Munro Stewart

November, 2014

November, 2014

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About

June, 2014

I wonder if the rumour about the 12.9 inch iPad might not be the whole story, or even the correct story. There is a good chance the rumor is correct. However, here are a few possibilities I thought up of what Apple could do. Maybe this is more wishful thinking on my own part. Ideas that have been going on in my mind of what could happen next with iOS, tablets, laptops, and mobile computers.

As I mentioned in an earlier article, I think it's possible that smaller 8 and 7 inch tablets could become much more popular. If that happens, 10 inch and larger tablets could fall out of favour. Or more likely, the role of the laptop and tablet could change for some people, and merge into a single device. So, what are some other options of what the 12.9 inch iPad rumour could really be? And what are some options that Apple could consider in the future for the design of iPads, MacBooks, and other portable computers.

1. A New iPad With Built-in Keyboard. iBook?

Could it be possible that Apple has seen how popular keyboard accessories are for the iPad? Maybe they feel an extra accessory is a poor experience and they could offer a larger "iPad" which is actually a laptop? What I'm saying is this would not be either an iPad or a convertible tablet. It would simply be a laptop form factor with a keyboard that cannot be disconnected. A 13 inch laptop with a keyboard that runs iOS. It could be superlight. It would have crazy battery life. If they kept the same resolution it would still have a PPI of 200, which isn't perfect but is still much higher than laptops. They could even bring back the old name of the "iBook".

Separately, what if even though a keyboard was attached you could still stand the computer on its side to put it in portrait. You could swivel the keyboard backward and behind the device so it stands up with the display facing you. The keyboard would be at the rear of the device and turned off. You could kind of lay it in your lap in portrait mode too. Maybe it would allow the full yoga form factor where you can also swivel it all the way around. Though I bet Apple might not do that unless they had a second LCD where the keyboard normally is so it doesn't feel weird holding it with the keys facing out. I wouldn't expect an LCD keyboard/touchpad with better predictive text input at this point yet.

2. A MacBook Air With Retina Display

So Apple is making a 12.9 inch iPad and people assume it must be true. Maybe it's as simple as that. However, what if it is "just" the next version of the MacBook Air with a retina display. Both changing the display size to make it a little smaller than the 13.3 inch version, and offering only one display size could be a possibility instead of the 11 inch version. Maybe a bit of bigger redesign and some new features is also possible. I'm not sure if the MacBook Air ever really had a big redesign since it was introduced in 2008.

3. A MacBook Air With Touch Screen

Many people would say this is very unlikely and I suppose it is. However, I still think it's very possible that touch screens will come to all laptop and mobile computers. Yes, it's uncomfortable to reach out and touch a desktop monitor like Windows 8 tried to get you to do. But reaching to touch a laptop screen that is on your lap or just above it on a desk makes sense.

4. A Macbook With A New Touch Centric OS X

What if Apple does like the idea of using touch on laptops but not on desktops? How would they make this happen without the poor experience of just slapping a touch screen on top of regular desktop Mac OS X? One option could be to slightly change Mac OS X to make a laptop version that is touch centric. They could allow regular Mac OS X applications to still run on these new touch screen MacBooks. But a new UI specification would be created for laptop applications kind of like how iOS for iPad was slightly different from the UI of the iPhone. Eventually developers would write to this new UI type and all desktop OS X applications would be written in it. This would be a way of making Mac OS X able to support touch on laptops without adding support for a touch screen to iMacs and Mac displays, while improving the UI of Mac OS X to be more touch friendly and like iOS.

5. A Macbook With OS X On ARM

Not that all of these aren't unlikely, but this guess is probably very unlikely this early on. It will happen at sometime probably though. The title pretty much says it all. My guess is Apple will probably port and release Mac OS X on ARM now that ARM is 64 bit. If and when that happens it will be a big deal, like when they switched from Power PC to Intel. So that announcement would really be the important one and would possibly supersede the announcement of a 12.9 Macbook with OS X on ARM.

