Rumour Update On An Apple Tablet Netbook Device

Ai, ai... sonha Aparicia! Como eu espero esse dia!
O que para muitos é um luxo para mim é uma absoluta necessidade.

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A recent report by a Wall Street Analyst and cited by the AppleInsider website has re-ignited all the rumours that Apple is going to release a new tablet-like Netbook device in the near future.

The tablet is rumoured to be a small seven to ten inch multi touch screen device sporting Mac operating system interface and possibly a ‘hybrid operating system’ and will support iPhone applications. There is also speculation that the cost of this device will lie somewhere between $500 and $700.

Part of the reason that these latest rumours are attracting so much attention is because Tim Cook, acting Chief Executive Officer of Apple, recently criticised Netbooks and referred to the typical windows based Netbooks as “junky” saying they can’t deliver the “consumer experience” that the Mac operating system can.

At the same time, many analysts have completely written off the prospect of Apple ever producing a Netbook, saying it will just not happen. However, the touch screen tablet with iPhone support is not exactly a bog standard Netbook is it.

No one can deny the fact that there is a huge demand for Netbook type devices; they are selling like hot cakes. Even in the current economic downturn, Netbooks are the fastest growing segment of the whole computer industry and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon.

Netbooks have undergone massive changes since they first appeared and the boundaries between small ultraportable Netbooks designed for content consumption and full blown laptops capable of content creation are blurring. So why wouldn’t any company want to get a piece of the action in one way or another, including Apple.

That’s one of the challenges with the Internet these days, one simple story in one single publication, in one small corner of the world, can spark off a massive tidal wave of interest, speculation and rumour to the extent that it can be difficult to separate out the truth from the trash.

Take these latest rumours as a perfect example. Steven J Vaughan-Nichols from Computerworld noticed that all the current rumours about an Apple tablet device stemmed from a single Digitimes story reporting that a touch display maker in Asia said it was working with Apple on new products. That’s literally all it takes.

Anyway, regardless of whether the rumours have any substance or not, if Apple produces any sort of Netbook type device, they are unlikely to go for a copy cat version of the types of products already available. No, they are more likely to push the boundaries even further.