The Apple Core

Jason D. O'Grady & David Morgenstern

iTablet goes OLED, bumped until late 2010

By | November 19, 2009, 10:03am PST

Summary: Rumors are swirling that Apple’s tablet will be pushed back to the second half of 2010 in order to accommodate an upgraded OLED screen. Would you pay twice the price for a iTablet with an OLED screen?

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tuaw.com/media/2006/02/macpad_maybe_fake.gif

Optimistic customers waiting for Apple to release its mythical tablet will have to wait a little longer if rumors coming out of China are true.

DigiTimes is reporting that the Apple tablet has been delayed from March 2010 to some time in the “second half” of 2010. Citing sources from component makers, the report claims that the delay is a result of Apple’s decision to switch to a 9.7-inch Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) panel from LG Display.

In addition to upgrading to an 9.7-inch OLED panel Apple is also reportedly considering keeping a less-expensive 10.6-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) model in the lineup, most likely for price reasons.

The story also reports that Apple has enlisted two additional manufacturing partners to build the tablet. iPod maker Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) will be joined by long time Apple contractor Quanta Computer and Pegatron Technology.

DigiTimes estimates that with 9.7-inch OLED panels currently costing about $500 — normally about 30% of the final price tag — a 9.7-inch OLED tablet Mac will cost between $1,500 and $1,700. And that’s Apple’s cost. Assuming component costs drop to around $1,200-1,500 in the second half of 2010 - that could push the retail price of Apple’s OLED tablet upwards of $2,000.

Gulp.

The good news is that the 10.6-inch TFT-based version should retail for a much more managable $800 - $1,000 as has been rumored for quite while.

OLED has many benefits over TFT:

OLEDs enable a greater range of colours, gamut, brightness, contrast (both dynamic range and static) and viewing angle than LCDs because OLED pixels directly emit light. OLED pixel colours appear correct and unshifted, even as the viewing angle approaches 90 degrees from normal. LCDs use a backlight and cannot show true black, while an off OLED element produces no light and consumes no power. Energy is also wasted in LCDs because they require polarizers that filter out about half of the light emitted by the backlight.

It’s a compelling technical argument, for sure, but I’m not sure if consumers will pay twice the price for a iTablet with an OLED screen.

What are some of the ways that Apple could further differentiate the high-end model? What would justify paying double the price?

Photo: A juicy fake from TUAW, circa 2006.

[poll="190"]

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Topics

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve
  • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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good idea about android
gavin.chan 1st Oct
A good post. Thanks for sharing.Hi, do you own a tablet pc? We supply kinds of tablet computers, including wholesale android tablet and windows 7 tablet pc. Buy a amlogic a9 tablet from China at wholesale price.l69bd
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$2000? I doubt it.
lostarchitect 19th Nov 2009
Apple puts themselves in a "premium" price range,
but $2000 for a 10" tablet? Even they're not THAT
crazy.
0 Votes
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Yeah...
WarhavenSC 19th Nov 2009
I have my reservations about this price forecast as well.
0 Votes
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RE: $2000? I doubt it
UnCommonCents 21st Nov 2009
@lostarchitect Agree, end-users are unlikely to
pay that high a premium, however... (1) perhaps if it
doubled as a touchpad/pen input device replacement,
and (2) Apple will offer at a competitive price with
either (3G/4G) carrier subsidy or at no profit (on tablet)
if they can monetize the content.

My brain hurts thinking of all the possible scenarios,
much less assessing there likely success. But wouldn't
be surprised if Apple's cloud computing ranch 2B in NC
is likely part of a play to offer publishers a platform
supporting current and future (multimedia)
content via iTunes (as others have speculated).
0 Votes
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No Thanks
nothingness 19th Nov 2009
Don't need or want either, waste of space...If I want
real gaming, I'd rather play real games on my PS3 or Wii
on my flat screen; or on my kids' DS.
0 Votes
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Redundant Technology
TeamDrunkenPanda 19th Nov 2009
I don't see the justification for a tablet.

If I want ultra-mobile web surfing or basic text editing I'll stick with my DROID, for more powerful portable computing I've got my 13" MacBook, and neither of those cost me $2,000.00
0 Votes
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WAIT
goingbust 19th Nov 2009
I would wait and I think everyone else will too.
0 Votes
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Cue the double standards...
NonZealot 19th Nov 2009
When ZuneHD came out with OLED, all the Apple cultists
screamed about how OLED sucks because it draws 1.21
gigawatts of electricity to display whites and it can't
be used in anything other than total darkness.

