Apple's Mac Tablet A $700 Netbook Tablet Hybrid

Apple is expected to release a 10-inch multi-touch tablet device in Q1 of 2010, and I'm calling it's release to be had at MacWorld Expo in February. The price of the new multi-media device or tablet as we know them today, will probably be priced between the Apple iPod Touch and Apple's lower-end Notebook product, the Macbook. This would indicate that the price should be around the $699 price mark.

In January of this year, Apple's acting CEO Tim Cook stated that Apple has no interest in netbooks because they are much less powerful hardware and usually have small displays. What Mr. Cook didn't indicate was whether or not they were interested in a Mac Tablet.

To further support the notion that Apple is working on a tablet device, we found a patent filing by Apple back in February of 2009 that describes a tablet-like device. It specifically specifies "The invention pertains to a suspended frame is able to support a display panel within a display housing." Yet another "aspect of the invention pertains to a housing having a logo, symbol or other device that can be illuminated using light from the backside of a display panel."

Finally the patent goes into detail regarding the outside of the device stating that the device has a "lid for a computing device, such as a portable computer, that is provided with a translucent housing." This sounds a lot like a tablet with a lid on it or perhaps a Mac tablet/netbook combination, not just an Apple Mac tablet. You know it has to be something innovative, if it's coming from Apple.

With a large tablet device from Apple, a path could be paved to Apple releasing digital ebooks in the iTunes store - giving Amazon's new Kindle DX a run for its money. Apple's tablet device would be faster, more functional, and best of all - color. Pair it with a service from AT&T, then they could subsidize the pricing to provide an always connected netbook-tablet-media device.