Apple announced on Monday it would show off its “latest creation” in San Francisco later this month, an event expected to feature the unveiling of a long-awaited tablet computer.
“Please join Apple on January 27 for a Special Event,” said a typically cryptic e-mail invitation to journalists from the company behind the Macintosh computer, the iPod and the iPhone.
“Come see our latest creation,” said the invitation, which featured colorful blobs of paint surrounding the Apple logo.
The Cupertino, California-based company did not supply any further details about the invitation-only event to be held at 10am Pacific time at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco.
Apple used the same venue in September for an iPod event featuring the first public appearance by Apple chief executive officer Steve Jobs after nearly six months of medical leave during which he underwent a liver transplant.
Silicon Valley has been buzzing for months with rumors that Apple plans to release a touchscreen tablet computer that resembles an oversized iPod Touch.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the color multimedia device will allow users to browse the Web, listen to music, watch movies or TV shows and also serve as an electronic book and newspaper reader.
The Journal said the Apple tablet will have a 10 to 11-inch screen and may begin to ship in March.
Apple routinely refuses to comment on products ahead of their release and — true to form — the company has ignored the rumors sweeping technology blogs, letting anticipation and speculation build.
The specter of an Apple “iTablet” or “iSlate,” however, hovered over the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, with makers of tablet computers jockeying for a head-start in the marketplace.
The computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) was among the companies seeking to get a jump on Apple and Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer provided a glimpse on stage of an HP “slate” computer during an appearance at the annual gadget show.
But few companies generate the buzz of Apple and a tablet computer would be the company’s first major product release since it came out with the popular iPhone three years ago.
Valleywag.com, a Silicon Valley gossip Web site, recently triggered Apple’s ire by offering rewards of up to US$100,000 for proof that the notoriously secretive company has made a tablet computer.
Valleywag declared Apple the first winner of its contest after receiving a letter from the company’s lawyers.
“We believe you and your company have crossed the line by offering a bounty for the theft of Apple’s trade secrets,” an Apple lawyer said in a copy of the letter posted online by Valleywag.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft