“Apple has filed for a European design trademark which may provide a tantalising glimpse of the company’s long-awaited tablet computer,” Tony Smith reports for The Register. “The filing, made in May this year but only published this week, covers a ‘handheld computer’ and contains sketches of what look like an iBook screen minus the body of the computer.”
“Back in November 2003, old pal Matthew Rothenberg at eWeek let the cat out of the bag with a “hunch” that Apple has seeded prototype tablet Macs with developers. It used Mac OS X’s Inkwell handwriting recognition technology and a healthy amount of knowledge picked up during the development of the Newton OS. Inkwell has been a part of Apple’s system software since September 2002’s release of Mac OS X 10.2. So far, only graphics tablet users have been able to do anything with it,” Smith reports. “August’s Apple Expo Paris may prove more exciting than previously thought.”
More details and sketches here.
Apple isn’t going to make a tablet computer or a phone or a PDA. End of story.
Yeah, good point, max. Very convincing argument.
While Jobs has gone on record saying he didn’t think a PDA was a viable option for Apple, I can really see something like a wireless drawing slate/touch screen, enabling artists to see the lines they are drawing right where they are drawing them, i.e. like paper! Those Wacom tablets are wonderful, but it is so difficult to be drawing in one place and seeing the reults somewhere else, usually in a completely different size. Who better to make such a specialized device than Apple, especially with their in-built artist/graphic designer market?
It is probably a wallmounted monitor.
We wait for weeks for a half-way decent rumour and suddenly there are two: new iMac specifications and now the iTablet! Such a device would be cool for browsing the Net from a sofa and maybe controlling the Airport Express audio output.
“Apple isn’t going to make a tablet computer or a phone or a PDA”
But according to the article, the trademark filing refers to a ‘handheld computer’ which is not the same as a “tablet computer or a phone or a PDA”. End of story.
I don’t know if I want a tablet Mac or not, but I sure wish I could draw as well as the person who did those sketches!
Pablo
Perhaps the head of the new iMac is detachable?
How about if the new iMac had a removable screen.
Add an iPod type dock (but much bigger) and you have the new imac … maybe
If you look at the 3rd sketch, you can even see the hinge release!
Wow!!!
Why would a tablet have a hinge release?
iSlab – Apple’s revolutionary all in one home entertaiment device. Connects to virtually any electronic device wireless or not. Music, video, audio and data all in one islab.
Perhaps it’s a wireless monitor, where your Mac can broadcast a DVD, or movie onto it via Airport Express?
Given that the iMac will be coming out later this month, this “tablet” won’t be unveiled until early next year. I think Macworld SF….
It’s a cutting board. Surf the net and browse the latest recipes while you chop, slice, and dice. (Knives optional extra.)
defrag,
Actually, it looks more like a port than a hinge release.
If Apple made a chopping board I would buy one.
The new iMac will not have a removable screen. That’s been bandied about for years. It would make the cost even higher then the upcoming iMac… and to some that is too much already. It will not have a wireless mouse or keyboard either.
Apple, indeed, is not coming out with a tablet… at least not the kind that is currently failing miserably in the marketplace from M$. This design/patent filing, however, does indicate that they are coming out with some kind of device that looks similar to one. This is not the end of the story. It is the beginning. (Patent filings are not made unless a product is in the works or iminent).
Perhaps the fact the m$ has failed in the tablet pc market means that Apple WILL develop something in that market. Apple has been very successful developing a product for an already existing, albeit slow moving, market, and producing a blockbuster (can you say “iPod?”). Perhaps Apple has seen something that m$ missed in the design of a tablet pc and is going to produce the next blockbuster for that flailing market. Let’s face it, m$ isn’t great at designing products people crave, Apple is. Apple’s entrance in this market may mean that the market would actually start moving because a decent standard will have been established. They’ve done it before, of course, that doesn’t mean they’ll do it in this market, it’s simply a thought.
Yawn… I’m so tired of these stories… For the MAC newbies, they can hope for a MAC tablet of whatever PDA crap the new story is about, but for long time users, we have been dancing with these type of rumors for ever… Sorry, but until I will see the tablet on the APPLE website, I will just say: “BS!”
AlexSpark…
It definitely looks similar to the iPods dock connector. The new iMac may not come with a wireless mouse or keyboard, but if the dock was also the base (main cpu) similar to the current iMacs, then the mouse and keyboard would like plug into it. Then once the monitor is “undocked”… wallah! there’s your iTablet.
The separated monitor looks as though it could hold a small harddrive, doesn’t it… a small “60GB” harddrive, anyone?
my ibook is all i need but im getting kinda slippery lookin at those pics!
i hope they do make one
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make it in nice colors, please.
That article had a few words you don’t hear too often in the PC world… “Industrial Design Team”.
Paul,
You understand of course that this is not a rumor, the filing of a design/trademark. You also understand that this means an actual product is in the offing at some future date…. or do you? Sorry you’re tired, but your “holier than thou” comment is off the mark in this case. Incidentally this seems to confirm reports last year from some very reliable tech writers that Apple was indeed working on some kind of hybrid PDA/Tablet device with a small screen incased in an approximate 5 X 7 form factor. It was even discribed as being a white encloser – similar to the regular iPod. ParisExpo may have more then an iMac G5 to unveil
yeah.. those pics look nothing like an ibook *sarc
Considering Steve Jobs’ comments about PDAs and tablet PCs, any such device will not be called either a PDA or tablet PC by Apple.
Maybe it will run Mac OS X Starter Edition for developing countries…….Doh!