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  (Source: USPTO)

  (Source: USPTO)
ASUS says it is working with Apple on Mac Tablet Computer

Tablet PCs never really took off from Windows based PC makers like Gateway, Dell and HP. There is still a place for a tablet PC, which are commonly seen in the health care setting, but you rarely see them out in the wild with your typical geek at the helm. That could all change if Apple has anything to say about the table computer industry.

Apple has been on a roll recently with its iPhone selling like hotcakes well ahead of Apples goals leading to record sales for Apple. The iPhone was even chosen by TIME Magazine as the invention of the year. Apple has also recently released a full line of new iPods including the touch and a new nano. The new iMac computers were met with lots of praise when launched a few months ago, even though quality control issues with the new iMac computers have recently surfaced.

With Apple competing well in so many different aspects of the computer and electronics industry, could Apple be the company to break the tablet PC into the mainstream? According to a design patent Apple filed back in May of 2005 (D504,899), Apple may have had a tablet PC on the brain for more than a while.

Crave reports that at a private dinner with insiders from ASUS spilled the beans on the company's roll with Apple and the long rumored iPad.  This rumor has a bit more credibility than your typical Apple rumor says Crave as the insider that leaked this information is known to them and ASUS currently builds the Apple MacBook. Perhaps Apple is finally looking to put that patent filed way back in 2005 to use and take the table PC world by storm.

Even with the onscreen keyboard shortcomings of the iPhone, if Apple rolls out a higher-performance, larger iPhone-like device Apple fans will likely jump all over the new product.

One could reasonably expect that if this information coming from Crave is accurate, that the patent DailyTech reported about last month for a touchscreen interface with tactile feedback from Apple may also be incorporated into a new Apple tablet PC.


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Apple makes something tasty!
By acewjs on 11/6/2007 3:27:24 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
if Apple rolls out a higher-performance lager...


ummm...Beer!




RE: Apple makes something tasty!
By Xenoterranos on 11/6/2007 3:30:39 PM , Rating: 3
if Apple rolls out a higher-performance lager iPhone like device apple fans will likely jump all over the new product.

I'd buy it by the iMperial Gallon.


RE: Apple makes something tasty!
By acewjs on 11/6/2007 3:32:53 PM , Rating: 3
Or for the lightweights in the group.... iPint


RE: Apple makes something tasty!
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 11/6/2007 3:48:52 PM , Rating: 3
phhhhhht. iStein.


RE: Apple makes something tasty!
By mrteddyears on 11/7/2007 6:37:30 AM , Rating: 2
Don’t forget its docking station the iKeg which uses the patented Apple protocol iFlow to interface to the iTap connector.

You can get this all at the iPub


RE: Apple makes something tasty!
By theapparition on 11/7/2007 9:24:25 AM , Rating: 2
Apple beer cost twice as much, hardly any bars will be compatible, and it will take you forever to get drunk.

I'll stick with PC Ale.


By mrteddyears on 11/7/2007 10:25:56 AM , Rating: 2
Can that be found at a Microbrewery and is it true it can impair your vista if you have too much

That’s just the worst no more geeky beer jokes or any jibes about homebrew


RE: Apple makes something tasty!
By Anh Huynh on 11/6/2007 5:10:53 PM , Rating: 2
I'd buy one....


RE: Apple makes something tasty!
By UNCjigga on 11/6/2007 4:28:37 PM , Rating: 2
Macbook touch?


LCD monitor protector
By GaryJohnson on 11/6/2007 3:43:43 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
According to a design patent Apple filed back in May of 2005 (D504,899), Apple may have had a tablet PC on the brain for more than a while.


Am I missing something here? That patent appears to be for an LCD monitor protector:

http://i24.tinypic.com/1zlu720.jpg




RE: LCD monitor protector
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 11/6/2007 4:01:30 PM , Rating: 2
I'm not sure why Google Patent calls up different info than the USPTO. Here's a different Google link to the same patent number with the correct info:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=6BsWAAAAEBAJ&dq=D...


RE: LCD monitor protector
By TomZ on 11/6/2007 4:31:59 PM , Rating: 2
Dare I say it ... Google Patent is in beta, like almost everything else Google has ever developed. :o)


RE: LCD monitor protector
By MGSsancho on 11/6/2007 5:14:36 PM , Rating: 2
and a lot of Google's beta software is better then some of their competitor's final release products


RE: LCD monitor protector
By TomZ on 11/6/2007 5:20:25 PM , Rating: 2
I'm not saying anything negative about Google's software quality (although plenty could be said I would guess). I'm just saying that Google is a big abuser of the "beta" concept and that they need to do a better job of being more focused and getting their products complete and released "to production."

Just my opinion, I think google also abuses "beta" so that if people run into problems, customers have less of an expectation of getting fixes or support.


