Remember all that stuff Steve Jobs has been saying about how Apple isn't interested in eReaders 'cause folks don't read any more? (And how Apple has never, ever led people down the garden path before? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain ... ?)
Latest rumors about the Apple Tablet, here ...
4 comments:
An interesting thing is w/ Amazon and Barnes & Noble &c. making all of their content available on Apple devices via iPhone and iPod Touch apps --- once such a tablet is available, the screen-size tradeoff which encourages people to use the dedicated devices goes away.
FWIW, I've been posting bullet lists of things which such an Apple device could be used for for years --- maybe the underlying technology has finally caught up to make such a device feasible (I've been using pen computers since NCR's 3125 and still have my Newton MessagePad). Problems up-till-now have included (too-short) battery life, (lack of) colour, price (the Newton was originally $799), interface (Windows for Pen Computing and Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition left a lot to be desired), &c..
William
(who has been waiting years to see the payoff on Apple killing off the Newton division and Steve Jobs promising that that would make innovative new devices possible)
At last, the technology I've been holding out for!
I think this general class of device is well situated to make significant inroads in to the CE market in the next couple years. APPL is likely to get there first with the best UI design because...what's basically what they do. The combination of an acceptable level of performance combined with always-on always-present internet connectivity and the form factor\user interface makes these a likely replacement for home computers. There is additionally little reason that such devices can't be docked to a cradle which extends their hardware capability (keyboards, mice, larger video displays, etc).
What I'm waiting for is the chest harnesses we'll all be wearing to tote them around on. Like the discs in Tron but worn on the front side. ;-)
I went electronic a few years ago and then last year I donated a couple thousand paper books to the local book charity. And yes, originally I was one of those guys who said that there was nothing like holding a physical book in your hand.
I found that once I start reading, the medium drops away as long as the story or information is compelling.
FWIW, my experience with different devices-
I started with the eboowise LCD reader, which had great ergonomic form but only okay resolution, couldn't be seen in direct sunlight, and was a hassle to prepare files for loading.
Next I bought the Sony e-ink device, mainly for the daylight reading, and I was pissed that the store model had some page over the screen to look like printed text. Then I pressed the button and the page turned and I realized that it really was that good. Only drawback (besides no wireless connectivity) is that the Sony PRS-505 needs light to operate unless you attach a light clip (which still doesn't look great).
Very happy with the Sony, but picked up an iphone for the phone function and found that it has the Stanza app. I had previously believed that the size of the iphone would be a fatal flaw to reading books on it. Instead, I find that it is quite workable, super convenient, and connects wirelessly with my ebook library manager. Now the Sony is gathering dust even though it has a larger screen and probably looks the most like printed paper. I would have scoffed at that idea a few months ago, and yet I've read a few dozen books on the iphone now and have no complaints. Can't wait to see what the tablet does.
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