Apple Tablet Rumors Multiply

By Jason Boog 

iphone3gs1.jpgIs the mythical iPod Tablet coming to rock the publishing world? Two tech news outlets are reporting on rumors about plans Apple Inc. (AAPL) has for a large-screen device.

According to a “reliable source” at iLounge, Apple will announce about this new device in mid-January 2010. The source also speculated that the device will also have higher resolution, “enabling easy reading of full-sized book and magazine pages, plus cropped newspaper pages. Expect something like 5-6 times the resolution of an iPod touch or iPhone screen (720p or thereabouts) and 7 times the touchable surface area.”

The tech blog Gizmodo has been reporting on the partnership side of the rumored device, trying to speculate on the future of Apple’s top-secret device via potential publishing partners. Here’s the important passage: “Two people related to the NY Times have separately told me that in June, paper was approached by Apple to talk about putting the paper on a ‘new device.’ … A person close to a VP in textbook publishing mentioned to me in July that McGraw Hill and Oberlin Press are working with Apple to move textbooks to iTunes.” (Via TeleRead)