Orange exec confirms existence of Apple Tablet?
By Tim Stevens 
posted January 11th 2010 8:41AM
posted January 11th 2010 8:41AM
Update: We now have the video below courtesy of SlashGear, who aren't quite so convinced that he's referring to the tablet itself, possibly just confirming that others are reporting the tablet will be released next week. Any native speakers care to help us wade through the intricacies of this, the language of love?
Update 2: We've got a full translation after the break of the entire relevant bits, courtesy of bilingual reader Sean Mangar.
Update fin: Orange has issued a statement predictably saying these comments are being taken out of context, that Richard was "merely confirming that he is aware of the speculation surrounding a launch." So, the fun is over folks -- or is it?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Journalist: Selon l'hebdomadaire Le Point, votre partenaire apple va lancer une tablette. (According to the weekly Le point, your partner apple will launch a tablet.)
Exec: Oui. (Yes.)
Journalist: Doté d'une webcam... (Equipped with a webcam...)
Exec: Oui. (Yes)
Journalist: Est-ce-que les usagers d'Orange en bénéficieront aussi? (Will the subscribers of Orange benefit from it too?)
Exec: Bien sur. Ils en bénéficieront, d'autant plus facilement qu'avec la webcam, on pourra se transmettre de l'image en temps réel. On va moderniser en quelque sorte ce visiophone qu'on a connu y a quelques années, et là aussi, la taille du réseau que nous avons mis en place au service des français permettre ces nouveuax usages de se déveloper partout. (Of course. They will benefit, even more easily because with the webcam, we will be able to transmit video in real time. We will modernize in some way this videophone that we have known for some years, and also, the scale of the network that we have put in place in service of the French will allow these new uses to develop everywhere.)
Sean believes he's largely speaking of hypotheticals, but his description of video calling can't easily be attributed to any current mobile Apple device (camera is on the wrong side on the iPhone), and that he's discussing his company's network being able to handle such a device seems to imply, to us, that they're expecting something.
Sean believes he's largely speaking of hypotheticals, but his description of video calling can't easily be attributed to any current mobile Apple device (camera is on the wrong side on the iPhone), and that he's discussing his company's network being able to handle such a device seems to imply, to us, that they're expecting something.
Yeah I saw that this morning - pretty good !
@SuperCharly
Headline: Orange exec confirms existence of Apple Tablet?
Copy: This is of course not a confirmation by any means.
Enjoy spending that clickthrough money.
ORANGE or APPLE? which should we eat.. i mean believe?
@Luke You have a point. It should have read "formal confirmation" -- will change.
@SuperCharly
S.J is going to make a little phone call on his Apple to an Orange...
@TimStevens
Thanks Tim, both for the adjustment and for making me feel guilty about my snarkiness.
its all subliminal, If you hear enough rumors before the actual product comes out, your brain will tell you to buy it.
@GoogleCEO
Best.
Avatar.
EVER.
@SuperCharly I find it pretty amazing Apple has already made the world supercurious, longing, desiring and CRAVING for their new product, which doesn't even exist, nobody saw it and best of all, Apple itself hasn't even told about it themselves! Brilliant. Just shows me how much the media and all the fans are mere puppets of this company.
@(Unverified)
In order to be a puppet, somebody would have to be CONTROLLING them. Is Apple controlling them? Really? Care to provide any proof?
The moral of this story is don't say stupid things.
@Erb I guess to satisfy the hype that's buzzing around apple's mythological tablet --perhaps to build curiosity as well. It has also been said by WSJ that the iSlate tablet a.k.a apple tablet will have a tag of 1000 USD.. Hmm? Another funny news also surfaced the net, this one proclaiming a fake apple tablet specs.
Anyway as for the real score. It seems we will be seeing the official apple tablet announcement on 27-28th, along with some beta testing iPhone OS 4.0 SDK goodies. iSlate Details: http://bit.ly/islate-specs-hoax-and-official-details
Will it be called the iPAD?
@Craneguy
Or the iPay-a-lot
@Jack
Thats exactly something a puppet of apple would say....
@NAME
So true !
@NAME This guy will find a horses head in his bed Sunday morning... Oh the fool!
@Craneguy
The whole "i-whatever" is the laziest naming convention. Ever. Just use a noun to describe the device/service, and add a lower-case "i" to the front. Done.
Jeez, I could have been on Apple's marketing staff and made a fortune. At this point its just sad that people put up with it.
@Erb
It's breaking news of a rumor.
Did Engadget get bought out by TMZ.com today?
@SuperCharly Anyone dare confirm it, will probably have an accident in the next 24 hours...
@GoogleCEO Orange hates apple.
@MTD719
Let me guess, you can't prove Apple is controlling anybody either.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
first!
@mapnet
fail!
@mapnet Wow. Most people who do this at least have the distinction of actually being first.
@mapnet
Last!
(I hope someone sees the humor in my response...)
isnt this like an iphone?
@aslpop69 fail!
@IceTheGreat fail at knowing when a fail occurs
I believe he didn't get the memo...
@IceTheGreat fail!
@IceTheGreat Didn't get the Maemo? We are talking apples and oranges here
@IceTheGreat
my 70 year old grandma just got a mamo
@EI8HT
Pictures or it didn't happen.
OHWOW, now, if we can take this as confirmation and just wait for the announcement...
Or wait for a surprising twist, apple seems to be keeping us guessing on names and dates, perhaps they see it as a serious game changer like the iPhone turned out to be, the Newton done right, and they're milking the hype.
I love Apple but even I got to admit that this tablet rumor is tiresome. It is going to have be truly revolutionary to even approach the hype. Damn Today Show was talking about the Apple tablet.
@PattyXXX
Its not a rumor, the things going to be announced on the 27th and thats why you saw all these weaksauce attempts by MS and HP to do Slate at CES.
This, of course, is kinda weak because we don't get any new info. For that, we have to wait for Steve Jobs.
@PattyXXX I agree. Can Engadget please just stop this once a day mention of the Apple Tablet until its actually released! It's ridiculous!
for realz dood.
i own: iphone, ipod, ipod nano, macbook pro, and an octo macpro. So Apple whore that I am is TIRED of the apple tablet. Unless, of course, it makes me pancakes....
@PattyXXX
Yep. I hate Apple as a company, but with all the tablets that WILL be released it seems kind of obvious that Apple will release one. So, maybe just wait until it actually happens? This is about as useful as the CEO confirming that Apple will have a new iPhone that does "stuff."
@Student Driver why would you hate a company for succeeding on merit?
LETS PUT THOSE RUMORS TO SLEEP!!!!
@revoltracers And those god damned comments. Now.
The suspense is killing me.
*Lets out a snore, then awakes startled*
@Nitesh ha ha - and yet you took time to write a comment...
By the way youy didn't get the STORY entirely right : Stéphane Richard was also asked if the device will have a web cam, and again he said "YES"!
@SuperCharly LOL, that guy must be on a roll.
Do you read Engadget?....YES
Do you love Apple rumors? ......SURE
I think it's a forgone conclusion that this thing actually exists and that it'll be released this year. Part of me is very excited, but another part of me isn't, because I know that this thing is going to be, even with all its popularity, extremely crippled and containing lots of letdowns. Still, I can't wait to see what Apple brings to the table with this.
@Padilla7921 would you say that the excited part of you is below your waist? "YES"
@IceTheGreat
You're a friggin tool.