The Killer Feature I Would Design Into An Apple Tablet
from the e-Reader,-we-hardly-knew-ye dept
To be clear, I've no influence in Cupertino, and the closest I've ever been to Steve Jobs was when I wore a black turtleneck skiing. But that said, there were a few developments at CES that got me thinking about a killer feature for a tablet. So here are the specific three developments from CES that stood out to me, and how I'd combine them in a disruptive tablet.
First, small, portable computing platforms were hot. No surprise to anyone, but Netbooks were all over the show, in creative new formats, layouts, OSes, and component make-ups. This sector has already proven to be a consumer favorite, and the OEMs are responding in force. Tablets, slates, and new formats were being shown by a variety of vendors hoping to get the jump on Apple, notably Microsoft in what could be described as an anemic Keynote by Ballmer.
Second, e-Readers were exploding out of the booths. There were new e-Readers on display from Huawei, Spring Design, Plastic Logic, Entourage eDGe and many more. Many analysts predict growth in the e-Reader sector, largely predicated on the notion that the readers use crystal clear e-ink screens, which greatly extend battery life, are easier on the eyes, and can be read indoors or out. Devices with standard LCD screens like Netbooks or iPhones churn through batteries too quickly to pose a direct threat to e-Readers. Thus, for now, this sector is seen as "protected" from the cheaper or more versatile Smartphones, Netbooks and tablets.
Third, there was an immense amount of innovation in screen configurations across Netbooks, TVs, laptops, etc. We saw two-screen laptops, touchscreens, tablets, double screen e-Readers, MEMS displays from Qualcomm, and more. Among the cool new screen technologies was one from PixelQi (discussed at GigaOm). The PixelQi (pronounced Pixel Chee) screen can operate in two modes: one which is like a standard backlit LCD laptop screen, and a second that closely resembles the e-ink of the Kindle. In this high-resolution, black-on-white mode, power consumption is cut to ~1/3 of a regular laptop screen. This mode also is easier on the eyes, and can be read easily in sunlight. PixelQi technology is cool in and of itself, since, as processors get more efficient, screens are becoming a relatively larger portion of the power budget - any savings here could have a dramatic impact on battery life. One could switch a laptop into "ink mode" and extend battery life at the expense of color.
I think you see where I'm going. If I were Jobs, I'd launch a tablet that used the iPhone OS, had access to the app store, iTunes, Safari browser...AND had an 8-10" dual-mode screen. Such a tablet could suck the air out of the room for e-reader makers. A company like Apple has the clout to get access to a wide range of book content, including the NYT bestseller lists. If so, Apple's tablet could quickly end the dedicated reader era. Consider a tablet that offers the value proposition of an e-Reader, a Netbook, GPS, and 100k apps. That's the kind of product that could justify a price premium over a $300 Netbook or Reader.
Either way, I see the dedicated reader market fading in the future, much as PDAs did. Not that they're not in demand, but the dedicated Readers will evolve and be subsumed into general-purpose tablets, or will be beaten by tablets that can do more. If it's not Apple or PixelQi next month, it's going to be somebody else within a year. Either way, buyers win: we're all going to benefit from the active innovation in the screen/display category, and more functional devices with better battery life.
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the feature I'd bet on...
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Re: the feature I'd bet on...
i think an 8-10 inch version of the ipod touch with 3g capabilities would sell pretty well, even if it didn't havethe ability to do screens in two modes like the post suggests. if such a device did have that capability it would really shake things up.
the reason i say this is because i bought my wife an ipod touch for christmas and while it never leaves her side, she has yet to play a single track on it because she uses it mostly for apps like facebook, twitter, and for games. she pretty much only uses her laptop for work now.
according to the folks i have talked to, the problem people had with the macbook air was that it was pretty much just a really expensive macbook. i think the power of the ipod and iphone is that they put apple's stuff into people's hands for a lot less than the price of a mac.
the whole reason for the hackintosh community is that there is no moderately priced mac tower or laptop. i think that scaling the ipod/iphone up to the point that it competes with higher end netbooks, ebook readers, and slate computers would do a lot for apple and will appeal to both new users and apple fanbois alike.
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i love a good microsoft bash as much as anyone, but in this case i don't think you are properly comparing the longevity of MS with the short lifespan of technologies in general.
microsoft does a lot of things before apple. there have been windows based tablets and smart phones around for years. there are versions of windows specifically made for tablets and smart phones. MS tailors these offerings primarily to business users and not to consumers; gaming, of course, being the exception. the software and devices windows runs on just don't have the sex appeal that is so important to consumers.
