Hasta La Gadget!

There’s a lot of speculation about the Apple tablet, but coming November, this is how my desk is going to look. Or at least, this is what I want. Check it out in super high definition:

Click on the image to enlarge. Yes, this makes me wet.

That, my friends, is what I think we are getting.

The Apple tablet I want will run the same basic hardware as the iPhone, with extended video and system RAM to accommodate larger computing needs, perhaps with some limited multitasking for some applications. System RAM is a big system bottleneck right now, and it won’t cost much to add enough to make things flow smoother. The video RAM will be necessary for the higher res of the 10 inch screen. The current iPhone CPU and graphic processor can handle all this well as they are. No need for changes. It will also be very thin. As thin as the iPod touch. Since its guts will be the same, but it will be a device with a larger surface, you also have more space for a larger battery.

Why do I think it will be this way? I believe the hardware will be dictated by economies of scale, which has been the norm since Jobs returned to Apple: Reusable components across each product family to keep costs down. In this case, the product family—which Jobs already alluded to in the past—is the iPhone OS-based product family. Right now, there are two products, as you know: iPhone and iPod touch. My wish is that iTablet or whatever it’s called will be the third. That way, Apple would be able to build this cheaper—and keep the cost of the iPhone and iPod touch down if the tablet is successful.

Logically, the iTablet I want will run exactly the same OS as the rest of the product family. The OS will have the same kernel, the same classes, the same subsystems, the same database organization and the same file system. It will also have some new extra apps, and perhaps a few new gestures—which will trickle down the product line—but that’s about it.

It will run the same applications, changed to accommodate more information thanks to the higher resolution in the screen. Some Apple and third-party ones will be tailored to the higher res, distributed in a package that will have both iPod-sized and tablet-sized graphic assets. Others—like Safari or games—will just enjoy the instant boost in resolution.

And that will be the beauty of it.

First, people who are afraid of computers—probably not you, the typical Giz reader, but most consumers out there—will love this device as much as they love their iPhones or iPod touches. Apple will keep mining the gold, and offering consumers this extremely easy-to-use interface that doesn’t require any mental abstraction. Just click, touch and access the information, media or games you want, mixed with the occasional short mail or chat.

For developers, it’s also a win-win situation. Same code, just add new assets. Same store, same distribution, more development opportunities.

The way I see it, the tablet will open the way to a new kind of computing, after the ages of computing for hobbyist, the age of the command line, and the age of the desktop user interface metaphor.

To me, this is where Star Trek starts, and War Games ends.

In a presumed effort to shake up the Japanese wireless industry and provide consumers with 3G-equipped PCs that aren’t tied to multi-year contracts, Hewlett-Packard has quietly announced a deal with Japan Communications that will allow its machines to be sold with SIM cards that can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis. For those unaware, JCI leases network space from NTT DoCoMo, and as part of the agreement, HP will not only get to choose which devices can connect, but it’ll get to keep a nice slice of the mobile data revenue as well. Here’s the crazy part: the initial wave of netbooks will be sold for between $50 and $100 sans contract. That’s about what users pay in America now for subsidized WWAN-ready netbooks, but there’s a two-year contract tagging along. If all goes well, we could even see full-sized laptops, smartphones and digital cameras hop on the same bandwagon, but for now, we’ll be keenly watching how brisk sales are when things kick off next month.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablet PCs, Wireless, Internet

HP to sell contract-free, WWAN-equipped PCs in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not long at all after that mysterious Nokia RX-51 passed through the FCC comes shots from Indonesian message board Kaskus of the tablet-like device in the wild. The blurred box shot and the label behind the battery clearly say RX-51 prototype, and the design is unmistakably similar to the rumored press photo for the Maemo 5-powered Rover from back in May. We can’t help but notice the 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens and, more importantly, SIM card slot and an ear piece, which would be perfect for placing calls on, say, T-Mobile’s network. Few more shots after the break, and hit up the read link for the gallery of photos.

[Via Mobile Bulgaria; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Continue reading Nokia RX-51 tablet captured in the wild

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

Nokia RX-51 tablet captured in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An analyst claims he has learned additional information suggesting a 2010 launch of Apple’s rumored tablet device.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said he has been in correspondence with an Asian component supplier working with Apple on its tablet.

“Last week we spoke with an Asian component supplier that has received orders from Apple for a touch-screen device to be fulfilled by late [calendar year] 09,” Munster wrote in a report. “This data point underscores our thesis that a tablet will likely launch in early [2010].”

Munster in May issued a detailed report summarizing his theories about Apple’s fabled tablet, about which little next to nothing is known beyond vague tips from anonymous sources. Today’s new report reinforces those theories and adds more speculation about the rumored device’s features:

• The device will most likely be a larger format iPod Touch, measuring between 7 to 10 inches
• The tablet will be used primarily for web surfing, e-mail and digital media
• Pricing should be between $500 and $700, positioning the tablet between an iPhone and a MacBook
• A carrier (either AT&T or Verizon) will likely subsidize the device, which will include a 3G cellular modem

Piper Jaffray produced a mock-up illustration (above) of what Munster believes the device will look like. Munster even proceeds to make an estimate of the number of tablets could ship: 2 million units at $600 each to generate $1.2 billion and add about 3 percent to Apple’s revenue stream in the calendar year of 2010. (A little early to be making such intricate projections about an unconfirmed product, isn’t it?)

Several rumor reports have recently surfaced citing anonymous sources who have come forward with purported details on Apple’s tablet. Some publications claim they’ve heard the tablet will hit stores as soon as this fall, while AppleInsider reported receiving a tip that the device will launch 2010.

Wired.com earlier speculated on what exactly an Apple tablet would do. We believe the device would have potential to be a major competitor against Amazon.com in the e-book market.

Wired.com also received a tip that other tech manufacturers, including Dell, Intel, HTC and Nokia are working on tablet devices as well. On top of that, TechCrunch is already working to rush out its Crunchpad touchscreen tablet. We believe 2010 is shaping up to be the year of the tablet.

Apple’s $1.2 billion tablet computer [Apple 2.0]

See Also:

• Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet
• Financial Times Confirms Apple Tablet for September
• Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Coming in October
• Analyst Claims to Have Seen Apple Tablet
• How an Apple Tablet Could Pit iTunes Against Amazon.com
• Rumor: 10-Inch Apple Tablet Landing in Early 2010
• Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year …
• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Apple COO Reveals Plans for Touch Tablet — Kinda

Image: Piper Jaffray

It was only hinted before in a text string, but the new iPhone OS 3.1 update’s USB Device Configuration XML property list clearly shows not one, but two new unidentified Apple products:

The first model—identified as iProd0,1—has a standardMuxPTP description. Since no other models start with a zero as a first identifier, we can only guess this is a prototype. The second model is the iProd1,1, which indicates a first generation product.

It has the same description as the iPhone: StandardMuxPTPEthernet. This probably means that, like the Jesusphone, it supports high speed network capabilities.

Could this be the tablet that may be coming in September? The strings don’t say much else, so we don’t know what they may be. However, it is enough to give our tablet probability meter a 5% boost. [Ars Technica]