iphone considered a tablet?

[chriscannon]

So I bought an iPhone and pretty much realized that it is basically a umpc tablet. It has osx and the best touch screen I've ever used. Right now I'm even posting from my iPhone. So, any thoughts? Has apple actually had a tablet for a while now? And why can't they just make a bigger iPhone and call it a tablet pc?

[leaftye]

Until it can support full blown desktop applications like MS Office and Adobe Acrobat Pro, the iPhone is nothing more than a fancy mp3/pda/phone.

[Frank]

So I bought an iPhone and pretty much realized that it is basically a umpc tablet.

It's far far away from an umpc tablet (like leafty already said)

It has osx and the best touch screen I've ever used.

This touchscreen is good, yes, but only because it's not an Apple product (Fingerworks, Fingerworks / Apple)

Right now I'm even posting from my iPhone.

That's possible with every new phone. But I have to admit, the iPhone has a nice and responsive touchscreen and a very nice and friendly GUI.

So, any thoughts? Has apple actually had a tablet for a while now?

No, Apple had no tablet. Apple has a normal mobile phone, which does everything every other mobile phone does, too, only that it has a a multi-touch screen and it's software, media and interface support is very limited and not really customizeable (like every symbian capable phone is) And all that for a far too expensive price. There are phones which have a touchscreen, too (yes, only touchscreen, no multitouch) but they are able to do a lot more, and they are still no tablets or umpcs.

And why can't they just make a bigger iPhone and call it a tablet pc?

They have overslept the tablet market. They don't have the programs and tools, Microsoft offers for their tablet PCs. And no one would pay such a high price they would demand for their tablet pc. (But I have to admit, they have impressive marketing strategies, they sell almost everything.)

[chriscannon]

well I haven't looked much into it but I think if you jailbreak an iPhone then it basically becomes a computer. You can download and install things and customize a lot. Its almost like its just a locked computer with limited use.

[kureshii]

Right now, just 1 big question: Can it take notes and annotate PDFs? I wouldn't call anything a tablet unless it can do that.

That aside, we'll have to come to terms with an agreed "definition" of tablet... since right now the market seems to be splitting into touch-enhanced (maybe even touch-defined) devices, and devices that are what we think of as traditional tablets, i.e. stylus and active digitiser.

[chriscannon]

I guess so. But it sure is really close to a tablet. Unfortunately I know nothing of mac operating systems or I would be able to tell you the differences. As far as I know I'm using the actual osx, though im sure its toned down. I saw a picture of a jailbroken iPhone and it sure looked like a normal desktop.

[shiva87]

It doesn't even multitask!

[quantum]

It doesn't even multitask!

But it multitouches! Touch is better than task isn't it?

I like the iPhone for what it is. It doesn't pretend to be as versatile as Windows Mobile devices, it doesn't pretend to be a Mac Micro. It doesn't pretend to be an iPod. Just a tiny bit of all, for users who have limited use for all of those scenarios. Play a little music here, watch a short clip there, check your email quickly... All in an intuitive interface. I don't think all that's worth the high price, but it's something to aim for.

I love the versatility of Windows Mobile, and other than the graphics driver issues, my HTC devices have been fantastic to me (Advantage + Tytn II), but despite all the power, I am just sick and tired of tweaking just to get things to work. I love the powerhouse practicality of the Advantage, and the size is OK for what it offers but I hate the sluggish UI despite all the computing power of more than 500mhz. I love the fact that the Tytn II is so portable without sacrificing much computing power, and I can do everything I want on it. I hate that doing anything I want on it takes forever.

Anyone catching my drift here?

Windows Mobile 7... you're like the unborn child for which I already have big plans (and a college fund) for.

[kureshii]

Well, here's what I think; to me, a tablet is a device that can (almost) replace the traditional paper-and-pen system, or at least prove itself to be a viable alternative. In that sense the iPhone falls just slightly short - now for Apple to fill the gap between the MacBook Air and iPhone =D

[Rogzilla]

It isn't a tablet or a UMPC...but it is a Mobile Internet Device. I bet it will even become one officially when Apple includes the new Intel Atom (it is an Intel term) in the upcoming iPhone 2.

I don't have an iPhone but I do have an iPod touch, and I am surprised by how much I use it for surfing the net. I am really excited to see where Apple takes the multitouch technology. The recent patent for Multitouch 2.0 and its integration into a keyboard/mouse replacement for a desktop (it changes its interface depending on what program you are using, including allowing for a writing input), it doesn't take too much imagination to see Apple make their own tablet with that sometime in 2010.