Pop Mechanic's look at the Tablet as the future of Magazines (1 Viewer)

[Walter Kittel]

Well for one thing it is a passive source that is viewed via external light sources, the same way you read traditional media, books, newspapers etc. LCD screens, etc. are active sources that are essentially shining a light into your eyes. eInk displays have better resolution which make them easier to read.

I've read a number of books on my Kindle and I assure you that it is easier on the eyes than any other electronic text I've encountered to date. (Making a Kindle to non-eInk comparison. I have no experience with any other eReaders but I believe they employ the same, or similar screen technology.)

- Walter.

 

[Ted Todorov]

eInk is just a repackaging of the ancient LCD screens which didn't yet have backlighting I would agree with the anti-LCD sentiment except that for professional reasons I read/write on a LCD for 10 hours a day and as long as I use larger fonts my eyes don't get tired.* That, and by current evidence, more people currently read eBooks on the tiny screens of iPhones/IPod Touches than do on Kindles.

Making assumptions about battery life on a as yet fictional product is plain silly. But hey, let me add to the silliness by assuring you that if you do nothing but read on it, it will last a heck of a lot longer than 5 hours.

Which is why I am unconvinced with Ted's perspective, that it need simply be a color Kindle to succeed

But it won't simply be a color Kindle, that's not what I said (or tried to say) at all. It will not be a giant iPhone with magazines on it. We can't imagine what it will be, just like we couldn't imagine the iPhone before it was released. All I was saying is that in the future all reading will done electronically, and, trust me, it won't be done on a slow, clunky grey screened, monochrome device.

*I'm old enough to remember and have been a part of the resistance to color computer displays as we were convinced they would be much harder on the eyes than greyscale was. I was wrong then. I have learned my lesson -- never judge future tech with your impressions/prejudices based on past tech.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Anyone trying to envision the Apple tablet based on existing products including Apple products, or based on current predictions should read this excellent article, which details all the (mostly woefully wrong) predictions for the iPhone.
technologizer.com/2009/12/28/iphone-rumors/

So close your eyes. Relax. And let the reality distortion field wash over you when Steve Jobs introduces the tablet.

 

[Walter Kittel]

it won't be done on a slow, clunky grey screened, monochrome device.

I take it from that quote that you do not own or use on a regular basis, a Kindle; because IMHO that statement is only correct in so far as it displays text on a grey monochrome screen.

To each their own of course, but I'll stand by my opinion (and personal preference) regarding the comfort factor of eInk vs. current LCD technology for non-casual reading.

- Walter.

 

[DaveF]

Quote:Originally Posted by Ted Todorov

I'm being a techno-pendant now, but to my understanding, [url=http://www.eink.com/technology/howitworks.html]eInk and LCD are work in fundamentally different ways. They key practical difference is that LCD requires constant power to maintain the display. eInk's breakthrough is that power is needed only to change the display, but not to maintain it. That's what enables the Kindle to have a 2-wk battery life, and why an LCD-based system will not have a multi-day batter even for "just reading".

 

[Walter Kittel]

You bet, Dave. I was merely focusing on one aspect of one potential function for the device. What it does and how it does it will be interesting to say the least. Unless the device is completely underwhelming, I'm sure I'll be a proud owner.

- Walter...

 

[Ted Todorov]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walter Kittel
To each their own of course, but I'll stand by my opinion (and personal preference) regarding the comfort factor of eInk vs. current LCD technology for non-casual reading.

- Walter.

Right, the key word here is current. Apple already doesn't use current LCD technology -- all their new displays -- MacBooks, iMacs and Apple Cinema Displays are LED, not LCD. OLED is right around the corner, and after that...

At the pain of future ridicule, I predict that the current eInk technology will go the way of the monochrome displays of my misspent youth.

I do agree with one thing -- the main reason eInk was introduced is due to superior battery life. I think that the iTablet's battery life will be "good enough". Apple has made huge strides in battery life -- it recently (in real world performance, not advertising) doubled the battery life of MacBook Pros when it switched to the new non-removable batteries. (I have a removable battery unibody MBP & a non-removable battery unibody MBP, same GHz processor, same amount of memory -- the latter lasts at least twice as long). Just because things are one way today, they doesn't mean they'll stay that way.

Sure the Apple tablet won't last for 2 weeks without a recharge, but it doesn't need to. If it makes it to a full day -- it's got it made. It can be recharged overnight.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Ted,

No ridicule intended.

I certainly agree that the technology is not at a standstill; the point of the link I made earlier was that the same application of resources to monochrome eInk might provide superior returns vs. the pursuit of a color eInk solution. Of course, I am approaching this from the standpoint of a consumer whose primary reading is fiction and limited technical reading. For myself, color offers little improvement over the current experience. For electronic newspaper, magazines, periodicals, etc. I can see where color would have more utility.

I am sure something better will come along but whether that is an improved version of eInk or another technology remains to be seen. The low power consumption of eInk is an appreciable advantage as it stands today. Whether that remains true is all part of the fun.

- Walter.

 

[Sam Posten]

Psssttt Ted look at post #11 I hate the sloooow refresh of e-ink otherwise it seems fine to me. But the chances of apple making anything e-ink related are between slim and none, and slim just left town

 

[DaveF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted Todorov

Quote:

Right, the key word here is current. Apple already doesn't use current LCD technology -- all their new displays -- MacBooks, iMacs and Apple Cinema Displays are LED, not LCD. OLED is right around the corner, and after that...

