We take a look at rumors of Apple's "tablet computer" coming soon.

There has been a great deal of hubbub concerning suspicions of Apple’s next hardware format release. There are more ideas and concept art flying around the blogosphere than you can shake a mouse at. It seems as if everyone and their internet uncle have something to say about the matter. That is, except for us. Here at Kung Fu Drafter we don’t believe in indulging in reckless, unsubstantiated and possibly erroneous conjecture. We just like to pass it on.

It seems that the forerunner of conspiratorial theories is that Apple will release a tablet computer of some sort. It’s not a hard thing to say that this certainly makes sense. Essentially it would just be a giant iPod Touch. More importantly it would be a move to steal the ebook market from Amazon’s Kindle and tie it up nice and tight before it ever really gets off the ground.

Apple Tablet concept art ...

An ebook hardware format that was physically between the Kindle and Kindle DX with a capacitive touch sensitive screen and without the cellular connection could really sell. When you consider how many people have said “I’d buy a Kindle if it were color” it’s clear that there is a market there waiting to explode. We are ashamed to admit that we are on that list of ready buyers despite the fact that we despise the Apple brand marketing.

More Apple Tablet concept art ...

Add that Apple brand on a large format touch device to this new device and you have a blockbuster success in a can. With a speculated release date in the early 2010 it’s clear that not only would an Apple tablet sweep the Kindle away it would squash Barnes and Noble’s soon to be released ebook born of its partnership with Plastic Logic.

A color tablet from Apple? It certainly seems possible. Possibly even likely. If you’ve heard other rumors or have some nutty theory of your own leave us a comment and let us know. As for us, we’re going through the Kung Fu Couch to count up our change ...

- KFD -