The Tablet

I have to admit some level of curiosity about the upcoming Apple Tablet, the iSlate, or the iPad, or the iTablet, or the iWhoCaresIt'sCool, or whatever.  By this time tomorrow, we'll all know whether the hype is deserved or not. 

Some photos of the device have supposedly leaked already:

and

The only things we know so far is that there will be something introduced tomorrow, almost certainly a tablet, and whatever it is, it will have a 10" screen, based on Apple's orders from its suppliers. 

Having had a Newton 110 way back when, I can attest to the fact that while Apple was always innovative, it didn't always hit the mark.  The Newton

was certainly ahead of its time, but it didn't work all that well.  It was based on a handwriting recognition algorithm that wasn't quite ready for prime time, and the applications were very limited.  I've still got the thing in the back of a closet somewhere.  $1,000 for not too much functionality.  The cost of the iTablet is supposed to be about $1,000 as well. 

Will the iTablet be a boon for Radiology?  Well.....

Maybe.  The lack of a keyboard might prove to be somewhat of a problem, and frankly, that's the one glitch I've found in my iPhone.  The gesture-based Multi-Touch approach might work quite well for PACS.  One could pinch and stretch to zoom, use a flick of the finger to set a MIP spinning, and so on.  If the screen resolution is adequate, we'll certainly see some PACS viewers ported to the iTablet.  Of course, we don't know if the thing runs MAC OS (Snow Leopard cub version?) or some yet-to-be-announced flavor of the iPhone OS.  But where does this thing fit in the great scheme of things?  It is better than an iPhone for PACS applications, certainly, but likely has far less horsepower than even a basic laptop.  It might be good for field-viewing, or other limited approaches, but will it replace a workstation?  That seems unlikely.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, we'll know everything tomorrow, it's only a day away. . .

ADDENDUM:

It's here!!!  Steve Jobs himself announced the new. . . iPad!  From Gizmodo:

It does indeed run a flavor of the iPhone OS.  PACS developers, start your engines!

Did someone ask about pricing?

 

3G service is provided by AT&T for $30 per month.  I think Kindle and all the other eBooks just became obsolete. 

This is not a Newton.  The iPad is certain to be a winner.  I sure wish I had bought some Apple and AT&T stock yesterday. . .

Here's a better PACS paste-up: