The 9” screen size may seem strange to some but that 1024×768 screen on the iPad combined with its 700gm, 1.5lb weight enables three key features. Long-term use, high quality and multi-user capability.

Based on my ever-evolving ‘Mobile Computing Segmentation’ diagram and  with recent input from DevMob 2010, I’ve put together a list of applications that would sit well on the iPad [Specs and latest info] and you’ll see the three features I’ve mentioned drop out straight away but before we start, here’s the diagram which gives you some idea of the applications that won’t be unique to the iPad and may be more suited to other form factors.

Click to enlarge.

Clearly there are applications like PIM, Voice and video telephony that would be better on a smaller device and if you were to take a look above the iPad, productivity rules but there are some distinct categories of applications that would work well on the iPad…

Entry-level 3D video. Screen real estate, high-bitrate video capability and screen resolution is required for 3D and for the 1-meter experience, the 9” iPad will  be the best device for it.

Basic Video Editing. We’ve seen some excellent video editing packages on the iPhone. I’m blown away by Reel Director every time I see it but there’s something missing from that. Getting accurate cuts, high quality preview and having more information and drag-and-drop capability is something that only starts to happen on a larger screen. I can’t wait to see a version of Reel Director for the iPad.

Multi-touch gaming. Multitouch with one hand is something. Having two hands to control a playing field is something else. Devices of 7” and above can start to offer this experience although the iPad needs a stand to really get the best out of this possibility.

Multi-person gaming. Two-handed multitouch doesn’t have to be done by one person. 9” allows two people to sit on the corner of a table and play with each other. Board games, arcade games and more. This multi-person aspect is unique to large-screen multi-touch devices.

Multi-person video/photo view. Think about the 1 meter viewing experience. Now think of two or three people sitting next to each other at 1-meter from the screen. For this experience to work well you need size and screen viewing angle. The iPad is set-up perfectly for this as it uses IPS screen technology that improves screen viewing angle. (IPS also improves brightness which means the iPad will be the only device of this type that can be used outdoors. Anyone for World Cup football on the go?

Page-per-view documents. At 7” screen size it’s very difficult to view pages of documents as they were created (books, diagrams, comics, presentations) without have to zoom and pan. At 9” page-per-view becomes a reality. Magazines, comics, newspapers and documents viewed without zoom or pan become more immersive. We’d argue that 11 or 12” would be a more comfortable size for such a usage model but at that size you increase weight so much that the device becomes difficult to hold.

Rich, long duration web experience. The minimum width for a full web page is somewhere around the 800 pixel mark. On a 7” screen this requires relatively high pixel densities which can require a zoom to make text comfortable. The 768-wide (in portrait) screen of the iPad is going to be better than most 10” ‘wide’ screens in portrait mode. The pixel density is of around 132 PPI will be extremely comfortable for almost everyone. (Think every member of the family.)

More iPad specifications and information in our iPad tracking page.

Rich document / media creation. While text input may not be perfect on the iPad, Titling a media-rich post of video, photos and diagrams will work very well. The 9” screen size allows for a workspace, a toolset and a media bar for dragging and organizing media segments in a posting, email or microblog. Smaller screen sizes make this a tough challenge terms of UI.

Media organization. What did you do when you sorted your postcards/beer mats/toy cars/cassettes/photos when you were a kid? The likelihood is that you tipped them out on the floor and started from there. The same principle applies on the iPad. You’ll have enough screen space for an assortment of overlaid documents, contacts, images, videos, books, music, figures and a set of bins/playlists/groups into which you can drag your content. Personally this sounds like a dream come true for sorting a library of digital photos.

Mapping. Electronic maps require resolution, size, outdoor readability, ruggedness, battery life and can be enhanced with connectivity and GPS. I am struggling to think of a more suitable device than the iPad.

There are more scenarios too and if you’ve got a thought, drop it in the comments. How about customer presentations, DJ applications, pilot applications, home control, multi-person video conferencing/PIP not to mention making every iPhone application into a high-quality version. Tamagotchi on the iPad will be so cute that you will have to buy two!

