The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Development != Production

The PASemi folks *design* custom chips. Without a chip fab of their own, Apple will certainly have to farm production out elsewhere, but this is hardly uncommon in the industry. However, handling the design and development in-house certainly could be less expensive. Also, Apple has more control over the design, is better able to keep it under wraps, and can seamlessly integrate chip designs into the hardware they're destined for.

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Have you tried the recognition in OSX? Ink I believe they dubbed it? They've been working on handwriting recognition for some time now, BUT, they could always input using an iPhone type keyboard display. As long as I can reach the keyboard with my thumbs (one half on the left, one half on the right?) then I won't have to write.

Actually, I'd prefer to type... no stylus.

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Yes of course I've tried it. Thanks for asking.

I'm a dev that specialises in Touch and Ink. I've used tablet pc's constantly from 1 year after their release, and last year - when I switched permanently to Mac's, I tried Apple's recognition software.

There is no doubt that I can type faster than I can write, and therefore a 'full size' on screen keyboard supporting multi-touch would be my preferred input mechanism too.

However, there are times (note taking, rough sketches, drawings, cross referencing etc) when the pen is truly mightier than the keyboard.

MS IMHO have nailed this with the new TIP (Tablet Input Panel) in Windows 7. It's a staggering programming achievement. And considering how long it's been out on the market, how many years they've had customer feedback as well as in-house improvements... I just don't see how Apple can release a product to market that would realistically be the first proper release of a 'tablet / pen' based OS, that can compete.

If the tablet goes purely Touch - like a supersize iPhone, but running full Snow Leopard, then there will have to be some subtantial 'touch' changes to the OS - these have NEVER appeared in any of the dev beta releases of Snow Leopard - I mean how with touch can you accurately select the time 3 circles in the top left of each window?

The WRONG thing to do would be to supersize the iPhone OS onto this alleged device. To succeed it will have to run all the native OS X apps.

So if this device IS coming - it will need to have a pen. If it's a stylus, i.e. Not active digitizer, then that will be a fail too - look at the UMPC devices that everyone - including me - hate to take notes / write on.

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Ah, from your comment...

"I hope that the team that developed the iPhone OS, have also been moonlighting on making the writing input system at LEAST equal to that of Windows Vista/7."

it seemed like you didn't know what the quality of Ink was in comparison. But now you've made it clearer.

I don't think Apple's going for anything pen based as switching between pen and typing would be kind of a pain. Apple's shown that an interface can be created that doesn't depend on having a tiny object to point with. As long as whatever they create doesn't require a stylus, it'll be a success.

"To succeed it will have to run all the native OS X apps."

I disagree. I think it just needs to work well and have a way to run apps, much like the iPhone. The mistake being made with "tablets" is the same one that was made with "smartphones", thinking that the solution MUST be a scaled down version of or identical to some current desktop metaphor.

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Switching between Pen and Touch would be a pain?

Are you kidding me?

I've re-read my posts - and I still can't see where you're confusion came from...however have YOU used Tablet PC's? Have you used Windows 7 TIp? Have you used the Lenovo X60/X61 where they have an active digitizer AND resistive touch?

I don't think you have, because your comments don't have any real experience to back them up.

The Lenovo (my current tablet) is a JOY to use - if I use the pen's NIB within ONE INCH of the screen - it's only sensing the pen and ignores all touches. If I hold the pen horizontally in my hand i.e. the nib is greater than one inch away, it ignores the pen and responds perfectly to touches with 100% accuracy. Most of the time I don't even remove the pen from it's holder - unless I'm note taking etc...

If Lenovo changed the resistive to capacitive multi-touch, I dare say it would be a virtually perfect TABLET.

Using fingers is natural and quicker to switch apps, scroll windows, use the calculator etc... In fact in my 4 x 24inch desktop computer setup, I routinely reach out to drag a window or do something - and then catch myself... this is from living with a touch tablet and an iPhone - it's a natural way to interact.

