Analyst noise: Apple tablet in March for $1k, publishers on-board, Verizon iPhone coming too
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted December 9th 2009 4:25PM
posted December 9th 2009 4:25PM
According to the note, Apple has been in talks with publishers concerning a "very attractive proposal" in which the company will split revenue with publishing houses 70 / 30, as they do with iTunes and App Store sales (just as we speculated in our post on the Time Inc. digimag). What's most disconcerting about the report is that it seems more interested in disrupting or dismissing what Amazon is doing (particularly noteworthy as the company is in the midst of its biggest season for Kindle sales ever). When financial analysts start squawking in this manner, we like to approach with caution. As of right now, we have zero solid evidence that Apple is even producing a tablet, let alone ready to drop one for a G come March. We have heard plenty of other rumors that corroborate much of this, but if the above is the plan, you can expect a big reveal from Cupertino around the time of Macworld or CES, so you won't have to wait long to know the truth. For now, keep your BS detectors set to "stun."
P.S.: See what we mean? Now a Piper Jaffray analyst is 70 percent certain (70 percent!) that Apple will introduce an iPhone for Verizon in 2010. Hold onto your hats folks, we've only just begun.
Doubtful about Verizon...
@(Unverified) As a market analyst I have noticed that 74% of engadgets blog entries contain the word "Rumor"
@(Unverified)
Yeah, not too sure about it coming to Verizon this year at least.
@(Unverified) Sprint and T-Mobile have a better chance to get the iPhone next after all the crap Verizon has pulled lately.
@(Unverified) If I were verizon, I don't know if I would even want it at this point. Apple has too much of a strong hold on it, they should have just sold it unlocked from their website to start with, or went to tmobile
@(Unverified)
doubtful, but hopeful :)
@(Unverified)
I truly hope that if the iphone does come to Verizon that it will be easily jailkbreakable (not a hackproof/patched version) and then people can truly enjoy the benefits of a hacked iphone combined with the solid 3G backbone that Verizon is well known for.
@logicbombde
keep hope alive.
@(Unverified)
verizon is probably providing the network access for book dls. 700 bucks and 50 dollar plan on contract? no way, people are too skeptical about the use of these devices to ask for that kind of plan.
@(Unverified) Remember the New Apple ads about the iphone being able to handle data and talk at the same time?
Not going to verizon any time soon.
@Hydra
As Verizon, that's why you turned it down in the first place. Bad decision and they kick themselves everday over it.
Engadget, still freezes upon loading, mainly UAC/Adpage.html.
Still no button to post reply, still getting script running slow error. IE 8, Win 7 64bit.
@TWiz
I have no problem same OS and browser, sometimes flash is the problem I have it disabled and I enable when I need it.
@(Unverified)
Yeah I don't think verizon will be a good carrier to get an iPhone they just spent millions trashing it with their Driod ads "iCan". If Verison was even remotelly considering joing apple why would you trash their image.Hypocrites!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And I'm doubtful these will sell for a grand.
I mean, who are we kidding? This is Apple. These tablets will start at an over-inflated $2500 price tag and go up from there.
@c w j And up we go, Apple will be releasing a new gadget just a month after 2010. For sure this will not be that phenomenal, but hey you gotta love the 2 new patent technology infused with the Tablet rumored to be called iSlate.. Maybe! See the whereabouts with this so called new tablet: http://bit.ly/new-apple-tablet-best-or-worst
@nick pretty sure those were att's ads not apple's
@Banksta3
I want to hear Ballmer's reply when the tablet is announced. "A tablet selling for $1000 (snickering)? That's going to be the most expensive tablet out there. It'll never sell." He'll talk about getting Windows Mobile 7 on dozens of tablets and how his plan looks pretty good. The Apple tablet will be another "rounding error."
For the finish of his interview he'll hold up two Zune HDs attached together with duct tape and say it's the concept Courier Book. See how it opens and folds and uses a touch screen, and the Windows mob will just stare in disbelief and ask, "Why can't you just build us a cheaper netbook instead of a tablet?"
It must be great to be an analyst, you get to make up whatever you want.
@EpsilonNot Like i said at TBI:
Every time an analysts' projections are incorrect, an angel kills a clown
Just stop with the BS, do it for the clowns for christ's sake!!
@EpsilonNot you gotta realize that the people following these analyst remarks are not the types constantly trolling gadget blogs and the like. A prediction's a prediction, but the basic gist of the message -- that Apple may be on the verge of announcing something that could make investing in them fruitful -- is there. It does make you wonder how accurate those news pieces on everything else we hear about is, though.
@EpsilonNot
Analysts and weathermen must be related... :P
@Stereotype
...and analysts and global warming charlatans are twins.
@Muu I don't need an analyst to tell me that Apple's going to announce something new every couple of years...
@Muu
did you mean to say Apple and then fruitful in the same sentence?
