Apple Tablet PC — not a business machine

I was dissapointed to read that the rumoured Apple Tablet is likely to be little more than a media player and gaming device, possibly with some kind of potential Apple TV tie-in.

The current gossip on the Apple Tablet:

• Marketed somewhere in the $699-$799 USD range
• 10″ screen
• Wireless connectivity similar to the iPod Touch, with the ability to download media through iTunes
• Touch screen similar to the iPod Touch and iPhone — a graphics pen for writing, though, would suit me more
• Available in September — just in time for Christmas — although some speculate arrival as late as October
• Possibly made by Asus
• It may not have a keyboard, acting more like a slate, as per the iPod Touch and iPhone

Media PC? Gaming device? It’s a pity that this tablet may just not be the tablet I thought it was going to be.

M

Apple Tablet rumours abound … again

It wasn’t too long ago that I wrote about the Apple Tablet rumous. Over the last 2 years it seems that Apple has simply denied that it was ever going to make one because it just wasn’t a viable product given the tablet market is very small. It seems, though, that the Financial Times is now suggesting we’ll get one — and it’s coming for Christmas.

“The talks come as Apple is separately racing to offer a portable, full-featured, tablet-sized computer in time for the Christmas shopping season, in what the entertainment industry hopes will be a new revolution. The device could be launched alongside the new content deals, including those aimed at stimulating sales of CD-length music, according to people briefed on the project.”

I do love my Toshiba tablet. And I find the 12″ screen about the right size — not too big (to be portable) and not too small so that you can’t do Photoshop or Axure prototyping work. It might only have an ultra low power Dual Core processor, but it seems to do the job pretty well with Vista. But I did want something sexy and Apple always delivers those goods. The build quality, the design, the aesthetics are all reasons why I bought my Mac Pro Cheese Grater. Now I’m starting to drool over what might be just around the door.

Screen size: “may be up to 10 inches diagonally”, touch sensitive (of course)

Wireless connectivity: Same as the iPod Touch, with the ability to download media through iTunes.Kindle Rival? May provide the ability to read books, creating a rival to Amazon’s Kindle.

Launch date: By Christmas, possibly as early as September.

Will I give up my Toshiba for the Apple? I think we’ll just wait and see whether Apple deliver the goods or not … and then, of course, I’ll just install Windows on it like I did my Mac Pro

M

The Apple Tablet is real???

There were lots of disappointed faces when at the recent MacWorld 08 Keynote address, when Steve Jobs presented yet another skinny notebook to the market, and not a stylish, functional, tablet PC. I was also disappointed.

It seems, though, that Asus are actually working with Apple to build one.

Is the Tablet PC market too small for Apple to actually release this any time soon? I’d buy one, but that’s only because I have a Tablet (a Toshiba R400) and don’t ever see that I would go back to normal computing again. Tablet PCs are only worth about 1.4% of the global computer market, which is probably why Apple is standing back for the moment. But when projections in mid 2005 suggested that Tablets PCs could be worth $5 USD billion by 2009, I wonder why Apple doesn’t give it the same good ol’ try they did with their iPod and iPhone products?

M