MS is ceding the consumer marketplace after something like 5 years of being pretty much the only viable game in town with respect to tablets, and the next closest competitor to the blackberry with respect to smart phones. if you see this as "just taking longer to fade away" i think that maybe you don't realize that 5 years in information technology is practically a life time.
microsoft has "been there and done that" in these markets and if it's not already moving on to greener pastures, then it should definitely consider it.
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the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
All the rumor mill is pointing to a tablet as "an iPhone with steriod". However, one of the major factor that I am resisting buying an iPhone is simply because it's too locked down. It's not really based on principle (although I am against DRM in principle). It's just a locked multimedia device does not fit my purpose.
I watch many Japanese animation and cartoons. They come in various different codecs and format. I also read a lot of Chinese novels, which are in unprotect, non PDF, simple unicode text files. In addition, I read Japanese/Chinese manga too, which are in either jpeg/gif/png.
So my need
1. watch video of any codec
2. read unicode text file
3. view large, sequencial images
so how iPhone does not allow me to do the abover three easily
1. all video need to be in a VERY SPECIFIC codec and bitrate and format. Because iPhone is locked, you can't install a third party program that'll do this easily, without converting
2. iPhone does not allow "uploading" to your space. Where the hell am I suppose to put my text file. And also there is no easy way to read a text file, not to mention a unicode text file containing Chinese
3. you must manage all photo/images through iTunes. If the iPhone is not locked, I could just upload my images as folders and view it with a simple photo viewer navigating through folder structure. But alas, I can't.
Now, if the tablet is just as bad as the iPhone, then
1. I can't install VLC, which is my preferred mac version of media player for viewing anime/cartoon/video
2. I can't upload my unicode text files for reading purposes, with my choice of reading application
3. I can't upload my manga images easily because it's locked and you must go through iTune or some propriatery program and I can't view it with my choice of application
These are really my deal breakers. If the tablet is locked down as badly as the iPhone/Touch, I'll be looking into one of the win7 tablet that was presented at CES. And to be honest, they look quite good AND you get the freedom of able to do whatever you want with the win7 OS.
Let's face it, iTune may be great, but it's starting to feel a fatty. Okay, music and video is fine, and it does a good job, but starting with the apps it's like Apple trying to CRAM everything into iTunes, no matter if it fit or not. If it's true that Apple have some publisher/news agency deal to deliver text content, they'll probalby CRAM that into iTunes too.
Forget about the mess, I would rather suffer a little and have my freedom then having Apple and Jobs tell me what I can do with my property. On a win7 tablet I'll be able to do whatever I please, in whatever way I want. Look, just because Apple/Jobs feel that it should "work that way" doesn't meant they are right or it fits the use/purpose of 100% of people.
Steve, you KILLED Apple once with your maniac control of everything, and almost killed the entire company. Now you are on track again, don't you kill yourself again with your freakish control fetish.
BAH!
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Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
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Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
Yeah, I agree with you...but the mass market does not. They don't mind the lock in (for now) because it means a smoothly working device, and an easy to use content ecosystem.
You're an advanced user with specific needs and requirements. That used to mean Windows Mobile, but more and more it means Android.
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Re: Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
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Re: Re: Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
Hmmm. Let's just say yes, even though it's not true.
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Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
i think the reason apple has been so successful is because of their easy to use ecosystem. i have a very hard time conveying this concept to our IT staff at my office. they want me to be an IT person AND an architect. i just want to be an architect. i have no interest in figuring out preferred media players. i don't even want to know what a media player is. i want to click on a video and it just play. i don't want to choice of applications. i just want it to work.
it sounds like you're a sophisticated computer user, and thats cool. i hope you find a device that allows you to do whatever you want with it. however, i think most people are like me and don't want install VLC, unicode, etc. i don't even care or want to know what that is. i want to purchase, press play, enjoy.
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Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
I always lock down my iPhone so nobody will steal it. I hate theft, peroid!
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Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
I always lock down my iPhone so nobody will steal it. I hate theft, peroid!
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Re: the fear of a DRM'ed tablet
Consumers, in this context, do not like computers. They like what they can do, they like being on the web, they like playing games but they don't like or (want to) understand the complexities of Windows, OS X or Linux. They don't need a desktop OS and all the power and flexibility it brings. They certainly can't be arsed with all the work that needs to go into securing and maintaining those systems. They are actually far better off with a locked down system that trades flexibility for security and simplicity. They are not, in short, geeks.
