Tablet computers make a big splash at CES

[TomCADem]

Source: SF Gate

Many of the early devices will use Google's Android operating system, a lightweight platform best known for powering smart phones. But Microsoft is working to stay in the tablet game and is trying to push Windows 7 as a choice for the emerging devices.

On Wednesday night, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled three slates from HP, Archos and Pegatron that will run on Windows.

"The emerging category of PCs should take advantage of the touch and capabilities of Windows 7," Ballmer said. "It's perfect for reading, surfing the Web and taking entertainment on the go."

Tablets still have a lot to prove, especially with some price tags exceeding those of netbooks. Many of the products at CES still don't even have names. A lot will depend on how successfully Apple's tablet can elevate this nascent market.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/07/BUU51BF46D.DTL

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I only wish they had ebooks back in college, rather than lugging around textbooks, but tablet computers? My perfect computer would be something that combines the functionality of a phone, internet browser, ipod, TV, kindle, and PS3 in something no larger than a Kindle. iPhone is somewhat close, but AT&T service sucks and it is too small for reading and extended browsing.

[tabatha]

1. The OQO was a predecessor

but lack of funding, timed at a bad time as the recession hit, killed it.

http://www.oqo.com/

[gateley]

2. I'm eagerly awaiting the rumored Apple tablet... nt

[bitchkitty]

5. Me too!

I just read something about it on the train the other night and it got me salivating.

[gateley]

10. If Apple is true to form, it'll have things none of the others have even thought of! nt

[Posteritatis]

13. And at a mere twice the price! (nt)

[gateley]

19. Yeah, but I'm one of the idiots who feels it's worth it. nt

[alfredo]

27. Macs start at $599.

[WriteDown]

15. Like more zeros in the price. nt

[gateley]

20. When I go from my Mac to a PC, I'm always glad I spent the extra $$$. Little

things, but they add up. So I'm one of those idiots. :7

[fascisthunter]

11. Apple tablet supply chain points to Q2 launch:

"A barrage of manufacturers are jockeying for attention ahead of Apple's widely expected announcement of a 10- to 11-inch tablet computer in late January, which analysts say could redefine the nascent category much as the iPhone did for phones. Apple has not publicly confirmed its existence."

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60745S20100108

[onehandle]

3. Bill Gates' college roommate embarrasses MS once again.

Not a true tablet computer. Just a flat Windows screen.

The real thing will be introduced by Steve Jobs later this month.

[Dover]

4. From what I've heard, the next big thing is Apple's i-Tablet which will

be the interface that integrates all activities and content - phone, books, magazines, newspapers, video, t.v., etc. and will, like their i-phone, blow everyone else out of the water. It will purportedly use Verizon's 3G network to connect to the Internet. If your service only has one function (such as i-books) then you'd better be scrambling to figure out a way to be viable and multi-functional -


Steve Jobs said people don't read any more. But Apple is in talks with several media companies rooted in print, negotiating content for a "new device." And they're not just going for e-books and mags. They're aiming to redefine print.

Several years ago, a modified version of OS X was presented to Steve Jobs, running on a multitouch tablet. When the question "what would people do with this?" couldn't be answered, they shelved it. Long having established music, movie and TV content, Apple is working hard to load up iTunes with print content from several major publishing houses across several media.

Two people related to the NYTimes have separately told me that in June, paper was approached by Apple to talk about putting the paper on a "new device." The R&D labs have long worked on versions of the paper meant to be navigated without a keyboard or mouse, showing up on Windows tablets and on multiple formats using Adobe Air. The NYTimes, of course, also publishes via their iPhone application. Jobs has, during past keynotes, called the NYTimes the "best newspaper in the world."

