“This one caught us by surprise, but it comes from a source that has always been 100% reliable: Not only Apple may be working on a 10-inch tablet, but also in 13″ and 15″ models, one running Mac OS X,” Jesus Diaz reports for Gizmodo.
“This source claims that the two touchscreen prototypes—made of aluminum, but on the shape of big iPhones—were in a factory in Shenzuen, China. One of them ‘was running Mac OS X 10.5.’ When I asked, the source didn’t know if these were built for demonstration purposes, or if they were preproduction units. The company has a tight relation with Apple but ‘it’s not FoxConn,'” Diaz reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Real or not, you decide. All we know, is that over a year ago we reported a rumor that Apple’s secret product is ‘MacBook touch’. Said our source — the same one who tipped us to wireless iTunes Store sales direct to iPod and iPhone a week before Apple debuted it — in staccato fashion:
Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured Multi-Touch. Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion’s haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS. Pretty expensive to produce initially, but sold at “low” price that will reduce margins. Apple wants to move these babies. And move they will. This is some sick shit. App Store-compatible, able to run Mac apps, too.
Our source subsequently told us that “the SuperDrive will not be part of the finished devices, ‘It was just in some of the prototypes for various reason(s).'”
Sounds very, very unlikely to me. 10.6 is not known to be touch-optimized, let alone 10.5, so why does the source say they are being used? Also, the 15 inch screen would make it too fragile. I reckon Apple is deploying an emergency false trail – maybe someone has come too close to the truth?
how would I carry a 15inch tablet
It would explain partly why SL was necessary – slim down the MacOS and app footprint, increase the speed, move the UI towards iPhone – so it will fit on an SSD with spare room, run OK on a slower processor and match the iPhone visually.
iPhone to MacBook touch halo effect?
if they come out with a 15incher, they should make their own line of cargo pants, where the pocket on the side of your leg is big enough to hold on
@Jim: I’d figure it out.
@Macintosher
15″ screen to fragile? Not necessarily. The source said the devices are made of aluminum. Maybe Apple finally found a way to make Scottie’s “Clear Aluminum”.
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http://www.physorg.com/news167925273.html
Apple just found another leaker….
It’s an iBook, stupid. A Kindle –on steroids — that can also be used as a small laptop. Not full blown 10.6, but perhaps more than the iPhone/iPod Touch — if you want 10.6, etc. get a MacBook, duh — that will connect/interface nicely with your MacBook, mini or iMac.
Maybe it folds up. The iOrigami.
@thehirdshoe
Probably so!
@HMCIV
I think you mean “Transparent Aluminum”.
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I´ve sid it before but here I go again;
There will be a “tablet” and it will be in different sizes, AND it will be named MacBook. The new MacBook is the tablet. I guarantee it !!
(as in I guarantee you a happy life)
@HMCIV
Yes, I know about the aluminium, bit an unprotected glass display of that size would need holding together with duct tape – and that would ruin the effect!
I’d expect Apple to experiment with all types of sizes and devices and materials. It’s a new frontier and they, and any other smart company, would want to try out many prototypes.
What matters is what they finally deem is worthy of bringing to market. And until they compare all sorts of possibilities, they can’t be sure of the best solution.
@thethirdshoe
Watch out in the news for another Chinese worker “suicide”.
I don’t care what size the screen is, as long as it’s snappy.
@ Dev,
You and me both have said it before. It is why they added “Pro” to the 13″ MacBook. The Tablet(s) will be referred to, if not named, MacBook. And to everyone…… wait for it…….. Suck it MAC dorks.
@ROFLCOPTER
Oh don’t you worry. It’s definitely going to be snappy….and tasty!
It’s also going to go great with milk.
Snappy is the new cool.
Oh wait – no it’s not – it’s old and done to death.
@ HMCIV – transparent aluminum is *already here*.
Main use so far is canopies for black-project aircraft, apparently (that’s me putting 2+2 together from the corporate website, not some ‘free-republic’ lunacy).
I think it’s important to note that the Finder is just an app… and getting that app up to speed with the Cocoa frameworks makes it easier to change the ui behavior(?) Or perhaps the new 10.6 Finder optimizations / rewrite is just the result of a parallel effort of developing a new touch Finder for such devices(?) Take for example, the new Stacks behavior… being able to drill down the entire system… seems like it would be perfect for touch input… Interesting to think about… Regardless, I think it’s all very likely.
They’ll be snappy and touchy.
ahem
remember me?
prototyping yes, manufacturing…… mmmmmaaaaayyyybe
and to be more specific its 10.1″ 13.3″ and 15.4″
usage, modeling, and supporting of the units must be up to Mr. Jobs standards before we proceed with anything other than the 10″
These devices are being re-re-designed to sneak an AppleTV TV into your home without you knowing, we determin after a few months there will be a demand for larger units based on the same core design, but then touch becomes a misnomer, we will resolve this by allowing you to bond the devices, for example you can control your 100″ apple tv tv with your 10″ apple tv tv, if you so choose, this will also allow you to control your same size devices, with the same device. get it.. this is all still prototyping
I call phony. Not the rumor of course. The rumor is true. But it is a decoy put out by Apple to flush out the leaks. Someone is going to be fired or some company is going to loose a contract over this…maybe there will be an unexplained suicide somewhere in Schezuan province this weekend.
For those persons who think that OS X .5 or .6 is not well written for multi touch, you are morons. How many of you have MacBook Pros or MacBook Airs? Don’t give me the “Jarrett, that is a track pad not a screen” If you moroons don’t think that our favoraite fruit company could not manage to tweak “Their” OS then you are all dumber than I thought. Trust me, that in itself is saying something.
MDN Word, Family….. As in you are all part of the family….MAC dorks.