14 DAY TRIAL // We’re still in the dark as far as Apple’s plans for a tablet are concerned. Although there is an abundant flow of rumors suggesting the device is coming, there is also a lot of speculation on the iPhone 4.0 front. Had it not been for the truckloads of 10-inch panels Apple has reportedly secured from Taiwan suppliers, we’d be awfully tempted to believe the Apple tablet and the next-gen iPhone are one and the same. This, and a lot of other questions are waiting to be answered right now.
Softpedia has never given up hope on the Apple tablet. It appears that demand for such a device exists. Hundreds of articles speculating on the matter continue to appear in our RSS feeds with the passing of each year. While the tablet concept has failed to become a mainstream hit, trend-setter Apple may just turn things around, these speculators believe (Softpedia included). However, we also can’t imagine Apple taking the risk of not appealing to the masses.
The iPhone is a great device. Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer did not see it at first, but it turned out to be one of the best things for Apple’s business. It was clear that Apple knew what the future would hold, as it was the one writing it. Apple’s confidence is unmatchable, we can all agree. So, why shouldn’t the same intuitive, touch-screen interface work for a tablet?
It will, for sure. But it’s not clear exactly how many adopters it will have. And the timing is crucial. Chances are not that many people want a $1,000 e-book reader right now. After all, that’s pretty much how people see a tablet device today, and Apple is not likely to charge any less. With the current technology, other activities, such as typing, may prove more difficult to do on a tablet than on a regular laptop / netbook. In fact, no one is complaining about the buttons on these things. They’re great devices too. So, if Apple knows what we want before we do, perhaps now is the time all those nifty patents should materialize. One question remains: will it happen this month?
An “experiment” to see what exactly people want right now wouldn’t hurt, Softpedia believes. Apple may well introduce an enhanced iPhone this year, including tablet-specific functionality as bait. Apple has been rumored to launch a tablet before, and it hasn’t. The company has turned down taking a bite of the netbook market as well, and has evidently had trouble combining portability with usability here. The iPhone, however, seems to have entered this niche quite well. So, why not introduce a completely overhauled version of the same highly portable (and highly successful) pocket computer at no expense? Provided that around 70% of the iPhone’s popularity is owed to the software, a slightly bigger, next-generation iPhone / iPod touch makes a lot of sense right now.
iPhone 4.0 rumors have been circulating a lot, including one that says SDK 4.0 has a simulator that reportedly allows devs to take their apps’ screen resolution above the 320x480 mark. This doesn’t necessarily mean iPhone apps are being ported to a 10-inch screen device. In fact, the applications people love on the iPhone and iPod touch would make terrible additions to a tablet’s home screen. Folks would expect so much more from the “iSlate,” as some refer to it. If Apple is planning to deliver a 10-incher, it will most likely need its separate App Store (or App Store section) where tablet-specific content will be hosted. So, another question is posed: does Apple want so many changes at once, without even being certain of success? It surely sounds like a big risk, considering there is still much room for improvement in the current iTunes App Store.
We’re not saying Apple isn’t ready to launch a tablet. Surely, if HP and Dell can do it, Apple can do it three times better. Competitors like Nokia and RIM on the smartphone front are still trying to achieve much of what the first-generation iPhone delivered three years ago. Plus, a tablet is clearly Apple’s thing. So, if Apple can’t do it right, chances are no one can. It will be interesting to see how it will all play out, though, if the Mac maker does ship one in Q2 2010. If it does, the company will probably have to leave the iPhone behind, or wait for it to slowly be phased out by the consumer base. Considering Apple will attempt to offer a truly complete experience, would a tablet not kill the iPhone? From many perspectives, it just might.
Although there is a lot of buzz surrounding the booking of a stage at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple is yet to confirm the event, and even that isn’t a certainty the tablet is happening right now.
These are just a few reasons why there’s only a 50% chance Apple will release a tablet this year, Softpedia believes. In some ways, we wouldn’t mind being wrong this time around. If the product does launch on January 27th, we only hope it can be used for a lot more than browsing photo galleries.
As usual, your thoughts on this are welcome in the comments.