Apple tablet delayed till H2 2010?
November 19, 2009 at 10:48 am
It’s difficult to understand how something can be delayed when it hasn’t even been announced, but Digitimes is reporting that the oft-rumoured Apple tablet will now launch in the second half of 2010. It has been pushed back from a March launch schedule as it has switched components and now plans to launch two models; one with an OLED screen and another with a TFT LCD display.
The OLED panel will be supplied by LG Display according to the report and will be 9.7-inches in size. The TFT LCD model will come with a 10.6-inch display and will be manufactured by Foxconn, Quanta and Pegatron Technology.
Looking at current OLED 9.7-inch display prices of $500, you can estimate that the tablet will have a total whopping cost of around $1,500 to $1,700 (panel costs typically account for around 30 percent of the device’s total cost). However, as prices are dropping all of the time, Apple is expected that the cost of the OLED model will be in the region of $1,200-1,500 by the time of release. This will lead to a retail price of around $2,000. The 10.6-inch TFT model is expected to be priced between $800 and $1000.
HP & MSI planning Pineview-powered tablet netbooks for H1 2010?
August 7, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Both Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Micro-Star International (MSI) are planning to launch convertible netbooks during the first half of 2010, according to Digitimes. MSI will be launching a 10-inch tablet netbook at the start of 2010, whilst HP plans a similar release for April/May 2010 manufactured by OEM Inventec.
The report says that both convertible netbooks will use Intel’s next-gen Pineview N450 Atom processor. It’s therefore very likely that they will be powered by Windows 7, taking advantage of the operating system’s touch features. It also says that Asus will be launching its 10-inch Eee PC T101 tablet netbook with Windows 7. The report goes on to say that Apple may be launching its tablet device as early as November 2009.
Via Electronista.
Apple tablet launch brought forward to September?
July 27, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Today’s Apple tablet rumour of the day comes from the respected Financial Times, who are reporting that the company is aiming for a September launch date for a new project aiming to boost the interest in digital music albums. It is expected that this tablet device may be launched alongside this project, codenamed “Cocktail”.
Apple is apparently working with EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music Group on Cocktail in a move to revive interest in high-margin music albums, rather than single download tracks. The service will include bundling an interactive booklet (like you would find in traditional CD case) when purchasing a digital album. This would include sleeve notes and other interactive features. You would also be able to play songs directly from this booklet without going back to iTunes.
Little new news on the tablet was given. The report mentions a 10-inch touch-sensitive device, kind of like a larger iPod Touch. Previous rumours suggested a 2010 release for the device. There are now so many different stories on this it’s difficult to know how this device will shape up. The report says that it won’t be 3G enabled, yet will be great for watching movies. Others suggest it could be a competitor for the Kindle.
Apple tablet to launch with Verizon?
July 22, 2009 at 4:03 pm
There have been many rumours over an Apple Tablet or netbook device, but there’s always room for one more. We have already heard that Apple may by releasing a ‘Media Pad’ with Verizon and now we are hearing that it may launch with a subsidy from the carrier.
According to The Street, the Media Pad will basically be a 9 to 10-inch touchscreen device. It will be subsidised by Verizon and arrive in time for the holidays according to an unnamed source. The report suggests that a prototype has been ready for nearly a year now, whilst Apple has considered exactly what market it is targeting with this high cost device. Read more
Apple tablet/netbook rumoured for October launch at $800
July 13, 2009 at 4:35 pm
There have been numerous rumours over whether or not Apple plans to launch a ‘netbook’ type device, to attack the lower-end of the computing market. Today’s rumour is that an Apple ‘tablet’ is coming and will launch in October costing around the $800 mark.
The story comes from The China Times, where it reports that Apple is trying to launch the device in time for the Christmas shopping season. It also says that Wintek will be providing the touch panels, whilst Foxconn will be manufacturing the tablet. Both of these names have been mentioned before in these rumours, adding to the likelihood of their involvement. Read more
Wintek once again touted as touchscreen supplier for Apple tablet
May 22, 2009 at 12:37 pm
They very first rumours of a proposed Apple netbook or tablet were kicked off at the beginning of March, when reports surfaced that Wintek was to supply touch panels for the rumoured netbook. This news is being reaffirmed today according to a Digitimes report that suggests Wintek has been confirmed as the “panel module supplier for Apple’s upcoming e-book form factor netbook product.”
