Possible tablet for success at Apple

<p>A new tablet-style computer from Apple Inc. might be the first major launch in a new class of slate-like multimedia devices that could leapfrog the laptop.</p><p>With a gleaming touch screen, it might be perfect for watching movies, reading books, listening to music, or surfing the Web. It might come out next summer and it might cost $800.</p><p>Or it might not.</p><p>Despite a growing chorus of online tablet rumors, Apple has resolutely declined to acknowledge that any such device exists. But that has not stopped the community of zealous Apple watchers from digging through patent applications, sharing countless images of what the device might look like, and sniffing down every last scrap of fourth-hand information. They've even assembled a list of possible names, variously dubbing it the iSlate, iGuide, iScreen and iPad.</p><p>It seems that almost every day, a new blog post or media report offers an anonymous report, or educated guess, about what the tablet might look like, what it might do, and when it will be available.</p><p>Last week, the Financial Times reported that Apple has rented space in a San Francisco convention center in late January, ostensibly to showcase a new product. According to the blog Silicon Alley Insider the company has been advising software makers to get their applications ready for a large, mobile device with high resolution. Both reports cite anonymous sources, and Apple would not comment on rumors about the tablet.</p><p>The Cupertino company's ability to generate hurricanes of hype around invisible products stems from its track record of delivering blockbusters. Apple scored major hits this decade with the iPod music player and then the iPhone -- both of which have become cultural touchstones and sold tens of millions of units along the way.</p><p>The tablet's marquee feature is likely to be its screen. As popularly imagined, the device would look like a single color panel a little larger than Amazon's Kindle e-reader. Because the user would be able to manipulate onscreen objects by touch, including a virtual keyboard, there would no longer be a need for a mouse or conventional set of keys. The device would almost certainly be capable of playing music and movies, analysts believe, and be compatible with Apple's online marketplaces such as iTunes and the App Store. But it's the tablet's potential to affect the ailing print world that has the rumor mills churning fastest.</p><p>With a screen about the size of a printed page, the tablet could function as an electronic reader, suited for the emerging generation of digital books, magazines and news publications.</p>