The "Jesus" Tablet. Options

[Harvest Sprite]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Apple's lips are sealed about its widely rumored tablet computer, but technology experts are giddy about the device, already exclaiming it will be the gadget to end all gadgets.

Executives at Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) never discuss products that are in the works, so there's no confirmation that the thing even exists. But rumors are circulating that Steve Jobs and Co. have designed a magazine-sized, touch-screen, hand-held, all-in-one device that is half-iPhone, half-Macintosh computer.

It's supposedly going to make its debut in the next few months, and you can have it for the low, low price of $600. Or $800. Maybe $1,000. No one's really sure.

If the rumors are true, the tablet will be able to do basically everything a gadget could possibly do. It's an e-reader, a gaming device, and a music player. You can watch TV and movies on it and surf the Internet (or so we've heard). And it will have thousands of third-party apps available for it ... or maybe it will run Mac OS X. That's all still unknown.

Coolest device ... ever? Maybe. Some analysts are channeling their inner-Frodo, saying the Apple tablet will be the one gadget to rule them all.

"This will be the next big thing," said Laura DiDio, principal analyst at ITIC. "Apple is going to wow everybody with the tablet."

Any time Steve Jobs gets on stage, the expectations are incredibly high, but they are especially lofty for the tablet. Analysts and investors are saying that this device could revolutionize the handheld world in the same way the the iPhone changed the smartphone market.

"The tablet will change the game, because Apple will throw down the gauntlet at the competitors, and force them to follow along," DiDio said.

According to DiDio, the tablet will have a 10-inch to 12-inch screen and a high-end graphics card that will enable stunning resolution -- even more so than the iPhone and iPod Touch. She said the device will come in several different models that offer varieties of Internet connections, such as Wi-Fi or 3G, perhaps through a contract with AT&T (T, Fortune 500).

Another cool feature will be the Web cam, which business travelers will be able to use for video conferencing on the go, DiDio said.

Some analysts say all of those features will kill other single-function handheld devices, making the Apple tablet the go-to handheld device for computing, Internet browsing, reading, gaming and entertainment.

"Apple will come out with the tablet and blow everyone away," said Dan Ackerman, senior editor at CNET. "Instead of taking along a Kindle and an iPod, that [tablet] could become the device you carry with you."


The cheaply priced netbook market may also take a hit when the tablet comes out. Apple typically prices their products higher than competitors, because they install top-of-the-line hardware, but DiDio said Apple learned from its mistake of pricing the original iPhone at $599, pricing out many potential customers.

"The Tablet will be awesome, and my guess is that it will be an instant hit for people who loved Kindles and people who want netbooks," said David Wertheimer, executive director of the University of Southern California's Entertainment Technology Center.

Wertheimer said he finds it hard to comprehend how the tablet will replace all other on-the-go tech products. "But then again, what I can't imagine, Steve Jobs often can," he added.

...Or the fizzle may fail. Not everyone thinks the Apple tablet will be the gadget to end all gadgets.

"What we've found in the past with these multi-function devices is that they're better for ad-hoc purposes, like quick and dirty tasks," said Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with Yankee Group. "They're not for any prolonged, high-performance use."

For instance, smartphones have cameras for quick snapshots, but when you go on vacation, you're probably going to want your digital camera to come along with you for high-quality photos.

Kerravala said the same logic applies to the tablet's other functions, including its e-reading capability: "If you want to sit and read a book, the ergonomics of a device that's specifically designed for reading are going to be better."

Similarly, only 3% of people whose cell phones can play music say they use their phone as their primary music player, according to a Yankee Group study. Even if it means carrying around two devices, an MP3 player is bound to have a better user experience than a multi-function cell phone.

That doesn't mean the Apple tablet -- if it exists -- won't be cool. But you may want to hang onto your iPod, Kindle, Nintendo DS, portable DVD player and laptop for a while.

Thoughts? Would you buy it? And this isn't a graphics tablet, this is a full blown tablet computer. I've used tablet computers extensively in school, and while they are pretty nifty, I would rather have a well working regular laptop than a sort of glitchy tablet. But that's just me. Then again, Apple has done pretty well with touch screen technology, as we have all seen.

EDIT:
(IMG:http://images.apple.com/ipad/home/images/hero6_20100127.png)

Comments below.

Will this be the dying breath of Steve Jobs at Apple?

