Apple has scheduled an event for Wednesday, Jan. 27th. While in the typical Apple manner it has not revealed any details, it's widely expected that it will be a Apple tablet PC announcement. At the same time, though, reports are that Jobs has said that he feels that the tablet PC will be the "most important thing I've ever done."
While reports are all secondhand about Steve Jobs' statement, it's quite possibly not quite as game-changing a statement from the Apple CEO as some might think. Thinking back on the past, he's made those sorts of statements before, so perhaps he should say the Apple tablet announcement is the "most important thing he's done so far."
The Apple tablet PC has been rumored, for years, in fact. While tablet PCs have been around for a while, they have not been able to create a huge demand in the market. It's believed an Apple tablet announcement will change that.
Why would an Apple tablet announcement change the market? Some of that revolves around the cult-ishness of Apple fans, but also because anything that Steve Jobs and Apple have released lately have been gold.
The device is rumored to have a 10" screen, run the iPhone OS 4.0, and have 3G connectivity on both AT&T and Verizon. It's possible, however, that the carrier support will not be noted at the event, as late reports indicate that Apple is still negotiating with carriers.
The device, which has been rumored to be called iPad, iSlate, iGuide, iTablet, and more, will be focused on media playback and e-books, according to other rumors. It may also be another victim of the so-called "Apple tax." After all, with an unsubsidized iPhone running $600, how could the Apple tablet be announced at a lower price than that? Many are pointing at a $1,000 price point.
While some are looking toward the iPad (or whatever) Apple tablet announcement by Steve Jobs, and echoing the "most important thing" comment, there's a possible secondary announcement that is rumored for tomorrow that for many, will be more important.
That secondary announcement would be the rumored "release" of the iPhone from its AT&T exclusivity. It has long been rumored, but confirmed by none, that AT&T's exclusivity ends in 2010. It's unclear who any extra carriers would be if they were added to the iPhone's support, though many would love to see a Verizon version.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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