On the Eve of Apple's Tablet

 Once again, the Apple new product hype machine is in full overdrive. On Wednesday, the company is holding a special event to launch new products. This event is widely expected to announce the launch of a tablet computing device. Rumors have pegged it as a multi-media interface for music, movies, e-books and other digital content. The screen size has been estimated at 10 inches and the price point somewhere between $800 - 1,000.

The biggest question to me is what niche in Apple's product lineup will the tablet fill? The iPod touch and iPhone are already multi-functional devices, albeit with small screens. If the tablet is essentially a larger version of theses products, what's the point? Who wants to lug around an iPhone, Macbook and Tablet? No. I think there's more going on here with digital media.

 Amazon has demonstrated the feasibility of e-book readers with its Kindle device. Despite the clunky appearance, the concept of downloading books, newspapers and magazines to a digital reader is appealing to many people. I suspect that this is the focus of the Tablet - a better designed version of the Kindle with additional capabilities to play movies and music, sort of an all-purpose personal media device.

What's most interesting to me is the evolution of digital content. This is why the iPod has been so successful over the past decade for Apple — it combines storage, an easy user interface, and the iTunes content delivery system. Wouldn't this type of ecosystem be great for traditional media like newspapers or magazines? How about textbooks? There are so many opportunities for innovation and a company with the cachet of Apple can ignite and accelerate development by providing the coolest delivery platform.

 

Stay tuned for Wednesday's big launch. If you want to follow it live go over to Engadget or MacLife.