Jan 26

Cowon W2 shown in its natural tradeshow habitat, running Windows 7

Posted in: in the wild, InTheWild, MID, tablet, Today's Chili, UMPC

Werefore art thou, UMPC? Oh look, Cowon found you. The Cowon W2 MID / UMPC / tablet / something has been spotted in the wild, running Windows 7 and thwarting typical efficient interaction methods. The Atom-powered device was caught by AVING running in both portrait and landscape modes, and even paired up with a pint-sized USB QWERTY keyboard. It does look a little chunky under those harsh tradeshow lights, but there’s a certain charm to the device’s OS optimism. Hopefully we’ll be able to play with one soon, but there’s still no word on a US launch.

Filed under: ,

Cowon W2 shown in its natural tradeshow habitat, running Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceAVING  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jan 26

The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly

Posted in: Apple, AppStore, ipad, rumor, rumors, slate, speculation, steve jobs, SteveJobs, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili

It’s no secret to us (or our readers) that Apple’s products tend to generate what some might consider insane amounts of interest for weeks, months, and even years before they’re launched or even announced. Whether you love the company or hate its guts, you can’t deny that Apple is particularly prone to being fodder for the rumor mill. It comes in all forms: leaked photos (be they real, fake, or merely imaginative fan creations), analyst speculation based on “what if” scenarios for investors, “insider” reports from Asian supply chains, and a fair amount of conjecture via the press, both mainstream and blog alike. Here at Engadget, we’ve always been pretty proud of our ability to decode fact from fiction, and we try not to add too much noise to the echo chamber in which the gadget world seems to sometimes live. That said, we do cover plenty of rumors — and the Apple Tablet (in its many rumored form factors) may just be the biggest and most twisted of them all.

Apple’s been kicking around the idea of a tablet since at least… oh, 1983. From real, physical prototypes to out-there ideas such as the Knowledge Navigator — the company (who did not, alas, invent the idea of a tablet PC) has, somewhat unsurprisingly, seen fit to investigate the possibility for almost as long as it’s been around. For one reason or another, though, they’ve never actually produced a device which saw the light of retail day (well, besides the Newton). Perhaps that’s part of the fascination that Apple fans have with the product — it’s been rumored so long, and seemed on the verge of actual arrival so many times that it’s become a Holy Grail of sorts for the tech community.

Evidence that any tablet actually existed or would come to retail, however, has always been slim at best. In the entire lifespan of Engadget, not one viable photo of a real-looking prototype has ever emerged, and not one source within Apple itself has ever really hinted that it was at work on such a product. Oh sure, there have been dozens — possibly hundreds — of people “familiar with the matter,” but almost no one who would or could go on record to talk about the tablet, and in the end, it’s always seemed like a non-starter. The Apple Tablet rumor started in earnest around 2002 — before Engadget was even around. By the time we arrived to the party, the idea that Apple might be working on a tablet or slate PC was pretty firmly entrenched into the psyche of the avid gadget geek, but again, perilously little evidence existed to support the idea, or shall we say… the hope?

And here we are, in January of 2010, on the verge of yet another expiration date for the rumored launch of an Apple Tablet (though let’s be honest — this thing is starting to feel pretty real). We thought now might be as good a time as any to take a look back — back through the rumor timeline of one of the gadget world’s longest-standing, and seemingly best-loved unicorns. Join us for the ride, won’t you?

Continue reading The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly

The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Jan 26

Apple rumor roundup: ‘the day before’ edition

Posted in: Apple, ipad, iPhone, iphone 3g, Iphone3g, Mac, os x, OsX, rumor, slate, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili, verizon

We’ll just come right out and say it: we couldn’t possibly be happier to see that January 27, 2010 is tomorrow. Shortly after 10AM on the left coast, Stevie J himself will finally put a hush to the rumors that have been swirling constantly over the past fortnight or so (and we’ll be there live to cover it). Till then, however, we’ve got one more round of scuttlebutt to serve up. Kicking things off is a New York Times report that explains in some level of detail what exactly the supposed Apple tablet will feature in terms of specifications. To quote: “It will run all the applications of the iPhone and iPod Touch, have a persistent wireless connection over 3G cellphone networks and Wi-Fi, and will be built with a 10-inch color display, allowing newspapers, magazines and book publishers to deliver their products with an eye to the design that had grabbed readers in print.” We shall see.

