It could be the best thing for publishing since the invention of the Guttenberg Press. Then again it could be the ideal business tool, the perfect device for gaming, or the long-awaited gizmo that functions as the love child of the TV and computer worlds and makes all the myriad entertainment choices available on one screen.
And what will it be called? The iPad, iTablet, iSlate or perhaps the iWhatever? As geek sleuths around the world searched for information on Monday, the latest proof of the imminent wonder gadget came from mobile tracking firm Flurry, which found evidence of about 50 previously unidentified kinds of devices surfing the airwaves around Apple’s Silicon Valley headquarters.
All these possibilities have been breathlessly discussed on the internet since Apple announced an event earlier this month to unveil its “latest creation.” The cryptic invitations sparked a whirlwind of Tabletmania speculation on tech blogs, Twitter and newspapers, as though the latest Apple invention could single- handedly reimagine the landscape of consumer technology.
“I can’t wait for next week,” noted blogger John Aloysius Farrell, “and for Apple to turn my world upside down.” That’s not as preposterous a proposition as many might think.
Apple has a long track record of doing exactly that, from the days of the Macintosh through to the modern day transformations inspired by the all-in-one iMac in 1998, not to mention the iPod and iPhone.
