Confirmed: Apple Tablet In 2010

"Until now, all the talk of mid-sized devices that are smaller than a laptop and larger than a cellphone strike me as wishful thinking by vendors. But who really needs one, and for what? I know I don’t."

My iPhone fits easily in a shirt or pants pocket, but even the smallest netbook doesn't. If I have to carry a netbook in a messenger bag I might as well carry the more versatile MacBook. Price is a consideration and netbooks are cheap, but that comes with a price and I couldn't run CS4 on one.

I'm sure this device is the future, or the first iteration of such, but from all accounts it seems best suited to gamers and media consumers, and most of them probably can't afford it. Parents aren't going to buy kids something like this if they can get a MacBook for $200 more. Non-gamers will need a real keyboard, and netbook-like capabilities, to use it for more than web surfing. And if it does come with a data plan, iphone owners probably won't want to pay another $30+ a month for connectivity.

Maybe this is aimed at people who don't have
iphones or Mac laptops. I guess we'll see soon enough.

The market for such a device would definitely be smaller than the smart phone market. Existing tablets haven't sold, but that's largely because Microsoft hasn't a clue in terms of interface. If Apple makes something as usable as an iPhone, but more sophisticated to handle printing, etc. and other common tasks suitable for desktops, then perhaps there is a market. As a luxury item, I could see having a device like this in the family room for light web surfing, e-mail, eBook reading, etc. Maybe it would be easier to throw this item along when traveling than a full laptop, etc. Still, if the device is too limited, I have questions as to the viability of this kind of a device. Just having a larger iPod Touch isn't going to cut it.

Apple has the chops and likely prototypes already to pull this off. But apple's success isn't due to innovative thinking, strong engineering, and cool design; the understand what consumers truly want and the marketplace eco-system to support the products that reflect these desires.

Can apple design THE successful tablet...of course. But why? Why would consumers who have a smart phone and a laptop ALSO want a tablet? Or another way to put it: why would someone who buys a tablet NOT want a smart phone and/or a laptop?

People are wantng concergence devices; the smart phone is evidence of this. But why? People wan to do more with less. They want technology more discreet than overt; more integrated.

With these tough economic times people are making choices of how to do what they want/need with simply less stuff.

While I think that this type of device has the potential to be a homerun, the projected timing (vs. this year) isn't shocking for two reasons:

1. Partitioning the platform between open PC-like layers (i.e., download apps from anywhere) and managed/closed runtime layers (App Store is THE marketplace with a singular SDK, APIs, etc.) is a potential hornet's nest of technical, user experience and ecosystem decisions.

2. Such a device is a logical point for Apple to define forking decisions between abstractions and uniformity, relative to supporting all sorts of different form factors under this platform (e.g., Macs, Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch, Tablet, keyboard, touch/tilt only, camera, video, TV tuner).

For more fodder on the topic, check out the post:

Apple, TV and the Smart Connected Living Room
http://bit.ly/FBEk

Cheers,

Mark

FWIW, I think the 2010 device screen will fold in the middle like a book. By folding, it'll reduce it's Length x Width by 50%.

Has anyone else considered the textbook industry? If this touch book has the running powers of a notebook but the versatility of say for example the kindle, then they could potentially take the entire market. What the students of this world need is a good pdf reader that isn't afraid of color or graphs, charts, etc. If this sucker can fill the gap that the Kindle DX couldn't/doesn't fill in my schooling needs I guess I'll shell out 700 for it.

Hmmm this may make sense, i've been thinking that if there were a base station for an iPhone or iPod Touch to use it as a desk top computer, it would meet my needs. After all, how many of us really need a computer (well, the reader's here prolly quite a bit)? After all, i check email, surf the net, listen to music, look at pictures and watch the occasional video. That's it, and all of that can be handled by either device, or a tablet computer (read overgrown iPod Touch) would do this even better.

cheap journalism. This really is not confirmed news, but cheap shots at getting publicity for yourself. Confirmed means apple itself declaring it.

Why is businessweek behind apple? I don't quite get why a business journal would back a company like apple....

