I have a sinking feeling.....

[bigjnyc]

looking at that thread which asks how many people would pre-order the tablet made me think.... and i have a feeling that the tablet will not be what most people are expecting it to be. I am sure alot of people including myself want it to be a casual device which will allow you to browse the internet using wi-fi, allow you to store files, view and edit documents etc... basically a scaled down notebook so to speak.
However I think this device is going to be aimed at shoving services and subscriptions down our throats... So the content on it will be only downloadable content and not something that we can store in there ourselves (maybe except for photos). I'm pretty sure it will have wi-fi since even the iphone has it.

 

[Yixian]

The only possible sinking feeling I can associate with the tablet is that $1000 price tag.

If true it's the only thing I can think of that will derail this project.

 

[talkingfuture]

It definitely won't be what most people are expecting. This is Apple they will have some innovation that none of us saw coming and it will look almost nothing like the mock ups.

If only we could get an early sneak peek!

 

[quantum003]

These tablets are going to be huge in higher education, both for instructors and students.

 

[Yixian]

These tablets are going to be huge in higher education, both for instructors and students.

For students, not at 1k. To sell to students the tablet will be 800 dollars or less or have an especially large educational discount.

 

[bigjnyc]

These tablets are going to be huge in higher education, both for instructors and students.

I agree Apple will probably make tons of money, but I think all those casual users who are expecting something to replace their laptops or supplement their desktop for travel will be disappointed.

 

[bossxii]

For students, not at 1k. To sell to students the tablet will be 800 dollars or less or have an especially large educational discount.

For the record... I HOPE this thing is not 1000, but...

I don't know that I see 800 as the magic number vs 1000? Sure cheaper is always welcome in the consumer's eye's but I've seen students all over a local campus with 1200 13" MBP's and a few 15" MBP's I rarely see the Whitebooks which are cheaper. Students imo are not the one paying, the parents are. If the tablet does half what of what's expected of it, people will be lined up around the corner on release day 800 or 1000 a pop.

This thing could very well replace the need for a student to have a 13" MBP. If it ends up useable with a BT keyboard/mouse and has some sort of dock. The taking notes/handwriting recognition has yet to be done well imo, but who knows.

I am in the camp of probably the least expectations. I do not currently have a laptop (sold my 13" MBP to upgrade to newer model) then decided to wait and see what this tablet can do. I would guess 95% of my use on my laptop is in one of a few categories: email, web, video. If the tablet handles streaming/HD video well, I think the other two are a given. I rarely did work related tasks on my laptop and used my iMac with a larger screen and a desktop area to have papers and projects.

Granted if this tablet only does iPhone like functions, no flash video for sites like Hulu and Netflix I won't buy it as it would not serve my needs. IF it in fact does handle those things well then it will come down to price. The $1000 mark is my breaking point so far, would love to see a $700 to 900 max range but I guess we will know soon enough! (unless it's just a mythical unicorn and next week is all about the iPhone 4.0 update) lol

 

[budselectjr]

For students, not at 1k. To sell to students the tablet will be 800 dollars or less or have an especially large educational discount.

Whats another $1000 more to the average college students debt?

 

[ronjon10]

It's going to be hard to keep prices down without some sort of subsidy, be it content subscriptions or cellular contracts.

I remember reading somewhere the iphones would in the 600-700 range without subsidies (that may be old info). This thing won't have to be too much more than that, but I would guess it still puts it around 700-800 at the lowest.

 

[CylonGlitch]

However I think this device is going to be aimed at shoving services and subscriptions down our throats... So the content on it will be only downloadable content and not something that we can store in there ourselves (maybe except for photos). I'm pretty sure it will have wi-fi since even the iphone has it.

Sadly I think you are right about this. If there is nothing to store to, or that we have to buy everything via subscription, then this is not the product I am looking for. I am like you, a light version of OSX to let me do things on the go easier. Along with subscriptions and such, then I will look at it.

 

[Icaras]

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For students, not at 1k. To sell to students the tablet will be 800 dollars or less or have an especially large educational discount.

Whats another $1000 more to the average college students debt?

Nothing at all. But it's just going to have be Ramin noodles for a few semesters.

 

[kellen]

I agree. I do see it being a heavily subscription based premise behind the tablet. I hope it isn't, but thats what it seems like to me.

Heres to hoping it isn't just a larger ipod touch. Make it more like OWC's tablet (more computer) and less like the iphone. I want to run real applications, not those I have to download from apple.

 

[topmounter]

The more expensive the better, I'd like a little exclusivity at the expresso / martini bar otherwise what's the point? But yeah, we'll all end up spending more in subscription and rental fees (through the iTunes store of course) using this thing over the next year or two than what we pay for the hardware.

