Apple Tablet announcement tomorrow?

[Deimos]

^This x1000. There's just no comparison but people seem to be calling it one of the iPad's biggest selling points.

I've found that almost everyone that thinks reading on a screen compares at all to reading on e-ink... hasn't actually read anything on e-ink. It's totally different, you really can't compare them. I remember the first time I saw a Sony reader in a store, I thought it was just a "for show" mock-up with one of those fake "stick-on" screens. I was really shocked when I pushed a button and it actually worked.

I'm really not excited about the iPad, it's just a big iPod Touch. I could see it being decent for watching movies/TV on if you travel a lot, but that's about the only thing about it that seems useful to me.

[Pikarya]

Shamelessly stolen, but just about right on the sales demographic.

http://i45.tinypic.com/vpw1o3.png

[Zeh]

i will buy it because my current mobile device besides my iphone is an iBook G4 piece of shit

will buy the $500 just because i have money to burn

[wyrmtung]

It seems unlikely they'll allow anything but their keyboard 'dock' to be used with the bluetooth. They won't even allow their wireless keyboards to link up with this thing if I read things right.

From the Apple site:

iPad also comes with Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, which lets you connect to devices like wireless headphones or the Apple Wireless Keyboard.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/


As for Flash, I'm disappointed that it won't play Flash either. I am hoping that Netflix comes out with an app that would let their movies be played on it. But it looks like it will be a while longer before we can watch Hulu on it.

Here's a blog that explained the Flash issue pretty well:
http://daringfireball.net/2010/01/apple_adobe_flash

[Lucavi]

i will buy it because my current mobile device besides my iphone is an iBook G4 piece of shit

will buy the $500 just because i have money to burn

I'm sure apple loves people just like you.

Not a knock on you, but I know as a company head, I'd be salivating and rubbing my palms together to hear people say things like your post.

[TripleX]

iPad +1
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget....hybridpage.jpg
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/l...d-impressions/
Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
Intel CULV processor and a 128GB SSD running Windows 7 Home Premium
$499

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-104...html?tag=mncol

[gt_killa]

http://jezebel.com/5458338/that-time...ted-ipad-jokes

[Khamsin]

I just got a Viliv X70 recently, and it appears to do more than the ipad can do. As in, I can actually install and run the same stuff I run on my laptop or desktop like a normal computer.

[nitsuj]

You guys are thinking 499 is too high for something like this?

Even when the iPhone without a contract can easily be 599+? Not just apple. HTC phones, Blackberries, Windows Mobile... compact technology is expensive.

Overall, I feel that the *low* price was one of the most surprising parts of the entire presentation.

[Zeh]

The only thing I don't get is why anyone in there right mind would want to buy 3G with that... where are you going to be lugging around a tablet? Especially at 10 inches. Personally, when I travel with my laptop the only place I'm really using it is in a cafe or in a hotel room. And if you have an iPhone....

[Cantih]

All of the other complaints aside, unless I missed it, no GPS or camera?

No sexy big AR window

fuck that noise

[Headspace]

That Lenovo thing is hot. Make some better changes as far as a more responsive screen and slightly better specs and it might be worth getting rid of my current laptop for.

[Day]

You guys are thinking 499 is too high for something like this?

Yes.

[Eticket]

You guys are thinking 499 is too high for something like this?
.

Especially considering the Lenovo pad linked above? Yes.

Also, 499 is just for wi-fi only.

The 3G versions start over 600.

[Tyche]

Holy shit, I want that Lenovo Ideapad.

[dejet]

I disagree entirely. Apple computers are the standard for anyone using them for artistic purposes for many many reasons and the price justifies the quality and reliability a thousandfold.

And the iPod is THE best mp3 player out there.

They have some flops here and there ( lol Macbook Air and now iPad ), but they're very consistent, gorgeous designs, and amazing service.

I know this is somewhat back in the thread however, apple shit is way over hyped and for its price, to me is not worth it. Ya people rave about them, yet my brother who has a fucking $200 E machine that is 5 years old makes music just as good as my friends so called hip macbook pro. over priced nice looking laptops. I have a friend who has a desktop that is the shit tho, his mac desktop is the shit... but really it was some 4 grand, I do not know if I could makke a PC better then that for 4 grand so really I have no clue about that one. tho for 4G's I could get a PC with one hell of a GPU and more then likely 16 gig of ram... so ya again no clue. at that price range I think things get so close to each other its all the same.

apple has more fanboys then the Xbox or SE with Final fantasy games. Why did one of my friend get a macbook pro when all he does is serf the web?

answer: its the cool thing.

Apples I-Pod/Iphone/Itouch where great leaps and they did a nice job with Itunes(somewhat) I just cant give them the PC race because its covered up by so many fanboys its hard to see the real thing. When you get down to it macs are PCs/Laptops with a better OS that can be somewhat countered now with windows 7 that is holding up to its end of the deal, a easy, better looking and safer OS then windows vista.

