Download the new Switched app for your iPhone

Skip to Content

Engadget for the iPhone: download the app now
AOL Tech

Filed under: Hardware, Software, Apple

WSJ: Tablet confirmed, Apple to reinvent old media

In all the years I have spent as an Apple fan, following various rumor sources and keeping my own mental list of who had the most credibility on various types of Apple theories, I never thought in all my days I would ever read, let alone write, the following sentence: The Wall Street Journal has just announced that Apple is releasing a tablet computer.

All of their information is centered on the alleged mystery device that will allegedly be announced at a now official event next week. Here are some of the juicier tidbits they passed on from those mysterious people "familiar with" what's happening on Inifinite Loop:
  • Always partial to the education market, one thing this device might be used for is e-textbooks, presumably including the sort of multimedia content that goes beyond the printed page.
  • Textbook publishers aren't the only publishers Apple has been talking to. They're chatting up Conde Nast, Harper Collins, The New York Times, and even CBS, Walt Disney Co, and Electronic Arts (for games).
  • A "Best of TV" service is possible, with a subscription to a set of on demand programs chosen by the consumer.
  • Those same people are also reporting there is a revamp of iTunes coming, which would separate the purchase of iTunes content from the iTunes application.
  • The device will have a 10 or 11 inch screen, a virtual keyboard, and "sharing" is mentioned -- two ideas being thrown around are the ability to leave sticky notes on the device or even have the camera recognize faces of those using it.
  • Price is expected to be around $1000, and they'll be selling it to people who already have iPhones and laptops as well.
Of course the piece itself doesn't have a full confirmation from Jobs, so we'll have to wait until next Wednesday for that: Apple's invitation to the media event on January 27th is titled "Come see our latest creation", and is generally considered to be the public debut of a tablet-style device. But when the Wall Street Journal says there's a tablet coming, there's very likely a tablet coming, and if everything they're saying about this device is true (which would make sense -- we've heard most of it before in rumor form), look out world.
jobs & resumes
TUAW Jobs

Find the Best Candidates & Jobs on the TUAW Jobs Job Board

Find a Job / Post a Job›

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

Tip of the Day

Want to create custom shortcuts? Head to the Keyboard Shortcuts tab of the Keyboard and Mouse part of System Preferences to create shortcuts for common tasks that appear in the Services menu. You can also add application shortcuts for tasks that appear in the menu bar of those programs.

Facebook
Follow us on Twitter!

TUAW [Cafepress] 

Featured Galleries

DNC Macs
Macworld 2008 Keynote
Macworld 2008 Build-up
Google Earth for iPhone
Podcaster
Storyist 2.0
AT&T Navigator Road Test
Bento for iPhone 1.0
Scrabble for iPhone
Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer Briefcase
Apple Vanity Plates
Apple booth Macworld 07
WorldVoice Radio
Quickoffice for iPhone 1.1.1
Daylite 3.9 Review
DiscPainter
Mariner Calc for iPhone
2009CupertinoBus
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
MLB.com At Bat 2009
Macworld Expo 2007 show floor

 

Our Writers

Victor Agreda, Jr.

Programming Manager, AOL Tech

RSS Feed

View more Writers

More Apple Analysis

AOL Radio TUAW on Stitcher