Sam OliverDigiTimes reported Wednesday morning that Foxconn, the trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry, will be the manufacturer for the device, citing "market sources." The device is expected to be for sale in the first quarter of 2010, with an alleged initial shipment of 300,000 to 400,000 devices. No price was given.
"The sources indicated they believe the tablet PC features will focus more on e-book functionality rather than music, and that based on Apple's marketing strategy, long battery life, quick Internet connectivity and an easy-to-use user interface will be key features of the device," the report said.
It also claimed that the device will sport a 10.6-inch display, and offered speculation that Foxconn would obtain panels for the tablet from its subsidiary, Innolux Display.
As Apple reportedly prepares to launch its own tablet, other hardware makers are allegedly doing the same as well. The report said that sources expect HP and other computer manufacturers to debut their own tablet-style touchscreen devices soon after, in the second quarter of 2010.
The report corroborates what sources have told AppleInsider — that the still-unseen device will debut in the first quarter of 2010. The 10-inch, 3G-enabled device is believed to run on a custom chip from P.A. Semi.
The information regarding marketing the tablet as an e-reader would seem to bolster recent reports that Apple has reached out to publishers and gained their interest in reproducing content on the device.
Foxconn and Apple made headlines this summer, after a prototype 4G iPhone went missing from one of the company's factories. After an employee was questioned about the matter, he reportedly committed suicide.
William Gallagher
Marko Zivkovic
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108 Comments
faust!well, just like 2003, same story, no?
I remain unconvinced that this thing has a compelling purpose in life. The form factor would be nice for reading... but will people pay for magazine content I wonder? Most magazines have websites. We'll see I guess. At the very least... if it's a Kindle Killer... no one will do it better than Apple. But I sure hope it's more than that. Also, I think a true reader device should use eInk.
By the way... what is the appeal of posting first? I'll never understand that.
I remain unconvinced that this thing has a compelling purpose in life. The form factor would be nice for reading... but will people pay for magazine content I wonder? Most magazines have websites. We'll see I guess. At the very least... if it's a Kindle Killer... no one will do it better than Apple. But I sure hope it's more than that. Also, I think a true reader device should use eInk.
By the way... what is the appeal of posting first? I'll never understand that.
I could be wrong but I suspect SJ is going to do to publishing what he did to music. The iTunes ecosystem will become the place to get a magazine or a book if he does. No doubt at first to be laughed at and scorned just as the early days his forays into trying to enter the music business were. Time will tell.
I think they should just make the macbook pro a convertible notebook to tablet device
I have a strong feeling that e-reading is *not* going to be the main selling point. Is the Kindle that much of a success? Would anyone buy a tablet for that?
I think the inquiries among eReader publishers may be real, but are meant partly as a decoy flare for the rest of the tablet computing industry. Or rather, gaming industry.
Because if you ask me, the tablet will be another sneak attack at the mobile gaming market.
Apple's acceptance of Flash as a stand-alone environment fits in that picture. This way, they may easily have lots and lots of free games for their device right away.We should remember that the public conception of what the iPhone is, went through 3 stages:
1: Smartphone with iPod (expectation)
2: Surprisingly good internet browser (told by Apple)
3: Applications and gaming platform (surprise)
Just like that, the public conception of an Apple tablet could go through several phases. This is a possibility:
1: 10" iPod Touch, for music, gaming, web browsing and apps (expectation)
2: eReader (told by Apple)
3: Pretty good Mac (surprise)