The history of the mythical iTablet

What's the name going to be?

iTouchpad

iPad

etc.?

The iTablet rumor is true. Apple will be removing the stand from the iMac and rembranding it as the iTablet. Case solved!

I suspect that the much rumored tablet will fill the niche between a full laptop and the iPhone/iPod (well, like duh! Mr. Einstein!) The core tablet will be just that, a touch-screen device, with a 7 to 9" screen. Keyboard/mouse will be optional. Perhaps Apple might actually produce a docking station for it. Without the external devices it will be a really cool ebook reader/internet device. And even useful for light entry work such as nurses making the rounds, or UPS guys tracking deliveries. With the io devices, you have a neat lightweight device that compares favorably to the hackintoshes. Albeit at about twice the price.

I strongly suspect it will be OS-X based with touchscreen extensions (touch input, soft keyboard, of course, no big-whoop there). But I would not be surprised if they took the iPhone simulator from the SDK and productized that so not only would users get a full Mac experience, they can also enjoy their favorite iPhone apps on the same screen.

By definition, doesn't vaporware actually have to be announced? To my knowledge, Apple has never said they were working on a tablet. Just saying.

Earlier this year I bought a 13" Macbook. Why? Because there wasn't an affordable 11" model. What I really wanted was an 11", lightweight, full function Macbook with an external optical drive like the one from the Air. (Not a netbook.)

If Apple has ordered 10/11" touch screens, that would fit perfectly in such a device. Lightweight, widescreen, full keyboard, total OSX perfection.

Take it one step further, instead of a physical keyboard make it from a sheet of touch sensitive e-ink. Toss in a hinge that enables the two screens to fold back to back. Use as a regular laptop with the screen serving as the touchpad or turn the "keyboard" face down for a standup, touchscreen controlled media player. Fold it further back, turn off the color screen, turn it over and you have a low power Apple e-book reader.

The Apple iEverything!

What the heck, I can dream.

It could be successful if it's a wireless touchscreen monitor that can be used away from the computer via Wifi or used independently. When used independently, it's a big iPod Touch that plays whatever media you've loaded onto its internal storage, which should be expandable. It covers all of the bases:
1. Lay it flat to use as a graphics tablet for a Mac or PC.
2. Stand it up next to a Mac or PC to add a second display.
3. Take it with you as a standalone iTunes player, Kindle e-book reader, and Safari browser with on-screen keyboard (or pair with the Apple BT keyboard).
4. Connect it to your Mac or PC from anywhere to run software remotely, but it will seem as though you're running it in the monitor.

My Dell Mini 9 running OS X begs to differ that "poor user experience" that Apple talks about.

Notebooks are becoming cheaper, there is no reason that white Macbook is not under $800, and they are seriously limiting themselves in arguably the most popular notebook market ($600-$900) market.

I'm cautiously optimistic, on one hand I expect it to be in that $600-$900 price range, on the other I expect comparable computers to be much cheaper.

What would it matter if it cuts into the Air's sales. Who says the Air is around to stay. I think it was a neat design exercise, not a mainstay product. Look what happened to the Cube, iPod Mini, etc.

I'm not sure a tablet would be of much use to me, but only because of the size. I love that I can carry my iPhone around in my pocket. There is nothing more convenient! The touchscreen is perfect for viewing and typing regardless of what the luddites say about needing a keyboard. An iPhone is practically a whole computer in your pocket already - so who needs and iTablet?

...maybe if the iTablet could be "folded up" to fit into my pocket.... Now you're talkin... Hmmmm...

I don't think it would be wise for Apple to make a pure Mac OS X netbook/tablet. That would cut into Macbook sales. They have to offer something different/innovative.

They've got an App Store full of software. A giant iPod touch with bluetooth stereo and keyboard/mouse support makes more sense. Entertainment-oriented (books, movies, games). Apps can make it productive, all Apple has to do is define the architecture. Using it should be an "experience" and not mundane.

They will have to put full Safari on it with the Flash Player to make this thing sing.

Don't forget that the iPhone runs a mini-OS X, so an iTablet could have the real deal, you just won't easily see it.

A few items that I have not seen stated by others warrant mentioning. First, is it more than coincidence that Apple is releasing Snow Leopard at or near the hypothetical release of the tablet? Also, what business sense is it for Apple to offer a major rewrite of OSX, reducing code size but without adding new features and then selling it for a whopping $29. In an of itself this is a money loser. My theory is the new tablet architecture is the driving force behind the OSX rewrite.

Therefore, in support:

1-With only pricy SSD for tablet storage OSX footprint is important. The improved boot time provides a near iPhone - iPod Touch experience with a full OS.
2-Open CL allows Apple to get high-end performance from low-end processors such as Intel's Atom or equivalent. This prevents the tablet from be a dog of a netbook. What other reason is there for this feature?
3-Grand Central offers better performance from multi-core processors. Not only Intel chips but also multi-core ARM's or in-house chips coming out of P.A. Semi.
4-Quicktime update confirms the recent reports that the tablet offers excellent video/movie experience.
5-Apple's addition of SD slots in recent laptops. Why? Adding an SD slot for emergency boots, etc. doesn't make sense. Apple doesn't sell to IT groups, the focus is on the consumer. SD cards are a cost effective means of adding storage to a tablet. SD cards are big and getting bigger and cheaper. Currently, a 64GB card can be had for less than $80. With a SD equipped tablet expect 128 GB cards at less than $100 with a year. Using SD's to store and move movie, photo, and music libraries around makes consumer sense.

I recommend people take a closer look at Snow Leopard for evidence of what the tablet will look like.