Clearing the air on the The iTablet – what we know so far
Talk of a touchscreen “iTablet” has been around since long before the iPhone (and was perhaps inspired by it), but in recent months the interweb has really sunk its teeth into the idea that Apple WILL be releasing an iTablet-like device at some point. While a profitable market for such a device still seems a bit unlikely, many analysts and Mac enthusiast websites now feel the iTablet is a near certainty. What is NOT a certainty, however, is what the device will be, look like, or cost.
In order to help clarify the iTablet rumors, we have compiled a list of solid iTablet specs below that we feel will help paint a pretty clear picture of what to expect.
Apple iTablet
- Will have a touchscreen that is between 3 and 11 inches wide
- Might look like the iPod touch, but bigger. Or not
- Will cost between $300- $1400
- Will either not have an optical drive or it will
- Might be some kind of eBook reader or giant remote for the Apple TV or something
- Will be able to play iPhone games, or not
- Will have built-in 3G service, or not
- Will ship between September 2009 and never
Excited? Us too. Seeing the specs laid out like this really cuts through all the rumors and really solidifies the iTablet in the mind… I can almost feel it in my hand! (By the way, it weighs between 8 ounces and 13 lbs).
The 12 Days of CHICKmas! (Day 1)
Macenstein's "Mac Chick of the Month" (November 2008): Becky Ellis
Macenstein's "Mac Chick of the Month" (July 2007): Justine Sane
I’ve done some Dexter’s Lab-ish calculations. I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s a 50% chance that we’ll get the iTablet.
‘Cus either we will or either we wont.
I heard from a close friend, who’s sister is dating a guy who works with this dude’s brother, who works at Apple with a person that is a friend of a friend that it
Will have 3 USB connections or none
Will have a built in keyboard or touch screen keyboard
Will have a sealed battery or a replaceable one
So, it has to be true!
i feel that the only reason apple would release a device like this is to fix the space they aren’t filling with the Apple TV. who wouldn’t want iTunes content streamed to your TV, but if you need to – you can pick up and head to the Laundromat so you can continue watching your episode of Dexter.
just wanted to add that Apple always added something to a space – with the iPod they made smaller mp3 players with an music marketplace to sync to. with the iPhone they added a web browser and application platform to a phone market that has been clunky and difficult to use.
with this device, it would be the heart of your television and music entertainment, but usable enough as a netbook. how many netbooks are being used as a portable solution to watch movies and listen to music?
i don’t know. whatever. i’m just killing time till september when the 4th season of Dexter premieres.
I heard this is what the new tablet will look like:
http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/37500/Etch-A-Sketch-iPhone–37565.jpg
but seriously…
any of the mockups showing desktop Mac OS X type menubars and UI have it all wrong – that’s been tried before with Windows and it failed mserably – nobody wants to be pecking at tiny little UI elements like menu selections or window-close buttons with a big fat finger instead of a mouse. Instead any Apple tablet will far more likely use a UI and OS closer to an iPhone/iPod touch which was DESIGNED to be used on a touch screen.
I really really want to walk down the street and lift that thing to my ear and pretend it’s a ginormous iPhone.
I heard that one of the specs is that the iTablet will be waterproof. So if it happeens to fall in some water, it will not only get wet. But the water will get iTablet.
i heard it was bullet proof and has a mr.fusion from back to the future
I like the shipping time, or not!
“What we know so far” is absolutely nothing. It’s all speculation. Speculation that’s been running rampant for years, and each time all the tech blogs and analysts have been so sure that it would be imminent and revolutionary blah blah blah. The Apple Tablet is not happening any time soon. I can’t wait until September so this dies down for another 6 months. You know, until the next rumor starts…
I like the shipping time, or not!
I’m with darrell…waiting for Dexter (and Snow Leopard).