Snow Leopard "iTablet" support?

[Paul Daniel Ash]

More from the irresponsible speculation department.. but IMHO more logically reasoned in this instance: Leander Kahney over at Cult of Mac just found a ridiculously huge virtual keyboard in Snow Leopard.

Located in System Preferences, it serves the same function as it did under Leopard, but is much larger. There's no reason I can think of why one would need a huge virtual keyboard just to show them what happens when you press the option key.

I find this fairly persuasive evidence of hooks being set in the OS for a touchscreen Mac, though I am aware of my bias, being on record as an iTablet fanboi. So take this, as every piece of speculation, with a grain of salt.

(I really do want one of these, though...)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jde4xlmDnfA"].[/ame]

[tudtran]

Wow. I hope the price isn't too expensive.

[hitman10]

I'm going to buy one!!

[rwin84]

This has been previously documented propaganda. Either way, I like it! ;-)

[rockjohn]

THat looks cooL X)

[dennder]

Anyone else think that this is an accessibility additional option?
i'd love to see iTablet one day though.

[Melech518]

Yes, the evidence would suggest that this platform is indeed support for the upcoming tablet. But how soon will we see it? We will just have to wait and see what happens in a week. As excited as I am for the new tablet, I really really really want a MB Netbook more than anything. Yes it is easy for all of us to type on our iphone keyboards, but will it be so simple to type on a 7" or even 9" touchscreen that you cant hold in the palm of your hand? The video emulation of what the tablet would be is about a 13" screen. You will not have a tablet that large unfortunately.

[StealthBravo]

Awesome !

[smuggler]

i think you have every reason to speculate the arrival of an itablet, if that's what they're to call it. it's something jobs is slaving over, so best believe, it is probly not coming this year, but early next. and it'll probly be expensive like all other mac products. you pay for the quality you get.

[zerobrand]

why would i want that if i already got an iphone 3gs AND a macbook pro?

[Frostbite]

This does look sweet. So does the background on his computer. Anybody have it?

[Melech518]

why would i want that if i already got an iphone 3gs AND a macbook pro?

Because its Freakin Awesome!

[AutumnBoard]

Huh, I though it would be an iPhone OS device (I even made some mockups http://www.flickr.com/photos/1505458...7622083758207/), but maybe it'll be a Mac OS X device that can also run iPhone apps. I really hope it has a physical keyboard though; a virtual keyboards on a Tablet like that would be hell. Maybe something like this http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uplo.../itablet04.jpg? I'm betting it costs around $700 or $800 (but I'm hoping for $600, even though it's unlikely) For a release date, I'm betting on mid-October to November. Lets just see what happens... Here are my mockups/hopes for an Apple tablet

[JStraitiff]

axiotron has already developed a whole touchscreen driver set for osx and they transform macbooks and macbookpros into tablets. its actually pretty cool but rather expensive.

Axiotron : Home

[mikerlx]

I could see these used out in the industrial and commercial field for ordering and recieving confirmations like the ups man uses for signatures etc. Exciting!

[mdc929]

september 9th cant get here fast enough.
the attached video is pretty cool.
iWant iTablet

[khyros]

Well I do have one good explanation.

the old Leopard-style keyboard was way TOO SMALL for tiny simbols to be readable. For example, Whenever I need to write vowels points in hebrew using my english keyboard, fnding the right symbols was painfully slow, because they were just too tiny and would all look the same.

now with SL, the symbols are big enough I can actually see them.

[staterunner180]

I think I would rather have a MBP then one of these. My iPod can be hard to manage, and having something that can't fit in your pocket, but isn't quite as powerful or useful as a desktop or a laptop just doesn't appeal to me. If I had the money, maybe as a toy, but I don't and I'm still working on getting a plain old MacBook.

Well I do have one good explanation.

the old Leopard-style keyboard was way TOO SMALL for tiny simbols to be readable. For example, Whenever I need to write vowels points in hebrew using my english keyboard, fnding the right symbols was painfully slow, because they were just too tiny and would all look the same.

now with SL, the symbols are big enough I can actually see them.

Well then why do they have the full QWERTY keyboard on there, instead of just the symbols that your regular keyboard doesn't include? It doesn't add up. And plus, if Apple were going to make an iTablet then 1. Why would they add a keyboard that it would support in the first release of SL? Everyone is predicting that it will be release sometime next year, and surely Apple will be releasing updates to SL before next, in any one of which they could slip in a keyboard for an iTablet. and 2. Why would they make the keyboard in the middle of the screen? If I were a dev and were making a keyboard for a tablet Mac, I would do it like they did with iPhone and iPod, glued to the bottom of the screen.

Just some thoughts...

[StealthBravo]

I have $900 set aside for this

[Melech518]

^me too, maybe even 2