The tech world is atwitter with rumors of Apple’s new Tablet computer, a new product that could change the way we view media—if it actually exists. Policy states that Apple employees cannot discuss products in the works or comment on rumors, but word on the web is that Steve Jobs and company have designed a gadget to top them all.
Unnamed sources are claiming the Tablet to be a magazine-size, touch-screen, hand-held, all-in-one device. The “wonder product” (nicknamed by bloggers and online fans as the iTablet or iSlate) will make the internet, movies, music, books, and other digital content available in a “netbook” style that Apple has stayed away from in the past.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is planning to take the wraps off such a device this month and begin shipping it in March, which coincides with several online reports stating that Apple, Inc has scheduled an event for January 26 or 27 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco where Apple has debuted other product launches in the past.
Since there are no guarantees that the product exists, there are no facts on the price but rumors are swirling that it will range between $500-$1000, with or without a cellular data plan.
As if that weren’t enough news to keep techies on their toes, Sprint Nextel Corp. announced that it has made a multiyear deal with a startup called Skiff for a thin electronic-book reader that operates over Sprint’s high-speed 3G network as well as Wi-Fi.
Touted as the thinnest to date at just over a quarter of an inch thick, The Skiff Reader will also have the largest screen on the market at 11.5-inches, making it larger than those on competing devices including Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle, Sony Corp.’s Reader and Barnes & Noble Inc.’s Nook. Worried about breakage and vulnerability? No need – Skiff worked closely with LG Display to optimize and implement the first-of-its-kind non-glass display while retaining a resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels.
The reader’s entire page will be a touch screen, unlike the Kindle, which uses physical buttons for navigation, or the Nook, which has a small built-in touch screen separate from the book page. Content will be available in The Skiff Reader’s own online store. Skiff also said it is working with other electronics manufacturers to put its technology into a variety of devices.
The Skiff Reader was launched at Las Vegas’ Electronics Convention last week and The Skiff Reader will be available at more than 1,000 Sprint locations across the U.S. later this year as well as online. Pricing and additional details have yet to be disclosed.
