Macworld reports on Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's keynote session at Storage Networking World in California. Wozniak was questioned about how tablets would change the computer industry.

The tablet is not necessarily for the people in this room, Wozniak told the audience of enterprise storage engineers. Its for the normal people in the world, Wozniak said.

I think Steve Jobs had that intention from the day we started Apple, but it was just hard to get there, because we had to go through a lot of steps where you connected to things, and (eventually) computers grew up to where they could do ... normal consumer appliance things, Wozniak said.

Top Rated Comments

ezekielrage_99 Avatar
183 months ago
I'm not buying a tablet until there is one that runs mac OS X (the modbook is too expensive) :D


I'm still a firm believer tablet computers need to come with the following to be considered "standard":
1) Soliataire
2) Minesweaper
3) Disk Defrag
4) A CD Burner

Other than that I do think Woz's comments were right on the money.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fredr500 Avatar
183 months ago
I felt the same way as Woz when the iPad was first announced. A great product for my wife but not for me, I need my macbook.

Then I was assigned to develop iPad apps and got one. My wife still doesn't have one, but I won't leave home without mine. I can remote into my home or work mac when needed, have all my music and video and docs with me always.

Sure, I won't write code on it but for pretty much everything else this is it. Basically it is a window into the world, erasable paper, portable media.

I've also got a blackberry, a windows phone, a Galaxy, a Dell Streak and a Xoom on my desk right now (and a Playbook on the way) and just can't understand how they all missed the mark when Apple has been showing them the way for the past year.

I've become a believer in the iPad.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Laird Knox Avatar
183 months ago
I don't think it needs 5 years, the hardware is already powerful enough to handle image editing and sorting it just needs a well designed app and someway of assessing wireless storage.

Don't think just hardware though - Even though the hardware will continue to evolve, the software has a long way to go as well. They have really been making some great strides lately but still have much to do.

In addition, people's usage habits will continue to evolve. My Mom doesn't do much more than email, web, word processing and photo browsing. Does she really need a big box to do that? I see a tablet sitting in a dock connected to a keyboard/mouse and possibly an external monitor. Works just as well as that big box. Then she can pick it up and use it as a tablet when she doesn't need the keyboard.

All the pieces are falling into place but I have to agree that five years is a pretty good timeline. In ten things are really going to get interesting. ;)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NebulaClash Avatar
183 months ago
Once again, this is the start of the tablet era. Don't think of it in terms of the iPad we have in 2011. Think of it in terms of the iPad of 2020. That will blow the doors off anything we know today. It will sync to the cloud, will have voice input, far better keyboard input, connect to every other device you own, and no, I don't know how but I will enjoy watching it unfold.

By 2020 the vast majority of consumers will think of a tablet as their computer and only specialists will get anything like what we call a computer today.

By the way, people own lots of computers today. They just call them the phone, the DVR, the ...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
firewood Avatar
183 months ago
I definitely have to disagree with him. Typing on a touch screen just makes me angry...

The average normal person should not be touch typing. Before computers, the majority of homes did not have a typewriter. Most businessman did not have a typewriter on their desk either (their secretaries did), and certainly not a keypunch machine. This keyboard everywhere UI has only been common for 3 decades and hopefully will be gone in a lot less than another 3 decades. The popular tablets (PalmPilot, iPad) are good first steps.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redscull Avatar
183 months ago
What iPad user can't figure out how to use iTunes to sync the thing? My 65-year old mother figured out how to sync her iPod classic. How is iPad syncing any different or more complicated than what people have been doing for a decade? iPad does not require a tech genius - or 12 year old kid - to keep it working.
It's not about figuring it out. It's about having a computer period. A normal person doesn't own multiple computers. He owns a computer. He might not even have bought it himself, and certainly won't maintain multiple computers (nor will the person who gifted the computer). So once the tablet is the normal person's computer, it's going to be the only one he's using. Telling him he needs a second computer just to use his primary computer is unacceptable.

Example: My mom has a computer. It was a Christmas present from me one year. But now it's old, full of crap, and needs replacing. But instead of upgrading it, I got her an iPad. It meets all her computer needs (except printing). That old clunker is in no shape to run iTunes; it's hard drive isn't even as large as the iPad's! I certainly won't be upgrading her desktop just to let her sync her iPad, nor will she when she's happy using just the iPad. She gets updates on the occasions that I visit with my MBP.

The system works well enough; her iPad is her sole computer. But it requires that I, the tech relative, keep it updated.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...