The Industry Standard - Apple Tablet announced by October 31? - Comments

Judged negative. Ian

Ian Lamont — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:49:55 -0400

Judged negative.

Ian Lamont
Managing Editor
The Industry Standard
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Readers: Prediction market

Ian Lamont — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:52:48 -0400

Readers: Prediction market player Tay Bass has pointed us to an AllThingsD blog post which cites "multiple music industry sources" as saying there will be some sort of Apple event the week of September 7.

Ian Lamont
Managing Editor
The Industry Standard
twitter.com/the_standard

Alex: It's for an

Ian Lamont — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:49:27 -0400

Alex: It's for an announcement, not the actual release date. See the last paragraph of the prediction, above.

Ian Lamont
Managing Editor
The Industry Standard
twitter.com/the_standard

Is the bet for an official

Alex Cacciamani — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:14:19 -0400

Is the bet for an official *update* before October 31 regarding when the device will be released? OR is the bet for the device to be *released* before October 31?

Here's some second-hand

Ian Lamont — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:49:36 -0400

Here's some second-hand analysis based on the FT article:

http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/07/27/report-apple-tablet-ready-chr...

I guess the question for this prediction would be, if it's intended for a Christmas release, will it be announced by the end of October?

Ian Lamont
Managing Editor
The Industry Standard
twitter.com/the_standard

Interesting that there is no

Chris Tompkins — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:32:19 -0400

Interesting that there is no movement on this considering the Financial Times article calling it a 'sure thing'.

Thanks Tay. If this is

Ian Lamont — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:33:08 -0400

Thanks Tay. If this is correct, it will be interesting to see how the device impacts the iPhone market -- not just because it has a bigger screen and can do other things, but also because it's not running on the much-hated AT&T 3G network.

More discussion and analysis of the tablet rumors here:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/151137-why-apple-s-itouch-tablet-will-be...

Ian Lamont
Managing Editor
The Industry Standard
twitter.com/the_standard

Apple Insider is confident

Tay Bass — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:20:52 -0400

Apple Insider is confident the tablet will be released early next year-
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/07/24/apples_much_anticipated_ta...

Apple does not usually announce products ahead of time. If that is the case here, then the prediction will be unfavorable. However, the notable exception to Apple's announcement routine was the iPhone, when it was announced six months ahead of release. The reason given was that the plans for the iPhone would soon be publically available while in the hands of the FCC for certification and so would steal Apple's PR thunder. Though there is not expected to be any voice telecomm capability in the upcoming tablet, the article states that Apple is talking with Verizon for wireless internet connectivity. In that case, would FCC certification be necessary? Would that force Apple into making an announcement sometime soon? In that case, the prediction becomes favorable very soon. Comments invited.

Apple Tablet announced by October 31?

Ian Lamont — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:14:00 -0400

It's a rumor that just won't die -- Apple Inc. is working on a tablet computer, and the device will be released sooner rather than later.

The latest rumor comes via the Taiwan press, and claims that a device with a 9.7-inch touchscreen will be released in October for around $800. Parts manufacturers are reportedly the sources of the information.

Is the information credible? The Standard's Prediction Market has discussed such rumors for about a year but the tablet predictions surrounding the last Macworld and WWDC events did not pan out.

Nevertheless, Apple is definitely feeling pricing pressure. The double whammy of a deep recession and the introduction of inexpensive Windows-based laptops and netbooks has impacted Mac desktop and MacBook sales, and Apple does not offer any product priced between the most expensive iPhone 3GS (currently $299 with carrier plan) or iPod Touch ($399) and cheapest new MacBook (listed retail price: $999).

Prediction: Apple announces a tablet device on or before October 31, 2009. The following features are required:

* Larger screen than the current generation of iPod Touch and iPhone devices

* Touchscreen functionality

* Lower base price than the cheapest MacBooks sold in the Apple Store at the time of the announcement

* Different branding than MacBook or iPod product lines.

These features must be defined or clearly deduced in the announcement, product demo, or statements to press outlets for favorable judgment. However, the product does not need to be available for sale by that date, and the device does not need to be called a "tablet."