Obvious inventions that everyone is waiting for, but they do not sell
Each of us probably looks into the future and sees there what he is lacking now. And sometimes they do not understand why something that could have been done and sold for a long time has not been done yet.
Some examples are:
I dreamed of a light and small laptop for a long time. Probably the year since 2000. Even before that, I read about Toshiba Libretto in Computerra . More details about it can be read in Habré: As before, laptops did - Toshiba Libretto 50ct (1997 onwards)
And still thinking, well, why no one will release a small and inexpensive laptop with a weak processor, but for a long time to work.
I thought that Intel will not make a Pentium I 600-1000 MHz, because it will surely be a small core and low power consumption. This all should not be expensive, because it is all from simple components.
Time passed and I exclaimed: "Hurray!" There was information about the Asus Eee PC, which was about what, as the world has shown, many people were waiting.
And there were Atom processors, which are precisely those Pentium 1, a little pumped through the brain and strongly in frequency.
And then it turned out that this is a huge market. Already Acer takes the first place, and the rest are involved in the race.
Why did this not happen before? Why were there minicompas before, but at a terrifying price?
Was it difficult to invent?
I do not understand the charm of working with the stylus, and now I do not understand. And yet did not understand what stopped manufacturers to make an interface in which a stylus is not needed.
Interestingly, is it not clear that it is easier and more convenient to control a finger?
')
Yes, perhaps there are many cases when the stylus is needed, but why not let the user choose what is more convenient for him to complete the task?
The iPhone had an ancestor, the Neonode N1m , which was released in 2004. He had an infrared grid above the screen as a sensor. And even then he had his own Neno graphical interface, which was located on top of Windows CE. The model had its flaws and it did not become popular. This model was going to be released in 2002.
Time passes and the iPhone appears in 2007. And then “everyone” loves him. Yes, he has a lot of flaws. They are, according to some, just a mountain. But he has something that overshadows a lot - convenient finger control. Everything. It's enough.
I want to note that I am not the owner of the iPhone and have never been eager to become one, but I like it. I used it for a short time. And my next phone will also be another brand, but the conversation is not about that.
Everyone is talking about a breakthrough, a new era, creating copies of the interface from pathetic parodies to very nimble and successful ones. Note that more than 5 years have passed since the announcement of the Neonode N1m and 3 years since it was released. "Ha, but he is not popular, why copy it?" .... everyone thinks. And only Jobs with his team is probably already planning on returning Apple Newton . And while I was writing this article, the story of Newton appeared on Habré - part 1 and part 2 .
But all this could have been done easily before. Or not? Am I the only one waiting for such an interface? Didn't users write about it anywhere? Didn’t the employees of the companies have such thoughts?
Or maybe there are engineers of mobile phone manufacturers, whose ideas do not reach the management or do not find support, because marketers who, of course, know better, are responsible for the development strategy! And then, they always have excuses.
This is a recollection of a story about HP, which for 3 years rolled into the abyss, until they fired their chief marketer :)
So, the iPhone was prepared in the strictest secrecy, despite the fact that it had long been clear what the market was waiting for.
Again, Apple threatens to shut everyone up. And, as always, it does this "secretly . " So, topics like this Microsoft Slate appear, where it is shown how the “strong” on the other side of the barricades are trying to do at least something before. Somehow.
It brings a smile.
There are many different tablets, they are issued for a long time. There are even very interesting models. For example, based on AMD Geode, on Atom, on the ARM platform, but they are not what people are waiting for. Most need not only a piece of iron. Yes, they do not need a piece of iron. People need the opportunity to surf the Internet, listen to music and watch photos and videos, read, and several other possibilities for work. If they could do it anywhere without a computer, they would do it. But while they are tied to the hardware and the most important thing is software.
What can be or will be the ideal hardware and how to get the perfect software for it.
One option to do this is the same way the iPhone. Apple made a piece of hardware, the basis of software, and most importantly, the rules for how to write programs and tools for creating them. The rest for them was done for free by thousands of programmers.
