The rumors regarding Apple's plan to manufacture a tablet computer have been circulating for a very long time now. However, it seems that these rumours finally have some tangibility; we should be expecting a release in the next couple of months.
This news has always been spattered with controversy as some people are welcoming the device and others slamming it as flawed. Whatever the stance, the success of the device remains to be seen. Wired Magazine's UK website sheds a little more light on the subject today by providing predicted pricing guidelines for the awaited addition to the Apple family.
Though typically with Apple releases many rumors appear and it becomes hard to sort out any truth. According to one of Wired's analysts, the Apple tablet will not be arriving in the near future, instead well into next year.
"Last week we spoke with an Asian component supplier that has received orders from Apple for a touchscreen device to be fulfilled by late [calendar year] 09," Munster wrote in a report. "This data point underscores our thesis that a tablet will likely launch in early [2010]." This new information throws the cat amongst the pigeons once more, so what we are left with is yet more speculation and only mock predictions as to what the device will look like.
The general consensus at Wired is that the device will be a direct competitor to the Amazon ebook empire; other speculations as to the nature of the device have also been voiced. Wired's analyst, Munster, made his predictions for the device back in may.
–The device will most likely be a larger format iPod Touch, measuring between seven to ten inches
–The tablet will be used primarily for web surfing, e-mail and digital media
–Pricing should be between £300 and £450, positioning the tablet between an iPhone and a MacBook
–A carrier will probably subsidise the device, which will include a 3G modem
Yet more confusion regarding the Apple tablet. It seems that 2010 might be the year of the tablet as there are yet more rumours regarding Dell, Intel, HTC, and Nokia working on tablet devices along with TechCrunch who is working to get out its Crunchpad touchscreen tablet.
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