There ‘s not much more to the report than that. The original story suggested that shipments of these touch panels were expected in Q3 2009. If this rumour is true, it would put paid to rumours that Apple was working on an OLED tablet with the screen supplied by LG. Although, according to analysts, the rumoured netbook, tablet or Media Pad will not arrive until the first half of 2010.
Analyst: Apple tablet to cost $500 – $700, launch in H1 2010
May 21, 2009 at 3:34 pm
There have been many rumours regarding what a rumoured Apple netbook / tablet / Media Pad will look like. Now an analyst at Piper Jaffray’s has thrown his views into the mix. According to Gene Munster, Apple’s tablet device will fill the gap between the iPod touch and the MacBook. It will cost between $500 and $700, run App Store apps and arrive in the first half of 2010.
“We are anticipating a new category of Apple products, with an operating system more robust than the iPhone’s but optimized for multi-touch. We expect the end result to be launched later but with more dramatic differentiation than the Street is expecting,” Munster said. Read more
Rumour: Apple lowering Mac prices to fend off netbooks
May 2, 2009 at 10:23 am
Apple is planning to cut prices on its iMac and MacBook lines “according to people who’ve proven extremely reliable in predicting Apple’s future business directions,” AppleInsider reports. The real juice from the report though is that the move isn’t a response to Microsoft’s recent advertising blitz, but more to combat the growth of netbooks.
Apple’s COO Tim Cook recently described the netbook in its current form as “junky”, the same sources for the report maintain that Apple has no plans to cater for the netbook market as it exists today.
This would be seen as interim solution until Apple is ready to introduce its own take of what a netbook should be. This is a project that is taking longer to complete than anticipated says the report. So it looks like we may be waiting a bit longer for that rumoured 10-inch Apple tablet.
Apple readying wireless “media pad” for Verizon?
April 28, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Apple has consistently denied rumours that it plans to enter the netbook segment as we know it. During its latest quarterly results, an Apple executive even went as far as dismissing netbooks as “junky”. At the same time, Apple said it would look to make an “innovative product” and had some interesting ideas of its own. We are now hearing a rumour that Apple is set to launch a “media pad” in conjunction with Verizon Wireless.
A report from BusinessWeek suggests that this Apple media pad will be used to listen to music, view photos and watch HD content. It could also be used to make phone calls over a wireless connection. It is unknown what type of form this media pad would take, but could this be the Apple tablet that has been rumoured for so long? Read more
Apple: Netbooks are ‘junky’, has ideas of its own
April 23, 2009 at 2:40 pm
There has been many rumours in recent months over whether Apple will release its own entry into the netbook space. However, during its latest quarterly results Apple appeared to shoot down any ideas that we will see a netbook as exists in its current form. In fact, Apple tore into current netbooks which half bordered into rant territory.
“For us, it’s about doing great products. 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, and not something that we would put the Mac brand on quite frankly. And so, it’s not a space as it exists today that we are interested in, nor do we believe that customers in the long term would be interested in. It’s a segment we would choose not to play in,” said Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook. Read more
Rumoured Apple netbook to be manufactured by Foxconn
April 20, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Apple has opened the bidding to ODMs for its rumoured netbook according to a Commercial Times report. The report suggests that the current front-runner is Foxconn Electronics citing sources from the component supply chain. Details of when the order would ship, or the system itself, aren’t included with leak.
This follows last month’s news that Quanta was to be the likely manufacturer of the rumoured netbook. Foxconn already manufactures the Apple Macbook, expected to provide a big boost to its notebook shipment growth in Q2 2009. Apple is currently tight lipped on its plans (as always) but speculation points to a device that sits between its iPhone and Macbooks. The rumours seen so far point to a 10-inch touchscreen netbook or convertible tablet. Read more
Steve Jobs working on Apple’s rumoured netbook?
April 13, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Apple’s head honcho, Steve Jobs, is apparently working on Apple’s new portable device according to the Wall Street Journal. The report suggests that Apple is working on a netbook/tablet that is smaller than its current laptop computers but larger than the iPhone (kind of obvious!) It’s hard to say what this Apple netbook would look like exactly — it seems none of the Apple tipster sites have yet to get a good grasp on it, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation.
