I’m as intrigued as anyone about what Apple may (or may not) announce tomorrow, but I’m particularly intrigued—and a bit confused—by the amped up speculation happening today, much of it based on this NYT article.
Particularly odd is the following section, which lays out pretty specific specs for this not-yet-released product:
Part of the media industry’s high hope for the tablet comes from descriptions of the device from analysts and others who have been briefed on it.
It will run all the applications of the iPhone and iPod Touch, have a persistent wireless connection over 3G cellphone networks and Wi-Fi, and will be built with a 10-inch color display, allowing newspapers, magazines and book publishers to deliver their products with an eye to the design that had grabbed readers in print.
There’s another quote attributed to “a person who has seen the device and is familiar with Apple’s marketing plan for it, but who did not want to be named because talking about it might alienate him from the company.”
Apple is one of the most secretive consumer product companies in the world. If these attributions are true, this would be a MAJOR shift in the way they do things. Alienated? If this guy was named he’d probably have to go into the Witness Protection Program.
Since when does Apple brief anybody outside a very small inner circle, let alone “analysts and others” on future products? When the iPhone came out, a vanishingly small number of people had ever seen the device. It’s highly likely that anyone who had seen it (game developers, accessory makers) had signed an aggressive NDA. Most of the people writing the software for it hadn’t even seen it, but suddenly they’re briefing analysts and random other people with friends at the Times?
Weird, I tells ya.
Apple has been doing controlled leaks of their products for years:
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/h…
That’s how the manage to get the hype machine going. If they were really secretive, we wouldn’t be talking about any new Mac products until they were announced.
Apple’s clever at controlling the specs of products; but I think the ‘briefing’ aspect of all of this is a change in strategy so that when the Tablet comes out there will be a multitude of services/entertainment options for it. So that it quickly expands in popularity with netbook users, e-book afficionados, and more importantly, students: case in point, the most official leak of the tablet’s debut tomorrow comes from a book publisher– http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/m…
Steve Jobs will be mad. Only for a bit, because but I’m sure he planned for the secrecy amongst a growing number of execs to reach critical mass, until somebody leaked…
Apple tablets
Collect them all!
http://www.franklinmint.com/
Just like these Royal Treatment Dolls:
http://www.franklinmint.com
/subcategory.aspx
?sid=2&category_id=211
It’s actually nothing that we are expecting: It’s an Leopard OS Operated Refrigerator!!!!
@4: With plenty of room for your frozen spinning pizzas.
“have a persistent wireless connection over 3G cellphone networks and Wi-Fi, and will be built with a 10-inch color display,”
I’m sorry but this is supposed to be exciting? 3G for laptops isn’t exactly new and a tablet is essentially a laptop with a touchscreen… also not new.
“If this guy was named he’d probably have to go into the Witness Protection Program.”
or if he were a factory employee in China, would probably be dead:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21…
.
Unlike the iPhone, Steve Jobs needs to be able to bring up Hearst, Conde Nast, etc to share the stage at tomorrows event. They need partners with content ready to go at launch.
Here’s a roundup of pretty much all rumours concerning the tablet:
http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/26/the-…
Mac rumors are the silliest thing, just wait for the damn thing to hit shelves, and hope it has a warranty.
@10 right-o about the warranty. I love using my iMac. I have not loved replacing the mother board three times in three years. Never had to do that on my PCs.
It’d be interesting if it had e-ink like the kindle. Without that, I’m not very interested.
@11, I had to get the motherboard (also the video card) replaced in my Dell XPS three times. It died a fourth and final time just after the warranty ran out.