Moving on, we’ve got even more whispers that publishers — with the NYT mentioned specifically — around the globe have been getting wind of this thing as the suits in Cupertino attempt to nail down content deals. Broadcast Engineering even has a piece that straight-up states that Apple was “was in New York City last week showing the tablet to media companies as a new way to sell books, newspapers and other reading material through its iTunes online store.” Still not convinced? NetbookNews has an apparently ongoing article about the authenticity / non-authenticity of a Media Markt tweet that “accidentally” leaked a supposed €899 price point for the device, while Hot Hardware switches things up and reports that AT&T will lose its iPhone exclusivity during tomorrow’s event. Oh, and the very first hands-on review of the Apple tablet is also live (courtesy of Mosspuppet), while yet another hotly contested image has arisen to perch atop these very words. Phew.

Apple rumor roundup: ‘the day before’ edition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Jan 26

Apple iTablet: the obvious name? (updated)

Posted in: Apple, exclusive, ipad, rumor, speculation, tablet, Today's Chili

With all the recent talk about the iSlate, iPad, iSlab, whatever… doesn’t it seem like the obvious candidate for the name of Apple’s rumored tablet computer is being completely overlooked? Like Apple’s first phone that later came to be called the iPhone, isn’t the most obvious name for an Apple tablet the iTablet? To support the theory we decided to share the above image that we received from a trusted source and believe to be authentic. It’s a picture taken of an Apple Store employee’s corporate email after receiving information about the time and place of Wednesday’s Apple event. While the content of the email wasn’t very enlightening, note the word used in the filename of the second attachment: “itablet.” Now this doesn’t prove a thing. The administrative assistant who sent the mass email could have been using “itablet’ much in the same way that we’ve been using the term for years as a generic placeholder for the rumored device. Then again, maybe we should heed the wisdom of Occam’s Razor when speculating about Apple’s naming preference for a 10-inch tablet computer?

P.S. Amtek currently holds the US trademark (and itablet.com domain) for “iTablet” and continues to sell products under that name as it has for years. Not that a silly thing like trademark ownership could stop Apple from announcing its iPhone at a time when Cisco owned the rights.

Update: Looks like the attached image name above, while authentic, likely originated in a post from Pocket-lint (look at the properties). For what it’s worth, the invite image we received was embedded with a name “top.jpg.” Regardless, this is probably not Apple revealing its product name in a sloppy pre-event slip-up. [Thanks, MarkNewby]

Apple iTablet: the obvious name? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jan 26

HP Slate teases us with another video appearance

Posted in: HP, slate, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili, touchscreen, Windows, windows 7, Windows7

The HP Slate — has there ever been a more iconic, more groundbreaking, more life-altering device? Oh, there has? Well anyway, HP CTO Phil McKinney has been friendly enough to share some of the history behind the development of his company’s newly announced tablet, which is set for a release at some point later this year. Starting with e-reader prototypes five years ago, he tells us, HP steadily built up an idea of the sort of “rich media experience” modern consumers are lusting after. It’s only now, however, in a “perfect storm” of innovation, that HP finds itself capable of pairing the right hardware with the mainstream-friendly price point it was shooting for. Join us after the break for the full dose of education on this multitouch Windows 7 machine.

Continue reading HP Slate teases us with another video appearance

HP Slate teases us with another video appearance originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gear Diary  |  sourceYouTube  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jan 25

The Apple Tablet: Overheard in Cupertino Edition

Posted in: Apple, tablet, Today's Chili

So, it’s come to this? We’re pretty much just regarding the
Apple Tablet as fact at this point, right? By the time Wednesday actually rolls
around, surely we’ll all be tired of this whole iSlate nonsense, having moved
on to, oh, I don’t know, the next iPhone update. In the meantime, however, here’s what
we’ve got for news on the tablet front–“overheard” quotes from Apple CEO,
Steve Jobs.

