Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Odds and ends
Foxconn building the fabled Apple tablet for Q1 2010 release?
Digitimes is reporting that Taiwan-based Foxconn, a manufacturer that has worked with Apple on a number of projects in the past, has been tapped to build the rumored Apple tablet device for a release in the first quarter of 2010.The initial production run of the tablet is expected to be 300,000 to 400,000 devices, and no estimated price for the device has been released.
The post notes that the focus of the device is to be an ebook reader with exceptional battery life, fast Internet connectivity, and an easy-to-use interface. This information is in line with recent reports that Apple has been approaching publishers about reproducing their content on the device.
This rumor reflects other recent reports that the tablet will have a 10.6" (some reports say 10.7") display, and there is speculation that the display would come from Foxconn's Innolux Display subsidiary. For the first time, the report notes that other manufacturers are not going to leave Apple any breathing room in this market, as HP and others are planning on releasing their own touchscreen tablets by the second quarter of 2010.
[via AppleInsider]
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jack sutton said 12:44PM on 10-07-2009
This will be an expensive EBook. And while this product sounds sexy and I am sure it will do more than be an EReader, with my IPhone and my MacBook, I really don't see the need for this.
Reply
Ryan said 3:59PM on 10-07-2009
I do not want to see this released. From what I can tell, it adds nothing to the Apple product line. But neither did the MB Air.....
Jordan said 4:12PM on 10-07-2009
If this is what it is rumored to be, it will be a complete failure. Add in the Apple tax and no book reader will be willing to pay that much for an ebook reader. Especially when there are already so many other products on the market that do the same thing.
Though it makes sense to use the iphone os on it over osx, iphone os on this will still be a complete failure. The os is designed for small devices, and for that it works well, but on a larger screen it would be very annoying.
I don't see many people wanting an over sized ipod that also is a book reader. Most people who want a media player already own one, or they would choose the small ipod that fits in their pocket over a giant touch screen.
LAGal said 4:23PM on 10-07-2009
it won't be just an ebook reader.
"Thank you for coming today. We have some exciting new products to share with you. Today we are announcing the release of an ebook reader, a portable media player, a game player and a true netbook computer. An ebook reader, a portable media player, a game player and a netbook computer. Ebook, Media, Games, Netbook. Ebook, Media, Games, Netbook."
silence in the crowd
"That's right ladies and gentlemen, they are the same device."
skalpa said 4:36PM on 10-07-2009
No man.... That will be almost all you said EXCEPT a true computer. That's exactly the point for Apple actually...
On a true computer, developers can program whatever they want and publish it without Apple's authorization and they can sell their own program without giving Apple 30%...
On a true computer, I can install Perian and play movies I didn't buy on the iTunes Store, again giving Apple money, without having to "Jailbreak" my system and become an outlaw.
This device won't be a true computer.
timbo said 12:46PM on 10-07-2009
I still don't understand the point in a tablet. What will it be used for?
Reply
skalpa said 4:39PM on 10-07-2009
Make Apple shareholders happy :-)
Lorinstar said 3:07PM on 10-07-2009
I think it will be great to be able to do and see more while I am on the phone.
Reply
jwfnla said 12:50PM on 10-07-2009
Amazon's announcement today that they're further dropping the price of the Kindle lends great validity to these rumors, I think.
Reply
Ryan Trevisol said 12:58PM on 10-07-2009
Just to add a little (very little) weight to the rumors . . . I'm sitting in a training (Snow Leopard) with an Apple rep, and he basically confirmed not only that the tablet is coming, but it will run something closer to iPhone OS than full OS X.
Reply
Ryan Trevisol said 5:12PM on 10-07-2009
Oh, right. Low rank me because there's no POSSIBLE way I could know the Apple rep for my state.
samu said 1:01PM on 10-07-2009
Careful, Steven, they might throw you off a roof for publishing this.
Reply
Curly Eric said 1:02PM on 10-07-2009
While being first to market might seem like an advantage, Apple has shown time and again it's what you bring to market, not when, that makes the most impact.
I too have a hard time believing that Apple would go the EReader route. Short of a subsidized/locked model on the textbook market I just don't see the utility or the sense over a MB or iPhone/Touch style device.
300-400k devices also seems low. Apple hasn't sold that few iPods in a quarter since 2003 or that few iPhones since 2007. The whole story just doesn't *feel* Jobsian.
Reply
LAGal said 4:26PM on 10-07-2009
a lot of textbook companies are moving to digital and could be working on a format that incorporates media as well as note taking spaces etc. something that doesn't work on a tiny screen. plus several magazines have folded and are joining for online only versions.
as for the number of units. for the first run (which is likely to be a tad buggy) that number sounds about right.
folks thinking they will be able to use it as a phone. doubt it. any cell will probably be data only. hopefully unlocked so you can use your choice (within the restriction of the type of cell data they use)
Andrew said 1:14PM on 10-07-2009
I think also adding weight to the rumor of the tablet focusing on ebooks is Disney's just announced ebook subscription service. The Disney ebooks will be interactive and in color, perfect for this tablet. Not to mention Jobsy is on the board and heavily involved in anything involving animation. The only thing against it is what parent would let their kid use a brand new (and $$$) tablet to read their books. I can see a lot of broken or damaged tablets under that scenario.
Reply
trayser said 4:30PM on 10-07-2009
Don't the kids use their parent's iPhone, macbooks today ?
I am sure parents won't let their kids take these tablets to school, but they may let them use at home.
uhuznaa said 2:17PM on 10-07-2009
There are already quite a few ebook readers in the appstore (for the iPhone and the iPod touch) and even the Kindle app from Amazon. I have no real doubt that an Apple tablet could be an excellent ebook reader *and* a multimedia device *and* a game console and even more. And if Apple can sell books as well as music, movies, games, apps...
One thing I would like to see are independent authors selling books through the store without a traditional publisher in between. If there's one thing that the ebook market really enables, it's this. Getting a book printed and distributed and seen is almost impossible without a publisher. But with ebooks and an online-store it's suddenly possible. Sell a good short story for $.99, have some interesting blog to read, have people liking your stuff, make some money from your talent. Indy software developers already do this in the app store and if Apple can enable this for other media as well... more power to them, I'd say. This might be the very thing to make ebooks take off.
Reply
jack sutton said 2:17PM on 10-07-2009
I just don't see carrying this "tablet" around. Everything I need to do I can do on my IPhone which is neatly tucked in my pocket. Or at my desk, I need to use my Mac Book with OS. If I travel, I can use one device or the other, or the combination of the two. Regardless of what this tablet can do, and what system is on it, it will not replace either of my two current devices and I certainly do not need a third one!
Reply
Dave said 10:42PM on 10-07-2009
I disagree with the many comments that OS X is better than the iPhone OS for casual use, such as reading and browsing. The iPhone instantly turns on, is much easier to maintain, and has the App Store. Apple does a lot for its 30% cut in the App Store, so its a bargain for developers. That is why you see the gold rush of developers to the App Store and the very low prices for software there. I develop iPhone software myself, and its 100 times better (more profitable) for the independent developer than trying to sell OS X software over the web. After all the years of OS X being around, you will find the best and most innovative software now available for the iPhone.
Note that book publishers typically give authors only 10-15% of the sale price, so they are the ones who should be very worried that Apple may well give the author a generous 70% if they self-publish.
The iPhone screen is much too small for for extended reading or interaction. I believe that a larger iPhone in tablet form will have a huge market.
Eric said 2:36PM on 10-07-2009
I think it's success is going to come down to whether it runs the full OS X or not.
Reply