People give apple to much to fast, its like people who gave MS to much to fast. Really its only a matte of time before apple does fall on its face at some point as MS did with vista. Apple had its edge with the I-Phone that will end very very soon. You can see it with verizon getting the I-phone lol

[Eticket]

Though, after reading the links, it looks like the Ideapad will be $999 and not $499. lol

[wop]

Dell's Android version. I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned.

http://www.slashgear.com/dell-androi...-demo-0768716/

http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/..._1-540x347.jpg

Having shown you leaked images of the Dell Streak 5-inch MID all the way back in October 2009, Dell took to their CES 2010 stage this morning to briefly demo the latest prototype. Dell are insisting on referring to the MID as the “Dell Tablet Concept” right now, and the only specifications they’ll confirm are the Android OS and the 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash on the back.

However Engadget spotted a presentation sheet on which the tablet was referred to as the Streak, and Pocket-lint coerced confirmation out of Dell that the SIM card slot we saw in October is still present. That implies 3G connectivity, and given Dell and AT&T have recently joined forces to offer the Android-based Dell Mini 3 smartphone, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Streak join the smaller device on that network.

Pocket-lint (and a few other sites) were also granted a very brief hands-on with the prototype after Dell’s presentation, and while first-impressions are in short-supply (we’re talking literally 90 seconds of hands-on time) the consensus is that the Streak is very thin and very alluring. Dell themselves are promising more information soon, so hopefully we’ll have a full spec list and official name before the end of the week; a release date and price wouldn’t go amiss, either.

http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/..._1-150x100.jpg

also,

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/7936/ipadvsstone.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._5444266_n.jpg

[Rowe]

Sorry, get a grip on reality it's not overpriced for the form factor, features and functionality.

Dell's Android version. I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned.
http://www.slashgear.com/dell-androi...-demo-0768716/

Dell M01M / Dell Mini 5 It's not available anywhere and is only being marketed in China it's still considered in the Prototype phase and one Chinese Telecom listed it as a future product with a list price in China of ¥7,500 or $1,098

Viewsonic Vtablet 101 - 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and NVIDIA Tegra graphics powering an 8.9-inch, 1024 x 800 touchscreen display. There's 4GB of storage, WiFi, and Bluetooth
$440

Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid - projected starting at $999 not $499 - not available no set release date, due Summer 2010.


Camangi WebStation - CPU: Marvell PXA303 624MHz System memory: 128MB Mobile DDR Flash memory: 265MB NAND (system) 7-inch TFT LCD, 16M True Color 800-by-480 pixels battery 4-5 hours
$399



ARCHOS 7 - ARM CortexTM-A8, 32 bit, In-order, dual-issue, superscalar core @ 600 MHz 128 MB 160GB or 320 GB HD 800x480 pixels, 7'' TFT LCD
$449

With the pricing you also have to take into consideration the build quality, the materials and the environmental impact. In the last two years Apple has taken the lead as being the most Green PC manufacturer. Doing so does cost more. If you factor those considerations in the price of the iPad relative to it's closest competitors listed above, it's even more amazing.

If a person is looking for a device to surf the web do a little email and do a lot of media consumption it is a good fit. There are cheaper netbooks but a lot of those cheaper netbooks are underpowered to the point they can't playback 720p at 30 frames per sec. Also you have the integrated media hub that is iTunes and the App Store making it simple and fool proof to get anything from tv shows to free games to cheap games that you know the device can handle.

This device is made for media Consumption not Creation therefore a camera is not a priority in this form factor. Incorporating a camera into the device itself poses more problems than it solves. A statically placed camera for video conferencing makes no sense in this form factor. It would restrict the way and position people hold the device and the way people choose to hold it should be their personal preference. An add-on camera with adjustable positioning would be more useful and can be added later by a 3rd party developer. A Bluetooth WebCam makes more sense than an integrated camera.

The only problem I see with a device like the Viliv X70 is it runs Windows XP or Linux you can install regular windows or linux applications but those are not all designed for a Touch based UI. The downfall of Bill Gates naming 2001 Year of the Tablet was it was plain Windows with a crappy onscreen pop-out touch UI tools thing. If you have a keyboard and mouse around everything is ok, you leave the mouse and keyboard behind you become frustrated trying to use those regular applications now with touch, something they weren't designed for. iPhone OS X is OS X with a UI designed for multi-touch, all the applications you get through iTunes are all designed for Multi-touch. They are all designed to perform well on the hardware. Being able to install regular app on a tablet powered by an Atom or ARM processor you might also become disappointed with performance.

I think the iPad device has tremendous potential for the medical field. With the image quality of the screen everyone who has used it has been touting I think it could be a boon to rapid medical imaging.

Also Apple holds it's WWDC(World Wide Developer Conference) each June so I expect we will see new models of the iPhone and iPod Touch using the A4 Processor and iPhone OS 4.0 with Multi-Tasking available to 3rd party apps.

[Day]

Here's some reality, for what it does, it's an overpriced fisher price toy so get off your high horse buckaroo.