6. A MacBook Air With Both OS X And iOS On ARM

Even crazier, they could have the next version of the MacBook Air run both OS X and iOS. In this case, the new MacBook Air would obviously have a touch screen. A button on the keyboard or a gesture could switch between OS X and iOS. Maybe tilting the screen back to a certain degree could switch it to iOS. And maybe like in my first guess you could stand the device on its side and when you turn it beyond 180 degrees to this portrait mode it automatically switches to iOS mode.

Conclusion

So the rumour was a 12.9 inch iPad, possibly with a 4K resolution. But I have found that people often take some of these rumours as being all or nothing. Sometimes a rumour has been possibly right about something but missing the exact result. These are some possible guesses I had of things Apple could possibly do that involve a 12.9 inch screen. All these are just guesses and thoughts but the rumour of a 12.9 inch made me think of these. Wouldn't it be cool if I somehow guessed the way they go with any of these?

Rumor: Apple considering 12.9-inch iPads with 2K and 4K resolutions for 2014 launch

Steve Jobs was quoted as saying 'I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Fewer people will need them.' It seems to be happening. However, in my mind there has been a significant evolution of the tablet landscape in the first 4 years since the iPad's introduction. And I believe this may have a bigger impact than we currently realize on what role tablets and PCs will play for people in the future, and what other PCs or devices we may use.

It might be obvious at this point, but to me it's looking more and more like tablets that you can easily hold in one hand will become the future of tablets, while larger tablets will merge with laptops and also include a detachable or even an attached keyboard. This means tablets of about 8 or 9 inches, but not nearly as wide as the original 9.7 inch iPad. And certainly not larger screen sizes of 12 or 14 inches that are used for laptops with keyboards built-in. Instead, these larger 10 to 14 inch tablets will merge with laptops, while tablets of 8 or 9 inches will really be the largest pure tablet size. Again, phones and pure tablets will be devices you can hold comfortably in one hand. Larger "tablets" or laptops will more likely include a keyboard, unlike the original 9.7" iPad.

If this happens, it could mean that a tablet may not be as good at completely replacing a PC or laptop as some people were hoping. Basically, as smaller tablets become more popular, it becomes more likely that more people may also need a laptop or desktop PC with a keyboard, even if it also includes a touch screen like a tablet. Meaning, the small tablet may not be their only device, and may not have a large enough screen and keyboard to do everything they need their main computer to do.

When the 9.7 inch iPad was created we couldn't have known exactly how it was going to be used. What all could you use it for? What couldn't you use it for? Would it replace a laptop? Would you use a keyboard? How easy would it be to hold in one hand? If tablets are cars, maybe the original 9.7 inch iPad could be the Ford Model T. Not changed significantly for a while but eventually being phased out. Maybe a better comparison would be the large-sized cars of the 60s to 90s that many people drove. Those models of cars are still useful but were eventually replaced for everyone by smaller cars. Maybe this happened when it was realized that if you didn't have a truck or a minivan, that the extra bit of room didn't bring much value over a slightly smaller and cheaper car for what you needed it to do.

There are many reasons why 8 inch tablets that you can hold easier may become the de facto standard and 10 inch tablets will become much less used. The success of 7 inch Android tablets. The ease of use of smaller e-book readers. The introduction of the iPad mini with retina display. The failure of Windows 8 to create the everything laptop and tablet hybrid with one unified operating system. The rumours about the next versions of Windows putting more emphasis on the desktop interface again, presumably for laptops and desktops. The fact that Google has not tried to make Android a desktop OS. The trend for phones with much larger screen sizes so that people might not need a phone and a tablet. Maybe most importantly, having a tablet, phone, or other mobile devices you can easily hold and carry in one hand has turned out to have many advantages over larger tablets like the original iPad with its 10 inch 4:3 screen.

