Yes, I’ve heard whisperings on the wind for a while that Apple was coming out with a new tablet computer.  And, like any other impending Apple announcement, rumors was all that would be provided.  Being the patient sort, I’ve long since stopped groping for such tidbits, as I know that Apple will dish out the info when they’re good and ready.

But, being as I’m also keeping an eye on the market for a new Apple notebook since the near-death of our PowerBook (my lovely daughter being its attempted killer, the weapon being a cup of coffee), I did have my hopes up for this one.  A tablet, you say?  I was gearing up for something like this little number from HP:

What they put out was this:

It’s called an iPad.  Essentially, it’s more than an iPhone and less than a laptop.  It’s Apple’s answer to a Netbook, those pared-down notebooks with just barely enough power for you to read your e-mail.  And upon first look it seems like it’s a device that I could get into.  I’ve considered an eReader for a while, mostly for the purpose of getting my newspaper subscription without all the hassle of actually getting a paper, and I’ve often wanted something portable for just surfing the web or typing like mad during NaNoWriMo.  So, looking over the specs, I was nodding and thinking that if I had the five hundred bucks to spare I could really consider this.  It is an eReader, but it also comes with all the goodies available for an iPod Touch only in a larger format.

Also, just think of the possibilities for a nerd-boy like me!  What dorky Star Trek fan and gadget geek hasn’t pined after a PADD, those hand-held touch-screen computers that the crew carries around?  I sure would love to have one, and this iPad looks to be just that: A hand-held computing device with a touch screen.

That is, until I realized its limitations.  Mainly, it’s not even a computer.  It’s a computing device, an accessory that you need to tether to your desktop or laptop so that you can update it and sync it with the data you already have.  It’s far too much like Star Trek’s PADDs in that both aren’t really meant for using as a full-scale computer but are instead an extension of a computer (in the show, PADDs only accessed information from the ship’s central computer).  Further, it’s literally a large iPod Touch in its function, as it shares an operating system and is limited to what apps that Apple has allowed to be sold in its stores.

I need not also say that on a limited budget in a time where I would rather simplify things instead of spread my time and effort around to multiple toys, it’s something less than what I need.  I need a replacement for my computer, not an extension of it.  Here’s a formula for what I really want from Apple:

 +

That’s right, Apple! I want a REAL Mac Tablet!  Wouldn’t that be slick?  Say, a 13 inch touch screen with a real computer behind it.  Forget the twisting hinge of the HP up there, I can live with the on-screen keyboard when I’m on the go.  That sounds extremely nice and simple, a true all-in-one computing device that can run my Photoshop and InDesign and Scrivener and still be easy enough to curl up on the couch with and read an eBook.  And wouldn’t the combination of Photoshop and a touch screen just make life so much easier?  I mean, there just comes a point where you’re just using your Mac to dock your iPod, iPhone, and now iPad and keeping it tied down when what you really need is to take some of that and recombine it back into a real, fully functioning computer.

Please do this, Apple.  I promise we’ll buy an iPad to go with it, since my wife just wants one to check her e-mail.  I would prefer something with a bit more meat.

Tags: technology