Bites from the Apple: Tabletin' in 2010

After a year of conjecture, false starts, and fanboi dreams, it's looking like the Apple tablet device (the iSlate/iGuide/iTab/iPad/iSlab) may finally become reality at the end of January. John Paczkowski of All Things Digital reports that the rumors of Apple making the big announcement at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco is on, but is slated for Wednesday, January 27 (not the 26th, as many had presumed since Tuesday is typically an Apple roll-out day).

But the big question still remains--what is this thing that seems to be all things to all fanbois? John Siracusa at Ars Technica brings a bit of reality to the table by noting that the consumer electronics device that Apple is about to drop will not include magical alien technology:

There's also the popular notion that Apple has to do something entirely new or totally amazing in order for the tablet to succeed. After all, tablets have been tried before, with dismal results. It seems absurd to some people that Apple can succeed simply by using existing technologies and software techniques in the right combination. And yet that's exactly what Apple has done with all of its most recent hit products--and what I predict Apple will do with the tablet.

That means no haptic-feedback touchscreen, no folding/dual screens, no VR goggles or mind control. Instead of being all that people can imagine, it'll just be what people expect: a mostly unadorned color touch screen that's bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a MacBook.

Going further, John Gruber at Daring Fireball asks the $250-per-share question: If you already have an iPhone and a MacBook; why would you want this? To which he answers:

Do I think The Tablet is an e-reader? A video player? A web browser? A document viewer? It’s not a matter of or but rather and. I say it is all of these things. It’s a computer.

And so in answer to my central question, regarding why buy The Tablet if you already have an iPhone and a MacBook, my best guess is that ultimately, The Tablet is something you’ll buy instead of a MacBook.

I say they’re swinging big -- redefining the experience of personal computing.

It will not be pitched as such by Apple. It will be defined by three or four of its built-in primary apps. But long-term, big-picture? It will be to the MacBook what the Macintosh was to the Apple II.

Apple clearly sees that the computing path for today's young generation is the touch UI and seamless mobility, and the iSlate/iGuide/iTab/iPad/iSlab has the potential to change and challenge the marketplace like Apple has done with the Macintosh, the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone. As long as it avoids the pitfalls of the Newton as being a clever device with a lot of potential, but not enough practicality for the purchase price.

• Several sites around the gadgetosphere have posted what are purported to be the specs for the 7-inch iSlab, but as TUAW notes, it is just more diversionary smoke. Move along. Nothing to see here.

• If you received a new iMac or MacBook over the holidays and aren't very familiar with the Mac OS, check out this free video primer from ScreenCasts Online full of tips for using the Dock, Stacks, managing windows, and more.

• The best of the Oughts, the worst of the Oughts... Macworld publishes its picks for Apple's most significant products of the decade (with the original iPod, seen at right, topping the list) as well as the worst (including the fatty third-generation iPod nano and the Apple TV, which has certainly been a bit of a disappointment of missed opportunities to this point).

• With the calendar turning to a new year, Apple and AT&T have officially not met their promises for adding Windows 7 support to Boot Camp and iPhone tethering (respectively)

• IntoMobile positively reviews the iPhone game for the movie Avatar (which, btw, is definitely worth the wait to see in a 3D-equipped theater), noting that one of its strongest points is the length of time it takes to both tell the story and complete the game.

• Our friends over at TidBiTS have just released an iPhone app that plugs you directly into some of the best Mac news coverage and how-to articles on the interwebs. Give it a shot--it's a freebie.

• My colleague Glenn Fleishman (a contributing editor to TidBITS and a Dr. Who junkie) has a very detailed review of the Mac mini server edition over at Ars Technica--giving it a positive assessment for small business users with the warning that you'll still need to do some tweaking.

• Based on a job listing, Electronista wonders if we'll be seeing 802.11n Wi-Fi in the next version of the iPhone.

• With the iSlab getting all the attention these days, CNet's Nanotech blog wonders how Apple might rejigger its MacBook Air ultraportable laptop.

• Question of the Week: One of my resolutions for the new year (and I'm sure I'm not alone) is to be a better financial manager. I've used Quicken 2007 for the Mac in the past, and Intuit is finally getting around to releasing a new version of Quicken for the Mac (dubbed Quicken Essentials) in early 2010. But I'm also curious about iBank and was wondering if anyone's got some opinions on it. If you do, please leave it in the comments

• And finally... the perfect bedding set for Apple/iPod touch fans (via Technabob and Slippery Brick). I'm pretty sure my nearly 3-year-old, iPhone-mad toddler would ditch his construction vehicle bedding set for this:

  
  

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Comments

[Mr. Bingley on January 04, 2010 at 04:24 PM]

I wish iTunes 9.02 would play nice with my iPod Classic. :(

[Jan T. on January 04, 2010 at 10:57 PM]

In switching from Quicken, it's not iBank you need to look at, but Mint.com and Quicken Online. Quicken recently bought Mint, so expect a merger soon of two excellent services. They take an entirely different approach from Quicken and Money and are entirely online. Instead of your having to enter all the transactions details, the service automatically downloads the transactions from your bank or credit card daily, using your passwords. Once in a while, you just categorize them as needed, and the system learns the your habits over time. I switched from Money a few months ago and find it's far less work for nearly the same result. Good luck!

[Murgatroyd on January 05, 2010 at 02:45 AM]

What's this "iSlab" stuff? Apple already owns a perfectly cromulent trademark that describes an e-reader/laptop/communicator/music player/etc --

The iBook!

[Agen Schmitz on January 05, 2010 at 10:47 AM]

ooooh - the iBook, like the phoenix rising from the ashes! I like it.

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