With the increasing power of chips and the decreasing costs of RAM, including NAND, I wonder if the "computing power" of the laptop for professionals is about to undergo a new paradigm in size/weight/cost?

What if with the help of Bluetooth, 4G carriers, and mini-display ports...such a tablet could be as flexible as a MacBook, or even MacBook Pro? Will it be able to connect to large displays, keyboards and accessories? And cheaper?

It could be a generational change in portable computing, if Apple gets it right, and again leave the competition staring in shock.

With the increasing power of chips and the decreasing costs of RAM, including NAND, I wonder if the "computing power" of the laptop for professionals is about to undergo a new paradigm in size/weight/cost?

What if with the help of Bluetooth, 4G carriers, and mini-display ports...such a tablet could be as flexible as a MacBook, or even MacBook Pro? Will it be able to connect to large displays, keyboards and accessories? And cheaper?

It could be a generational change in portable computing, if Apple gets it right, and again leave the competition staring in shock.

During most of my business day, a laptop is overkill. I've experimented with carrying just my iPhone, which works surprisingly well for most tasks, but it's just too small.

So there's a product gap in my needs.

My experience with the iPhone makes me confident Apple will create a machine that's useful. If they will:

- scale up the phone's hardware
- increase the OS's functions (to include printing & running basic office apps)
- allow an external keyboard

I'll buy 2 for me and one for each employee in my small company—sight unseen.

What about the medical and student markets? This could be something that all physicians and students utilize in their practice and studies. This could have the ability to operate with electronic medical records which is now becoming commonplace among doctor's practices and students to take notes or hold a textbook. As far as a consumer goes, this maybe a stretch but still be useful with the right applications. The MacOS works!

What about the medical and student markets? This could be something that all physicians and students utilize in their practice and studies. This could have the ability to operate with electronic medical records which is now becoming commonplace among doctor's practices and students to take notes or hold a textbook. As far as a consumer goes, this maybe a stretch but still be useful with the right applications. The MacOS works!

What about the medical and student markets? This could be something that all physicians and students utilize in their practice and studies. This could have the ability to operate with electronic medical records which is now becoming commonplace among doctor's practices and students to take notes or hold a textbook. As far as a consumer goes, this maybe a stretch but still be useful with the right applications. The MacOS works!

What about the medical and student markets? This could be something that all physicians and students utilize in their practice and studies. This could have the ability to operate with electronic medical records which is now becoming commonplace among doctor's practices and students to take notes or hold a textbook. As far as a consumer goes, this maybe a stretch but still be useful with the right applications. The MacOS works!

All the talk of netbooks doesn't make much sense to me. There is nothing practical about a netbook if you have to lug it around in the same manner as a laptop and it has fewer features. Laptops were invented to be highly portable. I think a 2010 release gives Apple enough time to see what direction the netbook market is going and plan accordingly. I agree that this device has the potential to be incredibly powerful, but I don't think a market exists for any type of use that isn't already flooded with smart phones and laptops. It's like buying a small, medium, or large. The small is amazing because it packs so many features into something you can fit into your pocket, the large is amazing because of its power (that is still portable), but this medium sized device doesn't seem to hold much purpose other than being sleek and cool, which may not be enough for it to sell as soon as 2010.

What about the medical and student markets? This could be something that all physicians and students utilize in their practice and studies. This could have the ability to operate with electronic medical records which is now becoming commonplace among doctor's practices and students to take notes or hold a textbook. As far as a consumer goes, this maybe a stretch but still be useful with the right applications. The MacOS works!

For What??? Well this is the ultimate convergence device!!! Using the upgraded IPhone OS SDK Apple or 3rd party apps will provide just about everything you could imagine in a home or mobile setting. Imagine having one of these that can be moved around the house as the ultimate console device that using WIFI can provide multi-player gaming, HD video streaming via the web or Apple TV, Remote control of Itunes, video/audio chat/calling via IChat, Skype etc., using Bluetooth it could control multiple devices around the home including lighting, heating and home theater systems, via WIFI or 3g it could provided full web browsing functions, Ebook Reading (ie. color Kindle Killer) using a Bluetooth wireless keyboard/mouse and charging cradle it becomes a full netbook type device when needed (like when video editing and blogging). Since it is likely to come with an optional Carrier Data Plan so it will be able to do many of these functions on the road similar to the Iphone and it will become much more functional as the carriers move toward 4g netwoks. Apple isn't likely to lock this into one carrier like the Iphone, let's hope so!!!