The themes here are 1) long-duration usage (comfort), 2) quality (more definition, capability) and at the top of the list and what I believe is the main ‘feature’ – the iPad allows (relatively rich!) Dads around the world to justify a Christmas 2010 purchase – Multi-User. Forget the HD-TV, Blue-Ray player, Car seat-back screens, coffee machine, Wii because top of the family Christmas present list this year will be the “we can all use it darling.” iPad.

I just noticed this post over at UMPCFever. It’ a photo set of an iPhone 4G. Is it the first iPad unboxing?

We guess it’s some sort of Shanzai rip-off but it’s looking good anyway! Stay tuned for an update on this.

Source: UMPCfever

Update: Trixxy thinks it’s a fanboy rendering. Highly likely but wow, these renderings are getting good.

It always makes me laugh when I hear about $99 smartbooks competing with netbooks because the only real difference in cost is a few dollars in silicon, plastic and battery.

The other thing that makes me laugh is how people get hung up on parts cost and potential profit while forgetting the market reasearch, r&d, marketing, distribution, training, support, legal, insurance, shipping, tax and, shock!, profits associated with a device.

Have a look at this isuppli breakdown and you’ll see just how much a high-end smart device costs to make . A high end netbook selling 1m+ is coming in at about$150 due to the cheaper screens and lack of gps, accelerometer, hard drive and other components. The r&d and market research figures are also close to zero in the netbook market so you can see that large format smart devices have a long way to go before they become sub $200 desirable items.

Another good checkpoint is the Archos 5 Android Tablet which, with a similar integrated cpu and gpu, smaller battery, 8GB storage, 256MB RAM, less plastic, open source OS and a 5″ resistive touchscreen is being sold for $240.

Source : iSuppli.

iSuppli breaks down iPad cost, guess how much 3G costs | GottaBeMobile.com.

OK, they didn’t actually mention Origami once but as they talk around the target usage scenarios for the iPad, all I hear is praise for the market that, just a few months ago was a non-starter and is exactly what Origami was aiming for. The true personal computer is here, the sofa tablet is here, the comfortable web experience is here, the consumer-centric OS is here and it’s everything that Microsoft was aiming for with Origami but couldn’t deliver because they were 4 years to early. Technology and operating systems couldn’t turn their dream into reality and it died in a concept called Haiku.

Of course, now that the space between 4 and 10” is news, everyone is happy to praise it’s potential. Oh brother!

Despite my moaning (really, I should have shouted louder three years ago!,) the round table that was recorded on the Charlie Rose show (U.S. public broadcast) is a good one.

Charlie Rose had The Wall Street Journal/All Things D’s Walt Mossberg, The New York Times’ David Carr and our own Michael Arrington on his show Thursday night to talk about the Apple iPad

Source: Charlie Rose. Via:Techcrunch

Meet:Mobility Podcast 41 is now available. Recorded on 1st Feb 2010, JKK, Sascha and Chippy talk around the iPad and other mobile computing news including the Aspire ONE 532H, Archos 7, Dell Mini5, iPad, ExoPC, NetbookNavigator, Firefox for N900 and Adobe Flash.
Detailed show notes below.

SUBSCRIBE:
You can also find the podcast on iTunes (Please rate the show on iTunes.) You can also subscribe via RSS.

Full show notes available at Meet:Mobility.

Back in Dec 2008 I laid out the specifications for an iPod Plus. It was where I thought Apple would go next. I got the device size completely wrong; 5” is nothing like 9.7” but at least I predicted correctly that they wouldn’t be silly enough to bring out a netbook.

Apart from the from the sizing error though, I got most of the rest of it spot-on including the entry-level pricing, the ebook capability, the data-only 3G, the storage and most of the software elements. I also predicted that Apple could divert 5-10% of netbook sales and sell 1 million devices per year. We’ll see about that next year!

Unfortunately, Apple left out a few of the things I was expecting.

