Crave is posting another Mac Tablet rumor. This time it supposedly someone from ASUS confirming the rumor.
First things first: ASUS is a contract manufacturer for Apple. So it would make sense that ASUS might build a Mac Tablet if one came to market. However, it would also make sense that ASUS would build an Mac Tablet that Apple is purely building as a research project. I think this is where previous rumors have gotten tripped up. Just because Apple builds something internal doesn't mean it's going to take it to market.
There are some differences now, however. Tablets are reaching across the market--whether they are called "Tablets" or not. There are now full sized Tablets convertibles, slates, very small Tablet convertibles, UPMCs, MIDs, and who knows what else Apple, Intel, or Microsoft have up their sleeve.
I can guess that a Mac Tablet will have it's top notch pinch-touch displays. If so, I imagine the screen won't be that large. Generally these are technologies that scale up slowly. So maybe a 5 or 7" display?
At this size a slate makes sense with either the onscreen keyboard or a flip out one. I'm thinking MID here. Something that's top notch at browsing the Internet and staying connected. The iPhone is jut a little too small for comfortable browsing. Everything a little bigger could make the device easier to use in more places. And it might become a good platform playing games. Or a Brainage knockoff. Dunno. At least we might expect a bigger Touch device to support Flash and Silverlight in the browser :-)
Then again--since this is all based on rumors--I can see Apple responding to all the education-focused Tablets. Toshiba, Fujitsu, Gateway are grabbing market share fairly well. And Dell is about to enter the fray too. That means Apple is the odd one out. So here, maybe they are thinking of an education-capable Tablet. Fact is Apple already has a reasonable foothold in the education market. Are Tablets eating at their market.
There are two concerns here if Apple takes this route. First, Apple products recently have been selling well to the consumer market--in which I'd include high-school age kids on up. I'm not sure what the IT folks think--and these are the ones in charge of the school infrastructure.
If Apple wants to ride its consumer wave, then an Apple education-capable Tablet would need to attract the older kids. So we're talking maybe a small, Tablet convertible. Something that might even sell well in Asia. It would need enough umph though to play games and stay well connected. I'm not sure if they could pull this off and have the dreamed of 8hr battery life and so on. This would make more sense for a smaller device.
Anyway, like I mentioned at the beginning. These are all rumors. Rumors, rumors, rumors, that have all turned out to be false.
And it makes sense that the rumors are kicking up now that MacWorld is approaching in early Janurary 08.
Maybe we'll see some leaked photos next. If so, I'll really begin to believe.
Update: Ooops. I forgot one of the best features for an Apple MID--It could serve as a remote control with a live TV Guide built into it. It would be an ideal companion for the Mini.



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