They can call it what they want (or not) but it's still a "netbook". Ok, it's a net-tablet, but it's going to be a reduced-sized computer with a touch screen and a virtual keyboard instead of a "real" keyboard. It's STILL a netbook "type" device.

My guess is they will also try to charge $700 for the thing, again being overpriced for the market. Next year, the new batch of Win netbooks will feature Windows 7, have touch screen abilities, and more RAM and other options, estimated to be sold in the $350 to $450 range. So, why would a late-to-the-game Apple "netbook that isn't one" be appealing?

Duh. This has been an obvious step for years.. ever since the iPhone was released, it was a given that Apple would eventually release a somewhat larger device with a similar form factor and similar OS.

Zzzzzzzz.

Why create another underpowered device when they could just add a touchscreen and fold back keyboard to the Mac Air

I would be thrilled if it worked with Amazon's Kindle downloads. I like their variety. I just bought a Kindle (the smaller one, not the DX), and I love it for books.

If more magazines were available this way, I'd be ecstatic. (I prefer reading them in their regular format, not the Internet format that's all chopped up. I tried to find a particular newspaper article online the other day; it was in my paper's local section. But I had to look a long time before I could find it on the paper's Web site. The correlation just isn't there.)

Kindle has free Internet access, but with its little joystick, it's not set up well to access anything on the Internet. (It's even rather annoying to select Kindle books that way. It's easier to find them on your computer, then let the auto-download happen when you turn on your Kindle.) So if Apple's new tablet has better (free!!) Internet access like the Kindle and can allow me to download books and magazines for reading, I'll definitely consider switching from my Kindle - no matter how new it is.

The Kindle is great. It's so great to be able to trade it for a huge stack of books/mags when heading on vacation, and it lets me do a quick e-mail check via Internet. But it would be SO much better if it had some touch-screen capability and thus more user-friendly Internet access. (Slow, I don't mind - the Internet thing is primarily only for vacations. But the formatting of Internet pages is really weird, too.)

-Diane

I definitely want one. Rather than buying a Kindle or Plastic Logic reader, this would be perfect. On top of that one can run, server based applications easily for business analysis and data visulalization in the business intelligence space. Even the Military would love to want a ruggedized version. It will be hot.

I believe that to further redeem their investment in such a tablet product, Apple will have to have a technology comparable to (preferably better than) Windows Tablet handwriting recognition which, IMHO, is actually a pretty remarkable performer for a Microsoft product. (Apple rightfully doesn't pretend their existing 'Ink' technology provides serious utility.)

I believe that to further redeem their investment in such a tablet product, Apple will have to have a technology comparable to (preferably better than) Windows Tablet handwriting recognition which, IMHO, is actually a pretty remarkable performer for a Microsoft product. (Apple rightfully doesn't pretend their existing 'Ink' technology provides serious utility.)

I think market for such a device is clear. It is the market of the netbook, for people who want an Apple product and associated performance. I think the criticism posted here would be valid also for the netbook market, which is taking off quite well. These small, light weight devices, offer a lot of potential for a group of people who would not normally have a full powered laptop. It can serve as a small mobile machine, for those with desktops, or even as a sole machine for light CPU users. I personally have a desktop and laptop, and my wife is very happy with her netbook. It offers low price and sufficient functionality for the light user.

It is also, as one reader commented, very nice for travelling. It gives you quick and easy access to some things you need on the road (holiday, not working) without the need to lug your full size laptop around or need to search out internet cafes all the time.

The merge with the iPhone would be very beneficial for the WiFi-freedom. Some current high-end netbooks are already coming with 3G built-in, and combined data packages. I see a lot of potential here, outside the power user market mostly, but not totally.

I'd never buy it. I'm still not convinced Apple will do this, I really can't see a big market for it.

