Apple tablet format Mac comes closer to reality
Cnet is reporting that “Asus is helping Apple build a Tablet PC”. This would normally be regarded as typical speculation that surrounds both Apple and it’s products were it not for further longstanding indications of a tablet format computer from Apple.
Asus is an Apple contract manufacturer responsible for the manufacture of iBooks, PowerBooks and MacBooks. An Asus representative has confirmed to Cnet that:
…the Apple Tablet will not be based on existing Asus designs such as the R1. It will come from a completely new blueprint, possibly based on the patent Apple filed back in May 2005…
Apple will probably continue to use the Intel Core Architecture as the basis of the hardware and a modified version of OS X Leopard for the software (unless Leopard has the functionality already built in and just has to recognise a computer as a Tablet to activate the appropriate functions). This would provide for multi-touch and cover-flow and other lovely gesture-based GUI tricks we have seen in the iPhone.
There is currently no reliable information on when we can expect an announcement from Apple itself or detailed information on the specification of the product but MacWorld 2008 takes place from 14th - 18th January so … (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!)
