While many speculate on the forthcoming Apple announcement, I was able to buttonhole Apple purchasing executive Hedley Lamar on a recent flight back from Taipei and got the facts. 

Ever heard of Balda AG? Chinese factories owned by this German firm make the touch sensitive modules which are fixed onto the iPhone’s LCD to make its innovative multi-touch control possible. It’s the key to Apple’s switch to a tough scratch-resistant glass screen.  That plus the Apple iTunes Is the key differentiator of the iSlate versus other Tablet computer products.  here is the base specs:

• Design and Software: Apple USA (natch!)
• Screen: 240 mm full multi-touch by Balda with 100% qwerty keyboard
• Assembly:  Quanta Taiwan at least initially
• Size: 250mm by 150mm by 15mm thick
• Weight: 1 kilo
• Chip: 1GHz Samsung custom Apple Chip
• Fast Start: 2GB Solid-state boot to OS
• Storage: 64GB solid-state
• Battery: 10-hour Li-ion polymer
• Case: Unibody aluminum similar to the newer MacBook
• OS: Slate OS 1.1.  This is a derivative of the iPhone OS
• Wireless: 802.11n, bluetooth AND ATT Edge Network air-card

Somewhere over the dateline and several scotches into the ride, Hedley explained that the key to the iSlate is really the end-to-end integration with the iTunes and Apps Stores so that the iSlate will largely be used as a media reader such as the Kindle.  He said major announcements will be made simultaneous to the product launch where publishers such as the New York Times will be pushing their content to “Slaps” which is, of course” iSlate Apps.  Wake up and read the NYT on fully HTML Safari based reader with links etc.  Content pricing will be dramatically lower than the Kindle, and free in most newspaper/magazine cases, as the media companies will be using their standard web add supported content.  Books will now be supported together with all the other iTunes content.

Now go do the voodoo you do so well.

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