What are the chances of seeing an os x tablet from apple?

[jamesapp]

Hello,
I have been reading these forums reagarding the ipad for awhile, and read about the rumors of an apple tablet before the ipad keynote. I was one of the ones who was dissapointed. I just wondered what the possibilities of seeing an apple tablet that ran a os x operating system, in the near future. I have read that tablets that just slap on a full os don't work. And now that the ipad has been released, I just can't see apple releasing another product. And I thought it would have to be a lot different than the ipad, intel processor, os x hybrid operating system, more expensive etc. And I thought they would have to spend some time getting the os right, like getting mac os x applications to run on a multi touch device. I just wondered what other people thought about this?

 

[MacDawg]

I doubt there will ever be an OSX Tablet

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[TEG]

The closest thing you will likely ever find to an OS X Tablet, is the ModBook.

TEG

 

[Sketh]

This has been discussed to death, but there are slim to no chance that this will happen, especially in the near future.

Sorry, but hopefully in time the iPad OS will show you that it's a very capable OS, as really it IS OSx at its core.

 

[PorterRocks]

Although there has been a rumor or two recently about such a tablet, I do not feel it will ever see the light of day. From Apple anyway. (see modbook)

I think the iPad running the iPhone OS is truly Apple's take on the tablet computer and it will just keep getting better and better, adding more and more features.

 

[marksman]

The same chance we have or removing the rings around uranus.

 

[Nebrie]

What must-have feature would a os x tablet do better than a notebook with a keyboard that requires more power than an iPad? (artists are not a large enough of a target segment). When you figure that out, we'll have an OS X tablet within 2 years.

 

[sushi]

The closest thing you will likely ever find to an OS X Tablet, is the ModBook.

Agree. I think Apple has taken the approach that for the small number who want a full Mac OS X tablet, they can use Axioton's solution.

The iPhone/iPod touch/iPad is a different direction. And I think a good one.

Of course in the future and technologies improve, who knows. Apple may introduce a tablet computer that runs Mac OS X.

 

[Surely]

Maybe one day, but probably not in the near future.


I don't think that saying "it will never happen" is accurate though. Maybe 10-15 years from now, touch-screens will be the new standard in personal computing. Only time will tell........

 

[vini-vidi-vici]

I could envision an osx "touch desktop" that could operate either in a traditional orientation, or angled more flat on a desk - say like a 15 degree angle, which might work better for some applications. To work ergonomically, it would have to rest much lower than a traditional desk, so I'm not sure that'd be an easy sell... people aren't likely to go out an buy a new desk. But, I think it's too early to say... it'll depend on a lot of things. I'm not sure if the world is ready for that yet.

 

[bpd115]

Nebrie and PorterRocks have hit the nail on the head perfectly.

I just don't understand why the tech world is pining for an OS X tablet and blowing off the iPad.

This IS multitouch OS X. It's just unfortunate that the name is 'iPhone OS' at the moment.

There are current limits to the OS which can and will be overcome over time with software updates.

From Apple's standpoint, you have a platform designed for desktop use and a platform designed for multitouch apps with apps already numbering 140,000+. Your tablet isn't going to come with a stylus, it's going to use multitouch. Which OS do you put on it? It's quite obvious and anyone who couldn't see otherwise was just expecting way too much.

You don't go out and fragment your developer base and user base further with some bastardized iPhone/Desktop OS X hybrid creating a third branch in the OS X tree.

The iPhone and iPod Touch were simply the beginning. We've yet to see this platform hit it's stride and the Apps that are going to be developed are going to make the bickering of the last week seem foolish.

Apple has another hit on their hands here.

 

[yodaxl7]

I think the iphone os and ipad os will be similar for now, but they will diverge in a year or two. As the ipad establish its own ipad os, it will evolve into the "ideal" macpro equivalent device. For now, it is more so an appliance device for media/productivity/entertainment device.

 

[greygray]

Highly unlikely unless has future plans. Otherwise, I see this as competition to the Macbook.

 

[colmaclean]

There have been rumblings on the grapevine about touchscreen iMacs coming later in the year. Who knows?

However, it's going to take a major upgrade of OS X to break away from it being solely a WIMP environment. WWDC could be very interesting this year.

Any touch Macs better come with windscreen wipers - I've enough problems keeping my 2-year-old's fingermarks off of my glossy screen, never mind my own.

 

[jontucker]

There have been rumblings on the grapevine about touchscreen iMacs coming later in the year. Who knows?

However, it's going to take a major upgrade of OS X to break away from it being solely a WIMP environment. WWDC could be very interesting this year.

Any touch Macs better come with windscreen wipers - I've enough problems keeping my 2-year-old's fingermarks off of my glossy screen, never mind my own.

I can't quite get my head around the idea of a multitouch iMac. I have the 24" at the moment, set at the back of my desk so it's not right it my face and I don't have to move my entire body to see the whole screen. I can't think of a worse way to interact with it than touching the screen to be honest.

 

[maflynn]

I don't see it happening.

It requires a significant rework of the UI to allow proficient interaction by way of a touch screen, instead of a keyboard and mouse. The OSX UI was designed with keyboard/mouse and it doesn't really lend itself to a touchscreen.

Yeah it could work, but not to the polished ease of use apple is so zealous about implementing. The cost would be another factor, you cannot make it too expensive, but reworking the parts may make that.

Then there's the potential audience that will buy on over the iPad. Depending on a lot of unknown variables, apple would have to be careful not to cannibalize potential sales of the iPad and MBP. I don't think the market is big enough to handle both an iPad and a tablet running OSX.

 

[colmaclean]

I can't quite get my head around the idea of a multitouch iMac. I have the 24" at the moment, set at the back of my desk so it's not right it my face and I don't have to move my entire body to see the whole screen. I can't think of a worse was to interact with it than touching the screen to be honest.