WELL ID SAY "YIPPEE" TO SUCH A DEVICE AND U'D PROBABLY SAY WHY? WELL FOR ONE ID LUV A PORTABLE TOUCH/TABLET INSTEAD OF A NETBOOK, FOR ONE ITS SIZE SAY 10' WHICH WOULD BE EASIER TO CARRY AROUND, DOESNT NEED TO BE FLIPPED OPEN, AND DOESNT NEED TO BE TURNED ON!!!!. PLUS IF IT HAS A TOUCH INTERFACE E.G THE IPHONE IT WOULD BE SO EASY TO USE FOR ITS WEB SURFING AND GAME PLAYING ABILITIES IN THAT SIZE!!!!!. LETS NOT FORGET THAT, THE IPHONE ALREADY HAS A HUGE GAMING AUDIENCE AND THEN COMPARE IT WITH SAY THE LIKES OF NINTENDO, SONY PSP (APPARENTLY THEY ARE ALREADY WORRIED ABOUT THE IPHONE WITH ITS FEATURES) IT WOULD BE A GREAT CONVERGENCE DEVICE/ADD-ON. MY IPHONE IS USED SO MUCH FOR SURFING, SO HAVING A TABLET AT HOME OR WHILE TRAVELING, FOR MY FAMILY TO GAME ON OR SURF ON WOULD ROCK ON. OH YEAH LETS NOT FORGET THAT IT MOST PROBABLY WOULD BE GORGEOUS (THE IPHONE). AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE NETBOOK WOULD BECOME A DINOSAUR COMPARED TO THE TOUCH TABLET. IM WAITING EAGERLY FOR A APPLE DEVICE FORGET ALL THE OTHERS.

I think sooner.

No question, Apple will enter and than dominate this maket space because it is just the kind of device that Apple was born to get right. They will produce the killer device by doing a better job on the basic functions and will slay the competition by adding something extra that customers adore like cameras in cell phones. The something extra is what is hard to predict. Candidates are; great GPS integration or you can dock you iPhone and use its camera to make video calls, or you name it......

No question, Apple will enter and than dominate this maket space because it is just the kind of device that Apple was born to get right. They will produce the killer device by doing a better job on the basic functions and will slay the competition by adding something extra that customers adore like cameras in cell phones. The something extra is what is hard to predict. Candidates are; great GPS integration or you can dock you iPhone and use its camera to make video calls, or you name it......

No question, Apple will enter and than dominate this maket space because it is just the kind of device that Apple was born to get right. They will produce the killer device by doing a better job on the basic functions and will slay the competition by adding something extra that customers adore like cameras in cell phones. The something extra is what is hard to predict. Candidates are; great GPS integration or you can dock you iPhone and use its camera to make video calls, or you name it......

Speaking as a netbook owner, running OSX, all I can say is: please let Apple release a netbook of their own. Wile I am content with my Dell Mini 9, its build quality and keyboard are sub-par. Because it is a hacked version of OSX, not everything works as well and errorproof as it should be, and Apple could own the high end of the natbook market with just these simple addiotions: light portable aluminium design, proper keyboard, glass trackpad like on the other MacBooks, and some software to make life easier on a small screen. Running OSX on an Atom 1.6 is actually very nice, it sometimes feels faster than my C2D iMac.

I think it probably prudent that you leave the (negative) speculation in your head. I suspect Anon and Steve would not have seen the iPhone as what it is a year prior to its launch and certainly feel that AAPL knows more than the collective braintrust that will leave comments here (present company included).

I think it probably prudent that you leave the (negative) speculation in your head. I suspect Anon and Steve would not have seen the iPhone as what it is a year prior to its launch and certainly feel that AAPL knows more than the collective braintrust that will leave comments here (present company included).

I think it probably prudent that you leave the (negative) speculation in your head. I suspect Anon and Steve would not have seen the iPhone as what it is a year prior to its launch and certainly feel that AAPL knows more than the collective braintrust that will leave comments here (present company included).

