The Mac Tablet rumors are surfacing again. This time we can thank Jason D O’Grady over at the ZDNet Apple Core Blog who has noted a Mac Tablet could be coming our way as early as this fall.
According to Jason:
‘A little birdy tells me that Apple will announce a 12 or 13-inch tablet in the fall of this year. Most likely in the September or October time frame. It will run the full Mac OS X and have a slot loading SuperDrive, an “iPhone-type” GPS chip and an Intel Core Duo processor, presumably Intel’s Atom.’
Do I agree with the rumor? Of course, I think any of us would be foolish to think that Apple is NOT working on a touchscreen tablet system. They have the time, technology, developers and most importantly money to develop such a product.
In my opinion, Apple is simply taking their time to get things right... (Plus, I think they have a few other projects on the go as well 
) After all, the tablet PC hasn’t exactly been a huge hit around the world. I’ve tried/used a few in my day and they simply didn’t do it for me. I’m looking for Apple to come up with some sort of ‘hook’ or difference that will make their tablet work and function head-and-shoulders above the rest.
I could see a tablet being a handy second system to have around the home… dump it in your bag and take it with you to meetings or the office when need be. I’m torn… and a little undecided if I would actually want to buy one. Probably not. A lot would depend on the price point(s) and options available.
With the launch of the MacBook Air earlier this year, I’m also excited about the prospect of an ultra-thin tablet. They have the technology, lets see if they can build it into a tablet (I see no reason why they shouldn’t).
Things I’d like to see in a Mac Tablet:
- Option of display sizes. From 12″ up to 17″
- A rugged outer shell that can take a beating
- Built-in GPS (use for maps, directions while traveling!? Perhaps a tie-in with new and existing iPhone plans here?)
- Built-in SuperDrive (external USB SuperDrive? No thanks.)
- Ultra-sleek and lightweight design (OK, I might be asking for a lot here. I’d rather have the unit shipped with a solid-state hard drive and internal SuperDrive… so I might have to compromise on the sleekness a bit!)
All-in-all the rumor makes for some very interesting discussion. What to you think about the rumor? Would you use or even want a Mac Tablet? Do you think it’s in the works or is this all smoke being blown up our a**es?
[via TheAppleCore]
mike // 26/05/2008 at 8:04 am
I doubt I’d want one. It would really have to blow me away with something different to make me want to buy one. If I was an architect, baseball coach or some sort of profession where I could use a ‘white board’ on the go I might consider it. Even then… not sure I understand the point.
iTablet - For architects and baseball coaches! haha
lou // 26/05/2008 at 8:45 am
Yea I agree with mike, however if apple or even a pc manufacture came out with a convertible notebook with an 8800 GTX video card in it, i think that would be a hit.
new battery = more life = the ability to have a powerful graphics card, then designers, architects artists could use it for all of their work…. maybe the screen can detach, or a dual screen in which one can act as a virtual keyboard, or can be removed as a slate tablet.
F.T. // 26/05/2008 at 12:41 pm
Iou, if all that stuff was packed into a mac tablet, I’d use it to play games while I’m on the toilet. No joke.
Mat Pancha // 26/05/2008 at 1:03 pm
If Apple released one, I’d seriously consider selling my MBP for an Apple Tablet. That said, I would want a fully functional machine, not a crippled machine like the MB Air… arms down, for me its a crippled machine, might not be for others.
I would want all of what Mr. Mayor said, but also Bluetooth, FW, USB2 ports, etc. I want my MBPro’s functionality, in a Tablet form.
tachyon // 31/05/2008 at 5:33 pm
Considering the Air doesn’t have a SuperDrive, I seriously doubt that an iTablet (which it wont be called) would have one. It would make the form factor too bulky.
I am hoping that it has a decent camera built in, and a little pop-out kickstand to turn it into a portable iMac.