I know what you mean. The problem is that most computers are designed with the traditional desk/bureau in mind with the display sitting at the back out of reach and the keyboard/mouse to the fore

For me, a multitouch display would have to replace the keyboard and mouse at the fore. The display would be angled so as to be perpendicular to the user's eye line - rather like this...

The only downside I can see is your posture would be compromised, but then architects have been using this position for hundreds of years...

Also, this would probably mean shares in Ikea going through the roof as people update their office furniture.

So, in summary, I can see this working for specialists, but not in the mainstream.

 

[EssentialParado]

The basic answer to your question?

They're both the 'Apple OS'

The primary difference is that one of them — OS X — was designed from the ground up for a mouse and keyboard, where the other — iPhone/iPad OS — was designed from the ground up for a touchscreen.

So many see the iPad as dumbed down or overly simplified. They don't seem to understand it's OS X redesigned for a touchscreen.

 

[iphonegeek786]

Just think about it, if they would relaease a new tablet it would take away attention from the IPad and they would start competing in which no product would be a major moneymaker.

 

[vini-vidi-vici]

I know what you mean. The problem is that most computers are designed with the traditional desk/bureau in mind with the display sitting at the back out of reach and the keyboard/mouse to the fore

For me, a multitouch display would have to replace the keyboard and mouse at the fore. The display would be angled so as to be perpendicular to the user's eye line - rather like this...

The only downside I can see is your posture would be compromised, but then architects have been using this position for hundreds of years...

Also, this would probably mean shares in Ikea going through the roof as people update their office furniture.

So, in summary, I can see this working for specialists, but not in the mainstream.

This is what I was talking about in my post. If they could make it so the screen could be easily adjusted to work in an upright orientation when that was more appropriate (say, for something typing-intensive), that could be a winner. But, it would be a hard sell - people would not only have to get new furniture, they'd have to take a big leap in how they used computers. Perhaps a few years from now, when touch screens are more ubiquitous, this leap might happen, but I don't see it happening now as a mass-consumer product.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if in some lab somewhere at Apple, there is an early concept prototype of just such a system... doesn't mean it'll go anywhere, but it'd be fun to play with!

 

[G4R2]

I also doubt that an OS X tablet will appear in the near future.

In my view and my understanding of Apple it will depend largely on how OS X and the Mac line develops. If Apple feels that the best experience for the OS will not involve multitouch then the likelihood of a tablet will be low.

The reason I believe this to be the case is that Apple wouldn't want to dilute the value of OS X by providing an unsatisfying touch experience through a tablet. A good example of this is Microsoft and its failed efforts to make its Windows products tablet friendly.

In fact, I would go further and say that OS X is unlikely to receive a touch friendly update. This is speculation, but my rationale is that the laptop and desktop form factors are not ideal for touch input. Whatever aesthetic advantages some users may perceive the ergonomic reality is that reaching over and touching a screen to manipulate objects on it doesn't seem to be better than doing so with a mouse, which may be one criteria for pursuing it.

Additionally, a touch screen interface would require new hardware and leave out all previous users of OS X who don't possess touch sensitive displays.

For the desktop and laptop I view motion gesture recognition as a more likely avenue for UI innovation. It doesn't require new hardware, leveraging the built in iSight, nor does it require a new form factor. And most importantly, it won't exclude legacy computers from being able to use it.

 

[r0k]

Apple needs to do quite a bit of work to bring touch-only to their desktop OS. I don't see them making it a priority right now, but I wish they would. To get an idea what it would be like, go ahead and run an iPhone vnc client on the iPad and count the number of times you really wanted to type something but the OS thinks you are clicking on a different window. Now you need to click to get back to the window you want and somehow bring up a soft keyboard so you can type. The best use case for the Ipad running vnc or screen sharing is with an external keyboard.

I guess one question I have is will the jailbreakers make it possible to load OS X on the thing? It's an ARM core but an Apple proprietary CPU. I bet Apple spent some time thinking about jailbreak prevention when they designed the A4 chip.

Apple needs to see a way to justify the cost of porting all those multitouch things back to OS X, without disturbing the way OS X works with a keyboard and mouse (or magic mouse). They also need to have confidence that a tablet form factor device isn't going to cannibalize Macbook and Macbook Pro sales. Only then will we see an OS X tablet. Screaming and hollering at Apple in blogs and forums isn't going to get us an OS X tablet any faster than ten years of screaming and hollering brought us the iPad. You want to influence Apple? Pull out your wallet and pick up an iPad with Applecare. Then call Applecare and complain if you think there is a legit reason to use OS X on the thing. Apple listens a lot more to its existing customer base than to those who haven't bought one yet but say the might "if only..."

 

[anthonymoody]

I think it's reasonable to expect apple to slowly but surely work touch/multi-touch into what we think of as OSX for the desktop.

At the same time, the iPad will evolve up the foodchain as more "real" productivity apps get developed (Office anyone?), a usable filesystem is developed, multi-tasking is released, and new iron (A5, 6, 7...) supports heavier duty tasks.

See where I'm going with this? I think they ultimately (5 -7 years?) converge, so that what we think of as two product categories today become essentially one.

There will likely always be rigs for heavier lifting: tons of storage and RAM, zillions of cores, etc. that "tie us down" to a box like the Mac Pro does now.

But in terms of portable devices larger than a phone I think we'll see convergence, not divergence, over time.

 

[dan5.5]

I dont think os x is very finger friendly. Imagine using all the menus with ur fingers... if they make the ipad multitask, there is no need for os x tablet

 

[lordhamster]

Shoehorning a desktop OS into a tablet form has been tried over and over for the last 10+ years and has been an abject failure every time.