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Apple tablet: iPad? And iPhone 4G? We'll find out soon...
Only a week to go before the Apple tablet and/or iPhone 4G launch. Wednesday, January 27's the day, it's rumored, when Steve Jobs unveils the "iPad", or the new iPhone... or both? In IT Blogwatch, bloggers spin themselves into an utter frenzy of speculation and fanboishness.
Your humble blogwatcher selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention a welcome return to Error'd...
Arnold Kim mongers a rumor:
New evidence however has revealed that Apple may, in fact, be positioning "iPad" as the name for the imminent tablet device. ... Apple's dummy corporation Slate Computing, LLC also applied for a trademark for "iPad" ... in July 2009. ... Very similar trademark applications for "iPad" were also filed in Europe and Hong Kong. ... the Hong Kong application listed a company called IP Application Development, LLC which is located in Delaware. ... This unknown company has been active again in the past week with new iPad trademark applications in New Zealand and Australia.
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Of interest, the company's initials actually spell out "iPad". While we can't link IP Application Development, LLC directly to Apple, the associated timing of the applications alongside Slate Computing's Canadian application is very suggestive. While it appears Apple did have an Australian trademark application for iPad back in 2007, it was a much more limited scope than the current applications.
Charles Arthur also speculates:
What's it going to be called? Some of my money is on iPad - have a look at iPad.com, which changed hands in April last year but is peculiarly quiet and belongs to the mysterious "Enero 6 Corporation" (who? although as a point against iPad, it seems to be written in Microsoft's ASP scripting language), but the rest is on iSlate - given that islate.com presently shows up as being parked with Markmonitor.com, which all Apple-owned domains turn out to be once they're made live.
Then again, the iBook name is available again.
But Jason D. O'Grady sincerely hopes not:
In July we took a stab at naming Apples new tablet ... and I thought that iPad was horrible then and I havent change my mind since. ... Ill take iSlate over iPad any day, but Im hoping that Apple has something better up its sleeve (name-wise) for next week.
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The company cant be tied directly to Apple but Googles never heard of them (other than for applying for this trademark) and the address on the trademark is used by Corporation Service Company which provides registered agent services for nearly half of the Fortune 500..
Anyway, all will be revealed next week, eh, Seth Weintraub?
Apple today sent out invitations to the January 27th presentation that we've been hearing much about lately. Along with the colorful invite graphics, they included the caption 'Come see our latest creation'.
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The topic of conversation? I'm thinking tablet. ... I'll of course be covering the event live so make sure to check back early and often.
Brian Caulfield is thinking "Kindle Killer":
Steve Jobs loves to position new products by comparing them to existing ones, and highlighting their weaknesses. The result: Amazon's Kindle could get a little attention. ... Jobs' line of attack might even be hinted at in Apple's invitation to the event. ... It's possible Jobs will point out his tablet's ability to showcase video, audio, and colorful multimedia, as opposed to readers that rely on black-and-white electronic ink.
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To be sure, all Apple is saying to the press at this point: show up at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco Wednesday, January 27. There will, undoubtedly, be some surprises.
Meanwhile, Boy Genius sics his moles on the next iPhone OS:
Weve received some exclusive iPhone OS 4.0 details from one of our trusty Apple connects.
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There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. ...
A few new ways to run applications in the background multitasking.
Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. ...
The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS. ...
There will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.
Chris Smith says, "It's about time"!:
Reports say that Apple will introduce some new ways of multitasking and syncing. Multitasking is definitely something iPhone users have been waiting for a long while. ... The rumored dual-core processor should definitely help with that although we have at least six more months to go until the iPhone 4G comes to life.
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Multitouch gesture controls will be available throughout the OS in a move that should make the user interface even easier to use. Unfortunately those of you that are still playing with the very first iPhone might not be able to install iPhone OS 4.0 just yet as the new OS is made for the iPhone 3G, 3GS and beyond.
Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him as @richi on Twitter, or richij on FriendFeed, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itblogwatch@richij.com.