Cue the double standards...
0 Votes
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Um, yeah... sure
WarhavenSC 19th Nov 2009
OLEDs are widely known for lower power consumption than standard TFTs, which is one of their biggest selling points. Even your "Apple cultists" probably know this. So, again, will you stop making sh*t up?

And, by the way:

double standard
n.
1. An ethical or moral code that applies more strictly to one group than to another
2. A set of principles that allows greater freedom to one person or group than to another

Can you stop with the misuse of double standard? You're hurting peoples' brains.
0 Votes
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OLEDs are widely known for lower power consumption than standard TFTs, which is one of their biggest selling points.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/09/14/from-oled-to-tegra-five-myths-of-the-zune-hd/

Taken from roughly drafted, the Apple cultist's handbook:
OLEDs still use more power than LCD displays most of the time because the OLED technology consumes power based on how
bright the image it is displaying is. Essentially, OLED is the backlight.


So there you have it. When OLEDs are in an MS product, they consume more electricity. When they are in anything else, they
use less.

Cue the double standards...
0 Votes
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One Uninformed Blogger
WarhavenSC 19th Nov 2009
So, a single uninformed blogger that clearly doesn't know what he's talking about represents to you the entire Apple user base?
0 Votes
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Yes
NonZealot 19th Nov 2009
It does when that article was linked to multiple
times by the entire Apple user base for the entire
month leading up to the ZuneHD's release.
0 Votes
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Uh-huh...
WarhavenSC 19th Nov 2009
The entire Apple user base linked to that article... for the entire month. Or, and more probable, was it just a few Apple fanboys, and then perpetuated by their corresponding Windows zealots referencing it in their usual back-and-forth banter?

Is it at all possible for you to not write in broad generalizations?

Here, I'll do one too:

Windows Zealots always speak in broad generalization, spread misinformation, don't know what a double standard is, and make sh*t up 80% of the time.
0 Votes
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Do NOT feed the trolls!
matthew_maurice 19th Nov 2009
You realize that you're arguing about a "double standard" to which a
mythical product is allegedly being held, right?

Non Zealot's non sequiturs are pointless enough when referring to
actual products. They're doubly so in regards to vaporware.
0 Votes
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Yes... [Edit: Intended as reply to NonZealot]
olePigeon Updated - 19th Nov 2009
"So there you have it. When OLEDs are in an MS product, they
consume more electricity. When they are in anything else, they use
less."


Correct, because Microsoft cut corners to save costs. OLEDs are
expensive, but they can be energy efficient when implemented
properly. Current OLED display technology not only rivals traditional
LCDs in brightness (400 cd/m?), but also last just as long at around
60,000 hours for the blue alone. This results in an average cost
savings in energy requirements.

"Cue the double standards..."

Cue your lack of any fact checking or references.
0 Votes
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Oh the delicious irony
NonZealot 19th Nov 2009
Correct, because Microsoft cut corners to
save costs.


The irony of you writing that without doing any
fact checking or providing any references is
just too delicious!

The roughly drafted article did not say that
MS's OLED screens in particular were
inefficient (they aren't). The roughly drafted
article said that ALL OLED screens were less
efficient than LCD. Well, until Apple uses it.
Then suddenly we'll be asked to forget all
about the fact that months earlier, roughly
drafted slammed the technology as a
whole
. Luckily for roughly drafted, Apple
cultists are pretty dumb. happy
0 Votes
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You were the one quoting Roughly Drafted, not me...
olePigeon Updated - 19th Nov 2009
You were the one quoting Roughly Drafted, not me. I can not account for Apple Insider's overall lack of understanding.

I only clarified your all-too-often inaccurate or exaggerated statements.
0 Votes
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How are you feeling today?
lostarchitect 19th Nov 2009
Just checking in. Did you go outside today?
Sunshine soothes the soul, you know. Hope you're
doing better. Chin up!
0 Votes
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happy
0 Votes
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I bet the USA doesn't supply a single component for this piece of hardware.

Nice to know if this comes to market, China will suck yet more hard-earned dollars from Americans' wallets. And Apple, that pillar of American industry, pocket a tidy profit for those who are still employed flipping burgers and can afford to buy shares.

