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Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
Minifit XL Laptop Stand Chills Your Computer's Hot Spots With Movable Fan
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Invisible-Echidna
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
If it's all finger and no stylus, the Apple fan in me will be happy, but the artist in me will die a little.
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kohrtoons
08/28/09

@Invisible-Echidna: totally agree, now if they make it so you can use pressure sensitive pen and touch that would be wicked awesome.
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SirGecko
08/28/09

@Invisible-Echidna: Stylus is needed for any sort of real tablet funcitonalitiy anyway. You can't take notes with your fingers. (and touchscreen keyboards suck) I'm a tablet PC user and if apple ever wants to get me they need to release a product that has a stylus and programs that work well with it. Till then Microsoft really has no competition.
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Invisible-Echidna
08/28/09

@SirGecko: I sure hope they realize that. At least with these rumored bigger versions.
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badhatharry
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
No, I think it caught you by surprise. If they're really-for-true releasing a tablet, it would be ridiculous to hamstring it with the iPhone OS. I already have an iPhone. It fits in my pocket and makes phone calls. I think APPL has the foresight to realize that almost everyone out there has no need for an iPhone that won't fit in their pocket, and won't make calls. I think the closest product to this will be a Macbook Air without a keyboard. But give this the iPhone OS, and it's going to be Cube 2: Electric Boogaloo.
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Blackberry Bold
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
15 inch!? That's too big.
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Clem-Clone
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
I worked for Apple in R&D, and they *always* made multiple versions of the next Mac, taking them to production prototypes before picking one for release. The others died then. not a surprise to hear and see these variants.
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RainyDayInterns
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
We heard it will be a flexible screen which can be rolled up and carried in a tube.

The best part is that it is solar-powered.
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Edited by RainyDayInterns at 08/28/09 9:56 AM RainyDayInterns was starred RainyDayInterns was unstarred

MrBlahBlah
08/28/09

@RainyDayInterns: you forgot to mention that it will shoot rainbows and cure cancer
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Sea Chicken
08/28/09

@MrBlahBlah: Only rainbows and a cure for cancer? I want it to drive me home from the pub when I'm pissed.
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iatacs19
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
If it runs full OSX and it's 13in, I am sending Apple my money. GAME OVER.
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pɹɐoqʎǝʞuǝʞoɹq
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
I was thinking, unless snow leopard has been designed to be touch friendly, I'm dubious it'd be full 10.5. I would imagine if apple chose to use full osx, they'd use a modified version like what they did with the apple tv, but to work with fat fingers. Also, those of use who hackintosh our netbooks know that OS X isn't meant for 10 inch 1024x600 screens as some of the dialog boxes are too big. apple using different OS's in a single line seems improbable. It would be like using PowerPC and intel chips in the macbook line. It would be confusing for the customer, and a pain for developers. I'm not saying its impossible, but improbable and foolish IMHO.
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cabjf
08/28/09

@pɹɐoqʎǝʞuǝʞoɹq: Exactly what I was thinking. There's an extremely limited market for this type of thing. It's just a laptop without the keyboard once it hits the 13 inch mark. Now if they want to make 6-10 inch iPod-like portable media devices, I could see a good implementation really taking the market by storm. A tablet pc without a keyboard running full Mac OS X? That just doesn't sound like something Apple would pursue.
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chefgon
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
It doesn't matter which one they choose, if they attempt to introduce a tablet running either iPhone OS or Mac OS, it's going to suck. New form factor requires a new interface, it's as simple as that. Shoehorning in something designed for a tiny screen or something designed for a large screen just isn't going to hold up.

I frankly don't buy any of these rumors because Apple seems to have a history of really thinking through their UI and making sure it's appropriate for the task at hand. Until they've come up with a clear purpose for a tablet to exist, it's impossible to design a relevant UI for it, and slapping on a UI designed for a different task is just going to make it cumbersome no matter how well it worked for its original purpose.
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KTK1990
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
I do wish they could be like the rumor and you be able to plug them into any mac (and possibly a pc) and use them as a second screen (or a mirror) and be able to write on it. That would be perfect for my classes, I use a ton of photoshop and the graphics are funky.

