AppleInsider StaffCiting unnamed sources, Digital Daily claims that Apple's product announcement will occur Wednesday, Jan. 27 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Details on what will be announced were not given, though it is widely expected that Apple will introduce a touchscreen tablet.
"So that rumored Apple event everyone’s been jawing about these past few weeks?" John Packowski wrote. "It’s on and it’s going to be a big deal."
Weeks ago, the Financial Times reported that Apple had rented the stage in San Francisco for "several days," starting with Jan. 26. Apple often uses the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for special media events.
Last week, that report was bolstered by yet another claim that Apple would have a product unveiling in late January.
Tablet-related rumors and news have intensified in recent weeks as a January unveiling is expected. Reports have suggested that Apple will show off new hardware, but would not release it for some time, much like was done with the original iPhone. Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray believes that Apple's tablet will ship by the end of March.
Some developers have reportedly been asked to prepare full-screen demos of their iPhone applications for an event in late January. Select developers were told to make their apps run at a resolution beyond the fixed 320x480 pixel size of the iPhone and iPod touch screen. It was said that applications that can support the new larger screen size will run "just fine" on the new hardware.
Update: French Apple site Mac4Ever also claimed Monday that a new iPhone 4.0 beta SDK includes a "simulator" that aims to make it easy for developers to adapt to different screen resolutions. Some developers are allegedly already working with the beta SDK.
Engadget also reported it has heard from sources "very familiar with the situation" that officials have been given information on a tablet device set to debut this month. The device will have a new screen size and resolution different from the one currently found on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Malcolm Owen
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Andrew O'Hara
68 Comments
Those darn "unnamed sources"!
Don't play with fire, Apple. You are eating the future of the silent majority in the industry.
Man I wish they would hold it sooner. The anticipation is killing me. Maybe they're tyring to squeeze every drop out of the hype machine they can. And that's without a single piece of direct advertising! I'm sure their stock will inch up higher than the high they've recently seen as indicated in the following article:
http://www.alltabletnews.com/2009/12...es-a-new-high/
Tablet.
Apple's done the iPod, the iPhone, the notebook, the desktop, and content distribution, and is working on the Cloud.
Now it's time to redefine the way we use "computers." That's what's next. The notebook will, in time, give way to the Tablet, and Apple wants to make sure it's done on their own terms a la iPhone.
It couldn't be more clear.
It's possible they will play off of whatever is introduced at CES to determine which product they want to introduce. Nothing like letting everyone else show their hands before slapping down a royal straight flush.
Also... a new SDK introduced at an event like this? I don't think so. They'd want to invite developers almost exclusively for Q&A sessions and hands on training. I don't buy this for a second. IF there's a slate/tablet/Mac touch introduction, they might push HTML 5 for web devs first.