"LED" displays are LCD displays with LED backlights instead of the previously used fluorescent. It is more energy efficient, has no warm-up time, is brighter, and (I think) can provide better color accuracy. But it's still an LCD. The picture is not actually formed by individually illuminated LEDs (contrary to marketing insinuations). And it is "current" technology; it's commonly available in consumer HDTVs, as I'm sure you've seen.

OLED has been right around the corner for a decade. I believe the 3" display on the Zune is the largest mass-market use of it. Size increase continues to be a problem. Has an affordable 8"+ OLED screen been seen yet?

As for battery life...it's an interesting question. Is a Kindle-esqe two weeks necessary? Probably not. But how long between charges is acceptable for a "book" or music player? Physical books don't shut-off halfway through a flight from NY to CA, or during an unplanned 7-hr layover in Phoenix (been there), so I'd think you need at least 6-hrs before recharge of simultaneous music and reading (screen on); preferably 12 hrs for an international flight. Seems not impossible, but not trivial. But maybe a shorter battery life is OK for the target audience / uses and that's not a serious design driver.

It's part of what's exciting to see come of this alleged device.

 

[Sam Posten]

This sounds familiar: http://daringfireball.net/2009/12/the_tablet

 

[DaveF]

I saw you had a new post and knew you beat me to it!

Gruber captures many of my thoughts better than I can say 'em.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Posten

Psssttt Ted look at post #11 I hate the sloooow refresh of e-ink otherwise it seems fine to me. But the chances of apple making anything e-ink related are between slim and none, and slim just left town

I'm getting daft -- I did search for tech-something in this thread before posting the link, but it must have been the wrong something...

Anyway, couldn't agree more with Gruber's article. I'll be shocked if he isn't fundamentally correct. January 26th will be very exciting.

 

[Sam Posten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveF

Gruber captures many of my thoughts better than I can say 'em.

He has a way of doing that, doesn't he? I could never be an obsessive like him or Siracusa, but the world needs people like them.

RT @gruber: I started the notes for today’s “The Tablet” piece at 4p on Thursday 26 September, at the hotel bar in Chicago the day before C4[3] started.

 

[Sam Posten]

And in this corner:

http://www.marco.org/310348919

 

[Sam Posten]

Siracusa completes the Trifecta:
http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits/2010/01/antacid-tablet.ars

 

[DaveF]

If Apple has a tablet, I think the most important attribute -- and design decision -- is the input method. I assume it's a general purpose device, with power comparable to a MacBook. So it needs robust input for web, email, and also document creation and management. A physical keyboard moves it towards a conventional laptop design. A virtual keyboard could work; but will people be satisfied with thumb-typing like on an iPhone, especially on something that seemingly can be used as a full document editor? And at an assumed 7" - 10" screen size, it's too large to hold in-hand; it will have some desk use. Lying flat on a horizontal surface is good for typing, but lousy for viewing. But tilted up (and requiring integrated support, as Gruber considers) is good for viewing but bad for touchscreen typing. And then there's the whole stylus approach, that I think everyone dismisses out of hand.

I assert that defining and designing the input system is the most important aspect of the entire endeavor. It might be a trivial solution, but that will key to the entire design and software philosophy.

And I keep wondering if this will be a MacBook Air device: of interest to a niche, not general-audience like iPod and iPhone?

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by DaveF

If Apple has a tablet, I think the most important attribute -- and design decision -- is the input method. I assume it's a general purpose device, with power comparable to a MacBook. So it needs robust input for web, email, and also document creation and management.
....
And I keep wondering if this will be a MacBook Air device: of interest to a niche, not general-audience like iPod and iPhone?

I don't really agree that input is a conundrum. This smacks of the same sort of criticism the iPhone got -- "Apple must release a version with a hardware keyboard, otherwise..." Well guess what -- wrong. Wrong because the virtual keyboard works just as well as the non-virtual ones on competitors like the Pre & Droid if not better.

In the case of the tablet, those using it primarily for consuming as opposed to creating media, will be fine with a virtual keyboard. And those who decide to use the tablet to write their dissertation will use a Bluetooth keyboard with the tablet propped on a stand or its dock.
....
If Jobs wasn't convinced the tablet will be a general-audience hit it never would get released in the first place.

 

[Sam Posten]

The ultimate chicken little guide: http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/The-world-doesnt-need-an-Apple-tablet-or-any-other/1262456214 either this will be the most cogent analysis of why the tablet bombed or the biggest piece of ridiculed claim chowder demonstrating why people should not underestimate Apple.

 

[Eric_L]

I very much disagree with Mr. Wilcox.

His error is in viewing the tablet as a new, or niche product. It is not. It is the next logical evolution of the laptop. It is late and I am tired, so my point will not be particularly eloquent.
How many times have I wished my iPhone had a much larger screen, or that my laptop had a touch screen? The tablet will be the killer app for this need. Imagine picture and video editing with a touch screen!

Everyone is thinking about entering text with a keyboard, but why not with a stylus? Think outside the box. Imagine being able to underline, draw borders, whatever, without tricky menu commands!

Gaming could be quite interesting with a touch screen. More than one point (mouse arrow) for focus/data entry.

One feature of the iPhone which he forgot is tethering - which is enabled in markets less restrictive than the US. (which I find ironic) With tethering a tablet and an iPhone would go together like pudding and Chinese food. (Talladega nights quote) I still haven't figured out why Apple has hamstrung themselves with an albatross of a partnership like AT&signal lost...
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