Hardware (can not be fixed until next model is released)

• Web cam
• Digital video out
• FM transmitter and receiver

Personally I can live without all of those but I’m still surprised they weren’t included.

Software

• Turn-by-turn navigation included.
• Multitasking
• Live widgets on home page
• Video/Voice over IP s/w.

Multitasking is the big personal disappointment.

I think Apple could still push out a 5-7” version of the iPad (iPad Mini) and include the missing elements (just like the 2nd-gen iPhone did) and of course, most of those missing software elements can be enabled through software updates.

That’s enough of me though, how about you? What were you expecting and what are you wishing for on the iPad?

How does this sound?

• ARM CPU at 600Mhz
• 256MB RAM
• Tailored Linux-based, finger-driven OS
• 8.5” touchscreen
• 20GB storage
• 2lb weight.

It’s the specs of the original, 2005, Pepperpad and a hat-tip goes to Len Kawell who was way ahead of the game in this space. In this interview he’s talking about how the Pepperpad is tailored for web applications, home usage, kicking back and checking facebook with a tailored user interface. ‘An alternative to a laptop for couch computing.’ It took four years until someone, Apple, came along to focus solely on the same market again.

Sofa, bed and car were usage scenarios I highlighted in my first weeks postings at Carrypad and from that, I chose the name Carrypad. (The first 5 or 6 posts on Carrypad were written weeks before I got round to setting up a blog.)

There’s the third device requirement popping out now – Sofa, Bed, Car.
I tell you – this is mini-tablet/micro laptop territory. The product group with no definition. We need a new definition here:

sofapod, stylepod, stylepad, lifepad, lifepod, midipod, midipad, intermidi. Mmm. Those names are all to obvious.
Lets try Carrypad. Yeah we’ll call it the carry-pad.

Article.

I’m so happy to see Apple moving into this space. It’s been too quiet for too long so lets hope that the OEMs and designers feel confidence from the iPad and lets hope that the market breaks out with new form factors, prices, operating systems and features. This is ‘personal’ computing space and the more designs we see here, the more customers will be happy.

The original Carrypad ‘journal’ started here.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the iPad is going to set new standards for user interfaces on a tablet-style device and that it allows you to access media in such a intuitive and fun way but somehow, it’s exciting and new to see it all happen. This video gives you a good overview from the marketing department’s perspective!

It’s impossible to talk about everything the iPad (specifications) represents in just 25 minutes but JKK (JKKMobile.com) and I had a good go. We’ve followed the event, had time to digest all the specifications and had a great chat with some readers in the UMPCPortal live chat channel. The iPad is going to be great for a subset of users. Maybe they arent the same hi-tech-oriented users we usually see reading our blogs but it’s a huge number of people all the same. Books, Video, Music, Games. Perfect for the coffee-table! Not so perfect for other scenarios though. Have a listen…..

You can download the podcast here or listen on the live player at Mevio.

More podcasts from JKK, Sascha and myself at MeetMobility

It looks pretty much like everyone expected. 10”, thin, iPhone OS (based.)

Update: Specs now in database.

Image from gdgt.com

Spec-guessing based on the sizing. Update: Some confirmed. Update 2: All specs now in the database along with image and article links.

• 9.7″ ‘IPS’ technology screen, multitouch. (confirmed)
• 1024×600 1024×768
  
• 12mm thick (confirmed 0.5 inch, 13mm)
• 10wh battery 25wh battery.
• 3hrs online battery life (‘up to 10 hours’ confirmed)
• 400gm (corrected: 1.5lb 670gm)

Full specs, gallery and links in the database.

Check out the 8 minute presentation video.

Mentioned in the event:

• 1Ghz Apple A4 CPU (Could be PA-Semi or ARM-based or both)
• 16, 32, 64GB storage.
• Bluetooth
• 802.11n
• Accelerometer
• Docking port
• HD YouTube (720p we guess)
• New OS designed around similar feature set to iPod Touch. (Photo’s, YouTube, iTunes
• App store.
• Apps run pixel for pixel center screen or pixel-doubled (from iPhone app store.)
• iBooks store.

