Why the Apple-faithful pray for an iTablet is anyone’s guess. Perhaps it’s their love for the long-dead Newton, or their strange fetish for a bigger iPhone. But that’s just it: the iPhone is already an iTablet, albeit with an OS X distribution with limitations imposed on it such that it doesn’t appear to be a small computer, but rather, a concise, embedded system.
The primary flaw of the iPhone today (and even after 3.0 is released unto the masses this summer) is the same as it’s always been: the iPhone is great for serving information up, but it’s a poor device for taking input in. We’re sorry, but tactile feedback is absolutely necessary if one is to type quickly and accurately without one’s eyes straying to the keyboard to ensure every last keystroke is accurate. The iPhone’s poor input mechanism is arguably fine for a mobile device that is not meant to replace typical computing functions, but rather, compliment them. The premise of an iTablet, or a netbook, however, relegates such a device to a position where it must replicate the core functionality of a typical computer. For purposes of daily usability, this means that an iTablet/netbook must not only be able to serve content on a larger screen than sported by the iPhone, but be able to receive more coherent input, either in the case of well-evolved handwriting recognition, or simply, via a keyboard.
And when it comes to handwriting recognition, an invariable fact remains: handwriting is inherently slower than typing. So for efficiency, the solution for a compact, on-the-go computer is not an iTablet, as similar devices are primarily novelty or niche devices (like the Modbook). This is especially true if input requires screen real-estate, which takes away from one’s experience that a, let’s say, 10-inch screen, would otherwise produce.
So we come back to the keyboard as a necessary input device. It’s the input device that people wish the iPhone could leverage, and why iPhone owners tend to be drawn back to their computers when at home instead of using their iPhone’s more. That doesn’t mean that Apple’s new device can’t have a screen made of multi-touch magic. Or that the core functionality fetishists want in an iTablet can’t also be there. Rather, we mean to say that an iTablet on its own, without a keyboard, makes for a poor device that would not appeal to the masses after an initial “oh wow” reaction; for practical reasons, would-be buyers will demand a keyboard interface, even if that calls for the secondary purchase of a compact, bluetooth keyboard. Otherwise, they could just buy an iPhone and squint.
So dismiss the idea of an iTablet designed to surf the web; Apple isn’t going to release a web-browser appliance if it enters the netbook market fray, but a netbook with all the makings of a portable writing station, completely integrated with flagship Apple products like iTunes and iPhoto. Maybe this means that Apple’s future netbook will borrow the iPhone’s intentionally-limited OS so that it doesn’t compete with Apple’s Macbooks. Maybe Apple will enable more functionality like better multitasking between applications. Certainly, Apple will leverage the AppStore, and propose that their netbook be tied to a full-fledged Apple computer for best operation. And it will even likely sport 3G integration for mobile web-browsing. But Apple won’t release a device that, for all intents and purposes, acts like a large-screen iPhone. If that’s what they wanted to do, they’d sooner figure out how to make the Annex a possibility.
No, if Apple releases a netbook, it will need to stand apart from the iPhone. It will be a perfect median device between the iPhone and the Macbook. It will be able to use the iPhone’s 3G connection via tethering, else use its own 3G subscription if the user doesn’t own an iPhone. It will sync up with a Mac desktop to swap media files, and maybe even sport iSight for wi-fi enabled video conferencing. It will have a keyboard for blogging that can probably be stashed away for simple web-browsing.
And everyone in the market for a netbook will want one, even if it’s slightly more expensive than the competition.
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