Report: Steve Jobs Focusing Full Attention on Apple Tablet
9:34 pm, August 24th, 2009, Leander Kahney
Now that he's back at work full time, Steve Jobs is focusing 100% on the upcoming tablet. He's also up to his old trick of parking in handicapped spaces. This picture was snapped a couple of weeks ago, on August 11, 2009, by Nicholas Brown, who has removed the original from his Flickr stream. There's a copy here though: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12905355@N05/3814193390/in/photostream/
Now that he’s back at work full-time, Steve Jobs is focusing his full attention on the Apple tablet, the Wall Street Journal reports. And he’s kickin ass!
“Mr. Jobs’s focus on the tablet has been jarring for some Apple employees, who had grown accustomed to a level of freedom over strategy and products while the CEO was on leave, said a person familiar with the matter. “People have had to readjust” to Mr. Jobs being back, this person said.”
This is excellent news. Nothing is better for Apple products than Jobs throwing a fit over them. It’s such an important part of the cooking process.
Also important is the ritual killing of the project during the development process. Almost every major project at Apple has been killed before it was started over, from the iMac to Apple’s retail stores. Killing a project and starting over is Jobs’s MO. The Journal says Jobs has already killed the tablet twice. The first time because the battery life was too short, and the second time because “there was insufficient memory,” the Journal says. (This last one’s a puzzler. Presumably it refers to solid-state memory (SSD hard drives), which until recently have been pricey. Perhaps earlier prototypes used SSD drives that were too small and crippled the device?)
Though the Journal report uncovers few new details, it does say that Jobs is currently working on the tablet’s advertising and marketing — which suggests the tablet’s launch is imminent. The Journal has no time line though: “The people familiar with the matter declined to give details on the tablet or disclose when the device would come out.“
Also, it’s stating the obvious, but the Journal notes that Jobs’s focus on the tablet is a clear sign of its importance. Although Apple has released several important pieces of hardware recently, the last product to get Jobs’s full attention was the prototype iPhone back in 2006/2007.
The report doesn’t detail what OS the device will run, which is perhaps the key unanswered question. Nor does it name the price: It’s somewhere between $399 and $999, the Journal helpfully reports.
Jobs is also recovering well from his liver transplant, the Journal says. “People close to Apple said Mr. Jobs is still thin as he recovers from the liver transplant, but his health has improved significantly.”
Good news all round.
Posted by Leander Kahney in Apple, News, Rumors, Steve Jobs | Comment on this article
I do not like it that Steve Jobs is parking on a disability parking space. Those parking spots have been set up to ease life for those who do not have two working legs as most amongst us.
That aside I am happy to learn about Apple’s plan for a tablet. Typing on a screen for quick things whilst on the road and then something in the style of a dock with external keyboard for when you are at your working place. this because it is not healthy to have your neck bend the whole time whilst typing.
You can even go as far to state that the tablet should be able to have a secondary screen connected when at your desk.
A built in (ssd?) hard drive of about 80-120 GB should be enough to do the basic things as today the memory sticks get more and more capacity whilst the price is only going down.
mmmark, on August 24th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
don’t you consider a liver transplant gives you the status of disabled?
JYC, on August 24th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
At this point apple could pretty much slap a sticker on a microwave door, call it a tablet, and make millions. I’ve never read so much speculation and hype on an unconfirmed product in my life. Granted I avoided the iphone circus.
mike, on August 25th, 2009 at 12:05 am
“Those parking spots have been set up to ease life for those who do not have two working legs as most amongst us.”…. by Apple. I agree that it sucks to steal those spots, in general, but if the Cupertino location is anything like the Austin location, there are always more handicapped spots than there are folks who need to use them… and more are added as needed, besides I think Steve has lost enough organs to qualify anyway.
Pancho, on August 25th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Let´s take a look at the Cupertino-Campus from the air (Google Earth): there are countless handicaped-spaces so erveryone who needs one,gets one.
Besides, I don´t understand why Apple doesn´t provide a special parking slot for their CEO?
But I think that is SJ MO,too
MacBeutling, on August 25th, 2009 at 1:51 am
Sounds like great news. I can’t wait to see this device. I am keeping an open mind about existing tablets because I think Apple will have done something revolutionary to make this an awesome experience.
martin_tf, on August 25th, 2009 at 2:06 am
[...] Link: Report/ Steve Jobs Focusing Full Attention on Apple Tablet | Cult of Mac [...]
Steve JobsはApple Tabletに全力を注いでいる « うま口Mac。, on August 25th, 2009 at 2:17 am
I have been slightly skeptical about the whole tablet idea, but I must admit, I am getting quite excited now. Knowing Apple, they will have completely raised the bar in this market, and I can’t wait to see what they’ve come up with. Thanks for the info.
Meghann, on August 25th, 2009 at 4:35 am
@JYC & Pancho
I think Steve has enough authority within Apple to have a private parking space organize: even one without a special plate. Just one memo to all and anybody who has the guts to put his car in that space has to treat all at Apple at apple pie or something. In that way no disability space is taken up and Steve has its own space too.
By the way I do not think that Steve Jobs wants to be seen as a person with a handicap. And as long as he has no indication of disability behind his window he should not park in that space. I am sure he will agree in the end.
mmmark, on August 25th, 2009 at 5:00 am
A nerd writes:
My understanding of disability discrimination law in the UK is that people have to provide equality of opportunity and access. i.e. there should be toilets that are accessible to the disabled, and buildings should be accessible too. However, offering “alternatives” is not “equality”, it’s second best. All new buildings should be accessible without special measures, all new toilets (ideally) should be too.
The issue with toilets is one of space, of course.
Parking spaces for the disabled should be nearer to an entrance.
Where it becomes more vague is the issue of exclusivity: a disabled toilet is not reserved for disabled people, but is accessible to them. (The character who chastises Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm is wrong to do so, for example). If you need to use the toilet and the only one available is the disabled, then you can and should use it.
The same with parking – if the only space available is a disabled space, you are allowed to use it if the alternative is not to carry out your business. (Of course in the UK you can get a ticket for doing that and it’s not been challenged AFAIK in the courts, mainly I suppose because social convention dictates otherwise).
So Jobs could be forgiven if he’s the last one in to the office. However, I doubt that’s the case. He could be forgiven if his health dictates he needs to be close to the entrance (though why he’s able to drive I don’t know). He could almost be forgiven if he knows there are no disabled drivers needing the spot.
But ultimately you wonder why he hasn’t got his own space next to that one with “Steve Jobs” painted in big letters on it. Cos this way he just comes across as arrogant.
/nerd
Jonathan, on August 25th, 2009 at 7:22 am
I think the ‘insufficient memory’ reason for shutting down the project may be one of the first clearer marks that this device will be a true tablet mac running OS X on a larger screen (10″), and not a stretched iPod Touch running the iPhone OS. I sure hope this is true, because that’s exactly what I want.
Ohcyt, on August 25th, 2009 at 7:47 am
LEAVE STEVE JOBS ALONE !!1!!!11!
*sniff*
CaryMG, on August 25th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Random thought: Think you’ll be able to easily connect your iPhone/Touch to this thing? Maybe have it’s own iPhone dock? Seriously, unless you could seamlessly integrate the two, why would anyone with an iPhone/Touch buy one of these things unless combining them would unlock some huge potential. That also leads me to believe that it’ll have full OS X on it.
Church of Apple, on August 25th, 2009 at 12:35 pm