Apple’s Tablet announcement less than 24 hours away – here’s what we know

Anticipation for Apple’s tablet device reaches fever pitch, with last minute rumours flooding tech blogs with less than 24 hours to go until the launch event.

The anticipation for Apple’s long-awaited tablet device has reached fever pitch, with last minute rumours and leaks flooding tech blogs with less than 24 hours to go until the big launch event.

The excitement surrounding the announcement has also been exacerbated by the company’s strong financial results, showing a 50% increase in earnings for the first quarter of the 2010 financial year.

In a last-minute announcement, publishing house McGraw-Hill’s chief executive Terry McGraw has confirmed on television network CNBC the tablet will be announced tomorrow.

“Yes, they’ll make their announcement tomorrow on this one. We have worked with Apple for quite a while. And the Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system and so it will be transferable.”

“And we have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format on that one. So now with the tablet you’re going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific.”

It has been suspected for some time McGraw-Hill has been involved with the production of the tablet device in order to publish electronic versions of textbooks and other publications.

Preparations are underway for the press release in San Francisco, and the company itself is labelling the announcement as a particularly special event. Several executives at the group’s financial results announcement said the company was excited about the new device, when usually no comment at all is given about upcoming releases.

“The new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we’re really excited about,” Jobs said in a statement. Some analysts claim this comment, which was said in the context of a non-tablet related event, is worth noting.

Jobs has also reportedly said in private the new device is the “most important thing I’ve ever done”.

Apple has confirmed absolutely no information regarding the tablet, but that hasn’t stopped eager analysts from speculating what it will contain. Several leaks from manufacturers and those inside the company have given geeks enough information to keep them guessing.

Last-minute rumours include the possibility of a new Barnes & Noble bookstore being released in conjunction with the tablet, which would possibly become one of the device’s in-built apps.

Additionally, Apple has reportedly been discussing deals with several publishers such as HarperCollins regarding the production of advanced e-books, which include digital versions of magazines and other publications.

Apple shares rose to a new high last month in anticipation of the device. After the company shaped the music industry with iTunes and the iPod, and conquered the handset sector with the iPhone, many tech-heads are eager to see how the tablet will change its own market.

But many analysts have said the device will differ from the current tablets on the market. While many, such as the Amazon Kindle, are mainly being used as e-readers, Apple’s tablet is expected to offer a wider range of software and will act as an alternative or replacement for a laptop.

Additionally, many analysts are excited about the prospect of a new economic model being released alongside the tablet. Each time the company releases a new product, it also releases a market of some kind for users to purchase content, such as the iTunes Store or subsequent App Store.

Wall Street is carefully watching the development of the Apple tablet in anticipation of a similar market to be announced. Many analysts have said this could contain simple e-books, or a variety of software including complex programs and apps.

As with the company’s other markets, there will likely be a method for content creators to earn revenue.

But while there are hundreds of rumours spreading across the internet, some more reliable than others, here are a few of the most likely additions to the device:

• The tablet will come with a screen about 10 or 11 inches in length.
• According to research reports from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, the gadget will cost between $US800-$1,000, bridging the gap between the iPod Touch and the entry-level MacBook.
• It will contain wireless capabilities, with some rumours even noting the possibility of a 3G connection.
• It will run on an updated version of the iPhone OS, which is also expected to be announced alongside the device.
• The tablet will be capable of running advanced versions of apps, along with new, complex versions of software to be controlled by advanced “gesture” techniques.
• The device will be called the “iSlate”.
• While the announcement will be made tomorrow, the gadget will be ready to ship in either March or April.
• It will include a virtual keyboard.
• It will most definitely handle more advanced games than the iPod Touch or iPhone. Apple has reportedly dealt with publisher Electronic Arts to produce some examples of games for the announcement tomorrow.
• The device will come with a built-in camera with facial-recognition software.

Meanwhile, the company announced its financial results yesterday announcing a 50% rise in earnings for the first quarter to $US3.4 billion. Revenue came to $US15.7 billion, a 32% increase from the same period one year ago.

Mac sales in Australia grew by 70% in Australia, while chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said the nation, along with Japan, France, Britain and Germany, were areas recording strong iPhone sales.

Globally, iPhone sales amounted to 8.7 million, helped by the release of the 3GS model in July. About 3.36 million Macs were also sold in the quarter.

“We are very pleased to have generated $5.8 billion in cash during the quarter,” Oppenheimer said. “Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue in the range of about $11.0 billion to $11.4 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $2.06 to $2.18.”

However, sales of the iPod device have continued to fall. The company said it sold just 21 million iPods during the quarter, representing an 8% decline from the 2009 figure. But nevertheless, Jobs said in a statement the company was satisfied with the overall results.

“If you annualise our quarterly revenue, it’s surprising that Apple is now a $US50-plus billion company.”