Asustek plans Eee Book e-reader and tablet PC to rival iPad
February 6, 2010 | No CommentsNetbook pioneer Asustek Computer plans to launch its own e-reader and a tablet PC to rival Apple’s iPad in the second half of this year.
The company will focus on bringing content providers on board when it releases its tablet PC, said Jerry Shen, CEO of Asustek, during the company’s fourth quarter investors conference.
The company will also launch its first e-reader device, the Eee Book, at Computex Taipei 2010 electronics trade show, which runs June 1 to 5.
Details about both devices were not immediately available.
More: NetworkWorld
Amazon: The King of Computing?
February 5, 2010 | No CommentsIt’s one of those funny little situations we find ourselves in where we start to see some clues of Amazon’s long reaches into computing. We mainly see Amazon now as a retail-like store selling everything from books to DVDs to microwave egg cookers. But if you look under the hood, you also see they are relatively strong in selling cloud-based comuting spaces to anyone who’s tired of havng to constantly upgrade their hardware. A lot of companies have taken advantage of the cloud-computing services that Amazon now provides. Jeff Bezos made a great decision to offer these services. After all, they had all this massive hardware for tracking all of their sales; why not use it for cloud-computing services? Makes sense. Now with the Kindle, they also have a nice little niche area where they have gained a loyal following due to the simplicity of the device. It reminds me of the original blackberry messaging devices which weren’t good for anything-else, but was super efficient at messaging.
So, with all of that in mind, one can extrapolate quite a bit, as far as the imagination will take you. What if the Kindle out performs the Apple iPad and becomes a household item used for everything from reading books to controlling the TV to buying stuff over the internet (gee, I wonder what site they would go to for that?)? Then imagine Amazon coming up with their own operating system similar in functionality to Google’s Chrome OS. Preposterous you say? Well, why not? 10 years ago, no-one would have imagined that Amazon was going to sell their own manufactured device (Kindle) or even have a cloud-based computing service.
In the future, we could have internet appliances that run Kindle OS 7.3 that provides an instant-on access to the inernet. 10 years from now, people could be asking, why were Google and Microsoft, and even Apple so ignorant about Amazon? While they were fighting amongst themselves, Amazon blew right past them and conqured the computing field? Bill Gates and Steve Jobs will both be retired by then and Steve Ballmer will be under pressure to resign from Microsoft for having failed to understand the bigger picture. He just couldn’t competently compete with other, smarter companies. He just didn’t get it. He needs to understand why he’s the laughing stock of YouTube videos.
Does all of this sound crazy? Just a wild speculative banter? Well, perhaps. But consider this: Apple computers was just a computer company in 2000. Then they launched the iPod in 2001 and a few other things that slowly moved them away from Computers and more into home appliance-type equipment (e.g., iPhone, Apple TV, etc.). So, why can’t Amazon do the same? But they don’t have Steve Jobs you say? Well, he’s certainly the main reason why Apple is what it is today, but there’s certainly capable people at Amazon as well. When Jeff Bezos came up with the name “Amazon,” he may have had something-else in mind than just the size of a large bookstore. He may have been thinking of an amazonian-sized computer company capable of dominating the industry. Don’t laugh. It’s possible! One of these days, I’ll say, “I told you so.” That’s right, you heard it here first.
Amazon may be feeling a little “touchy” as well
February 5, 2010 | No Comments
According to a New York Times article, Amazon may be looking to upgrade the Kindle to use a touch screen. It had to happen sooner or later. Here’s the article:
In a sign that Amazon wants to upgrade its Kindle e-reader to compete head-on with the Apple iPad, Amazon has acquired Touchco, a start-up based in New York that specializes in touch-screen technology, a person briefed on the deal said Wednesday.
Amazon will merge Touchco’s technology and staff members into its Kindle hardware division, Lab126, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., this person said.
Touchco, which began as a project at the Media Research Lab at New York University, had roughly six employees and had not yet turned its technology into a commercial product. The terms of the deal were not known.
More: New York Times
Finally, the iTablet
February 5, 2010 | 1 Comment
Well, after being fooled by Apple, we finally have the “iTablet.” Most people thought Apple’s new device would be either the iSlate or the iTablet. Very few thought iPad had a good chance. Here’s the real iTablet as indicated by the TrustedReviews article below:
For years it had been thought that Apple would announced the ‘iTablet’, but instead we got the – ridiculously named iPad – so why should anyone pass up such a heavily hyped brand?
Consequently, UK company X2 has finally give the world its ‘iTablet’ and in the process done what many hoped Apple had planned in the first place: create a tablet with minimal bezel and full desktop OS combined with multi-touch.
