The Apple Tablet Is Real (So Are Unicorns And Leprechauns)

The fabled Apple tablet, long thought to be just as fictional as jackalope or chupacabra may, in fact, be reality, so don't be frightened when that pig flies by later today.

The realness of the Apple tablet, which also recently surfaced in supposed photos, is all according to an anonymous "veteran analyst" who claims to have seen, held and touched the mysterious touch-screen tablet-style netbook that Apple has steadfastly denied is in the offing.

The tablet, or "slate-style" PC, which in many cases has been referred to as an iPod Touch on steroids, will be officially unveiled in September with a November release date, the unnamed analyst told Barron's.

The price tag will hit somewhere in the $699 to $799 sweet spot, the analyst said, meaning Apple will miss the sub-$500 mark of a true netbook, keeping true to CEO Steve Jobs' words that Apple couldn't make a $500 machine that wasn't a piece of junk.

Now, the tablet is set to go and is awaiting the final stamp of approval from Jobs himself, Barron's reported. The final design is expected to be ready in just six weeks.

Details are few and far between. So far, all that's been revealed of the supposed Apple tablet, or netbook, or "tabbook," or whatever it is, is that it's a 10-inch touch screen that can play high-definition video.

"The machine impresses with its display of hi-def video content," the anonymous analyst told Barron's. "It's better than the average movie experience, when you hold this thing in your hands."

And waiting to see what Apple has in store for the supposed tablet has put some PC makers in a holding pattern, the analyst said. Some Apple rivals have temporarily halted production on next-generation netbooks until Apple's true plans come to light.

The phantom analyst's meet-and-greet with the Apple tablet netbook is just the latest in a string of rumors surrounding Apple's supposed plans for a mini-Mac. The first Apple tablet rumors hit last year, with widespread reports that a jumbo iPod Touch was in the making. Then, the tablet rumors spawned into rumors that Apple was producing a more affordable netbook. From there, the two theories merged with reports indicating that Apple's tablet would also be a netbook.

And last week, Apple tablet rumors spun again, this time indicating that a new album-focused music service from Apple, dubbed "Cocktail," would be exclusive to its tablet offering.

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