Jobs reportedly has been telling everyone who will listen
(well, everyone legally bound by non-disclosure agreements who will listen)
that the forthcoming tablet “will be the most important thing [he’s] ever done.”

We assume he means professionally. Because, heck, even if your
four kids are no iPhones, you’re supposed to save such hyperbole for them,
right? 

Anyway, tablet coming Wednesday. Be prepared to have your life changed, et al. 

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jan 25

Apple ‘Tablets’ Sniffed by Analytics Are More Likely iPhones

Posted in: Apple, Media Players, tablet, Today's Chili

apple-tablet-islate-ipad-app-usage

A mobile analytics company has come forward with what it touts as evidence that Apple tablet prototypes are being tested — without offering any solid details suggesting the mystery devices are tablets at all.

Analytics firm Flurry has tracked down 50 devices that it believes are Apple’s expected tablet. The devices’ IPs and GPS data give away they have not left Apple’s Cupertino campus, according to Flurry, which raises the firm’s suspicion that these are prototypes in testing. Flurry goes on to say its app tracking matches the “characteristics of Apple’s rumored tablet device” even though the analytics don’t provide any data about the characteristics of the prototypes.

Flurry concludes the devices being tested are tablets because games, entertainment and book apps are being launched the most, according to analytics tracking, corroborating rumor reports that the tablet will have a strong focus on gaming and e-reading. But those are the types of apps you would expect to be tested the most on any iPhone-related prototype device to gauge performance and display quality. And there are more games in the App Store than any other kind of app. Moreover, Flurry’s data set — 200 apps — is extremely scarce relative to the App Store’s 100,000 offerings.

Flurry’s analytics state the devices are running a newer, unreleased version of the iPhone OS, version 3.2. Current iPhones run OS 3.1.2. That’s where Flurry’s argument falls apart, because a tablet would be unlikely to run the exact same OS as the iPhone. More realistic is a modified version of the iPhone OS that would probably be called something else, such as “iSlate OS.”

Flurry’s blog post then quickly gets lost in rumor territory, reporting claims on screen size and other unsubstantiated nuggets, even though its analytics do not retrieve any data about screen size or resolution.

Flurry tracks mobile applications and offers its customers usage stats and other handy numbers. It also knows what applications are being downloaded, to what device and where. It works like Google analytics: developers add Flurry to their applications and then their usage can be tracked, including geographic location, time spent online and even which mobile carrier they are on. This data is then aggregated so the developer sees just how their software is used.

“[We] identified approximately 50 devices that match the characteristics of Apple’s rumored tablet device,” Flurry said in a blog post. “Because Flurry could reliably ‘place’ these devices geographically on Apple’s Cupertino campus, we have a fair level of confidence that we are observing a group of pre-release tablets in testing.”

So Flurry’s analysis is such: Prototype devices aren’t leaving Apple’s campus, and they’re running iPhone OS 3.2. Out of a sample of 200 apps, they’re launching games, entertainment and e-reader apps the most. Therefore, they are tablets. To believe that conclusion, you’d have to take a few logical leaps of faith. First, you’d have to assume the tablet is running the same OS as the iPhone, and that’s unlikely. Or you could assume the tablet launches the iPhone OS in the background of its own OS, which is why it’d register as iPhone OS. (Good-bye, battery life.) Then you’d have to believe the 200 apps being tested are a strong representative sample of the App Store’s 100,000 wares.

If we were to make an assessment, these sound more like fourth-generation iPhones in testing. But there is no solid assessment to make, based on such a small sample of data that offers zero insight into the device’s hardware.

The figures just raise more questions. Do we assume that the tablet can run existing iPhone apps? Or are there, as we have heard, already larger, tweaked versions of current apps already in existence?

In just a couple of days, we’ll know for sure. One thing that can be predicted with almost 100 percent certainty: Whatever Apple shows us, we will all suddenly have to go buy one.

Updated 8:20 a.m. PDT: Wired’s Brian X. Chen contributed his skepticism about the report after contacting Flurry.