LOL - in fact the times I have to provide support to family members notebooks, I touch the screen and then wonder briefly why it doesn't work... ah, the habits of a touch tablet user...lol.

But using the pen is more natural and FASTER than using a mouse. Sometimes the accuracy can be a little off.. but that's the parallax problem that you don't have with mice.

As for iPhone like OS on the tablet - what? I've heard this before and it's a HUGE mistake.

I've read that some think it should BE the iPhone OS just resized and allowing the users to use the App Store and all their iPhone apps... to me that's WHY I have and will continue to buy an iPhone - I don't need or want that in my notebook / tablet device.

The iPhone, as brilliant as it is, is NOT a notebook or desktop replacement - it's the perfect mobile companion but not for mobile COMPUTING.

This is where I see the alleged 'Apple Tablet' fitting into the scheme of things. Most people are buying notebooks and using them as their sole computer - desktop sales in the decline. (apart from Apple?)

However, think of the thinness and lightness of the Kindle DX or the proposed Plastic Logic e-reader (which I daily drool over), and imagine that made by Apple and running your DESKTOP COMPUTING apps.

Add in iSight, even 3G / sim card, gaming quality gfx, capcitive multi-touch and active pen digitizer and I think you have the perfect device. And one that will finally show the (ignorant?) public the power and availability of the Tablet computer.

I want full desktop apps, and maybe some custom ones too that really exploit the form factor, but I want to use Xcode and IB, iWork and iLife, iMovie and yes, even Windows via a virtual machine.

But to do that - they OS needs to include ways to handle these apps that have only ever been designed for use with a mouse, to move over to the new input methods.

And AGAIN I will say, that touch would NOT work. You need a PEN.

However, general launching, scrolling, navigating would work perfectly with touch - I can personally vouch for this as for 7 months I turned my Lenovo into a 'Hackintosh' just as a tablet proof of concept. And the touch screen and pen worked fine - apart from handwriting recognition.

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No, I haven't used ANY handwriting recognition. I think you may have taken my initial question,

"Have you tried the recognition in OSX?"

as a challenge. I really just wanted the opinion of someone who has used both. I appreciate your experience as a user!

My gut tells me that long time Windows tablet users will be disappointed in what Apple offers. While there are many tablet users in the market out there, I think Apple's target market will undoubtedly be first time tablet users OR users who like their iPhone. "Pro" users will say it's underpowered compared to the Windows solutions and that the system will never sell (with whatever config Apple gives it). I'm likely to find shortcomings with it myself just as I found shortcomings in the iPhone. BUT, it's interface will be easy enough for your average person to pick up and actually use with their fingers and that'll be the breakthrough.

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First: congrats on finding a novel way to address me in a name-calling manner, using parts of my username. Truly creative.

Second: your story did not say that the PA Semi acquisition was "surprising," you said it happened "for seemingly no reason." Anyone with any knowledge of Apple's then-current affairs was perfectly well-aware of why they acquired PA Semi. It may indeed have come as a surprise move, but to say "for seemingly no reason" is a blatantly ignorant claim.

Third: The "surprising news" about using their new talent to work on chips for the Tablet Mac is, in your own words, speculation. Check the second sentence of your story, if you don't believe me. Yet you went on to report on it as if it were fact. Truth is, you don't know any more about any supposed Tablet Mac today than you did a month or a year ago. I understand that you've filed the post under the Rumors category, but your writing and analysis seem to run contrary to that.

Fourth: You haven't really cleared anything up for me, as I'm certain I already had my facts straight. I posted my comment because this story is a joke. You haven't convinced me otherwise.

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i hope you're right. if the chip is done right, perhaps like the amd fusion, opencl while maintaining x86 would allow a less powerful processor in one sense become an amazing one in another while keeping compatability! but i'm just me, probably not expressing myself right, i'm sure they have already had this discussion.

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Excellent ideas. We can only dream.

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Agreed. These tablet rumours have gotten rather old and tiresome.

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