Apple Tablet Wire

Is Apple working on a second tablet computer that is more Mac-like — and less iPhone-like?
That’s the rumor, according to TechCrunch’s MG Siegler. He reported yesterday that Apple might be “hard at work” on a bigger, second tablet device that may be more like a Mac — citing a “good” but “second-hand” source.
This could, in [...]

Apple is expected to finally unveil its tablet today at an event in San Francisco.
From the information that’s leaked so far, the tablet will most likely be part Web surfing device, part e-reader, part multimedia gadget, and part app machine.
But what will you actually do with it? How will it change the way you live, [...]

The latest in a long line of Apple (AAPL) tablet speculation memes is that the device means trouble for Nintendo (NTDOY) and Sony (SNE).
Robert Fabricant, writing at FastCompany, says that for all the talk about the tablet as a Kindle killer, it is the DS and PSP that are really on the chopping block. The [...]

After talking to sources in the publishing industry, Seth Weintraub at 9 to 5 Mac says he’s been told the Apple tablet “isn’t going to cost anywhere near $1,000.”
His sources have met with Apple, which has been aggressively trying to lock in all the major publishers for the tablet.
Apple is pitching itself as the anti-Amazon. [...]

What is Apple going to name its tablet computer? iSlate? iPad? Slate? iBook? MacBook touch? iPod touch HD?
How about Canvas? (Or iCanvas?) That’s one of the potential names emerging from the Apple nerd camp, via Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber.
Why? Because the invitation Apple sent to reporters — splashed with paint blotches — looks like [...]

New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. — who took the stage at Amazon’s Kindle DX event last year — won’t be attending Apple’s tablet unveiling next week in San Francisco.
Instead, he tells the WSJ, he will be schmoozing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In case there was any question about where the [...]

The Apple tablet will resemble a larger, but thinner version of the original iPhone, according to sources speaking with Apple Insider.
The site points to the tablet mock-up picutred here, which was made by Fotoboer.nl on Flickr, as decent approximation of what we can expect:
Of all the mockups and renderings that have surfaced on the Web [...]

How the heck are people going to type on the Apple tablet?
MobileCrunch’s review of patents from an Apple subisdiary reveals some possibilities.
According to one patent, a user could pinch their thumb and index finger together like they’re holding a pen. Then put their hand on the tablet and start writing. The tablet would pick up [...]

Speculation about the Apple Tablet mostly focuses on what the device is, not how it works. Text input, more than anything else, is the problem Apple needs to solve to make this work. So how will they do it?
CES was rotten with new tablets, some Android, some not, some with fascinating screens, and again, some [...]

So much for those wacky rumors coming out of France that Apple’s tablet will have a Webcam.
Well-sourced Apple blogger John Gruber says today, “I’m hearing there is no camera, webcam or otherwise, on The Tablet.”
So who’s right?
While Gruber messed up a similar prediction last fall — he said the iPod touch would ship with a [...]

UPDATE: Orange is now denying that it knows anything about the Apple tablet. Paid Content has a statement from the company: “These responses in no way reflect Orange’s confirmation of the existence of the rumoured device. The spokesperson was merely confirming that he is aware of the speculation surrounding a launch and that Orange would [...]

Today’s dose of Apple tablet news reveals the tablet might be constructed from an aluminum casing, similar to MacBook Pros.
Reuters: Suppliers for Apple Inc’s new tablet computer have begun shipping touchscreen panels and will start delivering aluminum casings for it next month, sources said, implying a second-quarter product launch.
AVY Precision Technology Inc, a Taiwanese manufacturer [...]

Some fresh Apple tablet gossip from an industry source who tells us they have seen the OS: (Not the device.)

It’s “pretty” — obviously.
“The UI has a good bit of new sexy to it.”
“It’s a big iPhone, but it’s not just a big iPhone.”

This goes along with previous reports and speculation that the tablet has a [...]

The Apple tablet has a clear runway for takeoff.
Microsoft just wrapped up its keynote at CES, and, well, there were no tablets shown off worth writing home about.
During an awkward, glitch-ridden presentation, Steve Ballmer flashed a few “slate” PCs running Windows 7, and that was about it. Nothing special, as expected.
Apple boss Steve Jobs can [...]

Here’s another dribble of Apple tablet information, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. 
According to the paper, Apple’s tablet will have a 10-11 inch screen, not 7 inch as had been speculated. Though the Journal seems to leave open the possibility for multiple sized devices in the future, which makes the most sense:
One of the people [...]

Apple is plotting a “major new product” announcement at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on January 27, not January 26,  reports John Paczkowski of All Things Digital citing “sources in position to know.”
Phew! That gives the world one more day to pontificate on how the tablet will save old media, how much it [...]

Dan Frommer, Deputy Editor, The Business Insider
Your Questions (8 min)

How close is Google to submitting their Google Nav App to the iTunes store? Are they holding out until next year to give Android a leg up? – Redbeard
Will the Apple Tablet utterly destroy the Kindle and Sony? Should I sell my Kindle on [...]

The Apple Tablet debut seems near: Apple will supposedly show off a cool tablet device at an event in late January in San Francisco.
While various leaks and press reports have provided a rough idea for what the tablet might be — sort of a big iPod touch, we’re envisioning, perhaps with 3G wireless service — [...]

More details on the Apple tablet event we reported this morning: The FT says it could take place on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
David Gelles, Financial Times:
The company has rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for several [...]

The New York Times‘ Nick Bilton also takes a stab at today’s Apple tablet reports, with a few new juicy bits:

“I can’t really say anything, but, let’s just say Steve is extremely happy with the new tablet,” says a current “senior” Apple staffer.
“Yet another recently departed Apple employee tipped me: ‘You will be very surprised [...]