Apple tablet to be launched next month?

The company has not divulged any details and is also expected to reveal this news prior to the launch, but recent report by Financial Times has added credibility to the information.

Indications of a major product announcement
It is being reported that Apple has asked its key application developers to create applications for a device with a much larger screen, in time for the event scheduled for next month.

Another report says that Apple's chief executive officer, Steve Jobs, is really happy with the new tablet. An Apple worker has recently told The New York Times, “I can’t really say anything, but, let’s just say Steve is extremely happy with the new tablet.”

Amid all these rumors and speculations, Financial Times has reported that the company has rented the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco “for several days in late January”.

Tying the loose ends together, it is being projected that Apple could demonstrate its touchscreen tablet at the January event.

Piper Jaffray, analyst Gene Munster, was quoted by Financial Times as saying, “We believe there is a 75 percent likelihood that Apple will have an event in January and a 50 per cent chance that it will be held to launch the Apple Tablet.”

More about the tablet computer
At this point it is confirmed that something big is planned for the upcoming month. If it’s an Apple tablet, then questions that linger are: what will it actually look like, how will it work, how much will it cost, and finally when will it be launched?

According to analysts, the upcoming tablet computer is expected to abridge difference between an Apple iPod Touch and an Apple MacBook.

It will play music, videos, games, facilitate reading books and magazines conveniently, and rely on Apple’s iTunes, which has more than 2 million applications in store.

Further, the tablet computer is expected to have a much bigger touch screen.

According to a report by Boy Genius, the product will be a 7-inch model but other reports describe the tablet as a 10-inch version of the iPhone or iPod Touch. The increased size will enable easy working, and will give it more of a large notebook look.

Estimates also suggest that the price of the tablet could range from as low as $500 to as high as $2000.

The product could hit stores in March quarter.