It'll probably be a sleepless night for Apple fans and other interested parties who are waiting with bated breath for the company to unveil its "latest creation" on Wednesday. We look at five questions worth pondering about a device that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has reportedly called "the most important thing I've ever done."
1. Will it come with cellular connectivity?
Answering this question leads one to consider several others. If the Apple tablet does include cellular, will it be GSM and run only on AT&T's network? Or, as some reports have suggested, will there also be a CDMA version that runs on Verizon's network?
If the answer is "both," then that leads to some interesting side-by-side comparison scenarios. AT&T is already struggling with the wireless broadband demands of its iPhone subscribers, and a tablet device running more bandwidth intensive apps over its network would only add to the strain.
In addition, what if Verizon's network ends up handling Apple tablet traffic without a hitch? That would amount to a nightmare scenario for AT&T and increase the already vociferous criticisms that have been leveled against the carrier. Not to mention provide Verizon with plenty of fodder should it decide to re-ignite its AT&T network-bashing television commercials.
If the Apple tablet only comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, that also raises some interesting questions. For example, without carrier subsidies, will the tablet's price tag be beyond the reach of all but the most ardent (and financially solvent) Apple aficionados?
2. How will people carry it?
iPhone owners are always just one fumbled pocket-to-hand transition away from dropping their treasured device and ending up with a broken screen. So if reports of a 7-inch or 10-inch tablet screen are accurate, that would add several inches of potential breakage area to worry about. And while the iPhone fits neatly in a pants pocket, an Apple tablet would not, which means tablet owners would probably have to carry around some sort of skin or carrying case.
3. What input method will it have?
Even with the landscape keyboard Apple added in iPhone 3.0, typing on an iPhone can be frustrating. It's something that iPhone users have happily accepted in return for the device's incomparably sleek design, but an Apple tablet with the same sort of touch screen keyboard might be a tougher sell for some folks.
On the other hand, it's hard to see Apple putting a physical keyboard on a tablet because of its impact on the design aesthetic. Nor is it plausible that Apple would go with a clamshell design that hides the physical keyboard when stored. The fact that it's hard to envision what input method the tablet will have suggests that this could be one of its main points of innovation. We really may see something that hasn't been seen before.
4. Will it have its own App Store?
The success of Apple's App Store is driving iPhone and iPod Touch sales, and while no one knows how much money the App Store is funneling to the company's bottom line, it's certainly generating a lot of buzz. There have been rumors that the Apple tablet will come with several purpose built apps that showcase the capabilities of the platform, and if that's the case, Apple may launch a tablet specific App Store.
For developers who've stayed away from the iPhone platform in the belief that it's a fad that will eventually fade, a tablet App Store with greater possibilities for features and functionality may be very compelling proposition.
5. Will it really kill the Kindle?
Much of the pre-launch speculation about the Apple tablet has pitched the device as Apple's attempt to conquer the e-reader market, where Amazon reigns as the early leader on the strength of its Kindle device. Apple's rumored deals with newspapers and magazine publishers have added fuel to this particular line of reasoning.
But while the tablet will definitely challenge the Kindle in that regard, the Apple tablet will likely be designed to compete in other markets using the same power of convergence that have been evident in the iPhone.
As a broad media consumption device that functions as an e-reader, video player for movies and television shows, and music playback device that channels even more traffic to iTunes, the Apple tablet would pose a threat not just to the Kindle, but to numerous other competitors' products.
