Sometime today, at 10:00 AM Pacific Standard Time, Apple will be holding a media event to introduce it’s latest creation, which everyone on the Internet is claiming will be the much waited-for Apple Tablet.
I call it the iPad, but it’s also been called the iSlate and simply the Apple Tablet. Whatever. The rumor mills have been grinding overtime on this one. Key issues:
What the hell will it do? I mean, all devices must have a purpose. Will the Tablet be a game machine? Portable video/media player? eBook/newspaper reader? Network gizmo? All of the above?
For years, the computer itself seemed to be a device without a purpose; a flexible solution for which there was no problem. I’m curious as to what pining need the Tablet is set to fulfill.
What are its features? Will it have the much-vaunted front-facing camera for video conferencing? USB connectors? And on the techy side, which process will it use? How much memory? Will it have a traditional hard drive or an Solid State Drive?
How much will it cost? Price is a key issue. There were rumors that the price point would be about $1,000. I think that’s too high, but then again this is Apple and they’re not known for setting a price point that would get them into WalMart.
When will it be available? Apple pre-announces lots of their gizmos. The current consensus is that the tablet will be available sometime after March. Regardless, you’ll see fanboys pre-ordering it in droves.
The fan boys will love it! Of course. They’ll be tuned to the various live blogs of the event. They’ll rush out and buy the thing when it comes out. They’ll speed over to Starbucks to be the first seen in public holding the new goober.
The fan boys will bitch about it! As typically follows, the fan boys will be the first in line to criticize the new machine. Remember the iPhone? It first came out over-priced, lacking aps? I predict ditto for the Tablet.
If the Tablet is missing a camera, expect disappointment from the fanboys. If it doesn’t have a lot of apps, expect disappointment. That’s really the problem with fanboys: They build up expectation so great that disappointment is inevitable.
Whatever happens, we’ll all know by the end of the day.
What will it do? Who knows. I’ve heard it’s going to be a bigger version of the iPhone.
What will it cost? $1,000 or more because it’s made by Apple and has an Apple logo on it.
The fan boys will love it! Anyone who follows Apple like it’s their religion is sure to rush out and buy one.
The fan boys will whine about it! Fan boys/girls whine about everything when it doesn’t meet expectations.
Slightly off-topic, I should stop buying Apple stuff before I become one of the (dreaded?) fanboys. iMac G3 and iPod Photo will be good enough for me.
Off-topic, every TAB key on every computer I’ve used has never dispensed a beverage. Do you think I should mod my computer to do that?
Comment by linuxlove — January 27, 2010 @ 6:42 am
There is one important thing that you seemed to have forgotten Dan – battery life vs. weight. That has been the bane of many portable devices (iPhone, I’m looking at you). I doubt they will go ahead with a b/w e-ink screen (touchscreen and color are what I expect from Apple).
Also, if it has the capability for network access, do I need to buy into a subscription based data plan with a carrier Apple chooses?
On a side note – after you have tried e-ink, LCD for reading seems much worse (in terms of eye strain). While color on e-ink would be nice, I’d rather have the long battery life and the crisp print-quality display than the eye candy.
Comment by sriksrid — January 27, 2010 @ 7:58 am
Good points. Apparently the beast has a 10-hour battery life. And the price point is close to $1,000 when you get all the bells and whistles. I’ll blog/blab more about this on Friday!
Comment by admin — January 27, 2010 @ 12:41 pm
Well, seems like a … let down. I was hearing the words phenomenal and revolutionary, but seeing a gigantic iPod touch. They only justification I can see for this device coming out so many years
after the iPod touch is the custom processor they used on the device (so that I can’t install my own OS that can multitask??). I am interested in knowing what that 10 hour battery life figure came from – was it while playing a movie in full screen at maximum volume (I doubt it)?
However, if Apple started making devices I considered amazing, they would have a target audience of just me. I’m sure that the marketing division at Apple will make sure this thing sells like crazy.
Comment by sriksrid — January 27, 2010 @ 6:49 pm
I shall be expressing my disappointment in Friday’s blog post. Yes, I was expecting more from the iPad.
Comment by admin — January 27, 2010 @ 7:18 pm
Anyway, to recap:
Oversized iPhone with more apps, prepaid cellphone service and 3G (a $130 extra ._.)
Comment by linuxlove — January 27, 2010 @ 7:31 pm