Why not make a good piece of hardware, run Linux on it, write rules and do something like the Apple Store. It's complicated? To some extent, yes. But it seems to me that the main thing here is that someone must go first and take risks. And Apple may be coming after small projects that we may not be aware of.
This is the world, everyone is trying to slyamzit each other a great idea or at least some idea. But to go its own way given rare.
So, you can also release a good piece of iron and make it really not expensive. Toy for geeks who will write software for it. And they themselves will make it the center of the universe, because they dream about it.
Let's try together to decide what kind of tablet waiting. I’ll say right away that I’ll describe a tablet for the home.
Mobile options are more like modern touch-backgrounds, the choice of which is huge. Yes, and I'm not interested in this topic right now. But if she is close to you, try to describe your vision in the comments.
What do people want to do at home? Same as I described above - the Internet, photos, videos, music, read. But now they are tied either to the computer or to the laptop. And it’s good if it’s a netbook, it’s easy to read, and it’s quite possible to see pictures and movies.
But all this is not as convenient as it could be done on a tablet. This tablet gives you mobility at home!
My presentation is as follows:
What do you think, is it possible to add to all this a keyboard, like the one that qwerty smartphones have? For example, retractable and clinging to the bottom and sides at will. Or will touch be enough?
* The OS and software interface should take into account the small size of the point and be ready for it, but for photos and video this will give crystal clearness. Although for a lower cost it is possible and classic 1024 in width.
** Perhaps WiMAX, LTE, 3G, etc. - depends on the region in which it is supplied and on the price. In the base view - not needed. Or used nest and plug-in modules. Maybe bluetooth, what do you say?
*** In case you want to use the keyboard, mouse and external modem.
**** miniUSB, since most portable devices have this connector and finding a wire for it is not difficult.
For those who want to calculate some data:
Motorola Droid components cost ( on iSuppli ) - $ 187.75 and
Google Nexus One ( on iSuppli ) - $ 174.15,
It may seem to many that 400 dollars is not realistic. But I want to make a comparison with: Acer 1410
This laptop costs about $ 400, 6 hours battery life.
(Offtopic. Who is the thread, explain how, having a smaller battery in capacity, it can easily do Asus Eee PC 900H)
After all, if we reduce this screen to the laptop, remove the keyboard and put the Linux / tach interface there, will it be possible that we have exactly what I described? By the way, note, the price of this laptop also includes Windows 7 Home Premium!
This laptop is superior to the device I described in all characteristics and at the same time has an excellent price. Why are there still no similar models on ARM processors that would work longer, weigh less, cost less?
What about us instead? Terribly voracious touch backgrounds worth around 500-900 dollars? For what? For the miniature? So tablets are so diminutive and useless!
What can you save? The screen is smaller, the battery is smaller, the RAM is smaller, the OS is cheaper or “free”, the size of the circuit board is smaller.
And the processor and chipset? Allegedly, they should be cheaper, because ARM processors include a chipset.
And where is it? And why Acer did not make a tablet in the likeness of this laptop? Could it be a hit? Yes, it would be a hit with a good touch interface.
If ARM wants to seize the tablet market, then they need to kick developers in order to come up with comparable systems that can show what the ARM platform really is.
Is she better? So far it seems to me that she has great potential, but as ARM said, the margin level in the mobile phone market is much higher than in the no-smartbook market.
And finally, it’s good that Nvidia has taken on this potential with its Tegra 2. Here, for example, is a similar tablet for Verizon .
Those who have already started: Freescale is preparing a smartbook tablet
But the prototype, which I found already at the conclusion of the article, will be my next story Notion Ink Adam . It embodies the tablet that I described.
And what do you see in the future?
Some examples are:
- Netbook
- iphone
- Tablets, smartbooks, MID
- Device with pictures
About netbooks
I dreamed of a light and small laptop for a long time. Probably the year since 2000. Even before that, I read about Toshiba Libretto in Computerra . More details about it can be read in Habré: As before, laptops did - Toshiba Libretto 50ct (1997 onwards)
And still thinking, well, why no one will release a small and inexpensive laptop with a weak processor, but for a long time to work.