This is the true step forward Apple made with the iPhone/iPod Touch - they delivered the first consumer-grade OS that worked. We've since seen Android and webOS come along and follow those same lessons. If (and it's a big IF) Apple launch a tablet along the same lines then us geeks need to remember it's not really targetted at us. Frankly, the tablet form factor in general isn't a geek-friendly one past the 'ohhh, cool!' reaction. We're better off with big screens, physical keyboards, lots of processor power and, of course, a ton of storage. The tablet market for 'traditional' users doesn't work, we know that from years of attempts with Windows-based systems, but as a consumer system? Well that might be a whole other story.
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I just wonder if people are willing to have a computer that is limited to the high walls of the app store? Would you really want every program on your computer to have to go through apple?
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Us geeks here on the discussion @ Techdirt may not like it...but go ask an average iPhone user how limited they feel. They've never been so empowered!
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Don't believe the hype. Even 50M iPhones sold to 20M idiots doesn't make it a dominant product.
That said, real operating systems have well over 100k apps. How many does OSX have?
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If I want or need a general purpose computer, I have access to several - the Linux box I'm typing on right now, the Windows gaming box sitting to me right, or any one of the 3 computers I have at work. I don't need my phone to be a general purpose computer - the iPhone features/apps I use regularly are fairly limited (phone, calendar, maps, camera, music player, calculator, weather forecast, web browser, eBook reader and a couple of other minor apps). At the time I got it, the iPhone was the only phone that offered all those things with a decent UI (including multi-touch zoom for maps and non-phone friendly web pages), both 3G and wi-fi and with an integrated web store. These days I'd be more inclined to pick up one of the marginally more open Android handsets instead, but even there I believe the app store is policed fairly heavily (since it doesn't want to act as a vector for virus distribution).
If Apple design a tablet that is essentially an iPhone or iPod Touch with a much bigger screen, then they aren't targeting the computer enthusiast market. Instead, they will be targeting those people that:
a) Just want their computer to work; and
b) Are happy using online services for most of their computing needs
Expect such a tablet to offer good photo synchronisation so it can be easily used to transfer photos from a camera to online services like Flickr. It would come with iTunes builtin so you could use it as a management station for your iPhone and iPods. Integration of Google Docs would also make a lot of sense (and while the Google/Apple relationship may not be as close as it once was, they still have a common opponent in Microsoft).
Hooking up to the existing app store itself may be problematic - scaling iPhone apps up to a netbook size screen could easily be ludicrous, since the size of many iPhone controls are driven by the size of a human finger rather than the size of the screen. Deciding which controls should scale with the screen size and which shouldn't may not be a decision the OS can make on its own - the apps may need to change as well.
However, an iPhone style tablet makes far more sense as a business move than becoming an also-ran entrant into the highly crowded general purpose PC based netbook market.
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Seriously, though, it's the Chinese mystic energy that one channels during meditation, like in Tai Chi. I suppose it can be spelled many ways using our alphabet.
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Re: One question, how is Qi pronounced Chee?
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Re: One question, how is Qi pronounced Chee?
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Given the meaning of the word Qi, "PixelQi" would refer to the heart/soul/essence/inherent energy of pixels, which is a decent name for a screen technology company.
(The PixelQi folks actually give the pronunciation and meaning of Qi at the bottom of their home page)
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Killer Feature for an apple tablet.
The same glasses would project in 3D and be powered by coke(if it ever leaves the drawing board).
http://www.daizizheng.com/projects.htm
Or it could recharge using wireless signals from the air if it works of course.
http://www.physorg.com/news182595455.html
Seriously tough the best feature for an apple tablet would be free design with and interchangeable shell.
With a cellphone inside.
Cellphone concept
http://www.tuvie.com/form-follows-you-nokia-888-concept-cell-phone/
Cellphone morph concept(almost a tablet with cellphone capabilities)
Notebook concept
http://www.tuvie.com/the-one-laptop-per-child-machine-
xo-3-for-only-75/
Notebook concept
http://www.tuvie.com/futuristic-rolltop-foldable-notebook-with-17-inch-oled-display-and-ful l-fledged-keyboard/
HP nobag concept
http://www.tuvie.com/laptop-concept-designs-for-women-by-nikita-buyanov/#more-2360
Hmmm. ..this got me thinking that the killer feature would be connectivity with and eco system of gadgets something that is almost like lego were one think inter-connects with another to form an entire family of things the feature would be the connectivity itself between a healthy number of physical plug-ins.
The tablet should connect to all apple services and devices transparently that would be a real sale point.
