Will it look like this? One concept design for the rumoured tablet.
Apple is preparing to release a groundbreaking tablet computer in Australia and around the world early next year and has been in discussions with media companies about including their content on the device.
The tablet is tipped to be a larger version of the iPhone. It is small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket. It will have a touch screen and be targeted at users who mainly want to surf the web, read books and newspapers or watch movies.
Apple has sent specifications of the device to Australian media companies in an effort to sound out whether they would be interested in delivering their content to the tablet. None would speak about the device on the record.
But New York Times executive editor Bill Keller seemed to let the cat out of the bag in comments during an off-the-record meeting with New York Times digital staff this month. Footage of his talk has been published online.
"We need to figure out the right journalistic product to deliver to mobile platforms and devices," Keller said.
"I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that."
Keller's musings seemed to confirm off-the-record comments from New York Times executives and book publishers this year claiming that Apple had approached them to talk about putting their content on a "new device".
Apple is also working with the major music studios to develop a new album format, delivered over iTunes, that will include liner notes, artwork and potentially mobile ringtones and music videos in a unified software package that the labels hope will boost sales of albums, instead of just single tracks.
In Australia, Fairfax Media's director of marketing and newspaper sales, Robert Whitehead, hinted that he was aware of the upcoming device in August.
"We're continuously examining all options for extending the reach of our mastheads and we'll be very interested to see what Apple comes up with", he said.
It is understood that Apple has been in direct talks with Australian media companies to launch a new app for the tablet that would allow them to distribute their content in digital form and charge for it.
Similar talks were under way with Amazon over the Kindle e-book reader but these broke down after the media executives baulked at giving Amazon 70 per cent of the revenue.
By contrast, Apple's model has been to give developers 70 per cent of the revenue and to keep a 30 per cent cut. It is expected a similar deal will be offered to media companies.
The timing for the tablet launch is not clear but it is unlikely to occur at Macworld in February, as Apple has pulled out of the event.
The company has traditionally held an iPhone-related launch in July so the tablet is launch is expected to come before then. It is believed the tablet might have been slated for this year but has since been delayed.
Rumours of the impending release of a new Apple tablet reached fever pitch in August, with several analysts claiming they had seen the device or spoken to component manufacturers tasked with producing the parts for Apple.
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