I thought that Intel will not make a Pentium I 600-1000 MHz, because it will surely be a small core and low power consumption. This all should not be expensive, because it is all from simple components.
Time passed and I exclaimed: "Hurray!" There was information about the Asus Eee PC, which was about what, as the world has shown, many people were waiting.
And there were Atom processors, which are precisely those Pentium 1, a little pumped through the brain and strongly in frequency.
And then it turned out that this is a huge market. Already Acer takes the first place, and the rest are involved in the race.
Why did this not happen before? Why were there minicompas before, but at a terrifying price?
Was it difficult to invent?
IPhone Pro
I do not understand the charm of working with the stylus, and now I do not understand. And yet did not understand what stopped manufacturers to make an interface in which a stylus is not needed.
Interestingly, is it not clear that it is easier and more convenient to control a finger?
')
Yes, perhaps there are many cases when the stylus is needed, but why not let the user choose what is more convenient for him to complete the task?
The iPhone had an ancestor, the Neonode N1m , which was released in 2004. He had an infrared grid above the screen as a sensor. And even then he had his own Neno graphical interface, which was located on top of Windows CE. The model had its flaws and it did not become popular. This model was going to be released in 2002.
Time passes and the iPhone appears in 2007. And then “everyone” loves him. Yes, he has a lot of flaws. They are, according to some, just a mountain. But he has something that overshadows a lot - convenient finger control. Everything. It's enough.
I want to note that I am not the owner of the iPhone and have never been eager to become one, but I like it. I used it for a short time. And my next phone will also be another brand, but the conversation is not about that.
Everyone is talking about a breakthrough, a new era, creating copies of the interface from pathetic parodies to very nimble and successful ones. Note that more than 5 years have passed since the announcement of the Neonode N1m and 3 years since it was released. "Ha, but he is not popular, why copy it?" .... everyone thinks. And only Jobs with his team is probably already planning on returning Apple Newton . And while I was writing this article, the story of Newton appeared on Habré - part 1 and part 2 .
But all this could have been done easily before. Or not? Am I the only one waiting for such an interface? Didn't users write about it anywhere? Didn’t the employees of the companies have such thoughts?
Or maybe there are engineers of mobile phone manufacturers, whose ideas do not reach the management or do not find support, because marketers who, of course, know better, are responsible for the development strategy! And then, they always have excuses.
This is a recollection of a story about HP, which for 3 years rolled into the abyss, until they fired their chief marketer :)
So, the iPhone was prepared in the strictest secrecy, despite the fact that it had long been clear what the market was waiting for.
About tablets, smartbooks and MID
Again, Apple threatens to shut everyone up. And, as always, it does this "secretly . " So, topics like this Microsoft Slate appear, where it is shown how the “strong” on the other side of the barricades are trying to do at least something before. Somehow.
It brings a smile.
There are many different tablets, they are issued for a long time. There are even very interesting models. For example, based on AMD Geode, on Atom, on the ARM platform, but they are not what people are waiting for. Most need not only a piece of iron. Yes, they do not need a piece of iron. People need the opportunity to surf the Internet, listen to music and watch photos and videos, read, and several other possibilities for work. If they could do it anywhere without a computer, they would do it. But while they are tied to the hardware and the most important thing is software.
What can be or will be the ideal hardware and how to get the perfect software for it.
One option to do this is the same way the iPhone. Apple made a piece of hardware, the basis of software, and most importantly, the rules for how to write programs and tools for creating them. The rest for them was done for free by thousands of programmers.
Why not make a good piece of hardware, run Linux on it, write rules and do something like the Apple Store. It's complicated? To some extent, yes. But it seems to me that the main thing here is that someone must go first and take risks. And Apple may be coming after small projects that we may not be aware of.
This is the world, everyone is trying to slyamzit each other a great idea or at least some idea. But to go its own way given rare.
So, you can also release a good piece of iron and make it really not expensive. Toy for geeks who will write software for it. And they themselves will make it the center of the universe, because they dream about it.