Info from others.

• No multitasking
• No flash.

Pricing.

• 16GB, Wifi : $499
• 32GB Wifi:  $599
• 64GB wifi:  $699
• Add 3G (unlocked) for $130

Availability: 2 Months.

Docking station:

Via Engadget

Not mentioned: Dimensions, cam details. Update: Dimensions now in the database. No cam!

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet is already a great bit of kit but if you’re looking something a little bit bigger, more sofa friendly and with a few more features a 7” version makes sense.

Data-mind.co.uk, a wholesale distributer for Archos products has a new Archos 7 Android listed in their catalogue for an amazing 127.65 UK Pounds. (Trade price, before tax = about 200-250 pounds retail price.) If the Apple tablet appears for around 600-pounds (we’ll find out later – join me at UMPCPortal.com/live for chat), it better have something extremely special on board!

Obvious enhancements are stereo speakers, web cam and CD-input. An 800×480 resolution isn’t as high as it could be but is still going to work out well for the Android operating system (and means Appslib devs don’t have to make two versions of Android apps) and will make web sites and ebooks a bit more comfortable to read. Thumbing the on screen keyboard will be easier in portrait mode but more difficult in landscape mode.

Size-wise we’re looking at a very light and slim 203x107x12 mm which is going to be maybe 100gm more than the original Archos 5 Internet Tablet. Under 300gm!

We assume that the platform is the same Ti-OMAP 3-series delivering that same good experience as we see on the Archos 5 (full review)

Yes, this could be a fake but it makes so much sense for Archos to push out a 7” version that even if it is a fake, I’d expect it to happen soon anyway. That just leaves a 3G version of the A5 (with slider keyboard please!) and then Archos will have one of the most interesting range of ‘smart’ devices yet.

Hat-tip to JKK. Source: ArchosFans.

Media Markt, a big local electronics retailer has tweeted that the iPad will cost 899 without a contract, 499 with a hefty T-Mobile contract and will be available on the 1st March.

Carrypad will of course, be tracking the launch event tomorrow so stay tuned. (Well be live on UMPCPortal.com/live during the event.)

News comes via NDevil

Apple iPad Tablet kostet 499 Euro mit T-Mobile Vertrag.

I’m somewhat frustrated by all the Apple tablet talk. Number 1, nobody has a clue what’s going on and 2, there are so many design issues with ‘tablets’ that people need to be very careful about what they get excited about. I wrote these notes a few months ago but it makes sense to post them now so that you can make assessments about WHAT YOU NEED before any wave of marketing hits you. (*1)

In addition to the notes, I’ve added a couple of diagrams that I’ve previously used in posts and presentations and I also want to point out that this article is mainly focused on hardware. Software is a critical part of the equation.

Finally, I’m not saying that this is a set of rules. This is just my perception of what’s going on. I’m excited to hear what you think and ready to learn more from you comments.

Usage Scenarios

Firstly, here’s a diagram of internet-connected usage scenarios that lie between Laptops and Smartphones. There might be a few other niche categories like digital photo frames and video conferencing but the ‘ring’ below covers the primary sectors.

Usage by screen size.

Secondly, here’s a diagram that highlights functions that sit comfortably in certain screen sizes. There are 4 screen size ranges and I’ve positioned tasks in the smallest possible category. Example: Try doing advanced photo editing on a 5” screen!

Click to enlarge.

Design/Usage Notes.

In no particular order, here’s a brain dump of design and usage considerations for tablet PCs.

