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Apple Tablet: Thoughts by Mobile Mike

So everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has been reporting on the “Apple Tablet” as if it is a for sure thing, and I hope it is, but with a big BUT. From what I am reading and what has been reported, the price is going to be around $800-$100. In my opinion this thing needs to come in between the iPod Touch and the base model Macbook in order for it to succeed. Even as wild as some of the renders are, I just do not see this being as useful as a full-blown Macbook, and $1000 is too high for a niche device of this kind. We have the Kindle, iPod Touch, and iPhone (with subsidy) all coming in around the $300 mark. How much more useful or bad ass will this tablet be, if it really exists?

Think about trying to type on a tablet, how will the buttons be spaced? How would you hold it and type at the same time? I can’t think of a super intuitive way to do it. If it is like the render above, why not just buy a full-blown Macbook?

Why would you buy a $1000 tablet + cell phone + laptop, and carry them all around? In order for any tablet to succeed it has to match the productivity that a laptop or netbook gives you, but for close to the same price. Apple products will always be more expensive, and with good reason, but I can buy a  netbook for $300.  That same netbook will give about 80% of what I do on my Macbook, for some people, even more.

So my whole point of this rant, is that the price of a tablet, whether from Apple or anyone else, should be dictated by the level of productivity it gives you in relation to the gadgets that are already out. Think about it. The Macbook air is a great computer, but for $1400, nt many are buying that over a netbook for the intended purpose.

What do you guys think?


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  1. January 24th, 2010 at 19:15 | #1

    I think the answer is that it will be both a tablet and a netbook. Check out my post to see what I mean.

    http://mintranet.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/apple-tablet-or-apple-tablet-netbook/

  2. January 25th, 2010 at 14:02 | #2

    While the tablet is a computer (just as the iPhone is), I think Apple will position it as a revolutionary media access device — sort of like an e-book reader that does much, more than just reading books.

    I’m excited to see what Steve Jobs is rumored to say is the most important thing he has ever done. A recent rumor on 9to5mac claims the cost will be nowhere near the $1000 price that has been tossed around.

    see: http://www.9to5mac.com/book-publishers-talk-tablet-34566345

  3. Nic
    January 28th, 2010 at 06:15 | #3

    I love how this picture turned out to be 100% spot on

  4. January 28th, 2010 at 14:51 | #4

    Yea I called ;-) LOL

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