The Original Tablet
daringfireball.net
daringfireball.net
But the problem with that is that the original iMac, the product that made Apple relevant again, was conceived before Jobs' return. To be sure, he added his magic to the product that eventually came to market, but it was very much the case of Jobs imroving on someone else's product. (As was the case, more debatably, for the iPod)
The difference wasn't that Jobs dreamt them up from start to finish -- it was that he could take credit for them from start to finish.
Is it something that could have been done much earlier or something enabled by recent (or impending) changes to available technology? Hardware for an iPhone quality smartphone was available a decent prices for a few years before it came out (especially if all you want is a phone that handles music and video pleasantly, not internet & installable apps), but not many.
If Apple comes out with a tablet that succeeds because Apple has figured out the right use-cases & metaphors for it, that might mean that they could have done it ten years ago. That's something.
Being large enough that reading web pages is not a chore, but small enough to be easily held in one hand and poked at with the other.
Many (, many...) elaborations come to mind, but thats the minimum viable product. Its kind of amazing that tablets haven't been more successful. Unless you are actively editing text (not the norm on the web), that keyboard is just there to prop your laptop monitor up at an appropriate angle. And the mouse? Cocoa Touch has made that seem pretty silly outside of pixel editing.
Similarly, there aren't any shipping devices with a 7-10" capacitive touchscreen. Whether or not any of the various tablets with one announced at CES beats Apple's to market, the kinks in said displays weren't ironed out before this year.
In that same sense there are Tablet PCs and so called "Slate PCs" out there. What will make Apple successful is creating a package that can appeal to the average user.
Windows Mobile was never designed to be friendly for the average consumer.
Did it ever occur to the WM designers that wiping the entire handset for a OS upgrade isn't the best experience. iTunes isn't the best program but it's day when compared to the night of a WM upgrade.
"Installing the new software will erase all data on the device."
"All third-party applications and data that remain on the device prior to downloading will be deleted and unretrievable"
Come on now. The iPhone was the first phone to have a usable browser on it.
Much like the iPod, the iPhone is the smartphone done right. It's success is, likewise, very well deserved.
People don't buy machines - they buy abilities.
Maybe. If its core functionality is at all tied to the way people use the Internet today, then no.
I've got a iPod Touch now, and the killer feature is the web browser/Email, I don't even have any music or any video stored on it, the web/email is a killer enough feature on it's own. (Music is on my phone, which I always have with me)