A Verizon-Apple Tablet?

AT&T has learned a hard lesson in the past two years about exclusivity and Apple products. While the company has a bona-fide hit on its hand with the iPhone, the carrier has been subjected to withering criticism over its spotty coverage and other problems -- to the point where people are practically begging for a Verizon iPhone. That probably won't happen this year, but there's another possibility worth considering -- a Verizon-Apple tablet being announced later in the year.

We've gone over the Apple tablet rumors before, but what gives this story some legs is a recent analyst note. Barron's Tech Trader Daily picked it up last month:

UBS Securities analyst Maynard Um opines in a note today that Apple could see a non-cell phone device introduced by Verizon Communications's Verizon Wireless division this year, of the notebook variety.

Barron's then noted some of the other rumors around an Apple tablet. One of them concerns Verizon's supposed investments in LTE, a 4G wireless service. There has also been talk about how a tablet without a microphone wouldn't break Apple's exclusive agreement with AT&T. The AT&T/Apple deal for the iPhone will reportedly last into 2010, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal. 

Prediction: By December 1, 2009, Apple announces a touchscreen tablet that uses Verizon's wireless network in the United States. Refer to our Apple tablet definition on this earlier prediction -- a mini-laptop or netbook will not suffice for a favorable judgment. The tablet need not be exclusive to Verizon, nor does it have to be released by December 1, but there needs to be an official announcement or confirmation by Apple or Verizon that such a product is in the pipeline.

Related:

• Apple Tablet announced by October 31?
• The iPhone's AT&T exclusivity extended to 2011?
• Apple launches a netbook in '09?