Insights from Tracking 200 Apps Across 50 Apple Tablets in Testing [Flurry]

See Also:


No Comments | Tags:
Jan 24

Apple tablet maybe starts showing up in app-tracking stats, kinda

Posted in: Apple, rumor, rumors, tablet, Today's Chili

It’s sort of funny that this is the hardest evidence we have of an Apple tablet, but here we go: mobile app analytics company Flurry is saying that it’s detected around 50 devices on Apple’s Cupertino campus that have the “characteristics” of a tablet, running a new version of the iPhone OS numbered 3.2. How? Around 200 different apps with Flurry’s tracking code were downloaded and used on these mystery devices — mostly games, followed by entertainment and media apps — and Flurry first noticed this new device in October, with numbers picking up in January. Unfortunately, Flurry hasn’t said what these mysterious tablet characteristics are, so we don’t have much to go on — and without specifics like a bigger screen size or a faster processor we’re skeptical. For all we know, this is just a new iPhone running a slightly tweaked build of OS 3.0 that supports a higher-resolution screen or something — especially looking at that 3.2 version number, when everything else we’ve heard suggests the tablet will jump to 4.0.

What’s more, 200 apps in the grand scheme of things really isn’t that many — Flurry only tracks small percentage of the 100,000 apps in the App Store. We’re not exactly willing to accept any detailed analysis based on a dataset that narrow, so let’s just say that it’s very likely that Apple’s testing new devices running a new version of the iPhone OS and leave it at that until Wednesday, shall we?

Apple tablet maybe starts showing up in app-tracking stats, kinda originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFlurry report (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jan 24

Apple Tablet Prototypes Possibly Identified By Web Analytics, Running iPhone-Like OS 3.2

Posted in: Apple, rumor, tablet, Today's Chili, top

Up to 50 different “Apple Tablet” type devices were “detected” by Flurry Analytics testing various types of apps that may make its way to the upcoming machine. Flurry was able to geographically locate the devices to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino.

In short, there were about 200 different apps being tested on the devices, most of which were games, media or some type of entertainment-type program. It more or less mirrors the type of applications we’ve been seeing in the app store for the iPhone.

In addition, the devices were running OS 3.2, which means either that the Tablet is running an iPhone-like OS, or that this is a bigger iPhone/iPod Touch type deal, and not exactly like the tablet we’ve been picturing. In any case, if earlier rumors were true, developers are already building apps for it.

Flurry didn’t give any other details about resolution, memory or anything else they determined from their analytics tracking.

Apple Tablet – The Second Stage Media Booster Rocket
Using Flurry Analytics, the company identified approximately 50 devices that match the characteristics of Apple’s rumored tablet device. Because Flurry could reliably “place” these devices geographically on Apple’s Cupertino campus, we have a fair level of confidence that we are observing a group of pre-release tablets in testing. Testing of this device increased dramatically in January, with observed signs of life as early as October of last year. Apple appears to be going through its cycle of testing and polish, which is expected from any hardware or software company as it nears launch.

Apple is expected to announce the yet-to-be named hardware on Wednesday, January 27 in San Francisco. There has been broad speculation about the functionality of the tablet, and what kinds of content and media partners the new device will feature. Additionally, there has been speculation about the most likely use cases for this kind of device, as well as which operating system the device will support. The choice of operating systems is particularly important for application developers because if the tablet runs on the same or upgraded operating system as the iPhone, then current applications running on the iPhone will also run on the tablet.

On these devices, Flurry observed approximately 200 different applications in use by testers. Studying category trends provides insight into the kind of user Apple is targeting and how it expects the device to be used. Below is a chart that shows the number of applications in use by category across test devices.

For Play not Work

Historically, tablet devices have been considered substitutes for anything where workers use clipboards, note pads or day runners. In more industrial settings, they could be used for inventory management, taking purchase orders or data entry. However, there was a surprising dearth of applications that support these use cases. Instead, the largest category was games. With a larger screen, more memory, multi-touch and multi-tasking expected, games will play better than ever on Apple handheld devices.
A Media Machine

The tablet device clearly targets consumers. The mix of applications observed comprises mainly of media and entertainment consumption as opposed to enterprise, productivity and computing. Specifically, popular tested apps include news, games, entertainment and lifestyle. In particular, there was a strong trend toward news, books and other kinds of daily media consumption, including streaming music and radio. In fact, the most widely downloaded of any single specific application was a new app. In its October Pulse report, Flurry studied iPhone as an e-reader and the threat this poses to Amazon Kindle. With rumors of large newspaper and book publisher deals, combined with its reading-friendly form factor, we speculate that the new Apple tablet will focus heavily on daily media consumption. Finally, across all applications detected, there was a strong theme of sharing and/or social interaction including social games, social networking, photo sharing and utilities like file transfer applications.

