Alan Kay - Tablet-size iPhone Will "Rule the World"

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

9to5mac points us to a GigaOm interview with computer and GUI pioneer Alan Kay that says:

“When the Mac first came out, Newsweek asked me what I [thought] of it. I said: Well, it’s the first personal computer worth criticizing. So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world.”

Just under 2 hours and they'll take their shot!

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

9 Comments
  • 10am...:D
  • Well, 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific. Do we get live, gavel-to-gavel HD-streaming coverage from the one and only Tipb? ;)
  • I'm still on the bubble over the tablet. It all comes down to price, since I just don't see how the price will be $599 considering a 64 GB iPod touch is like $399
  • That ugly thing will not rule no damn world
    give me a break
  • GMT?
  • People already taking credit for the tablet..
  • @iPhone 3G (tulliver) - GMT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GreenwichMeanTime
  • To possess one of these you have to pay $700-800 up front plus have a $50/month data plan. That's a three year cost of $2600 per device. And you won't be making phone calls on it, and you can't carry it in your pocket. So now you need a laptop, a tablet and an iPhone. I've been wrong before, but unless this replaces a laptop, I don't see it.
  • Looks pretty cool as a mobile picture frame, speudo-web browser or portable movie player. Otherwise it's pretty lame as an iPhone/Laptop replacement. I'm not really seeing it. If people can't play WoW or LOTRO on it, I don't think it'll be much of a success outside of maybe the business world. I don't see myself investing in one of these at all. Oh, and if it's as slippery as the iPhones have been, I imaging a LOT more broken screens than the iPhones.