Apple Tablet Timeline

APPLE TABLET TIMELINE FASTOMPANY Eight years of leaks, lies, rumors, and reporting on Steve Jobs' game-changing gadget • SEPTEMBER 2002 SOURCE: International Herald Tribune Steve Jobs on tablet PCs: "We're not sure the tablet PC will be successful [...] Do you want to handwrite all your email?" 2003 • JANUARY 2003 2004 SOURCE: CNET Apple is expected to "unveil a new portable product" to make it "a major player in home entertainment" at MacWorld. Several analysts say Apple has "all the pieces in place" to deliver a tablet-like computer. 2005 NOVEMBER 2006 SOURCE: MacRumors A Mac tablet PC is at prototype stage with a launch planned in 2007. It'll handle third- party apps such as home automation, be based on Intel chips and will wirelessly link to Apple-developed wi-fi speakers. 2006 2007 SEPTEMBER 2007 SOURCE: Applelnsider Apple is working "full steam ahead" on a "modern day Newton" based on an embedded version of OS X Leopard. It's an ultra-thin "slate" about 1.5 times bigger than an iPhone, with multitouch, due in the "first half of 2008." 2008 JULY 2008 SOURCE: MacRumors 2009 On a conference call, Jobs notes that Apple's "busy finishing several more wonderful new products." Executives gabbled about a "product transition" in Q4 numbers, hinting at a whole new market segment. The tech world's convinced it's the tablet. APRIL 2009 SOURCE: Wall Street Journal Jobs is keeping himself busy during his medical leave by supervising a "portable device that is smaller than current laptop computers but bigger than the iPhone." AUGUST 2009 SOURCE: Gizmodo The tablet may have a 13-inch or even a 15-inch screen. It'll run full Mac OS X. Or it could be a 10-inch unit running an iPhone OS. OCTOBER 2009 SOURCE: New York Times The tablet is "just a touch away," likely priced at $700, and a "sort of expanded, souped-up version of the iPod Touch." It's also a "Swiss Army Knife" of a machine, with elements of the iPhone and e-book readers. Newton chief marketer Michael Tchao is re-hired by Apple. OCTOBER 2009 SOURCE: Nieman Journalism Lab JANUARY The New York Time's Bill Keller, speaking to an internal audience about the paper's future, mentions the "impending Apple slate." 2010 JANUARY 4, 2010 SOURCE: Wall Street Journal "Apple to Ship Tablet Device in March." It'Il have a 10 to 11-inch screen, and a price in the $1000 range. JANUARY 8, 2010 SOURCE: Reuters Reuters says that AVY Precision Technology will start in February making aluminum cas- ings. Screen makers are churning out displays in sync with this. JANUARY 11, 2010 SOURCE: Nowhereelse.fr Orange France's Stephane Richard suggests that the slate is real, it'll be coming to France, and it'll have a webcam. He backtracks, but the word spreads. JANUARY 13, 2010 SOURCE: Gizmodo The tablet's multitouch is "out of control" (in a good, exciting way!), runs on an iPhone OS kernel, and will be powered by an "incredibly fast ARM CPU." It's an "iPhone on steroids." JANUARY 19, 2010 SOURCE: MacRumors Name change: from "iSlate" to "iPad" after some recent Apple trademarking shenanigans emerge. Fujitsu is already using the name, but that didn't stop Apple nabbing "iPhone" from Cisco back in 2007. JANUARY 21, 2010 SOURCE: Applelnsider The tablet is super-slim, like a first-gen iPhone that's "met its match with a rolling pin." The home button's still there, as is the iPhone's volume toggle and lock button. JANUARY 22, 2010 SOURCE: Wall Street Journal The tablet is "debuting next week." There's chatter about Apple talking to content devel- opers NYT, Conde Nast, Harper Collins, News Corp., TV shows and EA for games. There's face recognition for sharing with family members. JANUARY 27, 2010 Technology pundits-and Fast Company-attend Apple's "latest creation" press event. And Apple's most hotly anticipated "one more thing..." ever is finally revealed. We hope.