Tablet OS "has a good bit of new sexy to it"

Dan Frommer over at The Business Insider had a nice, juicy tidbit to send out to anyone who is interested in Apple tablet rumors: he's apparently heard from someone who has seen the tablet's operating system, but not the actual device.

There were three little quotes from the mysterious source in Frommer's nugget of tablet gold:

• It's "pretty" -- obviously.
• "The UI has a good bit of new sexy to it."
• "It's a big iPhone, but it's not just a big iPhone."

Frommer goes on to mention recent reports that speculate that the user interface could have a "steep learning curve." However, he also brings up the very valid point that Steve Jobs would never let a product out the doors of Apple if it was difficult to use or required a lot of learning.

What's "difficult to use?" The original CultOfMac post Frommer alluded to was concerned about text entry, and cited Palm's old Graffiti method as something that people had problems with. Even Apple's own Newton MessagePad lost market credibility after its handwriting recognition was widely lampooned by the press. As for the rest of the user interface, it is impossible to imagine that Apple will introduce something that is harder to use than a Mac or iPhone. The "new sexy" could be the key Apple design touch that makes the UI something attractive, functional, and desirable.

Twenty more days... and I'm sure we'll hear at least twenty more rumors.

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