5 ms·
There is an interesting question lurking behind this post. If a tablet does materialise, what will make it successful? Is it something that could have been don
by netcan 17y ago
There is an interesting question lurking behind this post. If a tablet does materialise, what will make it successful?
Is it something that could have been done much earlier or something enabled by recent (or impending) changes to available technology? Hardware for an iPhone quality smartphone was available a decent prices for a few years before it came out (especially if all you want is a phone that handles music and video pleasantly, not internet & installable apps), but not many.
If Apple comes out with a tablet that succeeds because Apple has figured out the right use-cases & metaphors for it, that might mean that they could have done it ten years ago. That's something.
- enneff 17y ago> If Apple comes out with a tablet that succeeds because Apple has figured out the right use-cases & metaphors for it, that might mean that they could have done it ten years ago. That's something. Maybe. If its core functionality is at all tied to the way people use the Internet today, then no.
- ynniv 17y agoIf a tablet does materialise, what will make it successful? Being large enough that reading web pages is not a chore, but small enough to be easily held in one hand and poked at with the other. Many (, many...) elaborations come to mind, but thats the minimum viable product. Its kind of amazing that tablets haven't been more successful. Unless you are actively editing text (not the norm on the web), that keyboard is just there to prop your laptop monitor up at an appropriate angle. And the mouse? Cocoa Touch has made that seem pretty silly outside of pixel editing.
- yuvi 17y agoTech-wise, I don't remember any devices with a 3.5" capacitive touchscreen + multitouch before the iPhone came out. That was imo the most important hardware feature of the iPhone, given that the "accepted" mode of interaction with similar devices was a stylus on a resistive screen. Similarly, there aren't any shipping devices with a 7-10" capacitive touchscreen. Whether or not any of the various tablets with one announced at CES beats Apple's to market, the kinks in said displays weren't ironed out before this year.
- ephermata 17y agoThere are a few pre-CES shipping devices with 12" capacitive multi-touch screens. The HP TouchSmart TX2 for example. These are more traditional tablet/notebook PCs, but with Win7 they do allow for "iPhone-like" gestures. The TouchSmart in particular is a mix between awesome and frustrating -- the screen is great and the multi-touch is fabulous, but it's too heavy, its battery life is awful, and mine just died for no apparent reason.
- TomOfTTB 17y agoI don't agree with your assessment here. While there wasn't an existing product with the exact same specs as the iPhone in existence there were products that could do everything an iPhone does (Windows Mobile Phones) and there were multi-touch screens out there. What made Apple successful is combining those elements in a way that was attractive to average users. In that same sense there are Tablet PCs and so called "Slate PCs" out there. What will make Apple successful is creating a package that can appeal to the average user.
- axod 17y ago>> "there were products that could do everything an iPhone does (Windows Mobile Phones)" Come on now. The iPhone was the first phone to have a usable browser on it.
- TomOfTTB 17y agoI used pocket IE to browse full sites. It was bad, but it worked. Which is sort of my point
- rbanffy 17y agoIt's true a WinMo phone could do most stuff an iPhone does, but the iPhone was the first with a real browser and a usable interface. Much like the iPod, the iPhone is the smartphone done right. It's success is, likewise, very well deserved. People don't buy machines - they buy abilities.
- wallflower 17y ago