We have already heard a number of rumours regarding an Apple netbook or tablet device. This includes the news that Apple has apparently placed an order with Wintek to supply 10-inch touch panels, with shipments of the panel expected in Q3 2009. There have also been rumours that the device will use flash storage and even rumours that it will have an OLED screen.
MacRumors suggests: “Apple’s ongoing research into multi-touch, however, has generated speculation that Apple may incorporate more advanced gesturing into a future device.” This may point to a tablet device without physical keyboard. Steve Jobs, who has been absent from the public arena due to health troubles, is expected to take up a full time roll again from June. Could this coincide with the release of Apple’s rumoured portable device?
Apple netbook images/specs leak – concept or reality?
March 30, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Now this may be a bit early for April Fools, but a number of images of a supposed Apple ‘Macbook Mini’ have leaked through a Russian publication. It is hard to take the images very seriously given they appear to have been photoshopped. Despite this, and given the reaction already seen, it seems that a design like this would go down very well with punters.
The magazine claims that the Apple Macbook Mini will have a 10.4-inch (1280 x768) LED backlit display. Looking at the pics, it seems there is hardly any space for any ports. The publication claims the unit will have just one USB port (similar to the Macbook Air) and will be powered by a 1.83GHz Z740 Atom CPU, 2GB RAM and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. It also lists a 64GB solid-state drive for storage.
Other specs include Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi (a,b,g,n) and a Mini DisplayPort socket. The battery is rated at 5,100mAh and the whole thing measures 267 x 195 x 4-19.4mm and weighs 1.03kg. The report claims the Apple netbook will launch this year at a $899 price point.
I have always thought that if Apple does release a netbook it would do something that redefines the segment. Now these pictures point to a very sexy device but all of the previous (and perhaps more credible) rumours we have heard point to a 10-inch OLED touchscreen model. Saying that though, the function key line of this render contains 12 keys, whilst the Air has 13. If somebody was working off the Macbook Air design, would they really think to take off a single Fn key? Either way, we’ll keep you informed. Check out the pictures after the break. Read more
‘Apple netbook with OLED screen’ rumours intensify
March 19, 2009 at 5:49 pm
We reported last week how the rumoured 10-inch Apple netbook would likely come with an OLED screen. Now it seems as if these rumours will intensify following a SmartHouse report claiming that Apple is working on a netbook prototype with an OLED screen supplied by LG.
The report also suggests that sources at LG Korea are corroborating with the rumours that Apple may be planning a touchscreen netbook or tablet. Apparently LG has been testing OLED panels in the area of touch sensitivity and those that “leave behind finger marks”. The sources claim that in recent testing OLED screens used on a notebook attracted “body oils and sweat” when a finger was constantly used on a screen. LG believe that by adding a layer in the manufacturing process that they can eliminate “finger marking”.
The netbook will be manufactured in Taiwan, most likely by Quanta Computer, who are also manufacturing Dell’s luxurious Adamo notebook. LG had won a contract last year to manufacture screens for Apple. It is believed that OLED screens are planned for a number of Apple devices including the next iPhone, iPod Touch as well as computer monitors. If any of this is remotely true I still do wonder exactly how much such a ‘netbook’ would retail for? Adding in a rumoured flash drive for the device would see its cost easily enter four figures. Regardless, the prospect for such a device remains very exciting.
Rumour: Apple Revealing Details of 10-inch Tablet Today
March 17, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Computerworld is predicting that Apple will be announcing a 10-inch tablet device at its Apple 3.0 event later today. Apple advertised late last year for someone to work with Apple’s expanded role in embedded devices. Combine this with recent rumours that Apple is buying 10-inch touchscreen panels leads to a possible Apple Tablet in the works.
Personally, I would see a convertible tablet make more sense than just a standalone tablet. That size would be hard to use with the light-touch screen of the iPhone for example, every time you brush it something will happen that you don’t want. Anyway, Apple may feel it is too early to reveal its hand. If anything does come out of today’s event we’ll keep you posted. The event is scheduled to start at 5PM GMT this afternoon.
Via ComputerWorld.
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