10 lessons the Apple Tablet can learn from the iPhone
With just over 24 hours until Steve Jobs sashays onto the stage, iSlate in hand, there are still plenty of burning questions about the Apple Tablet. So what can Cupertino’s new slice of technical wizardry learn from the mighty iPhone in order to succeed?
Turns out the iPhone can teach Apple’s tablet a few things, from its strongest successes to its daftest failings. Dive in and we’ll reveal all in our back to school lesson.
The power of apps
It took a year from its initial launch for Apple to unleash the iPhone’s potential via the iPhone SDK and the hugely successful App Store. The iTablet will need third party app support right from the start if it wants to work as a full-on computer as well as an e-reader and media marvel. Intriguing then that all the latest rumours point towards iPhone apps working just fine on the tablet. Taking an army of developers behind the iPhone and directing their energy towards the iTablet? Sounds smart to us.
Touchscreen keyboards have to be perfect
There can be no room for error. Apple will surely go down the capacitive, finger-friendly route of multitouch with the iSlate. And if that’s the case, a sizeable virtual keyboard can have no room for mistakes. The iPhone version is ace, but whatever edition crops up on the Apple Tablet, it’ll have to be flawless.
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Pricing needs to be spot onApple’s high price policy doesn’t look like it’ll change with the iTablet. But if it wants to corner the tablet market, it’ll need to avoid an original iPhone-style fiasco, with an epic price tag and hefty monthly charges. If it comes on contract, with 3G wireless access, Cupertino will need to keep things at a tidy level in order for it not to be a flop.
Fully featured from the start
There can be no repeat of the iPhone and iPhone 3G’s criminally lacking spec sheet. If Apple has been beavering on the iSlate for years, it’ll have to make sure it comes with the latest, greatest tech on board. That means OLED, capacious storage and a decent set of apps to begin with. Any shortcuts will immediately draw detractors. That said, it’s always been Apple’s way to start out basic and wow punters with its second gen gadgets, adding new features along the way.
Proprietary tricks make enemies
The recessed headphone jack on the first iPhone was a nightmare. It meant you either used the naff bundled buds or had to pick up an adapter, which sullied that stunning design. Tricks like this serve only to put people off, as seen with the current iPod shuffle so the iTablet will have to avoid any such annoyances to keep everyone on side. Third party hardware will have to play nice from the get go.
No 3G issuesThe lack of 3G on the first iPhone was a huge failure, and one which proved itself by the massive sales achieved by Apple’s handset once 3G was shoved inside. If the Apple Tablet is going to deliver books, mags and tunes over the web, it’ll have to come packing 3G from the beginning. Amazon’s Whispernet might get away with being 2G, but we’re looking at a full colour colossus here, not a black and white e-reader.
Multitasking is a must
It’s still missing from the iPhone, but multitasking is a must for the iTablet. Push notifications are great, but the ability to switch from one app to the other without having to close it is essential if the Apple Tablet is going to be used for even the most basic computing tasks. Why stop listening to tunes when you want to check your email?
Battery life has to be lengthy
At the very least, the iTablet needs to outperform the latest netbooks and smart-books. The iPhone sometimes seems to suffer from a poor battery life, mainly because it’s so easy to use and therefore gets used more often. But Apple could steal a march on the likes of Chrome OS by showing off how the Apple Tablet can surf without gobbling power faster than its touchscreen blower. The next battle between Google and Apple will be a marathon, not a sprint.
Format support needs to be wideranging
The iSlate can ill-afford any failure to pack in complete file support. The iPhone remains a Flash-free zone, but if this is to be a complete computer, then it not only needs to play Flash clips, but also WMV. And with ePub fast becoming the e-reader industry standard, surely the Apple Tablet will have to ensure it can take care of titles slathered in such a format.
Mountains of memory
If the iTablet is going to act as the ultimate video jukebox, then hefty local storage is imperative. We don’t want to have to sync up every time we want to watch a different movie. Hopefully Apple has learned from the fact that the 4GB iPhone barely lasted six months. Ideally the Apple Tablet will kick off at a decent 32GB, with added cloud storage via MobileMe bundled in.
Goy any last minute Apple Tablet tittle tattle? Then tell us now
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