Not the Battle for Your Living Room

The device is positioned to appeal to the users who are out-and-about rather than compete directly against the TV, stereo and game console in the living room. With supply chain reports from Asia that light-weight 10.1″ LCD and OLED screen components are in short supply due to large purchases presumably by Apple, we can surmise that the device will be thin and light, designed for portability. Further supporting this notion is the pattern of apps we detect for restaurant, movie show times and other apps that help users find points of interest around them, including travel guide applications.

A Rocket Booster for Developers

A noteworthy observation is that the Apple hardware we detected was running on OS 3.2, which has not yet been released. Currently the iPhone and iPod Touch are running on OS 3.1.2. Historically, Apple releases OS upgrades just before releasing new hardware. With significant expected changes (e.g., multi-touch, multi-tasking) for the tablet device operating system, there was concern among application developers that the tablet would not support existing iPhone applications. However, from the testing we observed, it appears that Apple wants to leverage the 130,000+ applications already available in the App Store on day one for the new device. For the developer, this is good news. Senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray, Gene Munster, is forecasting 2010 sales of iPhone and iPod Touch devices at 36 million, an increase over his estimate of 25.7 million for 2009. With tablet shipments for 2010 perhaps reaching 10M, according to AVI Securities, we see this as a major boost to application developers.

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jan 24

What to Expect From Apple’s Tablet Unveiling

Posted in: Apple, Media Players, tablet, Today's Chili

Apple’s got a lot planned for its Wednesday press event.

While the invitation — “come see our latest creation” — is broad and vague, it’s fairly obvious that the biggest news will be the widely anticipated tablet.

It’s about time. Tech observers have been anticipating an Apple tablet for several years, churning out report after report of rumors and speculation. And Apple has been considering tablet designs since at least 1983. Now, perfectionist CEO Steve Jobs finally seems satisfied enough with the product to show it off in public.

But that’s not the only thing the company is likely to announce. Updates to the MacBook line and the iPhone OS are also likely to be on the ticket.

Here’s our guide to what you can realistically expect.

And if you don’t care to read our predictions, just stay tuned for the Jan. 27 event. We’ll be providing live blog and news coverage here on Gadget Lab and on Twitter: follow @bxchen and @GadgetLab for real-time news nuggets.

The Apple Tablet

Multiple independent reports have described the tablet’s appearance as a 10- to 11-inch iPhone or iPod Touch.  (AppleInsider’s sources describe the tablet as “a first-generation iPhone that’s met its match with a rolling pin.”) The tablet, many have reported, will serve as a slate-like substitute for magazines, newspapers and books, while also offering the general-purpose functions seen in the iPhone, such as gaming, viewing photos, web surfing and using apps.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal adds that Apple will market the tablet as a product that can be shared among multiple people at home or in classrooms, thanks to its bigger screen.

A few reports have claimed the tablet will sport a 10-inch OLED touchscreen, which would be great for reading books. But there aren’t many of these displays on the market, and they would also cost Apple about $400 apiece. A 10-inch LCD touchscreen, on the other hand, would cost Apple $60 — much more in line with the expected $1,000 price tag.

The true mystery about the tablet lies in its software and user interface. Simply expanding the iPhone OS to fit a larger screen can’t be the whole story.

We expect a tablet interface that strives to appeal to everyone, like the iPhone OS does with its 3.5-inch screen, SpringBoard user interface and fingertip-sized icons.

The ergonomics of text entry will especially be challenging on a device that size. People briefed on the product say it will incorporate a virtual keyboard. But if the tablet is going to serve as an alternative to a notebook or netbook, an ordinary virtual QWERTY isn’t going to cut it.

We’re predicting Apple will incorporate new multitouch gestures, and maybe even the accelerometer, to trigger functions of the traditional QWERTY keyboard. Imagine if pressing two fingers down anywhere triggered the Shift key, for example.