Seems to me that making the transition into the tablet market just makes sense. Being Apple, people will find a way to use these in a "show off" sort of way. You get sleek, multimedia presentations sitting one on one in a hotel lobby, or over lunch. Real time, full scale search for real estate agents while they are out with clients. etc, etc.. Theoretically this could already be done with current technology, but something tells me Apple will be delivering something more sexy, and with OS X, easier to use. If all they did was make an over sized iPod touch/iPhone, they would have a hit. All in my uninformed opinion of course.

Certainly Apple have not tackled the notepad market. Clearly this is a market Apple will want to be in. Apple are innovators so the notepad market would be a natural progression for them.

Tim
World Ideas Ltd:

All Jigsaw Puzzles
Dog ramps from Bargain Brands
Steam Mops Direct

1 word: Revolution.

RE: Alex

Completely agree -- there is absolutely no evidence that Apple will in fact do this. Your sources are analysts who wrote speculative reports based on 'their contacts in the Chinese tech industry'.

Saying that this is confirmed information is misleading.

Good to see that the apple fanboy community is alive and well never the less.

The source is probably DigiTimes again. They have a terrible track record.

2 words: Mac Fanboys... this is why this item will sell and it will be the "most amazing" thing and a "revolutionary" netbook and probably "the first of its kind" even though Dell and others already have launched their own with mixed success...

great news,can't wait.

It,indeed, will be a netbook killer. It's high time Apple revolutionize the laptop... The keyboard is a very primitive
peripheral. Finally, multi-touch screen will take the front
row!

Remember the DuoDock? Apple already has had interest and experience in docking. A tablet could easily dock into your existing large screen, external keyboard/mouse and printer, etc., at your desk or in your home. Either physically or perhaps even with Bluetooth.

Then you could just periodically upgrade your $700 tablet, instead of your $3,000 desktop and periferals...and portability would be a bonus.

I love apple, but, how do you use this tablet if it is, basically,an oversized ipod touch?
If it doesn't fold or have a base it will be cumbersome to hold and type.Lugging a dock around for it to sit in defeats the portability.

WWDC is coming. Gear up the analyst rumor headlines again.

I hope a tablet becomes a reality. I'm a humanities versus sciences, visual learner and Apple products seem designed for this type of personality--versus the PC is in many ways more practical for the business world. The tablet has been seen in a number of future oriented programs and films within the last decade, and not appeared at all cumbersome to hold or type--especially if there were a stylus of some type as a peripheral.

I love my iPod touch but like others have found it just too small for many tasks. I still have not mastered the keypad and tend to pull out my PowerBook G4--disliking the latest keyboard design on our iMac--if I have to type anything over a sentence or so. I find myself very attracted to the Netbook for its potential portability alone. It could more easily fit in a smaller shoulder bag, even a large purse; but I am unwilling to sacrifice Apple's quality and design for the convenience. If Apple produces a tablet at half the price of a Laptop, even if only a larger version of the iPod touch, I'd make the investment. Though I'd never pay for a date plan with AT&T.

There is a great potiental for this market... As others have said the issue is not so much with the hardware as with the software.
The reason that the IPhone was such a success was not just the hardware as much as the software... The app store, Ipod, and Complete web browser combined with the ease of use through the touch screen interface made it all possible. It was new, fun, and made sense. Throw in the SDK and controlled market (allowing controlled imagination through the apple monopoly) give developer freedom to add and eventually sell the device for them...
If apple is to be as successful with the tablet concept as with the IPhone, The same principles must apply...
i.e. the virtually untouched mac gaming market (not IPhone) this new tablet will need to be a rethought-out Mac Air.
The Macbook air is an overpriced, oversized netbook.
Include a way to integrate the apps as a sub application in the mac os (let me play "geodefense" on my macbook)
Include touchscreen user interface while not destroying the control over the product...
The beauty of mac is that they are an untapped resourse in the fact that they are console offering more imagination to the user while Apple ensures that the interface works. K.I.S.S.

I think the idea is have a desktop computer, (the tablet on a dock or stand), with a physical keyboard and mouse, but then be able to take it with you.

I am using " message pad " its the best

waiting for a tablet ...

2010 sounds so biblical .. its about time
pen writing is natural same as touching

Great at last New message pad !!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing! Apple Technology has already been very popular and now this technology is certainly going to rock the world.This is not only hi-tech but it is looking beautiful.