RE: LCD monitor protector
By GaryJohnson on 11/6/2007 6:37:04 PM , Rating: 2
I think I see it now; The original article mentions and links to D5048 9 9. The correct patent number is D5048 8 9.


tablet adoption
By soydios on 11/6/2007 3:22:16 PM , Rating: 2
TabletPC adoption has always been slowed by the hardware and software. WindowsXP Tablet Edition worked fine, but Vista integrates really well with my tablet. Everything just works. And the Wacom active digitizer system is a godsend to all tablet users.

BTW, you forgot to mention the Lenovo tablets (X40t, X41t, X60t, X61t). I get a solid five hours of battery life with WiFi on using my X61t and the extended battery. I think that the hardware could be a little smaller (1.8" SSD, etc.), but part of that bulk is the strong ThinkPad chassis, so that's OK.




RE: tablet adoption
By therealnickdanger on 11/6/2007 3:28:45 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
Everything just works.

Wait... what? That can't be! It has to be a Mac in order to "just work"!

Props to ThinkPads.


Table PCs
By Suomynona on 11/6/2007 5:52:17 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
That could all change if Apple has anything to say about the table computer industry.


Now that's something I'd like to see.




RE: Table PCs
By SavagePotato on 11/6/2007 6:18:43 PM , Rating: 3
Microsoft has already made strides to the table computer industry.

Look up the Microsoft surface.


Yawn
By Dudewithamac on 11/7/2007 12:28:34 AM , Rating: 2
<sarcasm>

The rumour is just that. It can't be true. Because The Jobs already said -- SWORE -- there is no market for these tablet things.

Jobs wouldn't lie. Would he?

</sarcasm>




RE: Yawn
By zander55 on 11/8/2007 6:48:32 PM , Rating: 2
uh, the market changes dude.


hmmm
By DeepBlue1975 on 11/7/2007 9:12:18 AM , Rating: 2
Apple + ASUS = ieeeMacus PC.

And then will come de suing party, with the IEEE as a starter, complaining about illegal use of their name as a prefix.
The iNdustry will go iNsane




RE: hmmm
By AlphaVirus on 11/7/2007 12:12:18 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Apple + ASUS = ieeeMacus PC

You can not include PC in the answer, its a Mac. =)

The starting lower case i and eee might conflict so Apple might mature it one day to an IeeeMacus.


What about the ModBook?
By Quiksel on 11/6/2007 3:43:29 PM , Rating: 3
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ModBook

This thing's been out for a while now, and while it carries a premium, is pretty much the only Tablet Mac out there ;)

(it's just a MacBook that's been smushed together to make a slate tablet)

Dunno if it's been selling well, but I have a bunch of users that would certainly buy a Mac Tablet.




One too many participants
By mindless1 on 11/6/2007 4:22:36 PM , Rating: 2
If only it was Asus alone, then more likely it wouldn't be overpriced, underfeatured for what it should've sold for, and wouldn't have styling that leaves it vulnerable to cosmetic damage.




Imagine...
By feraltoad on 11/6/2007 4:41:49 PM , Rating: 2
Imagine the guy in figure 9 is holding an iPhone, it would be fun to watch him take a call. "Have to go...forearms..<grunt>..failing..."




Used by who?
By FrankM on 11/6/2007 4:46:53 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
There is still a place for a tablet PC, which are commonly seen in the health care setting, but you rarely see them out in the wild with your typical geek at the helm. That could all change if Apple has anything to say about the table computer industry.


No, it still wouldn't change: you still wouldn't have a typical geek at the helm, but a typical macjahedeen. The geek in me feels offended by being likened to them; as a hardware connoisser, modder and most importantly windows/linux and open-source user, I'm the arch-enemy of Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs :p




iPAD ... anyone?
By nangryo on 11/6/2007 7:28:16 PM , Rating: 2
Just call it iTablet doesn't seems right.
ipad is better , don't you think?




By crystal clear on 11/7/2007 3:22:35 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
if Apple rolls out a higher-performance, larger iPhone-like device Apple fans will likely jump all over the new product.


Repost of a comment made earlier-its all there.

Does Apple have something on its drawing boards ?
By crystal clear on 10/18/07, Rating: 1
By crystal clear on 10/18/2007 1:52:41 PM , Rating: 1

The i.... roadmap-

The iPod, which emerged first as nothing more than a portable music player grew up to become a music and video device in adolescence and is now "iPod touch" a semi-full-featured Internet tablet device.

The iPod touch grows into a The Mac OS X Leopard-based mobile minitablet PC will be 1.5 times the size of an iPhone.

It's inevitable that Apple will ship a tablet Mac that works like the iPhone & more.

As usual they will call it something with the i before it...... i Tablet .

A Mac mini mini+iPod+iPhone+OS X all put together making it a i Tablet.

There you have hot product to take on Nokia & others.

The UMPC/MID market is set for a huge growth & Apple wants to take a sizeable share of the market with something unique like the i Tablet....

Does Apple have something of tablet Mac on its drawing boards ?




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