When Jobs & Co. unveiled their newest toy to the world last Wednesday, I was more disappointed at the long list of missing features than wowed by Apple’s magic. And it seems most people out there had the same reaction I did. Nearly half of CrunchGear.com readers that took this poll said they would not be forking over money to purchase an iPad. The remaining half was split between wanting to buy one and “Meh, I could go either way”. This reaction is completely logical; without some of the much-anticipated features such as a camera, simultaneously-running apps, an option besides AT&T, Flash, GPS, and an earth-shattering new user experience (just to name a few) the iPad simply doesn’t live up to the hype that had snowballed since rumors of such a device had surfaced years ago. At first, you may think the iPad is just a big iPod touch, but then you’d be under-appreciating what’s perhaps its most important feature: a glossy 9.7 inch, 1024 x 768 resolution screen.

Apple is no doubt taking a gamble by entering a relatively uncharted product category. Many people, including myself, aren’t convinced that this is a device  that actually solves a need. I’ve already got a smartphone and laptop, do I really want to pay for this in-between thingy? The feeling of “omg, this is going to change everything.” that followed the announcement Read more →

Will Apple be releasing a tablet device? Given all the rumors circling the blogosphere, it seems likely but very little is known.

The mock-up image (courtesy of Gizmodo) depicts what many people are guessing the new product will look like. Most evidence points towards a 10″ screen, and iPhone-like design, and most likely a modified version of the iPhone OS (not OSX). Pricing is estimated to be under $800 and there may be more than one model to choose from. Release date is hazy — I’ve heard everything from Sept. 2009 to possibly 2010.

With all this buzz, I can’t help but think way back to time long ago: A time when televistion was still analog, the U.S. had an illiterate president, and the Jonas Brother were still breastfeeding… Yes, this was the world right before Jan 7th, 2007 when Apple announced the iPhone. Rumors were aplenty but good evidence was hard to find. Everyone had an idea of what it would look like, be capable of, etc. but most guesses were way off.

Will the new Apple iProduct(s) be what all the guessers are guessing? I seriously hope not. If Cupertino releases what basically looks like a 10″ iPhone then I probably won’t be waiting on any lines come launch day. Sure, the large screen will be a plus for video & possibly games, but with the lack of pocket-portability and a gimpy OS, I’d much rather throw my cash at a Netbook.

But I have faith in Apple. I’m sure they’ve got some game-changing features in the works. Some possibilities: music, ebooks, Mac-integration, teleportation? I guess I’ll just have to wait and see…