Technology news and Jobs arrow Information Technology News arrow What the iTablet might cost, and rumors of possible content
What the iTablet might cost, and rumors of possible content E-mail
by Jake Widman   
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
A poll by U.S. shopping and reviews site Retrevo has shown that Apple may not be able to get its rumored price for a new tablet computer. Meanwhile, new reports and rumors indicate that Apple may be pursuing e-reader content for the device from American and Australian publishing partners.

Retrevo.com aggregates pricing data and expert and user reviews to generate shopping advice for, it claims, more than 4 million visitors a month.

The site surveyed more than 750 "online individuals" -- not just Retrevo shoppers -- in an attempt to find out what people would be willing to pay for an Apple tablet.

More than two-thirds or Mac owners said they'd be willing to cough up more than US$600 for such a device -- 41% said they'd pay more than $800, the rumored target price for the tablet. PC owners, on the other hand, were more price sensitive: nearly two-thirds said they wouldn't pay more than $600.

The study also found that an Apple tablet would be entering a crowded market, with 39% of Mac owners (and 59% of iPhone owners) saying they already owned a netbook or were going to purchase one this year. Perhaps surprisingly, Mac users had both a higher rate of adoption and lower rate of rejection of netbooks than PC users did.

While Retrevo offers iTablet marketing advice, Apple is said to be approaching media representatives about providing content.

Bill Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, recently told a staff meeting,  "I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that."

And the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that Apple has provided Australian media companies with specs for the device to see if they'd be willing to provide content.

"It is understood that Apple has been in direct talks with Australian media companies to launch a new app for the tablet that would allow them to distribute their content in digital form and charge for it," according to the Herald, though it couldn't get anyone to speak about the device on the record.
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