Apple tablet to be surprisingly low-cost?
updated 03:50 pm EST, Wed December 2, 2009
Diggnation host hints at tablet knowledge
Apple's long rumored tablet could have a surprisingly low price, based on an unusual rumor from the latest episode of Revision3 show Diggnation (viewable below). Following prompting from Digg founder Kevin Rose, who insisted his co-host "heard about something" related to the device, fellow presenter Alex Albrecht reluctantly claimed shortly before the halfway point of the show to know that the tablet would be less expensive than he and likely others would expect.
"I was shocked at how cheap the price point was going to be," he said, only half-teasing that he may or may not be serious.
The leak would be unusual for Albrecht. Normally, Rose is the one most likely to float rumors about Apple products. Although he has occasionally been very inaccurate, in the past year he has in some cases had information in advance that has proven true, such as photos of the 2008 iPod nano, iTunes 8 and copy-and-paste in iPhone 3.0. It's unclear if Albrecht came across information, if any, on his own or else had picked up any rumors second-hand from Rose. Albrecht normally lives in Los Angeles where Rose lives closer to Apple, in San Francisco.
The tablet has been the subject of wildly varying release rumors. Some have put the release in the first quarter of 2010, but the most recent stories have said it could ship later in 2010 due to screen technology costs. Apple has never confirmed the device, though the purported leaks have often pointed to a 10-inch, multi-touch product with OS X iPhone and a new emphasis on an e-book library.
The podcast also provides a few minor revelations from guest John Hodgman about his role as "PC" in Apple's "Get a Mac" ads. He notes that Apple has never given him inside information about new products, which are largely irrelevant to his ads, and that it's rare for him to receive free products. Early into the campaign, he did receive a free iPod and MacBook Pro but has paid for everything else since.
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Joined: May 2003
Yes folks
I can confirm that this report, about a possible awknowlegement, that may or may not serious, about a rumored product that may or may not exsist, is accurate.