Can anyone say "empire in decline"?
0 Votes
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Of course they do ...
de-void-21165590650301806002836337787023 19th Nov 2009
... it wouldn't be an Apple product without the JDRF* chip.

That alone will guarantee that enough customers with (or wanting) inflated egos will rush out to buy one on launch day.

* JRDF chip = Jobs Reality Distortion Field chip - the only logical explanation as to why customers continue to pay such stratospheric premiums for machines that are no more reliable than a Dell.
Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=6186&tag=col1;post-27544
0 Votes
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Color gamut here...
HypnoToad72 19th Nov 2009
A professional photographer and now a student in graphic design, color accuracy is, like, you know, IMPORTANT.

People can bleat about Macs being pricey, but the iMscs with the IPS panels more than match the cost of a PC with the integrated subsidized crapware and cheap TN panel garbage.

0 Votes
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LOL @Macs with color accuracy
NonZealot 19th Nov 2009
Because Apple has never sold 6bit panels while
advertising them as 8 bit panels!!!

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=416

Oops, looks like they have. It is a myth that Macs
have better color accuracy. They are just as good
(or as bad) as the rest of them.
0 Votes
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A dubious point at best
use_what_works_4_U 19th Nov 2009
Considering that you are referencing a 2 year old article to debate a
point the poster makes about a product which is less than 2 months
old! The issue was so hotly contested that only 2 people bothered to
comment, and neither one of them was you. Given how often you do
comment on Apple posts this clearly does not seem like it was a big
deal. Furthermore the article you reference concludes that Apple was
passing on language that it was given by the OEM.

" But the real rub here is that every 6-bit panel I?ve come across is
rated at being able to output 16+ million colors. Because of this it?s
almost impossible for the end user to tell whether they?re buying a 6-
bit panel or an 8-bit panel. By claiming that their 6-bit panels are
16+ million color capable, all Apple is doing is passing on the specs
being given to them. So if you?re going to sue Apple for this, then
extend the suit to cover all other OEMs and manufacturers, because
they all do the same." (emphasis added)

Your zealotry and compulsive need spew bile at Apple is
really getting old. Get some therapy man!
0 Votes
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Epic iFail
NonZealot 19th Nov 2009
Come on, you apologists usually do better than
that.

So if you're going to sue Apple for this,
then extend the suit to cover all other OEMs
and manufacturers, because they all do the
same."


I never said that Apple's monitors were
worse. Here, read what I wrote:
It is a myth that Macs have better color
accuracy. They are just as good (or as bad)
as the rest of them.


You wrote your entire post and ended up
agreeing with me. The OP said they were
better. I said they were the same. You
posted proof that I was right and the OP was
wrong
. Nice job. You're fired.
0 Votes
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Panels aside, Apple has historically been a lot better with color
management technology than Windows; mostly because the technology
was developed almost exclusively for Mac OS and matured on the
platform. ColorSync is/was widely considered the best color
management system because color management was offered at the
system level where any application could benefit from color profiles.

Windows didn't get system level color management until relatively
recently with Windows Vista, which continued with Windows 7.
0 Votes
+ -
This blog is about the panel and whether or not
OLED is better than LCD.

Windows didn't get system level color
management until relatively recently with
Windows Vista, which continued with Windows
7.


Apple didn't get a smartphone until relatively
recently. It only seems to matter who was first
when Apple was first. When Apple is last, it
suddenly no longer matters.

Cue the double standards...
0 Votes
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NonZealot lives
Neil422 19th Nov 2009
Great comment ... LOL!!!
0 Votes
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And you are...
UsernameRequired Updated - 19th Nov 2009
clearly obsessed. You need help. Really. See a doctor because you
obsession is disturbing. Your mental condition can affect you physical
well being.
0 Votes
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My comment was not about displays
use_what_works_4_U Updated - 19th Nov 2009
My post was about your willingness to compare obsolete products to current products in order to prove a point despite the fact that the products are not the same at all. The OP said that the current panels are better. You dredged up an article about Apple products from 2 years before the panel he referenced was even introduced to the Apple line. I quoted that same outdated article because it was your reference and I did not see the need to force people to open a new window for a small bit of text.

I am not qualified enough in display technology to render a decent opinion on what's better or worse. I quoted what Adrian said 2 years ago . Since the display technology evolves and Apple's current panels were not available at the time of the article, I was attempting to point out that the article is irrelevant to the product mentioned by the OP.

