My Thoughts On the Upcoming Apple Tablet January 19, 2010

By now it’s no secret that Apple is about to unveil its long awaited tablet device. Will it be called iSlate? Surface? Just Apple Tablet? Who knows. But after scouring tech blogs and rumor sites for the last couple of years here are a few of the things I see happening when Apple lifts the cloth on this new device, on January 27.

1. It’s been rumored iPhone OS 4.0 is coming. Something tells me that it will be a huge overhaul of the software. 3.0 was pretty significant itself, but with all the new APIs and fun tablet stuff that can work alongside the iPhone, I expect a very different look and feel to the iPhone itself.
2. The invitation above, which was sent today to select media outlets, says a lot. Going for an artistic look, you can see spray paint blotches and drips. I don’t think they are used with a finger…which makes me believe there might be a stylus attached to the tablet. I wouldn’t be a fan.
3. Will there be a return of colored machines, like the old iMacs? The colors used in the invitation are almost identical to the colors in the iPod Nano line. I am wondering if we will get to choose a tablet color to our liking, the same way we can with the iPod Nanos? That could be interesting.
4. Amongst all of the sites I read, everyone is wondering who the target audience is going to be. One demographic that I think people are forgetting: kids. With the right apps and software, kids could have an absolute blast with an Apple tablet device. Not just for fun, but for education too. I would expect somewhat of a lean towards that if not at first, then eventually.
5. It’s been rumored that the new tablet will be released with a new touch version of iLife. This makes sense in regards to productivity with the tablet. They can’t just sell this thing as a “bigger iPhone” because frankly the iPhone is getting boring in my opinion. I don’t have the same excitement about it I once had a year or two ago. However, a new version of iLife could really change the way people use computers. I’m excited to see what comes with iLife. I am thinking a new application would be nice!

This is just some of my rambling about what I think might happen on January 27. Either way I don’t think we’re going to see the tablet until March at the earliest. I’m hoping iPhone OS 4.0 gets released the same day. That would be brilliant! I’ll post back when the news is announced in about a week.