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Comment by DannoHung | Hacker News Reader

I think Gruber's got it right.

Of course, as a Power User, this leaves me... I dunno, miffed? Annoyed? Agitated?

I'm like 90% sure I'm going to want this thing if only for the fact that it's an eBook reader plus other stuff, but I don't see it being able to replace my laptop for programming when I'm away from home. That's not Apple's fault for introducing something that doesn't completely subsume the personal computing experience, but it leaves me somewhat anxious that now I'm going to be carrying around an iPhone and a MacBook AND an MacLet (iSlate, iTablet, TaBook, iWhatwever) when I go on a trip or something.

That's just too much gear! I at least hope there's some sort of unified power solution between MacBooks or iPods and this thing.

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While we're all making predictions with no basis in fact: If in fact Gruber is right and the MacLet will not be a giant-screen iPhone, but rather an entirely new thing intended as the future of personal computing, I predict that every app available for the MacLet will be officially available for the MacBook. The most straightforward would be an officially-supported MacLet emulation mode for MacBooks.

If Apple really is going to position the MacLet OS as the next step in MacBook evolution, they're going to want to gradually transition MacBooks, and the bulk of their owners, toward the MacLet way of doing things. And the way to do that is the same way that Apple has pulled off every other major architectural transition in Mac history: Emulation.

Actually, let's have even more fun by noting that the Mac tradition has always been the other way around: Introduce the shiny new thing, but provide consolation by having it seamlessly [1] emulate the tired old thing. That implies that the MacLet might have a Mac OS X Desktop emulation mode, not the other way around. Now that would be interesting.

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[1] Well, seamlessly enough to make it usable, but not so seamlessly that it doesn't still feel tired and old. The freight train of Progress must not be derailed!

To continue the baseless speculation: I think your second point would be closer to likely because old and busted lacks the touch screen input in this case.

Exactly - I expect you are right in the same spot as the rest of us. What I'm wondering about, as I have my MacBook sitting on my chest while typing - is how/will we type into the MacTablet so I can make posts like this one? The MacTablet will likely _nail_ eBook reading (And I say this as a Kindle, K2, and Kindle-on-iPhone regular user), Video (over 200 iTunes videos, mostly TV Shows, purchased in the last three years) and, of course, web browser (though flash is a wildcard)

There may be some _new_ sweet spots created though - the one that comes to my mind - Photo Management/selection/uploading - Something fast, light(er) and easier than a MacBook to pair up with my EOS 7D would be nice. I'm just _praying_ that it will take a USB-GSM/1xEVDO wireless connection so I can use my existing USA(Sprint 1xEVDO) and Canadian(Bell-GSM) connections.

Here's just one of many potential sweet spots: I've been looking for a solution for a portable music reader for some time; the Kindle and Sony Reader's screens are a bit too slow, too dim, too small and are straight PDF readers (meaning, no intelligence around multiple endings, codas, and etc.) and the dedicated solutions out there aren't exactly worth the money as they're one-use devices. There's always the option of getting a used TabletPC and installing some music reading software designed for touchscreen, but I've been avoiding that because we really have no use for the keyboard, and their interfaces were never as snappy as even the iPhone's.

Count me in as pleasantly hopeful that this is a real product, and that I can get sheet music onto it in a way that allows for ease of using it live...

I too agree. After seeing the Joojoo, I thought, it'd be better to get that thing instead of a laptop. And when I need to be at home to program, I just attach a keyboard. Keyboards can pretty small nowadays. The only time I really need to type a while are when I'm writing blogposts and programming, and usually I have a hard surface available for that. Every other time, like for search terms and comments, it's enough to use a touchscreen keyboard.

You won't need to carry around different devices because you won't need to. you'll use the Tablet instead of your laptop--and perhaps (but less likely), your iPhone.

Just like having a multi-touch screen relieves the need for a mouse, I think there's a possibility that something similar exists for typographic input. If not, I don't mind just attaching a keyboard.

...or using the fancy bluetooth mouse/keyboard combo Apple already has. I can imagine having this tablet that, if I was at my desk, could basically act like an iMac if it could communicate with a wireless keyboard and/or mouse.

Particularly if it comes with a charging stand that holds it in an approximately upright, forward facing position.

Like Gruber says, I think the likeliest solution to the too-much-gear problem is that the iWhatever will simply replace laptops at some point. Maybe I'm being unimaginative, but it seems like anything a 10-inch screen can do, a 13-inch screen can do better, so maybe they'll eventually have a ~13-inch version. And at that point, it'll be too close to a laptop for both to continue existing.

The counterargument is that the iWhatever will be too specialized to replace laptops, but to reference Gruber again, that level of niche play isn't really Apple's style.

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