What we can expect from the Apple iSlate tablet

Rumours might not be the most informative, but they’re possibly the most entertaining type of news, and Apple has been providing some very juicy gossip with its protracted silence over the forthcoming large-form iPod touch.

And with that silence ready to be broken on January 27th, we thought we’d take a look at all the hot chitchat surrounding this much-fabled Big Apple.

We first heard about the Apple tablet way back in April 2009, when Steve Jobs was struggling to get back to work at Cupertino after his illness. He had apparently taken the lead on a hot new tablet project.

In July this rumour resurfaced, when we heard tell that it was coming “early next year”. Quite accurate, in retrospect.

Once Steve Jobs was recovered and back at work, talk of an Apple tablet returned with a vengeance at the end of August, and much of what was said still holds up today on the eve of the device’s expected announcement.

We’ve been waiting for the Apple tablet for the better part of a year, but what is it we can actually expect?

Yes, probably. Tablets aren’t a new concept by any means, but the rumours lean heavily toward this one being a gaming device, and that is quite an original concept.

The staggering success of the App Store has undoubtedly focused Apple’s thoughts when it comes to the tablet’s primary functions.

Of course, this doesn’t mean gaming will be its only duty, but following the trends set down by the iPhone and (perhaps more appropriately) the iPod touch is how Apple intends to put this large-form touchscreen into a lot more hands.

The App Store has a lot of different categories, but software sales are led by a nucleus of specific genres: Gaming, Reading, Entertainment, and Leisure.

The tablet appears to be built with these same functions in mind, especially since we heard that Flurry has been snooping around and estimated that Apple was internally testing the device with a host of different games.

Newspapers and publishers have allegedly been drafted in to provide digital newspapers, e-magazines and e-books, and this will be a major factor in the tablet’s appeal.

Some months there are more e-book and reading applications/material released onto the App Store than games, and there’s no better way of making this a lifestyle device than using it to replace ink and paper.

Get some comics on there and the tablet will be providing the reading material for kids and parents alike.

Tablets have always been the domain of the tech savvy - mostly because they didn’t really work and needed a software engineer on hand at all times to get the operating systems half-running. But the Apple tablet is expected to buck that trend, too, bringing this touchscreen wonder to the whole family as a household appliance.

The rumours go that Apple will attempt to position the tablet as something the family can share - not unlike the magazine adverts of the late '70s when Pong systems were promoted as a family activity. Not unlike the Wii, either, for that matter.

This is a very clever approach when convincing parents that it won’t just be another tech-fad for the young 'uns, and even if it is they’ll still be able to use it when the dustbin lids are bored.

But what do parents normally do when the kids are bored? They turn to the electronic babysitter, and if rumours are to be believed, Apple has considered this notion.

CAS and Disney are believed to be in talks to provide TV subscription packages for the tablet, which could be exactly what the device needs to really establish itself as the bigger brother to the iPhone and iPod touch - not just a large screen equivalent.

But what’s this thing actually going to look like?

Well, Apple’s already proven that it favours a design that draws attention to the touchscreen and not the casing, so it’s a pretty safe bet that the tablet will follow this trend. An accelerometer is standard tech in everything these days, so expect it to sense orientation, and an array of physical buttons is very unlikely.

GPS has a lot of uses these days beyond navigation, as does a digital compass (direction sensor), and although it’d be great to have these inside the tablet the rumoured price points puts us on the fence with this one.

But here’s a new rumour for you. Microsoft and Nintendo have both leaned back toward the pen-sized stylus with the Courier and DSi XL, and considering that Jobs & Co. are looking to replace the printed word with its tablet, I’m going to stick my neck out and say the Big Apple will feature the use of a stylus for writing on the screen.

I’m not saying you won’t have to shell out an extra 40 quid for this pen/stylus, but I reckon it’ll be one of the most popular accessories.

It’s currently looking as though the tablet will sport at least a 7-inch screen, mostly likely nearer 10, and although the new operating system said to be accompanying the device will deliver a host of new features, gesture controls, and a good sized keyboard, handwriting ought to be a serious consideration for a touchscreen the size of a good notepad.

And I'm also beginning to veer away from the iSlate name, not least because there's already an iPhone application with that name, but because it's also a bit rubbish. Not that the iPad is much better (sounds like something you'd find in a futuristic old folks' home), but it feels a little more possible.

The iPhone isn’t the most powerful 3D games platform ever seen - far from it, in fact - but it’s important that it was at least built with polygon processing in mind.

The tablet will undoubtedly be along similar lines - perhaps not the hottest 3D tech in the world, but capable enough to compete with the previous generation of consoles while beating them to the punch with online, social, and multiplayer connectivity.

There’s talk of a 1GHz ARM CPU in the tablet’s brain pan, which initially sounds like quite a silicon beast. But that’s not a long way in front of the 3GS, and it’s going to take a lot more oomph just to run a larger, more elaborate device.

So my prediction is that we’ll be seeing games on a par with iPhone 3GS and iPod touch third gen, though naturally at a higher resolution.

Neither is Apple too keen on memory card slots, so there’s a strong possibility that the tablet will come in different capacity flavours, though it’s unlikely that the bottom of the range will be anything less than 32GB.

Connectivity is still up in the air, mainly as to whether or not we can expect 3G cellular data. This isn’t necessarily the kind of device you’re going to buy at a mobile phone shop, and carrying another contract alongside your iPhone doesn’t sound very appealing, does it?

Wi-fi is a given, and there’s absolutely no reason not to chuck Bluetooth in, but launching two models of tablet – one with 3G and one without – seems unlikely.

Orange seems to think it might get some business from the tablet, and Apple might yet surprise us by bucking its own trend and providing a sim card slot for 3G data should you decide to buy your own (much like a mobile broadband dongle) but with all the talk of this being a household device for the family to share around the home, don’t be surprised if there’s no cellular connectivity here.

No, that sub-heading is spelled right. The Apple tablet might be getting its official announcement in the next day or two, but it’s not likely to hit the shelves for a good few months. Looking at Apple’s previous behaviour and launch models, it seems like an early summer release for the tablet (US first, rest of the world whenever) is most likely.

But what will you be paying for this Big Apple beauty? Early estimations place it around the $600 mark, which is surprisingly affordable.

A survey recently carried out suggests that people aren’t too keen on going much beyond $300, however, so it’s going to need some extra alluring features and software to reach deep into the pockets of those who’ve already shelled out for a touchscreen Apple device.

But what features would you want to see? Apple won’t be implementing them, but there’s no harm in voicing your desires in the comments.