New Apple tablet rumors: 9.6 inch screen, $800-$1,000 price tag
The Web again is abuzz with Apple tablet rumors.
Details: 9.6-inch touch screen, virtual keyboard, high-speed download packet access working with AT&T wireless, P.A. SEMI processor chip, $800-$1,000 price, February 2010 introduction.
Photo is from 9to5Mac, which picked up the item from Taiwan Economic News.
You bet I’d rather the price be lower, perhaps through a smaller display. I much preferred the rumor of two Apple tabs of different screen sizes, ten- and six-inches. Maybe, in fact, that’ll still happen.
In any event, we’re probably talking about a multifunction device—not just an e-book reader—which would make consumers more inclined to open their wallets.
Among my wishes: Blue tooth or another way of using an external physical keyboard. A stand to prop up the tablet would be nice, too. The results would be be similar to the TeleRead design I envisioned in the early 1990s.
Related: Google news roundup on the above, plus ‘Is this Apple’s e-book Trojan Horse?’
September 15th, 2009 at 6:26 am
I’m sure Apple are working on a tablet. It would make sense for them to do so. But whether they’re anywhere near having something they want to put into production and release I have no idea.
Apple tablet computer rumours have been going non-stop from well before the iPod Touch arrived.
I’ll pay attention to the rumours when they appear one to two days before a big Apple announcement, and include details like product numbers and retail prices.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Thanks, Paul. I totally agree that the facts are hard to pin down, but it’s like Kremlinology—important stuff even if we don’t have much to go on. When the Apple tab does come out, and I myself think it’s a “when” rather than “if,” it may well be a world-changer within our little niche.
Thanks,
David
September 15th, 2009 at 6:34 am
It’s funny how that tablet mockup has an old version of Mac OS on the screen. Is it an old mockup?