So I'm in Seattle last week and I'm having a few drinks with an old co-worker from TechCrunch, Devin Coldewey, and we're casually chit chatting about gadgets and tech. The conversation goes from 3D filmmaking since we're talking about how cool Avatar is and then the subject of Apple's tablet comes up. I steer the conversation from “Will Apple actually put it out next year?” to what OS the device will run. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time and something no one seems to have discussed publicly. Maybe someone has but I haven't seen anything. My theory is that it can't possibly run iPhone OS because everything will look like crap if it's scaled up. Graphics aside, I just don't think it could possibly work. But part of me thinks that it has to have apps. Maybe. Maybe not. What apps – especially the popular kind – will benefit the user with a bigger screen? Do I really need to run Shazam on a 10-inch screen? I can't possibly game on a such a large device comfortably. Safari? Absolutely but what else? Maps? Eh. Calendar? No thanks.
(More on Techland: Apple Tablet To Be Announced In February, Says Analyst)
The device has to be connected to the Internet at all times. It will more than likely have Safari but little else will be ported over from iPhone OS. Previous rumors have pegged the device as a multimedia-centric doodad: movies/tv and music. Makes perfect sense. Will it revolutionize the music industry again? Doubt it.
Project “Cocktail” entails album art, liner notes and the like but do you really need to see those sorts of things on a tablet? I sure don't. But it's added value and it would work with a larger screen.
And then the rumors of Apple TV subscriptions lend a bit of creedence towards the entertainment side of things. It actually makes more sense for such services to be on a tablet than the Apple TV. Everything will eventually funnel through the cloud. I hate watching movies, TV shows, music videos, and YouTube on my iPhone. My eyes are bad enough and I don't need to be hunched over and squinting at a 3.5-inch screen.
The chances of it running a lite version of OS X are pretty slim. What good with that do? If anything, the iPhone OS is more of a lite version of OS X anyway. It's limited, yes, and actually doesn't do anything you'd expect a computer to do, but it is a mobile computing device. Browser? Check. E-mail? Check. Apps will obviously replace tradtional programs as we know them and in some respects they already have. At least on the iPhone. For example, Photoshop-like apps already exist in the App Store. But then the notion that the App Store will not run on the tablet get thrown out the window. I haven't quite wrapped my head around how that will work out yet. It might not even need to run apps.
So what OS will the tablet run? I don't claim this to be my own, but I'd like to think that I helped cultivate it. Devin believes the tablet will run some sort of iTunes OS (every conclusion beyond the concept of an iTunes OS is my own). Ding ding ding. Apple clearly wants to keep their connection to the music industry, so “Cocktail” is feasible with an iTunes OS. Apple's acquisition of Lala makes even more sense under these circumstances. TV subscriptions are going to run through iTunes anyway. It is, after all, the glue that connects every Mac platform.
The App Store doesn't need to exist on the tablet because that would simply take away from the iPhone and iPod Touch. Do you really think that Apple would put out a device that directly competes with its own products? The Touch already has a hard enough time competing with the iPhone as is.
For better or worse, the publishing industry is tablet ready too. You won't be running subscriptions through the App Store. Will it update automatically like the Kindle? More than likely.
Apple creates new product categories or simply innovates on basic models that already exist in some capacity. An iTunes specific tablet would differentiate itself from the rest of Apple's product line and it would work. Digital downloads will eventually supplant physical media and the tablet would be the catalyst to put it over the edge. All roads lead to an iTunes-like OS.
Maybe I'm crazy. I'm just throwing this out there. Thoughts?
"My theory is that it can't possibly run iPhone OS because everything will look like crap if it's scaled up."
Apparently Apple's iPhone software groups have already been asked for higher-definition versions of their icons.
Church
Dec. 29, 2009 09:30am
It's going to be a variation of OS X (of which there are three branches already - iPhone OS X, Mac OS X, and Apple TV OS X). iTunes isn't an OS at all, it's basically an application running webkit. The UI of the iTunes store is basically a website.
Another indicator was that iPhone OS 3.0 added resolution independence, so if you built an app, it could run in other device sizes. That's probably a better sign there will be different sized iPhones in the future, but it leads to the notion of applications being reusable on an iSlate (or whatever the heck it's called).
Interesting thoughts but I'd put all my money into a new OS X variation.
jvanschoick
Dec. 29, 2009 09:50am
I'll give you points for creativity on the iTunes OS idea. It makes some sense with all the apparent preparations Apple is making in terms of music, video, etc. I definitely think we'll see some kind of evolution of iTunes on the new device.
Though I was hoping for a full OS X tablet, I'm thinking the so-called iSlate is going to be a pumped up version of the iPhone OS. They've spent too much money and brainpower developing the App Store system to not to expand it onto another device. In business terms, they don't want to merge their handheld and notebook systems or else no one but appleholics will buy both.
I'm just glad I haven't updated yet from my original iPhone...
guymont
Dec. 29, 2009 11:44am
"Another indicator was that iPhone OS 3.0 added resolution independence, so if you built an app, it could run in other device sizes. That's probably a better sign there will be different sized iPhones in the future, but it leads to the notion of applications being reusable on an iSlate (or whatever the heck it's called)."
Yeah, that's what I was talking about. I think you're right in that the resolution is going to change on the iPhone (yay Droid competition!) but it also makes it a (leading, IMHO) candidate for slate/tablet/cougar/mellancamp adoption.
However, I can see them doing an ATV port as well. Should be interesting whatever they do.
Church
Dec. 29, 2009 14:18pm
Back in August I wrote an article about what I thought it would be, and why. I also subsequently wrote two articles about what it might be called. Http://temes.wordpress.com.
Odi
Odi Kosmatos
Dec. 29, 2009 20:43pm
iTunes an OS? Peter are you just trying to be controversial to get more mileage here. There is absolutely no reason for it not to be running OS X. I think it would be more like iTouch, so it will be more like iPhone OS. iSlate is not replacing notebooks - i see it as portable media device (more video less audio use), internet access through wifi for all the browsing and e-mail access, no doubt Kindle killer. I do think iSlate could be a perfect platform for Google OS - I am sure as soon as iSlate is available someone will make Google OS run on iSlate.
radster360
Jan. 2, 2010 02:39am