There are more features and articles on here:

http://www.touchuserguide.com

Amazing! Apple Technology has already been very popular and now this technology is certainly going to rock the world.This is not only hi-tech but it is looking beautiful.

There are more features and articles on here:

http://www.touchuserguide.com

the main reason I'd use a tablet is to read content that I find on my iPhone; or watch a video and read Twitter; or type something long bi don't even think there needs to be much extra development in order to make this work - if I can drag a running iPhone app off onto my tablet where I could see and freely move multiple iPhone apps around on the screen, that would be reason enough. now if you've got the exact same features as the iPhone (gps, cameras - preferably stereo cameras, accelerometer, full featured bt stack) that's icing on the cake. if it has oled screen and voice recognition, even better. and if I can put one of these on a cell network for a little more $$ I'm in heaven.

The Apple Tablet will make or brake on its weight. Over 400grams you'll need to be a weight-lifter to use it comfortably while on the move. If one has to use a hand-bag to lug it about one may as well buy a proper note book and rest it on a table. I would be happy with an ipod touch with a five inch screen or a seven inch screen if it weighs less than 400grams.

The Apple Tablet will make or brake on its weight. Over 400grams you'll need to be a weight-lifter to use it comfortably while on the move. If one has to use a hand-bag to lug it about one may as well buy a proper note book and rest it on a table. I would be happy with an ipod touch with a five inch screen or a seven inch screen if it weighs less than 400grams.

The tablet is all about the transition to a paperless society. With the introduction of the next-generation touchscreen tablet, the computer as we know it -- hard drives, flip screens and the technology of button pressing-- will become a quick and graceful thing of the past.

This will be much awaited one. The world is eager to get a better tablet PC from a long time.
christmas gifts

No one has mentioned artists here! We who love drawing directly on our iPhones with all sorts of wonderful painting and drawing apps are craving a larger version of the iPhone or at least the iPod touch! Still portable, but more comfortable to hold as we can create for hours on end! I saw a model someplace that had a protective fold back cover that became an easel and I liked that very much. The ability to take this tablet anywhere to draw is fantastic , particularly when you can also do visual research, and send your work around the world, too. The size of one of the reading tablets would be ideal. We would still have a companion computer at home for backups. So if I can have a still compact but larger iPhone with a camera, all my art and photos and all my music and apps and could also read books and watch movies on it, I would be thrilled beyond belief!

Media enterprises are clinging to hope that there will be a way to merge with the digital era and still somehow make money. Let's face it, online ads don't bring in nearly enough revenue to fund...say...a newspaper or a local television station. If Apple could come out with a larger iPod touch with ebook capabilities, they could expand their profits like crazy. Add the ability for college students to store their text books on there and take notes during class and you've got a portable, light-weight device that holds all the media you really need (assuming you don't need to use CS4 or something).

Even better, if Apple opened up the App Store to e-book style versions of magazines and daily newspapers, and then allowed the tablet connectivity to automatically deliver your newspaper to you digitally each morning on the tablet or your magazine every week, they would not only save the journalism and publication world, they would be filthy rich.

Media enterprises are clinging to hope that there will be a way to merge with the digital era and still somehow make money. Let's face it, online ads don't bring in nearly enough revenue to fund...say...a newspaper or a local television station. If Apple could come out with a larger iPod touch with ebook capabilities, they could expand their profits like crazy. Add the ability for college students to store their text books on there and take notes during class and you've got a portable, light-weight device that holds all the media you really need (assuming you don't need to use CS4 or something).

Even better, if Apple opened up the App Store to e-book style versions of magazines and daily newspapers, and then allowed the tablet connectivity to automatically deliver your newspaper to you digitally each morning on the tablet or your magazine every week, they would not only save the journalism and publication world, they would be filthy rich.

I feel as though the entire market has been flooded with so many net books that unless Apple can produce that seriously out preforms all the others then this will be just another standerd "net book". As for its price the standered net book goes for around 400 now and the market will not bear a 700 one. If Apple does launch this at $700 they will have far to small of a market for this to actually be profitable for them.