Bigger Than iPod Touch And Smaller Than The Mac!

What is bigger than an iPod Touch and smaller than the Mac?

An Apple Tablet perhaps!

Rumors are rife that Apple may be on the verge of releasing an Apple Tablet soon, and it all started with a report by the Financial Times claiming that it has inside news that the Apple tablet is ready to be launched.

One set of rumors say that it will be released as early as September and the others say in early 2010.

It is speculated to be 3G enabled, have a 10-inch touch screen and high computing power, providing users the ability to even watch movies. It is said to be more like a large iPod rather than an iPhone, complete with the ability to download media through iTunes. It may also give users the ability to read books, rivaling the Amazon Kindle. Financial Times quoted as revealing that, “It’s a portable entertainment device. It’s going to be fabulous for watching movies.” It sounds like this device is going to be an iPod Touch with the processing power and memory of a netbook. Steve Jobs is said to be the brain behind this. If this is so, then the product is certainly going to be solid.

There have been no rumors on the carrier this 3G device will be on. Amidst all the assumptions, we can also assume that it would be AT&T. But Apple may also deal with someone else, as there had been problems with AT&T and Apple has been communicating with Verizon too.

There have been expectations for some time that Apple would come out with a device slightly below the netbook and above the iPhone or iPod. Although, Apple has not denied these rumors, it did say that they would not offer a $500 piece of junk. Does that mean that if they are bringing out a tablet, it is going to cost more than $500? Analysts say that this “Applepad” may cost anywhere between $600 to $1000, placing it between an iPod and the MacBook.

As September approaches, the sources claiming to know what’s happening with Apple are increasing. A music industry source says that they have been informed by Apple about plans of holding a keynote on September 7, 2009. An analyst revealed that the 10-inch device will have a touch screen and is specifically designed for gaming.

This does not come as a surprise and could very well be true, as Apple has always been secretive about its products.

Months ago, Reuters reported that Apple ordered 10-inch touch screens from Wintek, which is a Taiwan-based manufacturer that makes touch screens used in the iPod Touch and iPhone. The kindle-clone rumors are also based on the news that Apple has been receiving paper-bound books in huge numbers at its Cupertino headquarters. As unlikely as this may sound, it is said that Apple may be scanning all these books to create a library of electronic titles for an e-book section on the iTunes Store, perhaps with the launch of a new Tablet Apple seems to be cooking up. However, when asked, CEO, Steve Jobs dismissed this idea last year, saying, “people don’t read anymore.” But Steve Jobs is notorious for denying anything and everything about a new product until the day the product is actually ready to be shipped.

Apple has kept a close watch on the netbook market closely, and it sure sees that people are interested in some sort of a middle device, that can take its place between the smartphone and a laptop. If Apple is really planning on producing a tablet that is a combination of a gaming machine and an e-book reader, even if it is priced slightly higher, it may do well.

These rumors have had such a great impact on computer manufacturers that many have slowed production of similar devices, just to wait and see what Apple has under the covers.

Apple has the history of bringing out new iPod devices at events during September or October, to leverage on the holiday season sales.

Is it time to start saving some money for this new gadget from Apple? We may know for sure towards the end of the year, when Apple will probably start its advertising campaign.

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1 comment
  • Steve Job’s new computer will soon evolve after the first over-hype period during it’s launch. The A4 chip and Apple’s potential to fix defections will begin to make the iTablet a success story in years to come.