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You don't know Apple if you think they're going to release a convertible device. Also there were plenty of shopping mall stands selling iPad keyboards months b

You don't know Apple if you think they're going to release a convertible device. Also there were plenty of shopping mall stands selling iPad keyboards months before Surface was announced. Keyboards aren't what makes tablets successful.

ghshephard 14y ago
I guarantee you that Apple will release a converged device within 2-3 years, almost as much as I guarantee you that up until the day they release such a device, they will insist that the compromises associated with such a device would make it infeasible for them to build. Honestly - who wants to carry both a Laptop and a Tablet - I currently do, but, if some clever company could figure out how to give me the best of both worlds (Light, 100% focus, responsive Tablet + Keyboard Base for laptop typing, shortcuts, touchpad, multi-tasking when I'm rocking out 20 Apps and 40 console windows) - then I'll be first in line. (And, if you really want to take over the world, release a device with a stylus that matches, or exceeds, the resolution of a typical pen-on-paper) I'm actually quite intrigued by the Surface - looking forward to checking it out. Now if only someone would write a decent Terminal.App for Windows RT.... (No, Putty and SecureCRT don't count. And I don't think either of them run on Windows RT anyways).
- hizanberg 14y ago
  What is this guarantee based on? Apples DNA is to optimize the device for each use case. A tablet is optimized for finger touch and on screen gestures. A laptop is optimized for portable productivity and keyboard input. You can't create a UI/UX that works best for both and Apple isn't about to start compromising. My Air and iPad combined is lighter than most other laptops, when I want instant info + utility I whip out my iPad, when I need to do work I open the Air.
  - Too 14y ago
    You just explained the problem yourself. You are lugging two devices around, two devices that could easily be equally powerful but at the moment mostly are distinguished by different software.
    - jkubicek 14y ago
      We aren't normal people, though. The vast majority of computer users do not carry around a laptop to work on.
  - ghshephard 14y ago
    My 13" Macbook Air and iPad (Gen 1, 2, and 3) haven't been more than 35' away from me in two+ years except when I'm (A) Showering, or (B) going to the washroom. (And actually, because my shower is within 35' of my bed and gym locker, we can even eliminate that exception) So, you don't have to convince me of the utility of each, and where they are optimized. But, I would so love to just have one sub 16 ounce gadget to carry around with me, with some amazingly easy to manage keyboard/touchpad (with a bunch of USB3.x ports) when I need it. It would also make keeping my video/song files a lot easier to keep synced. Switch to OS/X when I've got the keyboard attached, and switch back to IOS when I don't. Or something. I don't know. But I really only want to carry / charge a single device.

ghshephard 14y ago

I guarantee you that Apple will release a converged device within 2-3 years, almost as much as I guarantee you that up until the day they release such a device, they will insist that the compromises associated with such a device would make it infeasible for them to build. Honestly - who wants to carry both a Laptop and a Tablet - I currently do, but, if some clever company could figure out how to give me the best of both worlds (Light, 100% focus, responsive Tablet + Keyboard Base for laptop typing, shortcuts, touchpad, multi-tasking when I'm rocking out 20 Apps and 40 console windows) - then I'll be first in line. (And, if you really want to take over the world, release a device with a stylus that matches, or exceeds, the resolution of a typical pen-on-paper) I'm actually quite intrigued by the Surface - looking forward to checking it out. Now if only someone would write a decent Terminal.App for Windows RT.... (No, Putty and SecureCRT don't count. And I don't think either of them run on Windows RT anyways).

hizanberg 14y ago
What is this guarantee based on? Apples DNA is to optimize the device for each use case. A tablet is optimized for finger touch and on screen gestures. A laptop is optimized for portable productivity and keyboard input. You can't create a UI/UX that works best for both and Apple isn't about to start compromising. My Air and iPad combined is lighter than most other laptops, when I want instant info + utility I whip out my iPad, when I need to do work I open the Air.
- Too 14y ago
  You just explained the problem yourself. You are lugging two devices around, two devices that could easily be equally powerful but at the moment mostly are distinguished by different software.
  - jkubicek 14y ago
    We aren't normal people, though. The vast majority of computer users do not carry around a laptop to work on.
- ghshephard 14y ago
  My 13" Macbook Air and iPad (Gen 1, 2, and 3) haven't been more than 35' away from me in two+ years except when I'm (A) Showering, or (B) going to the washroom. (And actually, because my shower is within 35' of my bed and gym locker, we can even eliminate that exception) So, you don't have to convince me of the utility of each, and where they are optimized. But, I would so love to just have one sub 16 ounce gadget to carry around with me, with some amazingly easy to manage keyboard/touchpad (with a bunch of USB3.x ports) when I need it. It would also make keeping my video/song files a lot easier to keep synced. Switch to OS/X when I've got the keyboard attached, and switch back to IOS when I don't. Or something. I don't know. But I really only want to carry / charge a single device.