• One handed use: weight needs to be under 400gm for one-handed (finger-touch) use.
• One-handed use: Width of device needs to rest comfortably in the hand in portrait mode (7” max)
• Two-handed (only) operation not possible unless frame, corner or rear controls are implemented.
• Current screen backlighting technology will add between 0.5W (for a 5” screen) to 2.5W (for a high-brightness 10” screen) Idle power drain tends to 200mw for well-designed screen-off, idle networking scenarios.
• Minimum power envelope for an operating, connected device is about 2W (5”) or 3W (10”) (Only latest RISC CPU’s on best silicon processes can achieve this – expensive.)
• Max drain can reach +2W over operating power envelope.
• Battery capacity required for a 5” smart device – 10Wh. For a 10” device = 15WhTo achieve 4hrs always-on, dynamic and multitasking environment such as web and internet apps.
• Battery weighs about 8gm per watt/hour (without control / feedback electronics – add 50gm for that)
• Min battery (removable) and power electronics weight for a 7” smart device = 100gm
• Screen backlights are ALWAYS needed for low-light operation.
• Backlight average in-use power ranges from 0.5w (3-5” screen) to 2W or more (10” screen)
• Capacitive touchscreens can’t be used with gloves or basic stylus.
• Capacitive screens can’t be used for natural handwriting input, annotations, graphic creation/painting.
• Keyboards need to split/position correctly when in portrait and landscape modes.
• Tethering keyboards / headphones / data modems via Bluetooth is a long-winded process and requires batteries in end devices.
• Pixel density should be between 180 and 250 pixels per inch for standard web pages unless intelligent reflowing /zooming is used. An 800-wide webpage would require about 4-inch width (about 6” diameter screen in portrait mode.)
• Resistive touchscreens are not rugged.
• Book reading does not require two-pages per view.
• Hard drives are not rugged, are noisy and generate heat and vibration. Not to be used in tablets.
• An integrated folding stand needs to be incorporated for PMP functions.
• Wifi/Bt/3G/FM/GPS antenna separation is needed.
• Mouse pointers allow selection with minimal hand movement.
• Removing buttons helps aesthetics and ruggedness, reduces shortcuts for two-handed operation.
• Moving buttons to ‘on screen’ reduces physical feedback, reduces usable screen area.
• Buttons need to be backlit for night=time use
• Screen brightness needs to be extremely low for night-time use.
• Indicator lights distract and annoy when reading.
• Good quality speakers allow for multi-person viewing.
• Wifi needs to remain connected at all times (standby disconnection results in awkward delays on start-up.)
• Web pages need to load in a 10-second average time. (with text and scrolling being available in 50-75% of that time)
• Access to 100% of the internet requires Adobe Flash support (and, to a lesser extent, Silverlight and other run-time apps.)
• Text selection for web applications is critical. (cut and paste.)
• Zooming a web-page must re-flow the text to avoid left-right panning.
• Auto screen rotate from landscape to portrait must not reset previous text selections
• Using 3G when moving in car / train can drastically increase power drain from 3G components. (3G can take up to 1.5W in these scenarios – huge % of power drain.)
• Docking stations help to keep a device charged and located.
• Removable battery gives customer confidence about life-span of product.
• Glossy screens can be filtered. Matt screens can not be made glossy with third party products.
• Bigger screens are expected to be faster by the customer (and therefore highlight slow performance)
• The concept of ‘idle’ is only for the lab.
• Slider keyboards increase cost and size. decrease style.
• Nothing over 4” screen is truly pocketable for most people.
• Flash running on multiple tabs can easily take 100% of CPU on a ARM-based device.
• A frameless device is impossible. 10mm frame is a tough design challenge.
• For productivity users, a new operating system is a new learning curve.
• Third party applications decrease stability and security.
• Multi-tasking decreases battery life.
• Fingerprint readers can drastically improve security while decreasing key presses.
• A 7” screen device can be too big for a car dashboard.
• Ebook readers are useless to the average consumer without commercial content being available through the device.
• Cloud-based usage model is currently a home-zone possibility. (Not mobile) i.e. local storage and sync is still needed.
• Larger designs permit higher pricing.
• Larger designs need to deliver a faster experience (to satisfy user expectations.)
• Notebook / clamshell designs are recognized as computers.
• Sub 5” designs can be mistaken for smartphones.
• New business models dictate that consumer tablets must be low-cost point of sale devices. (Marketplace for apps, content, accessories)
• There are undiscovered usage scenarios.
• There are huge numbers of new technologies and inventions that I don’t know about!

