The Apple Tablet

Apple is gearing up for a huge press conference at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, on the 27th January. They’re keeping their cards very close to their chest, revealing nothing about any announcements to be made at the event, but bloggers, tech junkies and industry insiders alike are absolutely convinced that Apple’s latest portable device will be unveiled there – and that it will be some kind of tablet computer.

As is the case with every Apple product launch, the internet rumor mill is working overtime trying to predict what the tablet will be called, what software it will use, and most importantly, what it will actually look like. A paper trail has been uncovered which seems to suggest that the device will be called the iSlate and that it will run on a version of iPhone OS, but nobody really knows for sure.

What seems likely, however, is that Apple’s new tablet will feature revolutionary touchscreen technology. Apple have made a slew of applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office in recent years, one of the most interesting of which was for a touchscreen keypad with a rigid frame, which rises to create temporary ridges while typing.

As an outlet for their uncontrollable excitement, hundreds of gadget-hungry Apple fans have created mockups of what they think the new tablet will look like. Most have gone for a design resembling an enlarged iPhone with a 7” or 10” screen – a design we agree will most probably come to fruition. One thing we can be sure of, however, is that the guys as Apple will probably come up with something so genius that it trumps all mockups preceding it. We’ll just have to wait and see!

The Mock Ups

1. MacBook Touch (Jesus Diaz)

This MacBook Touch marries an ultra-slim notebook with futuristic touchscreen technology. The large speaker along the bottom is rather unattractive and probably unnecessary, but we like the way it seems to switch seamlessly between portrait and landscape views.

2. Mac Air (Isamu Sanada)

Isamu Sanada, an Apple mockup veteran who has predicted new Apple releases in the past with surprising accuracy, envisages the tablet as a hybrid of the MacBook Air and the iPhone. He calls it the Mac Air.

3. iPad Touch (Factory Joe)

Factory Joe’s mockup of the iPad Touch comes with iSight, a camera which sits beneath the touchscreen, becoming invisible once the screen’s illuminated. It has no solid state keyboard, touchpad or CD/DVD slot.

4. MacBook Tablet (pickupjojo)

This sleek and minimal mockup is what everyone expects Apple’s tablet to look like. Hopefully, they’ll be able to come up with something more groundbreaking. Not sure about the slogan: “Touch becomes useful.” I’ve always found it pretty useful myself.

5. Apple Tablet (Fotoboer.nl)

This mockup sees the tablet as more iPod than iPhone. We reckon the real deal’s going to be bigger than this example, which isn’t much larger than an iPod Touch.

6. MacBook Touch (Joan Rosell)

Another example with a CD/DVD drive, this machine looks more like the tablet we expect Apple to produce. If an iMac and an iPhone had a baby, it would look something like this.

7. Apple Tablet (Chillix)

Rather than focus on the hardware, as everyone else has done, Chillix has tried to imagine what Apple will be able to do with all the extra pixels at its disposal. In the pics above, Chillix combines PhotoFrame, DeskClock and PlaySafe.

8. MacBook Touch (Tim Victor)

Tim Victor’s MacBook Touch combines the touchscreen technology of the iPhone and iPod with the chassis of a MacBook. It comes with a 15.5” LED backlit display, which I think is too big… but what do I know?

9. iPhone Pro (A. Berio)

This mockup is another which goes down the enlarged iPhone route. According to its designer, the iPhone Pro comes with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Processor and a 1024 x 768 display.

10. MacBook Touch (Tomasso Gecchelin)

This mockup has been wonderfully thought out, going far beyond the enlarged iPhone design which most mockup artists have plumped for. It can be used in every position, thanks to its flexible OLED touchscreen, combining notebook, desktop and e-reader in one.

11. Apple Tablet (vernhart)

Somehow, I can’t see Apple going for this design. It’s so big; it takes a strapping young lad, like the one in the picture, just to pick it up. If you squint, you can just about make out 3 power buttons along the bottom. Not sure all those will be necessary.