More: TrustedReviews
The iPad And Chrome OS Netbooks Are On A Collision Course
January 30, 2010 | No Comments
An interesting article from TechCruch concerning the issue of Netbooks. This was bound to happen. My only input at the moment is that Steve Jobs may be right in his statements concerning Netbooks being just cheap laptops. But these cheapies are still perfectly capable of running office programs and light games. That’s really all I need. Here’s the article:
“We don’t know how to build a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk.”
“Netbooks aren’t better at anything.”
Those two quotes are both from Apple CEO Steve Jobs
. The first was during an earnings call in late 2008 when Jobs fielded a question about why Apple wasn’t cutting prices amid the rising success of netbooks. The second came on Wednesday as Jobs was unveiling the iPad.
Apple has made it clear all along that they had no plans to build a netbook. And true to their word, they haven’t. But that doesn’t mean that Apple didn’t feel there was a need for a device that resided in between a full laptop and a mobile phone — in fact, that’s squarely where Apple is positioning the iPad. With it, they feel that they’ve created a $500 (for the baseline version) device that is superior to every netbook out there.
More: TechCrunch
Secret to the iPad’s success: Business customers
January 29, 2010 | 5 CommentsIn the short and perhaps medium term, the iPad is going to sell relatively well. It’s multimedia and ebook-reading capabilities should help it sell well. But in the long term, Apple must cater to the business crowd if the iPad is to survive and thrive.
This is because there is no clear killer app for this device. It sits halfway between two well-understood devices (a phone and a laptop). Most people will use it primarily for surfing the web and email. In that case, it’s not much different than a netbook and some may argue that the form-factor for a netbook is better since netbooks have a physical keyboard you can comfortably type on as well as a screen that you can swivel to better view the contents on the screen.
People are comparing the iPad to the Kindle and other e-readers when they should be comparing it to netbooks or even full-blown laptops, as the comparison there is more appropriate. Every netbook or laptop can essentially do what the iPad now does except for the multitouch features and more easier reading of news/magazines/books (i.e., can hold the iPad like a thick set of newspapers or magazine). People who just want to read books, may opt for the Kindle or another e-reader product. People who just want to surf the web and email may opt for a cheap netbook. They may ask: why pay for a $499 tablet when I can get a “full” netbook for $200-$300?
But Apple still has the cool-factor going for it. The iPad is undeniably cool even with all of its shortcomings and maybe even some flaws (e.g., the awkward digital keyboard). It’s also very compact and simple to carry around, much more easily than a laptop/netbook. Battery life is also phenomenal assuming the 10 hour continuous-use extimate is not an exaggeration.
So, with all that in mind, Apple needs to take advantage of the situation and make this thing more acceptable to business users. In this case, I would say that Apple should take a cue from Microsoft. Go after the business customers and the rest of the world will follow. The implementation of iWork is a darn good start. Now you need to make sure that it is fully compliant with all of the requirements that IT departments usually spew out, such as security issues, compatibility with MS Exchange server, etc. Take it from a well-informed consumer who considers himself a well-rounded hybrid between a technie, business man, a loving father, good husband, and a discerning consumer…..make the device more business-compliant and you will see sales of this device skyrocket.
Finally, for goodness sake, make the back of the iPad flat so that it can be placed level on a business desk for easier typing!
iPad versus Kindle
January 29, 2010 | 5 CommentsThe iPad or the Kindle? You knew this “battle” was coming. So, who’s the best? It may just depend on one’s tastes and possibly even one’s stubbornness.
At the moment, there are a few arguments either way. First, iPad officionados (it’s funny saying this as the product isn’t even available on the marketplace yet) are obviously pointing to the multimedia capabilities of the iPad. That is, who wants a black and white reader that does nothing else when you can have a device that does email, browse the web, play videos, etc. in addition to allowing you to read books, newspapers, and magazines? On that note, the iPad clearly seems to be the winner.
But hold on a second. The die hard Kindle folks would argue that when they want to read, they really don’t want to do anything-else. All they want is a solid, consistent experience without any distractions. They may also argue that they like the simplicity of the Kindle’s monochrome screen. But that may be more stubbornness than logic.
So, on the surface, you’d think the iPad would win hands down from its multimedia advantages, but those die hard Kindle fans would disagree. It’s a little similar to how die hard fans kept sticking with Macs even after Microsoft’s Windows kept improving over time and (dare I say it) even seemed to surpass the aging Mac OS? This is of course before Steve Jobs came back to Apple and reinfused life into the Macs with OS X.
