While most recent rumors have been swirling around Apple developing a 10″ iTablet that would basically look like an oversized iPod touch, Gizmodo has a source, said to have been 100% reliable in the past, who’s telling them Apple is also planning 13″ and 15″ tablets, one of which… will run Mac OS X.
This source claims that the two touchscreen prototypes—made of aluminum, but on the shape of big iPhones—were in a factory in Shenzuen, China. One of them “was running Mac OS X 10.5.” When I asked, the source didn’t know if these were built for demonstration purposes, or if they were preproduction units. The company has a tight relation with Apple but “it’s not FoxConn.”
Could Apple be making both small, iPhone-like tablets and larger, MacBook-like tablets? Do we want them to?
Similar to the months before the January 2007 unveiling of the iPhone, Jobs is said to be relentlessly micro-managing away with his typical utter focus on usability and design, making engineers cry and developers miserable in hopes of delighting consumers with a tablet concept that “just works”.
Making it worse, apparently, for Apple employees this time around is that aforementioned leave of absence Jobs took gave them all a brief respite of freedom, and now they’re left to lament what they previously never knew. Or something like that. Really, melodramatic much?
What’s clear, however, is that Jobs takes introducing whole new product categories very seriously:
Mr. Jobs killed the project twice in recent years, the first time because the battery life was too short, and the second time because there was insufficient memory, said one of the people familiar with the matter.
Asked for comment, however, Steve Jobs proved he’s still on top of his game, at least when it comes to curt responses:
Join Dieter, Chris, Rene and special guest, Patrick Norton to talk about Revision3’s new AppJudgement show, as well as all the latest iPhone, iPod, iTunes, and iTablet news and rumors. Listen in!
Looks like Wednesday, September 9 might just be this year’s date for Apple’s annual iPod and iTunes event, where it’s widely expected we’ll see the third generation iPod touch (with video camera?), iTunes 9 (with Blu-Ray and “social” integration?), as well as other refreshes to Apple’s music-themed lineup.
Now, TiPb thought it would be September 8, because Apple almost always drops product on Tuesdays, like last year’s Let’s Rock event (and it still might this year, the above is only a rumor from a source), but we’re not going to read anything into it if it is a Wednesday this time around either.
All Things Digital also says, however, there’s one big ticked item we won’t be seeing:
The event will be held in San Francisco–most likely at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where it has occurred in years past–and is expected to showcase upgrades to the iPod line and an update to iTunes that may involve some sort of social element. Our sources insist it will not involve any discussion whatsoever of the tablet Apple is reportedly developing.
Still remaining, however, is the other great unknown — will Steve Jobs take the stage once again, or leave things to the Tim Cook/Phil Schiller/Greg Jozwiak team that filled in during his leave of absence earlier in the year?
Now that we’ve got the iPhone, the only thing currently left to fantasize (fetishize?) about seems to be the iTablet, with rumors increasing at an exponential rate — and maybe bringing more than a little crazy on with them.
First up, following Brian Lam’s story yesterday concerning the iTablet and it possibly shipping soon, former Macworld’er Jim Dalrymple says on The Loop that his sources confirm it ain’t happening before 2010, which matches up with what John Gruber’s hearing on Daring Fireball, and previous accounts from Apple Insider. Hopefully this will be settled before the Twitternerdfights escalate (or we run out of popcorn).
Hey, maybe Apple can show off the iTablet during an October 2009 laptop event, then ship it next year, like they did with the Apple TV and original iPhone? That make everyone happy?
Brian Lam also mentioned a mysterious, yet “it all made sense” code name for the iTablet. Funnest theory we’ve heard so far? “Molotov” from Twitter user Jason Diaz who thinks Apple’s going to use the iTablet to make their upcoming Cocktail initiative da bomb this winter. (Wikipedia it).
Next up, Justin pointed us to a MacLife post which shows a Border survey asking if an Apple iPad is high up on the “will be purchasing” list. We’ve heard the name iPad before, so is this just a resurgence of old rumors by a company sadly out of iTouch, or more fuel for that naming fire?
Lastly — for today at least — the Macalope thinks that if Apple is really ready to ship a tablet, they must have found “a hook”. We think so too, but like the ‘lope we struggle to see what it is aside from “big screen iPhone/iPod touch”. Likely hindsight, come this or next year, will fix that…
Join Rene, James, and Chris for more iTablet, iPod touch, and iTunes 9 rumors, Apple VP Phil Schiller’s email spree, the latest competition from BlackBerry and Microsoft, and all the news. Listen in!
MediaMemo reports that multiple music industry sources have been informed that Apple’s annual Special Music Event, typically involving iPod and iTunes, will take place the second week of September — and since Apple usually holds these events on Tuesdays, that would make September 8 the day to watch.
Widely expected to be seen at the event is Apple’s third generation iPod touch, rumored to be getting a camera like it’s big iPhone brother, and perhaps the same “S stands for Speed” performance chipset. Chatter has also spread about the iPod nano getting a camera, as well as iTunes 9 speculation involving app organizing, Blu-Ray support, and social network integration. And let’s not forgot iPhone 3.1 we saw iPhone 2.1 last year, after all).
The two biggest mysteries will, of course, be whether or not Apple chooses to debut their near-deafeningly rumored iTablet at the event, or hold off for another event (annual MacBook event perhaps?) or next year, and whether or not a newly returned Steve Jobs takes once again to the keynote stage.
TiPb will, as always, provide ongoing coverage leading up to, during, and post event. (We can’t wait either!)
Gizmodo honcho Brian Lam claims to have received a cryptic call with nebulous details on the much-rumored Apple iTablet, shedding light and casting in shadow at the same time. Highlights:
Lam believes the source is in a position to know about the iTablet
The source implies he or she has sat in meetings about the device
10 inch screen
Looks just like a big iPhone (though that may change)
2 versions: with webcam and without (for education?)
$700 – $900 price tag
May function as secondary touchpad/screen for Macs
OS is still big question mark
Super-secret Lam-Googled product code name that “made sense”
It’s just a snippet of the mythical iTablet user interface, and while Gizmodo is almost sure it’s fake, Brian Lam holds one tiny breath of hope for it to be true. Either way, it’s an interesting concept. We’ve heard rumors that, if Apple’s tablet uses a version of the iPhone OS, it may run multiple iPhone apps as windows on the larger screen.
We’re guessing most of you will chime in with “fake, fake, fakety, fake!” in the comments, but what do you think of a multi-window (and multitasking!) iPhone-like OS?
