Last year Apple bought a company (forget the name) for its technology. The CEO of that company had said that Apple would be releasing a 10-in tablet with cellphone/wifi bundled with a plan for $1k, first Q 2010. That exactly matches what the Wall Street Journal is now publishing. I just think it is weird the WSJ is the source of announcing the specs of a new Apple product.
That all may be very plausible and real, but as I said, I will wait to see just what may come out at this point. Apple has bought a number of companies over time, and not everything always becomes a hot new product. It also seems a bit of stretch that some former CEO of a purchased company is going to break Apple's code of silence on things like this, especially if he is now working for Apple, and if not, he may never know what the final specs are until the come out, much like the rest of us. I do think that Apple could rock the market with something, and we shall soon know.....maybe.
What I find odd about the "details" of the story (WSJ and the former CEO), is how specific they are. Heck when the iPhone was going to be rolled out, which admittedly was a really, really rumored and anticipated device, AT&T nor Apple spilled info until maybe a few days before rollout. Nobody really knew what the plans and services would be until unveiled. Folks also did not really know the prices or that there were multiple devices and plan options. So, while the rumor could be a possible option, Apple has been good about testing the waters with these sorts of "leaks" to throw off rumors and speculations. Again, not saying it could not be real or will not happen, but until it is announced, shown, and details are put out, it is all wild and somewhat wishful rumors.
Like others have mentioned, there are some interesting hurdles to overcome with respect to power, size, utility, connectivity, etc., that could present a lot of options. A 10" tablet with touchscreen, WiFi, 3G, etc., may be one option....or not. Sounds pretty good and maybe tempting for some, but I will still wait to see if there is something and just what it may be able to do before getting too worked up and excited over this yet. Tablets may be the "next thing", but like others, that sure are not a lot of them in more widespread use from anybody else right now, even though they have been around for some time. Only thing sort of commonly close right now is the brown brick the UPS guys carry, and that is a decade old tech at least. Sleek, svelt, sexy it ain't, so the bar is not too high right now for something somewhat different and attractive for the masses. Just my opinion.
LJ