If you tend to read around various web sources to pick up your tech news, then you will have noticed a lot of speculation going around regarding the release of a tablet computer by Apple recently. In fact, it may have been surprising to you that the subject hasn't really been talked about much here on the front page of OCC. The last time we reported on the rumor, it was unclear what form the device would take. Since then, various sources have contributed to the discussion, which seems to have come to the conclusion that it will be a 10-inch touch-screen tablet that could essentially resemble an enlarged iPhone. Of course there are no shortage of mock ups floating around the web, but until something official comes through it seems counter productive to settle on any of those as representative of a final product. Different media outlets have also focused on different potential uses for the device.
A story from the Financial Times at the end of last month was one of the first from a mainstream source that talked about Apple's plans for a new device and claimed the company was working with major record labels in an effort to boost sales of CD-length music. As album sales have declined in favour of individual track purchases it reported that bundling compelling interactive album material with purchases may provide a reason for consumers to modify their buying habits. The article also mentioned the possibility of the device becoming an alternative to Amazon's kindle.
Other articles have alluded to the potential of the hardware as a platform for games, and today an 'insider' talking with Gizmodo even suggested that the device could provide secondary screen/touchpad functionality for Macbooks and iMacs. That same Gizmodo source also hinted at two versions of the tablet, one commercial (with a webcam) and one for educational use. The whole thing also provides analysts with plenty of scope for making predictions, one even going as far to make the prediction that Apple could ship as many as 2 million units in 2010. Release date predictions range from fall this year into early 2010.
All this is before we get down to the nitty gritty hardware details, which are just as up in the air as anything else. The platform may or may not end up being similar to that found in the current iPod touch (that could see it running an adapted iPhone OS), with 64GB of flash memory being one possible configuration, with WiFi a given and the possibility of some kind of 3G data provided by AT&T or Verizon and maybe even an OLED screen? Expected pricing of the hardware also varies from anything as low as $600 all the way up to around $900. It is clear that Apple is the only one that knows exactly what is going on and so far it has been keeping characteristically quiet. All of that could change of course, at a (yet again) rumored September keynote event.
The rampant speculation and hype between Apple product launches has almost become a tradition in these past few years, intensifying since the release of the original iPhone. I'm sure Apple appreciates the amount of brand exposure this brings them, and people have theorised that it actually employs a strategy which encourages such behaviour. That certainly wouldn't be that far-fetched, but will there be a point at which people simply stop caring? Or has that point already arrived? The number of articles certainly suggests that isn't the case. At least not yet.
Additional Info
Video of the tablet OS?
No Apple tablet until 2010
More 'alleged' tablet videos
Kindle may face a problem