http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA

I think we should separate the groups of people we are thinking about. I’m thinking about artists specifically and what this could mean for them. You are thinking of the average consumer (video, audio, web, documents etc. ). In the case of an average person, yeah it would definitely not make sense to buy one of these. But in the case of an artist who would like to draw directly on the screen (barring any difficulty a glass screen would provide) it’s priced well i think. Also, everyone is speculating on the price anyway. We have no way of really knowing what it will be until 1pm Eastern Standard Time when the whole thing goes down.

Now if this device was $200 – $400 (which would indicate that Steve was on drugs &/or had an epiphany), then I imagine it would sell like hotcakes. Especially if it’s billed as a replacement for an ereader type device will full color screen capable of all the other awesome media goodness.

Is the tablet going to have USB ports? How are you going to get files from your jumpdrive to your tablet? It will run a version of Iphone OS. Will it support Flash? Do you need to use iTunes to sync it to a PC/Mac?

The tablet will be a niche market. Only uppity Apple-snobs will get them. The average user will see a $800-$900 tablet, and a $300 netbook. They both do the same thing. One is very familar to use, the other is very different. They will pick the netbook.

1. Probably.

2. I disagree. Netbooks aren’t too big to be mobile. In fact, that was the whole basis for their popularity (besides pricepoint). We are the Panera Generation! The Apple tablet will more than likely be around the same size in length & width (definitely not depth).

3. For a lot of people yes, for some no. Either way a keyboard as we know it would probably not go over that well, but we have no idea how Apple will approach this problem. History has proven that they invest lots of time and effort into problem solving, and I think that today they might unveil something “different”.

4. Again, Netbooks.

You have some very good points. But the fact remains that there is public desire for such a device. We want a all in one kind of product that is a little easier than a pc but not heck bent on being colloquial with it’s user interface and applications. We want connectivity anywhere anytime. The market is still shifting so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Though I have to give it to you on the glass thing as I had not considered it. Drawing on a glass surface might be problematic.

1. It’ll be too expensive.
People speculate it’ll be around $800-$1000. For that much, why not just get a macbook? The macbook will be more powerful and more practical.

2. Its too big to be mobile.
Are you supposed to carry this around with you? On the go, people will just take their Iphones or smartphones.

3. Touchscreen input sucks.
A touchscreen keyboard sucks. A physical keyboard with the tactile feedback is head and shoulders above any touch keyboard. A laptop (macbook) would be much more comfortable to type on.

4. Where is it practical?
Are you gonna use it at home? Why bother if you already have a desktop/laptop. Are you gonna use it out and about? Why bother if you have a smartphone?

I don’t doubt the Apple Tablet will be amazing and revolutionary. The MAcbook Air turned a lot of heads when it came out. The key point about the tablet is the price point. The tablet needs to be priced comparably to Netbooks. If it is too expensive, no one will buy it. No one bought Macbook Airs because they were expensive, and for that price you could easily get a more powerful Macbook.

For comic book artists, drawing on a glass screen is a nightmare. Even writing on a glass screen is a nightmare.