What Apple’s Rumored Tablet Means To You Now
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Depending on what source you believe, it will be called the iSlate or the MacPad or the iTablet or the MacBook Tablet.
It will have a touchscreen that will be 7 inches diagonally. Or 10 inches. Or 11 inches.
The device will be a piece of junk that will cause a massive crash in Apple’s stock price, recently pumped up by the tablet netbook rumors. Or it will be a revolutionary must-have item that will create a whole new product category, spell the end of the competitor’s netbooks and e-reading devices and propel Apple to still greater heights.
Many bloggers and tech columnists write as though they know everything about the soon-to-be-annouced (probably) Apple tablet computer. But almost no one out of an inner circle at Apple really does.
To the extent “facts” are known about this mystery device it are these: An announcement is expected on or around January 27, 2010, the new product is likely to start shipping to consumers in March and it will probably cost around US$1,000.
Instead of engaging in our own speculation about the features this device may or may not have—there are already an abundance of blogs doing that, MacRumors being the best of them—we’ve been trying to work out what these rumors currently mean in terms of real life buying decisions. Here’s Spot Cool Stuff’s take:
If you are thinking of purchasing . . .
. . . a PC Netbook there’s no reason to have the possibility of a pending Apple Tablet change your plans—so go ahead and buy your PC netbook. We especially suggest the new Asus Seashell 1005HA. It runs a lite version of Windows 7, has built in bluetooth and wi-fi, an eye-pleasing display and a 10.5 hour (!) battery life all wrapped in a durable 2.8 lbs body. And at the current discounted Amazon price of $343 it costs around a third of what the Apple Tablet is likely to.
. . . a 13-inch Apple laptop we suggest holding off on your purchase until a probable late-January announcement from Apple and perhaps until after their new device starts shipping. Why? First, it is possible that instead of getting a regular laptop (around $1,000 for the basic 13-inch model or $1,200 for the MacBook Pro) you may rather get a tablet netbook and pair it with Apple’s excellent bluetooth wireless keyboard and magic mouse—assuming the new Tablet runs a full version of Snow Leopard and not (as has been rumored) a glorified iPhone OS. Second, it is conceivable that Apple will also be making an announcement soon about a new MacBook model. And third, MacBook prices may be dropping around the time the supposed new iTablet launches.
. . . an Amazon Kindle then it depends. If you are planning on getting a Kindle 2 ($250ish, 6-inch screen) then we suggest still doing that. If, however, you are contemplating a larger and more expensive Kindle DX ($490ish, 9.7-inch screen) then you may want to wait. The iPhone can kind of, sort of double as a Kindle so it seems reasonable to think that the new Apple Tablet will be able to as well. For an extra $500 you may find yourself wanting to get the iTablet even though it is likely to be heavier and have a shorter battery life than the Kindle DX. If you are uncertain which Kindle model you may want check out our Kindle 2 vs DX comparison.
Do you have your own thoughts on how the rumors of the Apple Tablet might affect your electronics purchasing plans. As always, your comments are welcome below.
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