Commentary--Apple to Produce a Tablet PC?

Or maybe a smart display? We like the chances of the latter because it seems to have greater potential for consumers and as an additional device at work sites rather than a replacement for Wintel machines. We already extensively convered both of these developments in the Wintel world in mid-December just before Macworld 2003 in San Francisco and expressed the hope that Apple would jump in. We'd buy at least one if given the chance. With rumors of an Apple tablet PC running wild on some web sites these days, fueled by these news items (DigiTimes, China Post) from Taiwan, we certainly hope Apple is adding its special touch to this emerging technology.

A smart display priced for the consumer and running off an iMac via AirPort seems like almost a sure bet to be a consumer winner if priced accordingly. And if used in the home, it need not even have a battery since electrical outlets are readily available there. We almost never use our PowerBook or iBooks around the house on the battery. A larger but still light model with a battery and a keyboard connection would be great for use around many work sites.

[Update 7a EDT] Tonight on Your Mac Life--TidBITS, Canon & iPhone! Shawn King's guests will be Adam Engst the publisher of TidBITS, John Lamb of Canon to talk about scanners and OS X and Ross Rubin of Ziff Davis' "Wireless Super Site" to talk about his column "Dreaming of an Apple Cell Phone? Think Different." Tune in at 8:30p EDT (5:30p PDT).