Example scenarios and solutions.

Ebook reading. 200 PPI screen with 300gm or less. Daylight (ambient light support) and backlight support needed. Content must be easy to access. Color screens important for education market (and advertising.)  See also this article.

PMP. 5” screen gives a comfortable 60-80cm experience. HD playback on small-screens is required because that’s what many users create and many websites deliver. You have no choice! 7” give HD (720p) experience and 1 meter. 5-7” screen in 300gm allows for only a 10-15wh battery. 5hrs online use. 7hrs video use.

Newspapers. Large screen format 9-12” format is impressive and permits newspaper layout ‘standards.’ Requires significantly more battery power. Advertisers want color and animated advertising. Difficult to design for one-handed use. 12” awkward for mobile situations. 9-12” also required for one-page per view A4/Letter sizing. (PDFs)

Web. Minimum resolution 800×480 although 1024×600 more comfortable and allows better portrait mode. 1024×600 at standard web (readable at 100% zoom) font sizes requires 7” screen. Multi-tab Flash enabled web pages can kill battery life and hog CPU if uncontrolled.

Mail, IM, social networking.Two handed thumb keyboard can only be built around max 5” (landscape)  or 7” (portrait) screen dimensions without separate keyboard. Requires always-on scenario. See also: Perfect Microblogging Device article.

An example multi-use tablet: 7” 300gm with 12wh battery, Cortex A8 CPU (high-end), 3D GPU, Video decoder hardware. (Intel Moorestown also a contender here.) Stand. Highly advanced on-screen keyboard with haptic feedback. 3mb HQ camera. 1.3mp LQ camera. Capacitive touchscreen. GPS, accelerometers, ambient light sensor, 3G, Wifi, docking port, 3.5mm headphone jack, array mic, stereo speakers.

The ideal tablet hardware is worth nothing without the correct software, services and content.

(*1) over the last 3.5  years I’ve learnt a lot about tablets and mobile computing devices including a lot about what doesn’t work for the masses through our pro-mobility-focused  sister website, UMPCPortal.

Today, on the last day of 2009, it’s time to talk about something that’s been a hot-topic in 2009 but something I’ve never talked about on Carrypad before.

It’s the Apple ‘Pad’ , ‘Slate’ , ‘Tablet’ or whatever you’d like to call it and the reason I want to talk about it is that is that many rumors and news items are converging on an Apple Event that has been ‘confirmed’ for the 26th of Jan in San Francisco. Everything points to a mobility event and commentators (that mostly means over-excited keyword-stuffing analysts, journalists and bloggers) appear to be feeling confident that it’s going to be a new device that is larger than the iPhone. Possibly a tablet.

Based on the progress of mobile platforms at the moment, I’d put the chances of a large-format tablet at about 1:5 purely because bigger needs to be better in most peoples eyes and there isn’t a mobile computing platform out there that can really deliver what’s needed for Apple at over 7” right now. ARM Cortex A8 will be too slow for full web activities and everything else is either not ready or to big, hot and heavy.

What I do think is possible is an iPod-Plus, something we wrote about last year on our sister publication, UMPCPortal. Expectations of speed, power and productivity will be less on a a 5”-7” device and it’s here where an ARM Cortex A8-powered platform fits the bill nicely. Apple doesn’t need to break completely new and dangerous ground with a tablet or mini-netbook but a large-format iPod Plus really fits the bill nicely. A low risk device that enables a new category of HD video and Ebook sales through iTunes.

Of course, even if someone does spill the beans on the real story, the amount of ‘noise’ being broadcast around this rumor is so great that it will be hard to spot it but we’ll keep focused here at Carrypad and bring you an update the next time we think we’ve spotted the real news.

Apple Event news via FOXnews