I am not making an argument for or against Apple's displays. I am making the argument that you are so obsessed with putting Apple down that you will use a 2 year old article to prove a point about new products that did not exist when the article was written . Since the product did not exist then, the article is irrelevant to the OP's opinion of Apple's current offerings.

Although I don't disagree that in 2007 this article supports your opinion, I do take strong exception to using it as a basis for criticizing a current product. You see nothing wrong with using 2 year old information to discuss brand new products because you have a pathological need to deny that Apple might do something better than another brand. Read my post again. I never claim that Apple displays are better . I don't know enough to make that claim. I claim that you are so desperate to make Apple look bad that you use 2 year old data to attack a current product despite the fact that this data references products other than the one you are attacking .

Thank you for proving my point!

addition: Yes, I think that Apple fans who use examples from XP to slam Vista or Win7 are blatantly showing their bias and ignorance also. If we want to discuss current products, then we need to discuss current products
0 Votes
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Probably somebody misheard LED as OLED.
BillDem Updated - 19th Nov 2009
It's more likely that it will be an LED back-lit LCD display than an OLED display. OLED displays that large can't even be manufactured in the quantities Apple would require, yet. Plus, the price would be stratospheric. The whole idea is ridiculous. Definitely wishful thinking on somebody's part.

Just take a 7-8 inch LED back-lit LCD capacitive touch screen, throw the guts of a 32GB iPhone behind the screen, and fill the rest of the case with battery. We'd have a great personal media/Internet tablet. Sell it for under $600 and you'd sell millions. People would buy those instead of netbooks, because they'd be slimmer, lighter, and much better at playing media or reading e-books while still letting people browse the Internet and check email.

edit: I do have one request Apple - please include an SDHC card slot if you make the device I described above. I want to be able to carry a bunch of movies along on trips. happy
0 Votes
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Close . . but . . .
stano360 20th Nov 2009
That is probably what they'll do, but SDHC slot limits their ability to sell you up to the next model.

And of course the $600 price is some strange dream of yours. try $800-$1000. Surely their will be a model that has ATT 3g (that might make too much sense though).
0 Votes
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10 inch TFT for $1000? - Try $279
gmeader 20th Nov 2009
It's all about price! That's why netbooks are selling millions.

How about a Dell Mini 10v netbook ($279) repackaged as a tablet for the same $279 price? Remove the keyboard, add touchscreen.

You could even run OSX on it (Google: Hackintosh Mini 10v)

Dell Mini 10v Specs:

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor
* 160 GB Hard Disk
* 1 GB RAM
* 1.3 Megapixel Webcam
* 10.1? LED backlit glossy screen
* 6 hour battery
* 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi capabilities
* Multi-card Reader
0 Votes
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I doubt the price differential will be so
significant but the real point is anyone that has
seen an OLED [or AMOLED] display realizes it?s a
bright clear [and much lower energy using] new
world. LCD is dead.
0 Votes
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I won't pay $2000 or even $1000 if the O/S isn't more open than the iPhone. No way would I pay those sorts of prices for a locked down O/S.
As far as the screen goes, I don't know... probably wouldn't pay double the price but I would possibly pay a premium price if the battery life was significantly improved.
0 Votes
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OLED uses more power and useless outside
aristotle_z 20th Nov 2009
Why would anyone want OLED? It 3X more power than LCD
when displaying white pixels, is useless for outside use and
the blue pigments will break down when exposed to sunlight
causing a colour shift. Even if you were able to compensate
with software, I don't understand why everyone wants such a
flawed technology.

Just because it has organic in the name, that does not make
it superior or better for the environment.
0 Votes
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Master Joe Says...
MasterJoe 20th Nov 2009
The price tag doesn't really matter. This is an Apple product. And, like most Apple products, they will rely on the "coolness" factor to carry it. This will be just a trendy accessory, which people will buy, and likely rarely use. You will see them in Starbucks and other coffee shops around the US. The celebs will likely buy some. It is doubtful that many average consumers would pay this price for them, but Apple has never been one to focus on low prices. Plus, if it were offering digital content, you would likely be tied to iTunes, just like with iPod and Apple TV. That would be a deal breaker for me, even if the price was cut in half. I wouldn't pay more than $350 for a tablet, even one with an OLED panel. That's just me though. I know introducing logic and common sense is often a waste of time, when dealing with Apple fanatics, but I will continue to try, and make a difference someday.

