iPod Touch, iTablet rumor update

Jake Widman
Wednesday, 22 July 2009 01:08

Your IT - Home IT

The other persistent rumor is that Apple is finally getting close to introducing some kind of sub-notebook device.

Whether it's more like a netbook or more like a very large iPod Touch remains to be seen.

But according to an article translated from the China Times and posted on macrumors.com , Apple has finalized orders with three manufacturers: Foxconn, Wintek, and Dynapak.

The devices will supposedly come out in October, in time for the holiday shopping season.

The China Times article claims that the iTablet will have a 9.7-inch touchscreen manufactured by Wintek--the same size screen as the new Kindle DX.

One unanswered question is whether such a device would run standard Mac OS X, making it more of a general-purpose computer, or the iPhone OS, making it more of an Internet and media device.

Basing it on the iPhone OS would also provide another outlet for the iPhone App Store, which is a lucrative revenue stream for Apple.

Also, the China Times reports that the price is planned to be around US$800. A giant iPod Touch might have more cachet, and be able to command such a price, better than a device seen as a subnotebook, especially when it may not have a true keyboard.