This device has the potential to completely revolutionize "lifestyle" computing. No more keyboard, highly portable, specialized low-cost apps, entertainment. Its gonna be huge!

My doubt is with with the general utility of HWR. I used to like it, took all my MBA notes w/ an AAPL Newton MP2100. But now I find that I type about 100X more than I handwrite. I can type far faster than I can write, legibly at least. Makes sense, that's why typewriters were invented, after all. So now I have no more desire for HWR, except for specialized apps. I had HWR on the iPhone for a while and took it off.

My next challenge is remembering how to handwrite. I can still produce attractive cursive if I really try. But most of what I handwrite looks like a doctor's prescription pad. It's pathetic, really.

Wish I had not picked up a NetBook a few months back.

I think part of tomorrows announcement will include a price change on iWork. I think it will be fully bundled with new machine purchases. That will help increase Keynote adoption. I can see the tablet becoming a popular portable presentation device as well.

Here's what would impress me:

Good, no, GREAT handwriting recognition.
MAJOR storage capacity, unlike the crappy flash iPods (at least over 200 GB)
Good screen
Serious h.p. to handle ripped DVDs, etc.
Battery life exceeding 6 hrs in normal usage
Cell provider agnostic

Anything less will be pointless except to the mouth-breathing Apple fans who will stampede over each other to get one.

Apple ][ computers were beige

I'd gladly trade more battery life for less storage. A ripped movie is 2GB or so, doubt I'll want to carry 100 movies on it.

Most of the movies I've ripped are much less than 2GB, usually between 200 and 400 MB. They are compressed and usually lower resolution, but I was running them on a 480x320 screen.

I still need someone to explain, step by step, why I would want a touch screen computer without a keyboard?

Is Apple introducing the mildly-rumored what's old is new program?

http://s.ecrater.com/stores/114841/4...85_114841b.jpg

http://www.selectric.org/selectric/stack.jpg

Without a physical keyboard? Because on-screen keyboards work well enough for most thing, and most things that people do with computer-like devices don't need a really good keyboard. Such as: Youtube, music, streaming TV, websurfing incl PPOT, email, texting . . . But you do need an on-screen keyboard of some sort.

Leaving off the physical keyboard means a bigger screen and/or a smaller, thinner, lighter device.

I don't know if you guys are like me, but I like to lay down in bed or on the couch with my laptop on my chest for browsing the internet. Now, that would not be possible with a tablet device, because you cannot hold the screen in a vertical position. Just sayin...

No explanation needed. You don't want one.

You have been using a keyboard for decades. It's what you are used to. Me too.

Apples success's over the last decade have been in part due to their targeting a very specific demographic who enjoy a nice amount of discretionary income and are also at the top of the early adopter category.

Teenagers and mid to late 20 somethings.

It's much easier to gain customers through adoption than it is through conversion.

Wish I could find it online. There was a Zits strip where the boys are having issues with their cell phone. They come up with this brilliant concept of public access communication devices strategically placed on corners around their town that accept money and allow you to call anyone in private.

They invented the phone booth.

You'll put a pillow on your abdomen and prop the tablet up against it and probably find it's easier to use because you are interacting with the screen directly in your line of sight vs having to use the keyboard which is on a horizontal plane relative to your line of sight.

Or maybe not.

Pillow? Don't Apple owners just spring wood whenever ogling the product? :cool:

Agreed! Completely.
I guess I would trade some of the storage for more HP, or battery life.

I'm ogling my Apple product while responding to your post. From (for) which the wood springs in this instance is a secret I only share with my priest. :D

LOL :D

time to move this to the religious forum. ;)

and as you steady it, you type one handed...

Oh, how true . . .

You should hear my workmates jealously fighting with each other about who gets to go work our booth at Macworld.

Ian

What would make this device really cool is:

- Wireless internet + access to cellphone networks (and not just AT&T)
- A bunch of USB connectors for keyboard, mouse, etc...
- A good video card and video connector for using larger monitors
- A processor giving the ability to use a full blown OSX on it...
- Built-in camera
- 200+Gb SSD storage

We`ll see what Apple comes up with...I mean come on, this is going to be more expensive than a netbook, so it should outperform one as well.