Let's try together to decide what kind of tablet waiting. I’ll say right away that I’ll describe a tablet for the home.
Mobile options are more like modern touch-backgrounds, the choice of which is huge. Yes, and I'm not interested in this topic right now. But if she is close to you, try to describe your vision in the comments.
The tablet that is waiting.
What do people want to do at home? Same as I described above - the Internet, photos, videos, music, read. But now they are tied either to the computer or to the laptop. And it’s good if it’s a netbook, it’s easy to read, and it’s quite possible to see pictures and movies.
But all this is not as convenient as it could be done on a tablet. This tablet gives you mobility at home!
My presentation is as follows:
- Screen: 10 inches, touch. Resolution 1280 in width *.
- Processor type: ARM.
- Processor: 1 core from 1000 MHz or 2 cores from 600 MHz or simply NVIDIA Tegra 2
- Memory RAM: 512MB - 1024MB
- Winchester: SSD, 16-32 GB,
- Video: Full FullHD Video Support
- 3D: hardware acceleration and support for OpenGL
- Camera: 1.3M
- Battery: from 8 hours with an average load.
- Radio Interfaces **: WiFi.
- Thickness: up to 15 mm.
- Weight: up to 700 grams, preferably much less
- Interfaces:
- 3x USB 2.0 host ***,
- 1x miniUSB **** for connecting as a USB flash drive,
- audio video output, HDMI?
- 1-2 memory card slots.
- Price: up to 400 dollars.
What do you think, is it possible to add to all this a keyboard, like the one that qwerty smartphones have? For example, retractable and clinging to the bottom and sides at will. Or will touch be enough?
* The OS and software interface should take into account the small size of the point and be ready for it, but for photos and video this will give crystal clearness. Although for a lower cost it is possible and classic 1024 in width.
** Perhaps WiMAX, LTE, 3G, etc. - depends on the region in which it is supplied and on the price. In the base view - not needed. Or used nest and plug-in modules. Maybe bluetooth, what do you say?
*** In case you want to use the keyboard, mouse and external modem.
**** miniUSB, since most portable devices have this connector and finding a wire for it is not difficult.
For those who want to calculate some data:
Motorola Droid components cost ( on iSuppli ) - $ 187.75 and
Google Nexus One ( on iSuppli ) - $ 174.15,
A little about Acer 1410
It may seem to many that 400 dollars is not realistic. But I want to make a comparison with: Acer 1410
This laptop costs about $ 400, 6 hours battery life.
(Offtopic. Who is the thread, explain how, having a smaller battery in capacity, it can easily do Asus Eee PC 900H)
After all, if we reduce this screen to the laptop, remove the keyboard and put the Linux / tach interface there, will it be possible that we have exactly what I described? By the way, note, the price of this laptop also includes Windows 7 Home Premium!
This laptop is superior to the device I described in all characteristics and at the same time has an excellent price. Why are there still no similar models on ARM processors that would work longer, weigh less, cost less?
What about us instead? Terribly voracious touch backgrounds worth around 500-900 dollars? For what? For the miniature? So tablets are so diminutive and useless!
What can you save? The screen is smaller, the battery is smaller, the RAM is smaller, the OS is cheaper or “free”, the size of the circuit board is smaller.
And the processor and chipset? Allegedly, they should be cheaper, because ARM processors include a chipset.
And where is it? And why Acer did not make a tablet in the likeness of this laptop? Could it be a hit? Yes, it would be a hit with a good touch interface.
If ARM wants to seize the tablet market, then they need to kick developers in order to come up with comparable systems that can show what the ARM platform really is.
Is she better? So far it seems to me that she has great potential, but as ARM said, the margin level in the mobile phone market is much higher than in the no-smartbook market.
And finally, it’s good that Nvidia has taken on this potential with its Tegra 2. Here, for example, is a similar tablet for Verizon .
Those who have already started: Freescale is preparing a smartbook tablet
But the prototype, which I found already at the conclusion of the article, will be my next story Notion Ink Adam . It embodies the tablet that I described.
And what do you see in the future?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/80986/
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