@EpsilonNot
Yeah, right. Like Apple is going to be able to sell a tablet to all the cheapsters who refuse to pay more than $250 for any tablet, no matter what it's capable of. That's a damn laugh. Like, everyone wants to be seen sporting some cheap plastic e-ink tablet that looks like it was made by Hasbro with Hasbro Touch OS beta... I don't think so.
Hey, how's that low-priced CrunchPad nee JooJoo that can do everything coming along? Think they're gonna sell a million of them for $200 a pop. Wake up, cheapsters. They'd be out of business in a day.
this guy is the market analyst equivalent of a forum troll
seriously, could he be any more transparent.
@windzilla Well unfortunately for us our #1 source for Tech news (Engadget) is the quite often the "Tech News" equivalent of a rumor mill with a side of stab in the dark/riot enticing.
I'm here to collect Yair Reiner. Oh...he hasn't gone and done something stupid again...has he?
@windzilla Exactly - he does that so the sheep investors will immediately follow his advice, ensuring that his own investments will benefit. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
@windzilla
Nnot really a troll, he just reads the same blogs and rumors as we do and then he just sticks all that info together and makes way more money doing that than we do
@windzilla
There are two Shift keys on your keyboard. Give 'em a try.
@Information Central
I didn't post that from a computer, so no, there are not two shift keys... you will just have to suck it up and imagine the capitalization.
also, you may want to try and loosen up a bit, just saying.
umm. okay. this is old news
@jtothea Originally dated April 1st?
id like some information on the accuracy of "mr. jaffray's" predictions. im having an internal struggle right now as to whether or not i should pick up the droid.
@spasewalkr The droid and iphone are mutually exclusive items. If you want multiple apps - then you take the droid otherwise you might want to consider the iphone.
@spasewalkr
I say get a Droid.
By the time apple comes out officially about having a Verizon iPhone in the works, it will be at least a month before it comes out, and quite a few months after it leaks to the media en masse. (Not at Apple's doing, but think of how many Verizon reps will let slip the internal letters informing them of an upcoming i-device.) So if you haven't heard any hard rumors about it leaking out, it probably won't be out for at least 8-12 months.
@spasewalkr
If you're willing to wait around to see if an iPhone is coming, you might as well warm up to the HTC Passion/Bravo. I was trying to hold out for it, but i had a deadline of Dec 17th from my co. Otherwise, i may have waited through Jan to do a comparison. Ended up getting my and Droid and not regretting it at all, but would still like to taste the Passion ;0)
@spasewalkr
If you're even thinking Droid, then you'd better buy it. You're not quite ready to be a dedicated and loyal iPhone user. Just hurry on over to the dark side of the Droid.
Shit! I want Apple to freakin' release the damned tablet already, so others can finally release their, better, non-iTunes-tied-up, versions so I CAN FINALLY BUY ONE!
@(Unverified) hell yes!
@loocas I don't see why Apple needs to release a tablet before some other company can.
@Spiraling Shape Well, analogically, like with the iPhone. Now I can finally enjoy my new HTC HD2 and yes, I think the touch-only devices started mainly because of the huge success of iPhone. So I assume that after this iTablet, I will finally be able to buy the tablet I've always wanted. From another company, of course.
@(Unverified)
Who needs iTunes?
I've owned 3 Ipods, and currently own an iPhone..
I install iTunes then use something like media monkey so I don't have to use itunes bye bye all or nothing synch.
I got a little pissed after I freshly installed windows / itunes one day, docked the ipod, walked off, to find my 5gb ipod collection had been replaced with Mozart's 5th Symphony and the other included XP song (oh, and that groovy stuff that plays when you're setting up your windows login ^_^
@loocas Why wait for Apple? There's plenty of convertibles and netvertibles out there now, for cheaper than the unicorn price of $1000.
Acer's new convertibles...
http://www.rgbfilter.com/?p=2319
The 11.6" screen and 7+ hours of battery life is pretty nice, and the screen is the perfect size for viewing CBR/CBZ files. It'll also play nice with just about any format. It'll also play back 1080p content with no issue.
You can also go smaller with the 9" Asus T91 (and T91MT with multi touch). I wish the T91 had a faster proc, because the thing is downright tiny.
Either of these are better options than any mythical tablet from Apple, or the JooJoo for that matter, if only for the convertible nature, and the fact that any digital content is going to have a Windows compatible version, so you're never left out in the cold.
@Alan Strangis
Yeah but apple fanboys won't admit those exist until after the ITablet comes out with less features then those already offer for more money.
then they will say how Acer/HP/Dell all copied Apple.
However OT Apple should release a true tablet for those who would use one and prefer OSX.
Yea but they're are reports of a new Iphone cause of the number they found maybe its connected by tinkerbells fairy dust who knows only peter pan (Steve Jobs)
ill believe it when i see it
@OriginalJosh
True dat, True dat
I really want the shirt that the guy fiddling with the Apple Tablet is wearing, would go great with my fictional shoes made or uranium.