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Thoughts On An Apple Tablet: Full OS X, Please

March 16th, 2009

I’ve mused on the prospect of a “Mac Tablet” before, but I suppose my thoughts are worth repeating because Apple has an iPhone 3.0 software special event tomorrow, and rumors of some sort of 10 inch tablet are rising to the surface yet again.

Speculative thought / request for the day: I really hope an Apple Tablet runs full OS X. Meaning, the same OS that’s on the Macintosh line. My reasons:

  • Productivity / portability trade off. A 10 inch device isn’t as portable as an iPhone, and if I am going to lose portability, I want a device that allows me to do more things – and an easy way to do this would be to install all the apps I run on the Mac. While many say they could do all their work in a browser or email – I don’t believe you. Wouldn’t it be great to install Firefox? The email client of your choice? How about Boxee?
  • Competition with PC netbooks running XP and Linux. Current PC netbooks (running about $400). They don’t run Windows Mobile.
  • Apple could charge more. The iPod Touch is currently $229. A ten inch tablet Mac running the iPhone OS is essentially just an iPod Touch with a larger screen. Therefore, I’d go no higher than $329. But take the same hardware, let it run full OS X and suddenly, I could imagine spending up to $600 – $700 since that’s the price of a Mac Mini. Heck, even $900 – still lower than the price of a MacBook – somehow sounds plausible.

And what do I think Apple will do? I have to admit, I’m afraid that they will in fact, go with a 10 inch tablet Mac running only the iPhone OS. One big reason why I could see them doing this is for pure profit – since all software sales would be shunted through the Apple Store.

But I really hope this doesn’t happen. Imagine rushing out to buy this tablet Mac, but instead of running Photoshop, VLC, Firefox, or all the favorite Mac programs that would kick ass with a touchscreen – you have to limit yourself to the options provided by the iTunes Store. I think once the glossy glow of a big touch screen wears off, users will realize they got the short end of the stick. The most recent MacBooks run Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, and all the iLife Apps. Meanwhile, an Apple Tablet running the iPhone OS would have a great selection of:  fart simulators.

To sum up: If Apple releases a tablet, I want full OS X. And something that is more similar to a current MacBook than an iPod. Some earlier patent art of a MacBook with a sliding screen is what I think most of us are really after.

(And will Apple announce a tablet tomorrow? My gut instinct says: No.)

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  • jcieplinski
    Your wish list here demonstrates exactly why Apple shouldn't make a tablet at all. Because no one really wants a bigger iPhone, so it has to run Mac OS X. Which means it can't be cheap, or else it will be severely underpowered. And it would have to be operated with a stylus, since OS X isn't designed with big targets in mind.

    I recall a certain CEO dismissing the stylus with a "yuck" a few years back. He was right then, and he'd be right now. Styli suck.

    Not to mention that several years of Windows Tablet PCs have been an utter failure. And not just because they run Windows. This is one of those products that sounds a lot better on paper than it does in reality.

    No device Apple can deliver is going to replace both my phone and my laptop, the two computing devices I travel with every day. I can't fathom adding a third device to that equation, unless it does something important that neither my laptop nor my iPhone can do.
  • Generally agree with you. The more I ponder this, what I really want is a
    MacBook with some multitouch aspects. Maybe the screen flips around. But
    that's about it.
  • I agree that Windows tablets and styluses show that a full tablet computer is a no-go. But, as we discussed on FriendFeed, a mega-touch running iPhone OS 3.0 might make great sense to a lot of consumers as a home device. I definitely think that's where Apple is heading. But I agree - no announcement tomorrow for the tablet. Instead, we'll get a curiously full-featured iPhone OS!
  • I guess we'll see. I can't claim to have much insight on what people will
    actually buy. For instance I think the kindle is rather weak but people seem
    to be buying them. Maybe there are a lot of consumers who are so enamored
    with the iPhone / iPod Touch that the prospect of only running software
    purchased through the iTunes Store is no big deal. I personally shudder at
    the thought :)

    Well, tomorrow morning we should get some clarity on this for sure.
  • I think all the commenters and the author are correct.

    Apple will come out with some sort of touch tablet device that runs a version of OS X. I think this device will be positioned in such that it will not capitalize the sales of current and future iPhones, nor will it cannibalize the MacBook market. This device will sit in the middle between the iPhone, Macintosh and other Apple consumer devices (AppleTV, etc.). Initially I think this device will only have WiFi connectivity, may be in subsequent versions it will support faster WLAN connectivities.

    Along with the rumors of an Apple Tablet there's also a rumor of Apple launching a "Premium iTunes Store", I think this store may contains the "relatively" premium applications (ie. Photoshop, etc.) that the author is looking for.
  • EJL
    A bigger iPod Touch running a hybrid of OS X and OS 3.0 is what I want. I don't expect this device to run OS X in the way my iMac does; the app store has some prety cool stuff I might want. The truth is, for 95% of what I do OS 3.0 would work as long as I could remote to my iMac and Windows (for work) desktops and work in real time as if the tablet "were" that desktop. This is already possible on the iPhone and Touch with a great app - JaaduVNC. The problem is that the experience is hampered by the small size.. In my office I would use the tablet to connect to my patient management software (Widows based) while I'm treating (a 7" screen would be better for my than 10, though 10" would be better than my big and heavy Motion Computing LE1700 (a nice machine hampered by Vista IMO).

    Expecting the tablet to run OS X like an iMac or MacBook may be unrealistic at this point. Functionality through portability and connectivity are the key factors. Slick, snappy interface cannot be compromised. The processors speed, memoery and HD size will limit the tablets ability to run OS X and all the big apps. BUT, if you can connect to your own machine like you're on that machine, it won't really matter.
  • WeX
    Make it with the full Mac OS X (not just OS X like the iPhone and iPod touch) and we are sold. For full blown Apple Keynote and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. About 300 g and 5-inch screen. Pocketable. We need thousands for our University. Like the OQO, but a true Mac OS X tablet.
  • steve
    Amazing! Apple Mac Book has already been very popular and now this technology is certainly going to rock the world.This is not only hi-tech but it is looking beautiful.

    There are more features and articles on here:

    http://www.touchuserguide.com
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