And to add a wild guess, we think Apple will expand on the voice-recognition feature seen in the iPhone 3GS, to augment text entry.

Still, no one outside Apple’s tablet team has a solid idea of what the tablet’s interface will be like. The only minuscule clue is a quote from a recently departed Apple employee who told New York Times’ Nick Bilton, “You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet.”

If it’s taken Apple this long to figure it out, I’m sure we will be.

But we do expect the tablet’s operating system to share some of the same DNA as the iPhone OS. Indeed, the iPhone reportedly contains some elements of an older, shelved Apple tablet project.

What could it be called? Internet sleuthers at MacRumors.com have found evidence suggesting Apple is interested in the names iSlate, MagicSlate, iGuide and iPad. Apple has apparently filed for trademarks for each of those names.

Apple not only filed for the iSlate trademark; the company also procured ownership of the domain iSlate.com, making this the most likely candidate.

As for when the tablet will ship, WSJ published the most credible report to date claiming Apple has plans to ship the device in March.

Price tag? All we’ve heard are guesses from analysts, some who claim the tablet will cost as much as $1,000 including carrier subsidy. We estimate the tablet should cost between $700 and $1,000, placing it somewhere in between an iPhone and a MacBook.

There are a few scant rumors claiming the tablet will be carried by Verizon, but none seems substantive enough to bet money on. There’s too little information out there about the carrier to make any reasonable predictions.

In summary:

  • A 10- to 11-inch tablet,
  • somewhat resembling the iPhone hardware,
  • running a substantially expanded version of the iPhone OS,
  • probably called iSlate,
  • with a new, non-QWERTY interface,
  • possibly available in two versions, LCD and OLED,
  • with Wi-Fi and 3G data connections.

iPhone OS 4.0, iLife 2010

Fox News’ Clayton Morris had a scoop citing anonymous Apple employees who claim iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife 2010 will be announced at the event. I’m a believer.

The tablet will likely have a beefed-up version of the iPhone OS with all the newest features. So given the logic that the tablet OS is ready to be announced, iPhone OS 4.0 should be ready for a preview as well. But a preview would probably be it, just so Apple can begin seeding betas to developers to prepare their iPhone apps for 4.0.

As for iLife 2010, Apple has announced almost all of its iLife suites during January of years past. I believe we’ll see an iLife launch only because it would be consistent.

Jobs likes to pepper up press events with small announcements leading up to the major “One more thing,” so iLife and iPhone OS 4.0 will probably be the first to be announced.

MacBook Pro Upgrades — Maybe

An Intel contest promoted by e-mail appeared to leak upcoming MacBook Pros equipped with the newest Intel chips. Intel had sent e-mails to members of its Intel Retail Edge program, promoting a chance to win two MacBook Pros equipped with Intel’s new Core i5 processors during January, according to a report by MacRumors.

However, Intel soon after retracted the promotion, saying it was a mistake and that HP notebooks would be given away for the contest instead. I found this move suspicious, because the promotion had been sent in multiple languages to members in the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain. Seems odd that it would have gotten so far if the product weren’t even real.

Plus, MacBook Pros are due for a refresh. Apple last upgraded the MacBook Pro in June 2009, and typically the company refreshes notebooks every six or seven months. Therefore, my gut tells me Intel realized it accidentally leaked the MacBook Pros and then moved to undo the slip. I believe there’s a good chance MacBook Pros will be announced at next week’s event.

iTunes Upgrade

I haven’t seen any rumors of Apple introducing a new version of iTunes, but I assume it would have to, in order to launch the tablet. That’s because the tablet alone won’t be compelling unless it creates avenues for new content that can be used on the tablet, such as e-books, newspapers and magazines. Expect Apple to preview a new version of iTunes, perhaps 9.1, that would add new content sections to the iTunes Store. We’ll most realistically see a new e-book section demonstrated in iTunes, as Apple has reportedly been in talks with HarperCollins Publishers to make e-books for the tablet.

See Also:

Illustration of an Apple tablet
Photo Giddy/Flickr


No Comments | Tags: ,