Hasta La Gadget!

The response we’re seeing to our feature “Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet” is disappointing, to say the least. Don’t get me wrong — we love starting dialogue here at Wired.com, and when people disagree, it only gets more fun. But in this particular case, the tablet naysayers don’t even appear to be responding to the points raised in our article.

We’re highlighting three posts: Jeremy Toeman’s “The Tablet That Nobody Really Wants“; John Biggs’ “Is 2010 the Year of the Tablet? Nah“; and Matthew Miller’s “Tablet Devices Suck, so Why Does Apple Want to Make One?”

Why, why, why, may I respectfully ask, are you all focusing on the past when we’re discussing the future? Our article rests on the premise that 1.) New technologies are improving touchscreen functionality, as depicted by the iPhone; 2.) New software including touchscreen support (e.g., Windows 7) is in the works, presumably delivering more tablet-friendly user interfaces than in the past; 3.) Several manufacturers, including Dell, Intel, HTC and Nokia are concentrating on efforts to construct new tablets with these new technologies, according to our sources.

Notice how many times the word “new” was used in the above paragraph. We’re focusing on new technologies revitalizing an old, generally unloved gadget. And all three naysayers are, oddly enough, looking backward and dismissing tablets based on their old applications running on old hardware — shortcomings we also touched on in our story.

“Tablet devices suck, so why does Apple want to make one?” asks ZDNet’s Miller. Why else would Apple wish to make one? Steve Jobs felt smartphones sucked as consumer devices, and then Apple delivered the iPhone. And look what happened with the entire smartphone category. Did anyone think a keyboard-less phone was going to appeal to the masses? (I know I didn’t.) Yet 40 million iPhones and iPod Touches have shipped worldwide. Don’t listen to Greg House: People do change.

Why is it inconceivable to theorize the same could potentially happen with tablets? We have more than enough publications citing anonymous sources claiming an Apple tablet is on its way soon. And already, without even possessing full knowledge as to what exactly this fabled Apple tablet is going to do, or even confirming what it looks like or how much it will cost, some people are dismissing the product. I can’t even begin to tell you how absurdly unproductive that is. At Wired our motto is “informed optimism,” and dismissing a not-yet-existing product based on the performance of older renditions is more like uninformed pessimism.

We’re not saying an Apple tablet is going to be successful; we aren’t fortunetellers, either. We’re dreaming up possibilities of what Apple could do with this product category. If Apple again swings a home run, and other companies go at bat, too (it appears they are, according to our sources and several reports), boy is 2010 going to be an interesting year in the technology world. We’re excited to see what happens, aren’t you?

See Also:

• Financial Times Confirms Apple Tablet for September
• Rumor: 10-Inch Apple Tablet Landing in Early 2010
• How an Apple Tablet Could Pit iTunes Against Amazon.com
• Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year …
• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet

A mocked-up illustration of an Apple tablet: Photo Giddy/Flickr

Yet another rumor about Apple’s fabled touchscreen tablet has emerged, with sources claiming the product will hit stores in early 2010.

In its report, AppleInsider cites “people well-respected … for their striking accuracy in Apple’s internal affairs,” who claim a 10-inch, 3G-enabled tablet will turn up between January and March.

AppleInsider’s article conflicts with a rumor report posted by TheStreet’s Scott Moritz earlier this week, which stated an Apple tablet was due as soon as October this year. Moritz’s report also said the tablet would be subsidized by Verizon.

Wired.com has more faith in AppleInsider’s report, because a 2010 launch of this product would be more realistic. It’s unlikely Apple would release a tablet in October 2009, because it would cannibalize sales of MacBooks during back-to-school season — when MacBooks tend to sell very well. Plus, Apple recently slashed MacBook prices, and the company would aim to capitalize on the move during back-to-school season without introducing a competitor into its own product line. Third, many rumor reports suggest a new iPod Touch is due in stores fall, and a tablet would likely cannibalize on sales of this product, too.

A January to March time frame would be a much wiser move for Apple. That’s because the Consumer Electronics Show — the largest technology convention in the United States — takes place January. Apple does not plan to attend the Macworld Expo trade show, also in January, nor does it plan to attend CES. So a tablet timed for a January announcement would be the perfect way for Apple to steal thunder from other tech companies showing off new gear at CES.

Also, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster laid out strong reasoning to believe an Apple tablet is arriving 2010:

“Between indications from our component contacts in Asia, recent patents relating to multi-touch sensitivity for more complex computing devices, comments from [chief operating officer] Tim Cook on the April 22 conference call, and Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi along with other recent chip-related hires, it is increasingly clear that Apple is investing more in its mobile-computing franchise,” Munster said in a research statement issued to clients in May.

