Rumors of an Apple tablet – essentially a large iPhone or iPod touch – have been swirling for over a year. Today the Financial Times is adding credibility to the rumors, reporting that Apple is rushing to debut the device in time for the Christmas shopping season.The article swings back and forth between the new device and a series of record label deals Apple could launch simultaneously, but here are the points specifically related to the tablet:
Screen size: “may be up to 10 inches diagonally”, touch sensitive (of course)
Phone capability? Unlikely – it’s more like a large iPod Touch than an iPhone.
Wireless connectivity: Same as the iPod Touch, with the ability to download media through iTunes.
Kindle Rival? May provide the ability to read books, creating a rival to Amazon’s Kindle.
Launch date: By Christmas, possibly as early as September.
Boosting Album Sales: Project “Cocktail”
The revelations are made in an article that’s largely focused on Apple’s plan to boost album sales, a project they’re calling “Cocktail”. In conjunction with the record labels, the FT says, Apple wants to turn albums into interactive books “by bundling liner notes and video clips with the music”:
Apple wants to make bigger purchases more compelling by creating a new type of interactive album material, including photos, lyric sheets and liner notes that allow users to click through to items that they find most interesting. Consumers would be able to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into Apple’s iTunes software, executives said.
“It’s not just a bunch of PDFs,” said one executive. “There’s real engagement with the ancillary stuff.”
The FT reports with some uncertainty that the tablet could launch at the same time as the Cocktail project: this September. We wouldn’t hold out too much hope: it was only last week that the launch date of “early 2010″ spread through the rumor mill.
BONUS: Apple Tablet Mockups Gallery
While only Apple insiders know for certain what the device looks like, that hasn’t stopped artists from creating their own mockups for an Apple tablet. From the “Macbook Touch” to the “iPhone Pro”, here are some the best creations:
Top right image by PC World
Tags: apple, macbook touch, Tablet
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