Whatever news Apple has up its sleeve--tablet or no--it appears something will be announced on January 26, if an unnamed source of Fox News' turns out to be correct.
The Financial Times reported last week that Apple had rented out the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for several days in late January, immediately leading to speculation that the event might give the world the first glimpse of a tablet device rumored to be in the offing in Cupertino. And now, Fox News writer Clayton Morris says he has a source at Apple who's confirmed that an event will be held there Tuesday, January 26, and that it will be focused on the company's mobile offerings.
Speculation abounds about what an Apple tablet would entail and when it might arrive: the DigiTimes reports that Apple has placed an order for 10-inch displays and that devices would be ready to ship in March or April; several reports have surfaced that Apple told some of its key developers to prepare versions of their iPhone apps that will work on a device with a larger screen, in time for an event next month; and the MacRumors blog did a little sleuthing that turned up two patented trademarks that could be used for the name of the device and its associated software.
But the event will also answer some questions about how Apple intends to make product announcements in the future. The company has said it will no longer participate in the Macworld Expo held in San Francisco each January, leading some to question whether it would make an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas or strike out on its own so it would no longer be tied to other organizations' schedules when making product announcements.
Editors' note: while Macworld is traditionally held in San Francisco in January, this year it will take place February 9-13.
This 13-inch MacBook has been modded into tablet form.
With all the crystal-ball-watching over the seemingly imminent Apple tablet, one issue hotly debated around the CNET offices, but infrequently mentioned elsewhere, is the hypothetical device's status as a mobile computer.
There are two schools of thought on this: either the Apple tablet (or iSlate, or whatever it ends up being called) will be a 10-or-so-inch tablet PC with a full Mac OS X operating system; or it will merely be a larger-screen version of the current iPod Touch, which has a closed, limited phone-like OS.
The former would mean it could very likely run any software you'd run on a MacBook, from Firefox to Photoshop, and maybe even install Windows 7 via Boot Camp or Parallels. The later points to a hermetically sealed ecosystem, where apps would have to be approved and sold through an official app store (as in iTunes).
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"Sherlock Holmes" is not a wonderful movie. Despite the fact that so many ditheringly unstable people in the movie theater I wandered into on Christmas Day applauded when the final scene slithered away.
However, if you were to ask Robert Downey Jr.'s violently amusing Holmes to tell you discern the truth about the new Apple tablet, he would surely repeat his words from the movie: "Data! Data! Data! I can't make bricks without clay!"
So because there are many who are still groggy after the week's festivities, I thought I'd scour around for data that will separate the rumor from the definitive fact.
Apple's new tablet will be called the iTablet. And it will be launched last September. Yes, last September.
But wait, last September was a few months ago. So perhaps that information wasn't quite correct.
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The widely rumored Apple tablet, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, has just gotten a little more interesting.
Thanks to some crack reporting, MacRumors.com discovered that Apple purchased the domain for "islate.com" back in 2007.
What we know: islate.com was registered to Apple in 2007, through an intermediary (to disguise its true owner). At the moment, that domain doesn't seem to lead anywhere--and there are a few possible explanations. First, Apple bought it as a protective measure, to stop anyone else from using that "i" prefix with that particular word. Second, Apple had or has plans for either a product or a project by that name. Third, it's the tablet. Or fourth, it's Apple's take on Slate.com.
Maybe we'll find out just what that means in January, when the tablet is rumored to be announced.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
The Apple tablet is threatening to approach Yeti status, but here's an indication that it will turn out to be real: the company has told some of its key developers to prepare versions of their iPhone apps that will work on a device with a larger screen, in time for an event next month.
Add that to the news that Apple has reportedly booked the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco "for several days in late January," according to the Financial Times, and it's pretty easy to connect the dots. It's a very good bet we're getting a look at this thing within the next 30 days or so.
A mobile industry source tells me developers have been told that the mystery device will be shown off at the event only, but won't be ready to ship (Dan Frommer at Alley Insider relays the same news).
Announcing a product before launch used to be unusual for Apple, but it's a pattern the company has practiced more recently, notably with the first iPhone. And if Apple is indeed coming out with a new product that will require developers to rethink their approach, it makes a lot of sense.
I've asked Apple for comment, but I'm not holding my breath.
My source says Apple's instructions to developers indicate that the tablet--or at least the thing it's showing off next month--will be based on the iPhone OS and will rely on the same iTunes Store that has moved 2 billion apps in a couple of years.
... Read moreStory Copyright (c) 2009 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.
