.'
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Chris

15 years ago

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This makes tons of sense, do you think past your initial reactions?

Do you have a tv in your house bigger than 3 inches? If so, you probably understand that a large screen makes things easier and more usable. The iPhone is ONLY good for people who want AT&T as a carrier, and have an extra $100 a month to blow on tech they probably will only use about $10 worth per month. The touch is only good for people who have 16GB or less content on their possession. I have over 40GB of MUSIC, how do they expect me to watch movies and download games to it?

The tablet would make 90% of the apps for the touch actually USABLE since you could see it comfortably without having to stick it in front of your eyes to see it, the onscreen keyboard could be used just like a regular keyboard, not the tiny "it works OK when you get used to it" iphone keyboard. It would be more useful in every way except for super portability. If you want that, at the expense of everything else, then the touch or iphone is your product, for the rest of us, we are waiting for the tablet.

Their is a market for this device and the app store just makes it that much easier to get it to do what you want it to. Size matters, and in this case, bigger is better.
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Jack Gaumer

15 years ago

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You aren't the only ones. An apple 'tablet' with the functionality of an iPhone/iPod Touch, (i.e. not running OS X), makes such little sense to me. Even with convoluting the App Store to include three devices (I am including the rumored iPhone Nano) to provide proper software for each, a tablet is something you want to replace your portable computer with not to augment your current computer setup. This rumored device is a big-neato gadget, not a tablet computer.
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mark

15 years ago

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I am always a bit skeptical as well. but when has what we 'assumed' about apple been true? they find ways to utilize functions to wow us in ways we didn't know we could be wow'ed.
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Trevor Wills

15 years ago

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Yeah, I think this would be a disaster. The fact that I can use my MAC with a Cintiq pretty much covers my needs in the tablet field. Maybe a macbook pro tablet would be nice.
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rswans14

15 years ago

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Maybe they believe the current ipod touch has unlocked the technology's potential in customers and developers minds. What exists now may just be a spring board, for example, higher resolution, pressure sensitivity and a larger working space perhaps? Apple is really good about planting seeds.
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Alexis Brion

15 years ago

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There have been rumors about it for a long time, a "respected" industry watcher was predicting the release of such a device for august 2008. And it didn't happened.

Although that, I still think such a device make actually a lot of sense. When I am at home I do carry my iPhone all over, using the applications, playing SimCity and surfing a little bit the web. Having it with a bigger screen would make the use of such applications more comfortable and surfing the web with it at home could be an even better experience than surfing with a laptop.
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tbr

15 years ago

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read about this in the past few days...consumer computing activity outside of work is basically media + web driven...the idea is that a portable (half laptop size) touch screen device with video chat, games, movies + media integration (think photo retouching, printing and management) primarily organized around a browser (including the idea that an uber browser is effectively the OS) would fill in the $400-$700 price window for many home users.

Especially if it comes with 3G and a network contract. Take it on the road, give presentations, sketch with it, and hook up a bluetooth keyboard if you ever need to do some real communication. assume you can link it to a larger home CPU via wireless network to stream movies in bed, on the deck, etc. pretty fantastic if you ask me.
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Sam

15 years ago

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You might be on to something. I'd expect Apple would also do something a bit more unique with the design if they wanted it to be more than just a giant iphone/ipod.
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Archizoo

15 years ago

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Actually, I was recently thinking about larger scale formats made highly effective by the App Store, surprised that GM may have beat Apple to the concept years before the iPhone emerged. http://archizoo.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/gms-iphone/

I use a tablet that I am constantly modifying, chiefly through the sources reviewed in LifeHacker. So yes, the idea that I can escape the constraints Microsoft and my IT "administrator" and actually have a fully customizable and updatable, individually-branded, notebook for the tasks of business makes me hopeful for the New Year!
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William Donohue

15 years ago

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I think the rumor mill is going off too early, because component costs for this device aren't low enough yet. Reasons to think they will make something like this before the end of the year: larger screen gives better e-book interface, better movie/game experience; available wireless mouse/keyboard, plus charging dock w/optional drive for back-ups = mobile device w/desktop mode; mobile versions of iLife/iWork apps + MobileMe syncing + Back To My Mac = your desktop environment with you everywhere. I would spring for these features for about $600 - $800.
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john

15 years ago

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I remember reading an article years ago in "wired" about this, it was around the same time as the iphone 1.0 came out and jobs said he would never pursue a tablet because there was no market for one. Only 2% of the computers on the market are tablets and that apple was interested in finding large markets and reinventing them, not trying to create a market.
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