 

[ntrigue]

Thanks for bringing up the education component. I can't imagine why I would pay over $600 for a tablet then $60-130 for textbooks in university. It's like a hybrid, 20% premium doesn't breakeven on gas for 8 years.

 

[rayward]

It definitely won't be what most people are expecting. This is Apple they will have some innovation that none of us saw coming and it will look almost nothing like the mock ups.

It will also have some glaring omission that will drive people crazy for years, like MMS messaging, cut 'n' paste or Flash.

 

[Tinknock71]

The way the economy is the thing should be priced about $500-800
but Apple does not care they are going to sell a boatload of these things no matter what price they are. the base model will start around a $1000 and go up from there. then maybe down the road when they are not selling the way
they thought they would then they will bump the price down a few hundred dollars, just look a the past Macbook, Iphone etc.

 

[sushi]

Probably won't live up to expectations.

Probably will dazzle us.

 

[topmounter]

Since Apple's earnings reports and stock price don't appear to be affected by the economy, I doubt the price of their (purported) new tablet device will be either.

 

[greygray]

As a university lecturer, having the Tablet can make me stand out from the other lecturers and students' usual drone of Dell and HP laptops.

 

[sushi]

As a university lecturer, having the Tablet can make me stand out from the other lecturers and students' usual drone of Dell and HP laptops.

Depending on what Apple does with the Tablet, I can definitely see a use by lecture/instructor/trainer/teacher types.

 

[Hmac]

The only possible sinking feeling I can associate with the tablet is that $1000 price tag.

If true it's the only thing I can think of that will derail this project.

It is indeed going to be a media device with some web browsing. Any ability to do anything like "real" computing is going to be entirely dependent on whatever apps are available for that purpose.

That's fine with me....I don't want a small tablet computer. I want a media device, and $1000 is no impediment.

As for students not being able to afford an iPad-type of device...please review the cost of college textbooks these days. Textbooks, apps, and value-added features to the iPad will make $1000 a completely viable price point. Yes, people will bitch about it, but they'll buy the thing and in huge quantities. And when Apple gets publishing and subscription agreeements overseas, we'll see another worldwide paradigm shift like the one brought about by the iPod/iPhone.

 

[t0mat0]

As a university lecturer, having the Tablet can make me stand out from the other lecturers and students' usual drone of Dell and HP laptops.

As a university lecturer, giving decent lectures, firing up your students, and helping them will make you stand out from other lecturers.

THe tablet wil be what Apple, and the developers for it make it - they've got a clean slate (hoho), a clean canvas to disrupt publishing, and bring media closer to people.

 

[TonyK]

looking at that thread which asks how many people would pre-order the tablet made me think.... and i have a feeling that the tablet will not be what most people are expecting it to be. I am sure alot of people including myself want it to be a casual device which will allow you to browse the internet using wi-fi, allow you to store files, view and edit documents etc... basically a scaled down notebook so to speak.
However I think this device is going to be aimed at shoving services and subscriptions down our throats... So the content on it will be only downloadable content and not something that we can store in there ourselves (maybe except for photos). I'm pretty sure it will have wi-fi since even the iphone has it.

And what about the iPhone? If the rumors are right and the tablet runs the iPhone OS, then I'm pretty sure there are ways to work with documents and the like. May not write the next, great novel on it, but I doubt it is just a means to ONLY shovel content our way.

For students, not at 1k. To sell to students the tablet will be 800 dollars or less or have an especially large educational discount.

Not students, but students' parents probably. This thing is still in rumor stages with no firm statements about price points, features etc.

Whats another $1000 more to the average college students debt?

BTDT and $1K was painful then. Again, it will probably be subsidized in some form, cost closer to $600 or so (and that may be too high) and provide some form of document input.

Only a few more days until the announcement. Maybe months before we get to see the finished product in our hands. I'll hold expectations and judgment until then.

 

[wisty]

iPhone - high cost. Subscription model.

MacBook Air - Apple's answer to the EEE-PC. C2D, lots of RAM. Costs a bomb.

MacPro - Apple's answer to the PC. Nuff said.

iTablet - let's think about this for a minute. Does anyone really expect an Asus-inspired tablet?

 

[4DThinker]

I convinced parents about 25 years ago that their kids would have to spend an additional $2500 or so to bring their own computer into my department for their educational needs. The parents didn't flinch as the case I made for them needing that computer was logical.

Most college kids (on my campus anyway) already lug a laptop around. Some have moved to netbooks that are lighter and cheaper yet run all of the "required" programs.

For a tablet to make inroads at my university it would have to run the same apps those netbooks run. It would have to be priced the same or cheaper than a netbook. It should be able to survive backpacking across campus every day, rain snow or shine, for two or three years.

I don't see an Apple tablet being college survivable. Netbooks/notebooks at least can fold down to protect their own screens.