My Thoughts: An Apple Tablet WON’T look like this…
I have seen all the mock-ups, and the “leaked” images, and various speculations, and what strikes as interesting is how uncreative so many folks seem to be.  Digging back to my blog entry from March 2006 you will see an idea of what many thought (1 year in advance) a new, all glass, iPod Video would look like  Note they assumed the interface would just “virtualize” the wheel.
Jump forward nearly 4 years and many MegaDecibles of hype later, and you can see the lack of creativity still abounds.  Most prognosticators are predicting “a larger iPhone” with some of the images shown (purportedly “legitimate from inside sources”) showing exactly the same layout–to include a speaker where there is currently an ear piece.
Give me a break. Â We won’t have to hold this up to our ears so why should Apple be captive to that design?
I see no reason for the device to look “like a larger iPhone” except in the broad brushes of Steve Job’s design Ken. Â Remember, Jobs likes simplicity, and we were “told” after the release of the iPhone that he wasn’t happy with the concessions they had to make for the few buttons that exist on the iPhone.
What can we expect to see? (and check back in 16 hours for my Mea Culpa.)
- All Glass Front
- Touch Interface
- No buttons on the front
- In fact, no buttons. Â Except power.
- Pencil thin
- limited physical connections, if any. Yup, no Firewire, no USB. Maybe not even an iPod connector. WiFi/3G only.
- Power connector? (can you say “no–inductive charging?”)
So, if the rumored names are true, expect exactly that-a slate. Â A blank slate.
My thoughts? Apple will surprise us again. Â And that should be no surprise.