I think inorder for this apple tablet / iSlate to work it has to have a full operation system. There is no point in having a iPod touch with a 10 inch screen. The days of carrying a boom box are over.

“Netbook (Split screen portrait again. Top half visuals and bottom half you type.)” And maybe a USB or other kind of port that would permit use of an external keyboard and pointing device.

I agree with Yacko. It’s a natural evolution of the iPhone/iPod Touch. (But if it has wifi, why the need for LTE?)

Imagine sitting on your lounge chair at home watching a movie, surfing the ‘Net, getting email, listening to music, playing games, reading a newspaper, access to 85K apps…all without having to lug around a heavy laptop. I think it would be incredible.

And watching the pathetic video demo of MSFT’s tablet just shows how great touch is on the iPhone/Touch. They still can’t get it right when compared to Apple. For $599-$799 I think it would easily sell millions. There is so much potential with this device. And if the newspaper industry is dying then this would be a perfect subscription solution for it. No more paper and overhead, reduced costs, easily updated the headlines, sports scores, etc. As an e-book reader, in color, it would be much better than the Kindle. So much potential. And I can go weeks without having to reboot my iPhone. That speaks of the appliance-like abilities of OS X on devices. Can’t wait!

My guess is Apple has at least half a dozen uses for it, you take your pick of what fits your life.

How about:

1) iTunes
a) ebook/emag sales and reading device
b) rich album content
c) portable 720p video viewer
2) Web Browser
3) Game Machine (multi mode – full screen, 2 player split screen across a table, split screen portrait mode like a folded out flat Nintendo DS, one screen visuals the other a controller)
4) Kitchen Slate
5) USB added screen to a computer
6) Wireless video and audio controller for editing in Final Cut and Logic
7) Coffee table picture snapshot viewer
7) Netbook (Split screen portrait again. Top half visuals and bottom half you type.)
9) Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

Apple has to get into the game because a tabletty-thing is inevitable. The wireless companies have limited growth prospects unless wireless connectivity can be brought to larger devices, more diverse devices and even devices that are housebound and with limited mobility. Somebody will provide the winning device and ecosystem and it may as well be Apple. You won’t see it until next June, as it needs LTE, and even then the device will probably be a bit premature vis-a-vis LTE rollout.

Oh, the reason there are two 7′s is that when I type eight-parenthesis-space etc, I get a Yellow smiley and don’t know why.

I haven’t a clue as to what Apple is planning these days. But, I get a lot of levity reading all the speculations and conjectures of a never-been-announced Apple Tablet product. It is like a contest. If Apple make such an announcements, the media publication can claim braggart’s rights for being the first and/or making the correct call.

If I would take a guess it would have to be something to do with the iTunes Store. The store was called the iTunes Music Store and another name change looks likely.

What if the iTunes Store become somewhat like Amazon.com? Instead of shipping physical items to customers, all of the items are just a click away for any Apple device to receive it. What if there is one such device (being tested) that is the best for all of the (current and future) content types and formats?

Could that be another long-term revenue stream?

Well sure, an Apple tablet that doubles as an e-book reader makes terrific sense. If it could be used as a communications/PDA device and a games/entertainment device and an e-book reader all in one, probably there would be plenty of takers. I personally think the most obvious and natural hookup would be with Google, if the e-book reader could be used to access Google Books, Apple’s e-book reader would gain access to a huge prefabricated library of offerings, and Google could begin to monetize (awful word, isn’t it?) Google Books. It sounds to me like a marriage made in heaven. Students could use it to access e-textbooks, newspapers could begin to distribute their product by that medium, etc. etc. etc. All this stuff accessed, of course, via a yet again expanded iTunes. Depending on how bold and imaginative Apple is in exploiting it, this could easily turn into their next big cash cow. I admit it would be a lot more cumbersome to lug around than an iPhone, but it could easiliy be slipped in a backpack or tucked inside a briefcase, so I don’t think the objection is all that fatal if they can keep the weight down. And Gene’s estimate that it would come in the $700-800 range might be a tad on the high side. They could build one version with G3 connectivity and a cheaper one with Wi-fi only.

Not a clue. We still send them updates.

Peace,
Gene

Why is AppleLinks no longer linking to you?