"Your iPhone can now stream its scream to a iTablet so every thing you bough on the apple store can be viewed on your iTablet"
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Re: Killer Feature for an apple tablet.
It's called bluetooth. Everyone else has it. Just not the iPhone.
Seriously though, all the artist mockups in the world won't save you from basic engineering costs (that's why the're artists, not engineers). Apple won't revolutionize, they'll evolve, a little. They don't have some secret sauce that a million engineers the world over are missing. They'll invest in cool components in some way (thin! light! it has sensors!), and take shortcuts in others (low-res screen, low powered processor, fixed battery) to drive down costs. Then they'll wrap it in a polished package. They're not going to have augmented reality, wifi-charged supergoggles connected to a swarm of personal servant bots. It will be easier to use than other products, but ultimately less capable.
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Yeah, this technology was also supposed to make the XO notebook a "killer". That didn't exactly happen either, did it?
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Re:
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Biz wise
Apple's goal is to make easy to use and super sexy products for the masses, that's why they won't bother with geeky features, especially at the new products launch.
People complain about the app store's approval process, but if there was none half of the apps would be malicious scams and trojans, ever thought about that? Some things are necessary evil especially when you doing business...
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Re: Killer Feature for an apple tablet
osx would be a better os for slate, but if as the tread mill spins and islate and new apple tv software released at same time meaning bigger and better games and apps heading ur way
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Re: Killer Feature for an apple tablet
osx would be a better os for slate, but if as the tread mill spins and islate and new apple tv software released at same time meaning bigger and better games and apps heading ur way
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At least until the plethora of patent lawsuits begin.
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What, you want all the goodness to accrue only to consumers and product makers? Commie!
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Apple Tablet
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Re: Apple Tablet
Consider analog cell phones. Most people would think that, in every way, digital cellphones are better. (Most phones sold since 1997 are digital.) Analog phones don't have information on their display, are never smart, you can't download ANYTHING, they have static hiss in the signal, they can't locate you in a 911 call, and they use batteries faster. BUUUUT, they have up to 3Watts of output, and tend to get better range than digital phones, usually in rural settings where the towers are spaced far apart. And for that reason, there is a very small cadre of dedicated analog phone users.
The feature you mention specifically - low price - well, that's a feature a lot of people will get behind!
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Killer feature? Self-subsidy
I think Apple needs to stand on its head and do something entirely new. Think "self-subsidy." Google does this all day long. The Tablet and the Touch, with camera, can be purchasing monsters. The Touch already is: Think music, video, audio, app. Apps! Did I say apps? Now add services. Think lattes and limos.
Amazon must use self-subsidy: The Kindle is its best effort to create a shopping device, a 24/7 storefront. But Amazon's job in the future will be to sell atoms, not electrons. We may buy everything solid from Amazon, but digital products and services are for Apple to do.
Typically Apple prices its hardware high and stays high. And up until now it's been absolutely right to do so. Look at how the bottom feeders like Dell are turning belly up. But now Apple has a huge content stream to use to leverage hardware pricing.
So, sure, sell the Tablet high for the first six months. Some of us will pay anything for it. Why not take the money? But then it's time for Apple to let the pricing tiger out of the bag. Lower the Tablet to $250. OK makes us buy a subscription to MobileMe with it. (I do that anyway.) Next, lower the Touch to $50.
And it's Katy bar the door!
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Re: Killer feature? Self-subsidy
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Re: Killer feature? Self-subsidy
People who own Apple hardware buy bits (only the power company sells electrons) from Apple, but for everyone else Apple isn't that compelling a vendor IMO.
Lower the Tablet to $250. OK makes us buy a subscription to MobileMe with it. (I do that anyway.) Next, lower the Touch to $50.
Maybe you're a prophet, but it would be a major change of direction for Apple to position itself as a budget hardware company. I would even characterize it as a complete reorientation of the whole company philosophy. Doesn't seem likely to me.
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Self-subsidy PS
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Apple Tablet feature
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Tablet computer not tablet media player
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I'm not saying future tech won't eventually find a way to do it all, but it's not going to be in a year.
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And I agree that the Kindle has die-hard fans, for the reasons you listed. But what about that isn't easily copied? I suppose to copy the Kindles main value propositions, you'd need to be a company with good experience and savvy in device design, UI, content management and delivery. Can anyone think of a company that has those skillz?
I won't deny that I've been cool to the e-Reader segment since day 1. In fact, I think Amazon has done a whole lot of exaggeration of their Kindle PR to make it seem like a big success...without ever releasing sales volumes. And they put out dubious data on Christmas day regarding e-book sales: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091227/2149027505.shtml
True, I don't own a Kindle, though I think they're cool. However, it doesn't sound like you've owned an iPhone or Touch. Those devices don't need a computer to access and manage content, either.
