Will They or Won’t They? More iTablet Speculation

There’s a decent amount of speculation about whether or not Apple will announce an iTablet/iSlate/iPad – a touch screen device which is larger than an iPhone, but smaller than a laptop. Folks have lined up on either side of the debate, whether it be over what the name is, or why Apple won’t rehash this previously unsuccessful form.

Our take is that if Apple does venture into this space, they will likely create a game-changer.  Like smartphones and the iPhone, Apple’s distinct take on the form factor may be important and fundamentally different than previous efforts – originally smartphones were either PDAs with phones built in or PCs crammed into a small form factor.

Apple changed the smartphone game (and still leads it) not by paving the cow path, but by rethinking the smartphone and pushing the focus toward entertainment first and foremost – photo, music, video, etc.  In fact, rather than redesigning the PC or PDA or mobile phone, then evolved and integrated the phone, mp3 player, mobile video player, web browser, and email.

By bridging these disparate technologies, Apple recognized that fundamentally what people wanted was an easy way to use the things most important to them on the go.  The device evolved through third-party app development as well, but primarily, Apple provided a stripped down interface that did the most important things best.

The tablet could be the same – the past takes have been to make a PC with a touch screen, a swivel on the display, and a few, usually lousy features thrown in.  What would a successful tablet look like?  Probably not like a laptop – the laptop/desktop setup still works extremely well for typing and manipulation heavy activities – activities where you want to sit and work on something.

Recognizing the limitations of the iPhone’s virtual keyboard, it seems doubtful that a tablet from Apple would really focus on these tasks – however, if you have tried any netbooks (maybe I have fat fingers?), they aren’t any better.

What would, however, make sense, is that there are people who really want a bigger screen, a larger form factor.  A simple device that has a larger display, that is primarily oriented toward email, web browsing, video and photos, and social networking applications. There are many individuals, especially older individuals, who have legitimate problems with small displays like the iPhone.  For those folks, who are set to become a massive part of our population and have shown they are able to keep up with the kids with technology, a device like this might just make a lot of sense.  Not just from a usability perspective, but from an economic one…