Additional stories from AllThingsD
In this week's preholiday edition of the Digital City Podcast, we all get ready for our one long break of the year, accompanied by special guest smartphone guru (and new CNET East Coaster) Bonnie Cha.
Scott and Joe have seen James Cameron's "Avatar"; Bonnie and Julie haven't. We also discuss Intel's new Atom Netbooks, 3D Blu-ray on the PS3, holiday smartphones, and upcoming laptops and phones at CES 2010. Best of all, Scott gets a chance to show off his one and only Batjew T-shirt. Watch it on video or you'll miss it.
Plus, don't forget to enter a comment to win a 16GB Zune HD of your very own. Happy holidays!
Related links:
>>3D Blu-ray standard outlined, includes PS3
>>New Atom Netbooks: Strange timing for shoppers?
>>CES 2010 Preview: Cell phones
>>CES 2010 Preview: Desktops and laptops
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3 p.m. EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
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>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter! And Scott!
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The more Verizon and AT&T trade unseasonal greetings over their respective 3G networks, the more collateral damage seems to be inflicted on the iPhone. Yes, Verizon has itself made jokes about the iPhone being a "misfit toy". However, on Saturday, Seth Meyers of "Saturday Night Live" dedicated 16 seconds of his Weekend Update to a joke about, yes, truly, the iPhone.
Here is the precise text: "It was reported this week that Google would soon launch its own cell phone as a challenge to the iPhone. Also a challenge to the iPhone? Making phone calls." Cue much laughter.
Before Apple devotees could regain their breath, the 16-second clip soared around the Web as if it were new evidence of global warming. More than 140,000 people viewed it on YouTube before NBC Universal mentioned that it, um, owned the rights to the clip.
I have therefore embedded the whole of Saturday night's live extravaganza, which I obtained from NBC's own site. The 16-second iPhone bombshell hits just after the 37-minute mark.
I know many will be distressed that Meyers makes no mention of AT&T. Save for some folks at AT&T, where they are still allegedly mulling what to do about the company's sponsorship of alleged serial sexter, Tiger Woods.
Not only are the gifts covered in today's episode perfect to meet the mediocre expectations of a white elephant party, but this episode itself is in essence our very own white elephant gift to you! Interpret that as you will, and have a wonderful holiday, everyone!
Listen now: Download today's podcast
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EPISODE 166
Gifts to bring to a white elephant Christmas
Snuggie for your neck (Thanks, Greg and Sam)
Snuggie for your dog (Thanks, Eric!)
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Raw photo files from Canon's new 1D Mark IV now can be seen in Mac OS X.
(Credit: Canon USA)Apple released one of its routine Mac OS X updates on Wednesday to let its computers handle raw images from a handful of new Nikon and Canon SLRs as well as from Canon's newer high-end PowerShot G11 compact camera.
The update lets Mac OS X 10.6 as well as Apple's iPhoto and Aperture software handle the raw image files taken directly from the camera's sensors without in-camera processing. Raw photo formats offer more quality and flexibility at the cost of convenience and file size.
The update supports Canon's new professional EOS-1D Mark IV and high-end EOS 7D SLRs. Among Nikons, the support ranges from the entry-level D3000, the higher-end D300S, and the professional D3S.
Windows relies on camera makers to supply software to decode the raw images. Adobe Systems and Apple write their own modules to decode the proprietary raw formats.
Updated 7:31 a.m. PST December 18 to clarify that the update expanded existing raw support.
A look at Apple's new patent idea
(Credit: Apple)I'm not one to get excited about patent filings, but this one was enough to make me think twice about what the future might hold.
Apple filed a patent this week with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It describes an "electronic device for providing a display that changes based on the user's perspective." The patent says that the product would include "a sensing mechanism" that's capable of detecting the user's position relative to the display. MacRumors originally reported on the patent.
The filing said that the device would include "a camera operative to detect the position of the user's head." Using that detected position, the device would then "transform" objects displayed on a monitor so the perspective the user sees "reflects the detected position of the user."
The overarching goal behind Apple's patent is to provide a realistic 3D experience. But it gets better. The technology would also be able to detect the user's environment and affect objects on the display based on the data it collects. For example, if the technology finds different areas within the user's environment that reflect or refract light, the objects on the display will do the same.
Apple even said that it could add depth and 3D-like characteristics to 2D objects on the display.
I, for one, am excited about the possibility this technology affords. By using a video camera, it can literally change objects on a monitor to react to the user's environment. Gone would be the days of viewing simple content on a display. If Apple's technology becomes a reality, it could totally transform the way people interact with their monitors. It could also have a major impact on the Web.
For now, Apple's technology is years away. But it's still fun to wait. And dream.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
