Speculation grows about Apple's new tablet
Speculation grew today that Apple is about to unveil a tablet-style hand-held for music, films, books and other media.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is planning to exhibit the device this month and begin selling it in March.
That clashes with several online reports that the company has scheduled a launch event for January 26 or 27.
The gadget, which online pundits have at different times christened the iTablet and the iSlate, is to have a 10-inch to 11-inch touch screen, said the Journal, citing unnamed sources.
Apple said it would not comment on speculation.
Apple has so far stayed out of the “netbook” category of small laptops with relatively weak processors and sub-£300 (€333.12) price tags.
Analysts have predicted Apple’s new gadget could cost anywhere up to £600 (€666.27), with or without a mobile data plan included.
Also today, Sprint Nextel said it has made a multi-year deal with a start-up called Skiff for a thin electronic-book reader that operates over Sprint’s high-speed 3G network as well as Wi-Fi.
The Skiff Reader will have an 11.5-inch screen, larger than those on competing devices including Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.
Sprint and Skiff tout the device as the thinnest to date, at just over a quarter of an inch thick. The reader’s entire page will be a touch screen, unlike the Kindle, which uses physical buttons for navigation, or the Nook, which has a small built-in touch screen separate from the book page.
The Skiff Reader will connect to its own online content store. Skiff said it is also working with other electronics manufacturers to put its technology into a variety of devices.
The companies are planning to demonstrate the device at this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