A person close to a VP in textbook publishing mentioned to me in July that McGraw Hill and Oberlin Press are working with Apple to move textbooks to iTunes. There was no mention of any more detail than that, but it does link back to a private Apple intern idea competition held on campus, in their Town Hall meeting area in 2008, where the winning presentation selected by executives was one focused on textbook distribution through iTunes. The logic here is that textbooks are sold new at a few hundred dollars, and resold by local stores without any kickbacks to publishers. A DRM'd one-time-use book would not only be attractive because publishers would earn more money, but electronic text books would be able to be sold for a fraction of the cost, cutting out book stores and creating a landslide marketshare shift by means of that huge price differential. (If that device were a tablet, the savings on books could pay for the device, and save students a lot of back pain.)..cont'd


http://gizmodo.com/5370252/apple-tablet-to-redefine-newspapers-textbooks-and-magazines

[Occulus]

6. Well, that's pretty shitty news for college students

"A DRM'd one-time-use book would not only be attractive because publishers would earn more money, but electronic text books would be able to be sold for a fraction of the cost, cutting out book stores and creating a landslide marketshare shift by means of that huge price differential."

A DRM'd one time use textbook? No, thanks. I've been out of college for years and years and I still refer to one of my old texts on occasion. Used books often have important bits highlighted and have notes in the margins. Digital media devices can be "bricked", meaning they are frozen in a nonactive state or otherwise need to be restored, thus deleting all data on the device.

I don't like this aspect of Apple's tablet idea, and I hope they axe it or alter it such that these concerns are dealt with; otherwise, if I ever get one, I'll simply not use those particular services.

[alfredo]

8. Do you use your college books after you finish the course, or do you trade them

in at the local college bookstore?

How many times have you shelled out big bucks for a book only to find that it won't be used next semester, and you are stuck with an expensive paper weight?

[Posteritatis]

14. I kept about three-quarters of mine

A few of the paperweights wound up on the bookshelves of friends and relatives who got more use out of them than I did, and there's a couple of ones I traded back that I kicked myself over for quite some time afterwards.

Generally speaking I've had enough luck with the things to not like the idea of my textbooks self-destructing.

[alfredo]

23. You know there will be a hack to disable the poison pill.

They will have to price the text books low enough to make it attractive, or have digital text books part of tuition. They should also give a higher priced option to make the book forever. It could be in the form of a serial number that disables the poison pill.

BTW, I'm going to have to go digital because I am running out of room.

[CatholicEdHead]

18. I have kept a few in my major that does not change quickly

and they make good reference books. Most of my non-major books have moved on.

[Posteritatis]

21. I do history - from that angle, sometimes the ones that *do* change are interesting. (nt)

[Occulus]

25. I sold some the first semester of my freshman year

and kicked myself the next year for not having some good reference material. My music theory books will always be good reference, for example. I still have most of the ones I found useful, even after all these years. Some of them are in surprisingly good condition.

I keep books in general until they fall apart from use, though. Maybe I'm in the minority in that respect...

[alfredo]

26. You ever notice the more expensive the book, the greater

the chance they won't be used the next semester and you can't sell it.

[alfredo]

7. I bet the NYT and other print media will do the same as AT&T and offer

the Apple device at a subsidized price in trade for a multi year subscription.

One reason for all the leaks out of Apple is to prevent devices shown at CES from getting any press or sales. I wouldn't buy a tablet until I see what Apple has to offer. People will wait to see what Steve Jobs has to offer.

[WriteDown]

17. You can check it out in post 16. nt.

[alfredo]

22. that was funny. Still the SNL iPod/Steve Jobs skit was the best.

[WriteDown]

16. Here's a sneak preview!!!!!

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary

By the way, is your name Alex Zalban?

[Abq_Sarah]

24. But will the i tablet

Have an e-paper/e-ink setting?

[Mudoria]

9. have to give one of the Slates a look when they release them..

sounds interesting.

[psychopomp]

12. I was talking to a stripper in Vegas

and she said this is the busiest weekend of the year because of the CES convention. I had no idea, but it helped to explain all the middle-aged, engineer-looking types being led around by hot women last night!