--Master Joe
0 Votes
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Master Bator says:
DeusExMachina 20th Nov 2009
"This will be just a trendy accessory, which people will buy, and likely
rarely use. You will see them in Starbucks and other coffee shops
around the US."

A perfect example of your COMPLETE inability to make a logical point.
If people were rarely used them, you wouldn't see them using them in
coffee shops.

" It is doubtful that many average consumers would pay this price for
them, but Apple has never been one to focus on low prices."

Yeah, just like those failed iPods. What is Apple thinking following the
huge failure of the iPod with this tablet mess?

"Plus, if it were offering digital content, you would likely be tied to
iTunes, just like with iPod and Apple TV."

Neither of these devices are tied to iTunes, which you would know if
you took a trip the Clue store.

"That would be a deal breaker for me, even if the price was cut in half.
I wouldn't pay more than $350 for a tablet, even one with an OLED
panel. That's just me though."

Nice that you are finally getting the fact that your opinion really
doesn't amount to much.

"I know introducing logic and common sense is often a waste of time,
when dealing with Apple fanatics, but I will continue to try, and make
a difference someday."

That's rich, coming from you. You wouldn't know logic if an existential
quantifier bit you in the ass.
0 Votes
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Master Joe Says...
MasterJoe 20th Nov 2009
With such an original title to your response, I expected so much more than what I read in your comment. Actually, that's a lie. I couldn't even convince myself of taht one. A small-minded person, making small-minded claims. what does taht mean? It means you are exactly what you claim me to be. Anyone who makes the statement that the iPod and Apple TV are not meant and made to be most compatible with iTunes clearly doesn't KNOW about the iPod and Apple TV. As far as iPod being a failure, your quote from my comment doesn't show where I said that. In addition, the iPod is still just a trendy item. People buy them because "that's what my friend has." It has nothing to do with quality or ease-of-use. If it did, the Zune HD would have sold as many of, or more units than iPod. Finally, since I don't want to waste any more of my life on you, "the problem," let me point out that all of the comments I have made about Mac fans or followers, you have done an excellent job of proving here today. Congratulations on that, as I couldn't have asked for an easier play than the one you gave me. I'd say thank you, but sentiment would be wasted on someone like you.

--Master Joe
0 Votes
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Reading comprehension
DeusExMachina 22nd Nov 2009
"Anyone who makes the statement that the iPod and Apple TV are not
meant and made to be most compatible with iTunes clearly doesn't
KNOW about the iPod and Apple TV."

Being that I never made that statement, nor could anything I wrote
even be construed to imply it, I have to assume you can not be talking
about me.

"People buy them [iPod} because 'that's what my friend has.'"

So you say, and provide absolutely zero evidence to back it up.

" It has nothing to do with quality or ease-of-use."

Funny, an number of customer surveys showed exactly that. Or are
you claiming they were lying?

"If it did, the Zune HD would have sold as many of, or more units than
iPod."

Unless, the same people reference above don't agree with your
analysis of the interface, Which they don't.

"Finally, since I don't want to waste any more of my life on you, "the
problem," let me point out that all of the comments I have made about
Mac fans or followers, you have done an excellent job of proving here
today."

Why? You appear to waste enough of your time pontificating here in
the self-centered belief that anyone cares what "Master Joe Says."
If you dropped dead tomorrow and never posted again, I doubt a
single person would care. Or even notice.

As to that ungrammatical nonsense about being an Apple fan, its it a
bit amusing that you lump me into that group, being as I do not own
either an iPod, nor an iPhone, nor have any plans to.

Regarding the rest, you are just a self-absorbed, self-righteous,
rather mindless sycophant who has yet to make a singe salient or even
remotely useful point on any topic I have seen.
0 Votes
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nothing new...
357ammo 21st Nov 2009
just another i-crap for people that use computers only for dicking around...except this time the price is really insane. 2000$ for 10 inch. anyone who buys that should be shot immediately just for being such a dick.
0 Votes
+ -
good idea about android
gavin.chan 1st Oct
A good post. Thanks for sharing.Hi, do you own a tablet pc? We supply kinds of tablet computers, including wholesale android tablet and windows 7 tablet pc. Buy a amlogic a9 tablet from China at wholesale price.l69bd

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