[Hasfusel]

Wouldn't want to support something that renders everything else obsolete. We don't need something that combines television, computer, phone etc because we have televisions, computers and phones. I don't like this kind of thing at all, and it just moves people further into spending all their time on their own with one little gadget. Ugh.

[Lindstrom]

I always get a kick out of "this will be the next big thing" talk cuz it never is. Just shows how big an ego the people in charge of it are, or how much hype they're trying to create. Also, what Hasfusel said, very few people are looking for a device that combines a bunch of existing things, especially if you don't need all those things. If it did something brand new that no other device has done then it would be a different story.

[General_Wolfy]

At first I thought this was the Microsoft surface. Which looks pretty amazing.

I'm not too impressed by this though. I mean it looks interesting, but I'll probably forget all about it in 10 minutes.

[Guitar Smasher]

At first I thought this was the Microsoft surface. Which looks pretty amazing.

Hope your not too keen on it, as it will never actually be available for sale.

And this might be the 'next big thing to end all big things', but only until the next hype-train rolls along (stop scheduled in 12-14 months).

Oh, and the Technocrati are lame.

[General_Wolfy]

Hope your not too keen on it, as it will never actually be available for sale.

Not so much for personal use, but I think it would be amazing to go to a restaurant or something that uses them.

[Hasfusel]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8444672.stm

[Harvest Sprite]

Well.

It wasn't a hoax, if that was a suspicion.

The iPad is here.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

(IMG:http://images.apple.com/ipad/home/images/hero6_20100127.png)

It doesn't seem like an actual computer though...

And it sounds like a woman with a Rhode Island or New Jersey accent saying iPod.

[ClassicTyler]

Seems like such a waste to me. I'm sorry but Steve Jobs claiming that the iPad is better than a netbook just makes me laugh.

[Harvest Sprite]

I completely agree. As far as I can tell, it's like an oversized iPhone without calling capabilities, which seems pointless to me.

[Hasfusel]

It looks stupid. How are you supposed to hold it, never mind everything else? Either you have it flat on the table and have to lean over it, or you have to hold it like some kind of ridiculous flat gameboy, or you have to hold it in one hand and your hand will get tired. And it would be a bitch to carry around, as well.

[Saffy]

My opinion is that it's simply too early to tell if the iPad will be as great as Steve Jobs says. Judging by the popularity of the iPod Touch and iPhone I do believe it will do wonders. I just can't see how yet.

[Lindstrom]

I doubt it will do that amazing, I think people will be confused as to what they're supposed to do with it or buy it for. The iPhone works cuz it's a phone with a million things on it. The iPod Touch works cuz it's an iPhone without the phone and contract. This thing just looks like a large iPod Touch from the picture here, which, if that's a commonly showed picture, people will mistake it for one (giving it such a close name to iPod wasn't very smart either). If it's really an actual computer, I don't think people will be as interested in something they can't place down. Laptops are already great for serious computer work, and lighter stuff like web browsing and communication is already available on smaller devices.

Also if GS was referring to this being not available to the regular public then I guess it wouldn't matter much since nobody would be able to buy them.

[Nurse Fin]

ohmigad, an iPad!

Just what I always wanted, a great big iPod Touch to cover all over with fingerprints. You can browse the internet, unless you want to use Flash, but really now who uses that? No keyboard cuz everyone knows they get in the way. You can only install apps from the app store, isn't that great? Just like Jobs said, "PHENOMENAL"

I also heard it comes with wings so it can double as a feminine hygiene product.
I know I must buy one of these right away.

[Saffy]

While a number of people doubt it right now, I have to say I'm a bit interested in purchasing one.

[Lindstrom]

Shut up, you ain't got the money

[Saffy]

You're right. I don't have the money yet. But I might when it comes out.

[Oscar]

I completely agree. As far as I can tell, it's like an oversized iPhone without calling capabilities, which seems pointless to me.

Lolz, that's what I said when I first heard about it.

It looks cool and it seems like it has a bunch of fun stuff, but I don't need it. This came out to try and tackle the Amazon Kindle and others like it. I could see people buying it for the ebooks (and wanting to have another Apple product) or people who do a lot of presentations.

I would like to play around with one, because I'm a little confused on everything it does, but I think it doesn't have a big enough unique use.

[ZBoy]

I thought it was a clever idea, and seemed pretty cheap for $500, but then I found out there was a monthly service fee of $14.99 which seems like a little too much for me...

[Saffy]

I thought the monthly fee was only if you were getting the 3G version. I wouldn't pay to use the device monthly.