Lastly, we’re more skeptical about TheStreet’s October prediction given Moritz’s track record, which is notoriously spotty when it comes to Apple rumors. For example, in May, Moritz wrote a story titled “Tech Rumor of the Day: Apple,” which quoted an analyst who predicted AT&T would reduce prices for the iPhone’s monthly service plan. Not only did that not turn out to be true; it wasn’t a rumor at all — just a prediction from an analyst.

Regardless, given the number of rumors floating around, and reports that Apple’s component suppliers in China are receiving orders for parts to build a tablet, an Apple tablet almost seems inevitable. With AppleInsider’s report, we’re placing more chips in the betting circle for a 2010 launch of this device.

See Also:

• Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Coming in October
• Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year …
• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Rumor: Mac Tablet Coming Fall 2009
• Apple COO Reveals Plans for Touch Tablet — Kinda
• Rumor: Apple to Launch MacBook Touch?

Parody, mock-up illustration of an Apple tablet: Andy on Flickr/Flickr

Evidence continues to mount that Apple will deliver a touchscreen tablet next year, with an analyst laying out solid reasoning for this rumored device to become a reality. It appears more likely to be an oversized iPod Touch, not a tabletized MacBook.

“Between indications from our component contacts in Asia, recent patents relating to multi-touch sensitivity for more complex computing devices, comments from [chief operating officer] Tim Cook on the April 22 conference call, and Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi along with other recent chip-related hires, it is increasingly clear that Apple is investing more in its mobile-computing franchise,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a research statement issued to clients.

Apple’s next step in mobile computing will likely be the release of a touchscreen tablet featuring a 7-to-10-inch display sometime in the first half of 2010, Munster predicts.

Apple enthusiasts have been gossiping about a Mac tablet since July 2008, when the first rumor about the fabled device surfaced at MacDailyNews. Since then, a stream of clues, rumors and statements from Apple suggest this product will indeed join the Apple product family soon, as Gadget Lab has been reporting for several months.

Apple itself has steadfastly refused to confirm or deny any hint of an Apple tablet.

While in theory Apple could simply make a larger-screen iPod Touch, Munster believes creating a tablet will be more complex. He speculates the operating system will be a hybrid between the iPhone’s mobile operating system and Mac OS X. Or, Apple could optimize a version of Mac OS X for the multitouch interface.

Price range? Munster is guessing between $500 and $700, positioning this device as Apple’s response to netbooks.

At its recent quarterly earnings call, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook said the company had no plans to release a netbook, calling the device category “junky.”

“For us, it’s about doing great products,” Cook said. “And when I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens and just not a consumer experience … that we would put the Mac brand on, quite frankly.”

Other indications that it’s an upsized-iPod-Touch–style tablet in the works (rather than a “junky” netbook) involve Apple’s recent hiring of several chip designers, as well as its acquisition of PA Semi to develop mobile processors.

Would a touchscreen tablet be worth putting the Mac brand on? We think so.

Apple Tablet in 2010 [Silicon Alley Insider]

See Also:

• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Apple COO Reveals Plans for Touch Tablet — Kinda
• Apple Quietly Recruits Chip Designers for In-House Tech
• Apple’s Core Could Soon Include In-House Chips
• iPhone 3.0 Event Revives Tablet Rumors
• Rumor: Mac Tablet Coming Fall 2009
• Intel Germany ‘Confirms’ Apple Tablet
• Leaked: Apple Filing Illustrates Multitouch Tablet Technology …
• Apple Rumors: Snow Leopard in June, Touch Screen Netbook This Year …

llustration of an imaginary iPhone tablet: Flickr/vernhart

You know, one of these days, someone at one of these big companies is going to get this right. If you send a cease and desist about “leaked” photos of a supposed device, you’re basically saying, “Hey guys, those pictures are real.” Now, we can’t tell you with 100 percent assurance that that’s the case when it comes to those factory pics of rubber-gloved hands all over an apparently-new PS3 hardware design, but it doesn’t help anyone’s case when a Chinese company sends your Japanese wing a takedown notice. Keep in mind, since this thing isn’t from Sony, we can’t really be sure that it’s the real deal, but we’ll be honest — things are starting to look mighty suspicious. Text of one of the charming messages after the break. We’ll pause for comment now.

Continue reading Slim PS3 update: mysterious Chinese firm issues a cease and desist… to Engadget

Filed under: Gaming

Slim PS3 update: mysterious Chinese firm issues a cease and desist… to Engadget originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, this is certainly one rumor that just won’t die — nor is it likely to, not as long as the company has its hands in both manufacturing handsets and game consoles. According to an article in the Financial Times, Sony Ericsson president Hideki “Handsome Dick” Komiyama discusses his struggle to reposition the company as one the world’s top three phone makers. Among bright ideas and desperate measures mulled over, the man in charge lets slip that no plan is too crazy or far-fetched to consider. Even a PlayStation-branded phone? “Could happen,” he is quoted as saying. And there you have it! Begin warrantless speculation: now.

[Via Unwired View]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson president: PlayStation phone “could happen” originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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