But how would they get the keyboard? Slide out? Keyboard like iPhone? Will it have some new way? Will that be available for regular macs? Will it be running a special build of 10.5/10.6? Multi-touch screen? Compatibility with other programs?

Will developers have to add a trigger in their program to trigger the on screen keyboard? What will happen if you try and play a game that uses keyboard? Will the device rotate sideways and use whatever space is needed to display the keyboard?
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Michael Crider
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
Seems like wishful thinking. Apple isn't going to move away from the locked-down (and extremely profitable) iTunes-->device model of the iPod and iPhone. Everything up to now points to a large Touch to compete with netbooks and e-readers at the same time - Apple wants an extension of their dominating mobile market, not another full computing device that requires so much more engineering.
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ludwigk
08/28/09

@Michael Crider: While I agree with you that Apple would use a tablet to "stealth-expand" their iTunes App Store debacle up a notch from just mobile phones, I disagree that a mobile tablet of this kind would require less engineering than a straight OS X tablet of some kind.

Where do the engineering savings come in? In either case, they need to port one of the two existing OS X flavors to this device, they need to write APIs to support whatever hardware innovations it brings, and provide 3rd party developers the tools to write for it.

If they made a full-blown tablet, it would basically be a Modbook with some improvements to gesture/touch UI in desktop OS X.

If they made a "mobile device tablet", it's a high resolution iPhone.

I don't really see a scenario that saves them a tangible amount of engineering over the other.
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TheAlmeida
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
With this, Apple could threaten the Kindle, steal some share of the Notebook market, and be the first tablet everyone would want to use.

I am really, really excited about this.
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rjp: This is my rebuttal
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
I don't believe that Apple would do this. That would make a single product line with a significant difference and lack of compatibility between two models. Right now Apple has two distinct businesses, and there is no blurring of the line between them: Computers and Mobile devices. The differences are clear enough so that it is pretty easy to realize that an application for your mobile device won't run on your Mac and vice-versa. If they were to create a line of tablets, some of which run full OS X and some of which run Mobile OS X, it would be an uncharacteristically confusing move for Apple. Suddenly people want "the iTab," but which one? Even with different names, the products appear similar enough to cause mass confusion (think of the typical Apple customer).

I really hope that the devices don't run a mobile-specific OS. They're too big to fit in your pocket, so making them a little beefier so they can run a full desktop OS isn't a problem and unlocks a lot more possibilities for usage. Running a full desktop OS also wouldn't preclude them from allowing compatibility with the App Store, since the developer's kit already can emulate the hardware.
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zavoid
08/28/09

In reply to Rumor: Apple May Be Working on XL Tablets Running Full Mac OS X
i really hope they all run mac os X.. iphone os on a large form factor isn't worth my time.. its great for a phone.. give me my os X on the full tablet
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rpm773
06/19/09

In reply to Minifit XL Laptop Stand Chills Your Computer's Hot Spots With Movable Fan
I can see the use for cooling pads when setting your laptop on your lap, but why is this needed? Are laptops getting so hot that the internal fan or the airflow present when setting the unit on a hard surface isn't sufficient to prevent it from cooking itself?
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GitEmSteveDave_IsNotLarryGaga
06/19/09

@rpm773: Sometimes the heat generated will stain/discolor a surface. I know from experience.
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GitEmSteveDave_IsNotLarryGaga
06/19/09

In reply to Minifit XL Laptop Stand Chills Your Computer's Hot Spots With Movable Fan
Now does this cooler blow air or suck air? I have coolers of both kind, and I always wonder the difference in the two, performance wise. I feel the ones that blow down may work better b/c if you "strangle" the intake of a fan, it's performance drops. When the intake is under the laptop, it sucks cooler air under the whole laptop, which allows cool air to get to the lappies intake. Also, the intake for the fans aren't blocked or have a clearence issue.
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