The content availability, battery issue, and screen clarity issues are the two defenses the Kindle currently has. Those may not last long.
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Scribble Pad
Make the stylus/screen pressure sensitive to adjust line thickness. I like the idea of the stylus that you flip over and use the other end to erase.
Are we there yet with OCR that it could read my handwriting and understand my formatting hints to convert notes to a reasonable document ?
Could I collaborate with others on a diagram ?
Whisper "mischief managed" into the microphone and the screen blanks...
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Re: Scribble Pad
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Apple wins the tablet battle
1. They have great industrial design skills and know how to make the product and UI look great to the average consumer.
2. They have a great advertising (propaganda) team that makes their product appeal to the masses (in other words, you feel cool if you are using an Apple device).
3. Through iTunes they bring a lot of content and an integrated billing system. This is by the far the key to success and the reason all other tablet manufacturers will fail. Apple makes it too easy to access and purchase content which is why they succeeded with the iPhone and iPod products.
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Shifting models?
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2009/tc20091229_795528.htm
This is an interesting column because it points out the obvious: There is potential for a trend back to subscription models. Basically, the Ipad or whatever offers a great way to get product in people's hands, but it also offers the ability for premium content providers to move to potentially very successful pay-to-read model. Basically, instead of $12.95 a year for a magazine subscription, move to a $12.95 a year online subscription, that includes potentially pushing the content to the reader.
Want to see this months magazine only? Buy it now, just like the news stand price.
While information wants to be free, the reality is that content cannot be created endlessly for free. There is little or no business model there (especailly when you consider that users will likely filter out ads in the content).
The tools are nice, it's nice to focus on this or that, but the success and failure of the product will be the ability for valid and functional (aka profitable) business models to evolve. Without businesses producing the content, the devices have little actual value.
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Re: Shifting models?
Have you never heard of the internet?
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Re: Re: Shifting models?
Or TV or Radio, continuously broadcast for free for decades and decades and decades.
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- How's that subscription model working out for ya ?
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Re:
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Bleeding edge of tech
I have a c1999 Handspring Visor. It has an old crappy dark grey on light grey LCD screen. Guess what ? It works in bright sunlight. Guess what else ? It has a backlight so it can work in the dark (reading in bed without waking partner). Guess what else. It goes days or weeks on 2 x AAA.
I have Compact flash or smartmedia expansion, so no realistic storage limit.
eReader.com website offers me a book purchase ecosystem. (DRM is simple - I need to enter my credit card details as used to purchase the book when I first open it to read. I can freely share the book if I want but I'd have to share credit card details, which stops me uploading to a file sharing site).
And I can read PDF's (Gutenberg) and offline web content.
Can you read a book on a 3" square screen ? Hell yes.
Depends what you are brought up with - I've met people who claim they "cannot" use a Word processor with
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Swiss Army Knife and Smart Car
The tablets will have to fight the war with netbooks. Unlike an I-Phone or I-Touch that hangs on your belt or fits in your pocket, the tablet will have to fight for space in your briefcase with your netbook. For the pleasure of having a sleek looking tablet you give up your keyboard.
The tablet reminds me of the Smart Car A product most will love to hate.
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If The Pope enjoys Mike's Jew Pizza, Will Steve Jobs be a fan?
What? All you need to do is sit back, order a pizza, call 996-1010 ask for Big Steve and invite him over for a big jewy pizza. Have you called him? You never call!
The problem though is that Steve may be tipped off to you being a secret jew and the pizza would be real jewy. Imagine a pie with creme fraiche mixture as sauce, smoked salmon, sprinkled chopped onion, capers dill as toppings. After a slice, he'll have to navigate your questions more carefully than usual as your pizza may induce some weird symptoms such as nosiness, a tendency to meddle, a love for Barbra Streisand, pushiness, red onion breath and/or shpilkes in the geneckteckessoink. Don't be surprised if Steve has to consult his daughter, the doctor, before coming over.
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With a good e-read application and tying the ebooks into iTunes would be a good thing, financially.
A 8-10" iPhone/iPod (Wifi and 3G/4G access) with a bit beefier specs so it can easily support flash, GPS, and a dramatically increased video codex integration would be enough for me to drop some serious $ on it. And coming from the fine people at Mac I would expect not less then a top dollar price tag.
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Compaq Presario CQ61-410US
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