10 Reasons Why I Except An Apple Tablet In 2010 — And Why It Will Be Awesome

December 28th, 2009

So out of all the Apple rumors flying about, the only reliable one is that Apple has reserved a few days at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens come January 26, 2010. What exactly is to be announced is unconfirmed, but all signs point to a tablet. The signs are overwhelmingly clear to me; perhaps not to you; here they are:

1. The iPhone is three years old. Time for a big Apple product announcement, on the level of the iPod and the iPhone.
2. Motivation for Apple to announce something in January 2010. 2010 is the first year Apple won’t be in MacWorld. January has CES. Apple may want to demonstrate they don’t need a conference to announce new products. Whenever Steve Jobs appears with a new product in his hand, the press will follow.
3. The wildly successful iPhone has paved the way. The iPhone has gotten millions used to a touch screen, portable computing, and using iTunes to purchase apps — all elements that will translate well to an Apple Tablet.
4. Other tablet-like products are okay, but Apple can do better. Technology (displays, touch screens, batteries) is at the point where some company will make a successful tablet computer. Microsoft has been trying for years, and recently we had the aborted CrunchPad and the Kindle. But I haven’t bought any of those products because there was always the feeling that they could benefit from Apple’s particular touch of easy to use UI, melding of hardware and software, and insanely high standards. I’ve looked at the Kindle but the particularly Apple techno-lust feeling of “I must have this” never kicked in.
5. Apple has content and apps. Music, TV shows, movies, iPhone apps, all ready to load onto this thing. Totally easy for Apple to flip a switch and sell Kindle-like eBooks through the iTunes Store almost as an afterthought.
6. Steve Jobs’ personal touch. Rumor has it Steve Jobs himself took on the tablet as a pet project following his sick leave. If so, the tablet will surely have an extra level of polish and insanely high standards. Steve Jobs did personal field-testing with the iPhone.
7. All kinds of little used Apple technology could come to the forefront. OS X Ink for handwriting recognition. Fingerworks. Even that strange patent where a computer was shoved in a monitor.
8. Apple can afford to fail. Products selling solidly, billions in the bank, stock price at an all-time high.
9. Everything else is perfect. Except the Apple TV, practically all of Apple’s products were refreshed in 2008. Even the Mighty Mouse got a makeover. Ive can’t be spending all his time just making things millimeters thinner; must also be working on this tablet.
10. Time to get Macs to the next level. Perhaps there’s a better way of interacting with a computer than a mouse, and multitouch might be it. We’ve drooled over the currently non-existent translucent touch monitors from Minority Report. The iPhone and this tablet (particularly if it runs full OS X) will demonstrate that computing can be done with a touch screen, and along the way, reinvent computing. Apple’s the best positioned company to make this specific future happen.

I’m 95% sure Apple will announce a Tablet come end of January, so much so that I’m already saving up in hopes of buying one as soon as its announced. I’ve never been more confident of an Apple product announcement before. I’ll even forgive if it doesn’t run full OS X. The Tablet is coming in 2010 and it’s going to be freaking awesome.