It might not be exactly what Steve Jobs wanted, but sometimes you just can't know how people will use what you create. It often evolves and through trial, error, and use by actual people you mold it into something useful. Turns out, that new mold might be a slightly smaller 8 inch tablet that can fit in your hand, or a larger "tablet" that is more like a laptop computer and has a physical keyboard. And with a keyboard and a larger screen you are blurring the lines between whether it is a car, or is actually a truck that is just easier to use.

So if I'm correct, we've found out by trial and error between Apple, Microsoft, and Google what the best size of a tablet is. You can hold it in your hand easily and type on it with your thumbs. To me, the biggest effect of this is that more people who tried to buy 10 inch iPad tablets or 12 inch Windows 8 tablets as a do it all laptop replacement will start to buy more 8 inch tablets. Many of these people will still need a truck. A laptop or a desktop PC with a screen larger than 8 inches, and a keyboard and stand built-in. It will likely include a touch screen like a tablet and simpler software like a tablet. But with a larger screen and an attached keyboard it might be just as much a laptop as it is a tablet, or just as much a truck as it is a car.

Even though we get used to the fast paced way that software gets updated, it can be hard to understand at times. Sometimes I look at some decisions on software support and wonder why it's so different than other industries. I wonder why it has to continue to move so quickly and not allow for standards that can be agreed upon or last long enough to become common, platforms that exist for more than about 3 years, devices that exist for more than about 2 years, or software that exists in a similar form for more than about 1 year. For instance, the following.

Google Apps has dropped support for IE9. IE 9 was released on March 14th, 2011, just 2 and a half years ago. IE9 isn't even installed on Windows 7, but is an upgrade to IE 8. And Windows 7 is the most used OS in the world and was released on October 22nd 2009, just 4 years ago. What this means is that over 90% of the people who have a PC or notebook need to update their built in web browser to run Google Apps. Forget about people on even older operating systems like Windows XP, who can't update their browser to IE 10.

I understand that software within an OS, and even an OS can often be updated easily and freely. And even operating systems are now being updated freely and somewhat easily in many cases. Both Windows Update and App Stores on mobile devices were great advances in the software industry. But why is everyone being "forced" to update so quickly?

Being a tech junkie and software developer I like new features, getting new software, and playing around with cool new apps. But even for me, the speed at which software is getting updated is now creating more negatives than positives in many cases.

Why do standards and platforms have to change so often? Why can't the computer that you or your grandma bought last year with Windows 7 and IE 8 work to run Google Apps and other websites properly? Why do you or her "have" to update to a new browser, which is essentially a built in OS for the web, just to make sure your online email works correctly?

Being a tech junkie and software developer I like new features, getting new software, and playing around with cool new apps. But even for me, the speed at which software is getting updated is now creating more negatives than positives in many cases. It's just moving too quickly to be useful at times, where you "have" to update and can't even choose to use your older software and apps that worked fine. Apps that ran quickly on your device, that had no new bugs introduced, did everything you needed, and that you had learned to use all of its features easily because the interface didn't change.

So I can understand what normal people think. People that bought a new PC a year ago. People who log in to check their email and see that not only has their email completely changed its interface and features, which is frustrating enough. But that they also need to update their "browser" just for it to work. The result is that their email runs slowly now because IE 11 is on their old computer, and that they can't figure out how to reply to an email because the interface and features have all changed. Or worse yet, they need to get a new computer just to check their email properly.

Google Apps dropping support for IE9

• I think Apple might have messed up with the new design of the iPhone 5 and iPod Touch.
• The one thing they really needed to update after 5 years was the screen size, and I don’t think they did that correctly.
• It should have a 1280x720 screen from 4.3 to 4.6 inches and there should be no home button on the front.
• They needed to change the design and screen more, making the screen cover most of the device.
• The home button could be a button on the side.
• Yes it would hurt compatibility with old apps a bit more, but they would still run.
• And this is finally the device they made with a bigger screen.
• The new design feels half-hearted with just the longer 4.0 inch screen.
• They really needed to make a bigger change.
• And why not move to a more common resolution like 1280x720 when finally making the screen larger.
• A much larger screen covering most of the device and no home button is what they needed to do in my opinion.