One other issue that plays in the Kindle’s favor is price. The lowest-level iPad ($499) is about twice the cost of the Kindle and will certainly play a factor in the debate, but in the long haul, this difference should shrink as the price of the iPad is sure to down over time. But then so too will the Kindle.
The bottom line may be what personality you have and how tech-savvy you are. There are a lot of people who buy a Sony Playstation 3 because they think they’re getting a bargain in terms of being able to play video games and play blu-ray disks in one machine. But there are others who just want the simplicity of playing blu-ray disks only, or don’t like the added cost of the PS3 as compared to a standalone blu-ray player.
So, while it’s not a clear-cut picture, I would still give the iPad the edge. Over time, I believe the iPad will dominate the tablet category as the iPod has done in the portable music area.
iPad? That’s So 2002, Fujitsu Says
January 29, 2010 | 2 Comments
It’s Fujitsu’s iPad from 2002.
Sold mainly in the United States, the multifunctional device from the Tokyo technology company helps shop clerks verify prices, check real-time inventory data and close sales on the go.
Fujitsu, which applied for an iPad trademark in 2003, is claiming first dibs, setting up a fight with Apple over the name of the new tablet device that Apple plans to sell starting in March.
“It’s our understanding that the name is ours,” Masahiro Yamane, director of Fujitsu’s public relations division, said Thursday. He said Fujitsu was aware of Apple’s plans to sell the iPad tablet and that the company was consulting lawyers over next steps.
More: New York Times
Apple iPad: First Impressions of actual use
January 29, 2010 | No CommentsWalt Mossberg from the Wall Street Journal does a good job of providing his (and others’) first impressions of actually using the iPad:
It’s about the software, stupid. While all sorts of commentators were focusing on how much Apple’s new $499 iPad tablet computer looks like an oversized iPhone, the key to whether it can be the first multi-function tablet to win wide public acceptance probably lies in whether consumers perceive it as a suitable replacement for a laptop in key scenarios. And that, in my view, depends heavily on the software and services that flow through its handsome little body.
I have only spent a short time hands-on with the iPad–too short to fully run it through its paces and formally review it yet. But, after attending the rollout of the new device today, and trying out some of its features for myself, I have some first impressions.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs positioned the iPad as belonging to a new category of device between the smartphone and the laptop (since the netbook, in his view and mine, is really just a small, cheap laptop). But, as the demos unfolded, I kept thinking it was more like a hybrid of the two.
It uses the iPhone’s basic user interface and physical design. But, taking advantage of a 9.7″ screen and a fast Apple-designed processor, the iPad adds some user interface elements and functionality that aren’t available–or at least typical–on smart phones, but look more like computer software. For instance, its photo program works more like iPhoto on a Mac than the photo app on an iPhone, and it will be available with a touch version of Apple’s iWork productivity suite, which is Apple’s take on Microsoft Office. This is a much more powerful program than the phone-based office suites for the iPhone or BlackBerry, and Apple (AAPL) is only charging $30 for it.
More: Wall Street Journal
Tags: All Things Digital > Apple > Apple iPad > iPad > Mossberg > Wall Street Journal > Walt Mossberg
Things that are missing from the Apple iPad
January 28, 2010 | 6 CommentsThe Apple iPad is going to be a hit. It is one slick-looking device with some neat capabiliites. Although not a lot is new, it has the familiar ease-of-use and polish that is characteristic of all Apple products. It has virtually all the multimedia capabilities you could ever want and the addition of iWork gives it the potential for business use.
But there could have been more. I could list many little things that I think could have been included, but I’ll just point out a few major things. Before the iPad was launched on Wednesday, March 27, 2010, there were a lot of rumors speculating on various capabilities of the new device. Some of these included a camera that could be used for video-conferencing and perhaps facial recognition. Also, the capability to use the device as a phone would have been nice as well. That is, one could hook-up an earpiece to use it as a phone. That way, we wouldn’t need to carry around an iPhone as well. If Apple is going to partner with AT&T to provide 3G support, why not also provide phone capabilities?
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the lack of an announcement for any real breakthrough in the user interface. I had been hoping that much like the iPhone’s multitouch announcement, there would be some kind of revolutionary interface announcement. With all of the clues from Apple’s various patent information floating around, I had been hoping for some kind of complex finger-gesture interface, similar in concept to how sign language is done. This would likely require a little bit of a learning curve, but the payoff in ease-of-use could have been revolutionary.
Oh well, maybe in a future version of the iPad we may see something like this.
By the way, while we’ve seen most of the things in the iPad in other devices, the iTunes apps and the Apple logo associated with quality and ease-of-use will ensure this things is a hit.
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