Gizmodo’s Brian Lam talked to a high level source who claims to have seen and handled prototypes of Apple’s upcoming tablet.
* The tablet is real (we already knew this though — CoM’s sources have also confirmed it).
* 10-inch screen.
* Looks like a giant iPhone with the same Home button and a shiny black plastic back.
* Two editions: One with a webcam and one for education.
* Will sit between iPod/iPhone and a MacBook, costing $700 to $900.
* Will also function as a secondary screen and/or a touchpad for iMacs and MacBooks, like this 7-inch external USB monitor form MiMo.
* It’s been under development in one form or another for six years, but the first prototype was built at end of 2008. Time to market is 6-9 months, pegging the device’s release date this holiday season.
But just as Lam — who is a great reporter and a straight-shooter – was was about to get to the juicy bit — what OS the tablet will run — his iPhone dropped the call. Classic!
Writes Lam: “My call dropped on some windy road off Skyline Drive. Fucking AT&T.”
UPDATE: I contacted Lam, who said his source didn’t know the tablet’s OS. It’s the biggest secret surrounding the device, he says. Entrepreneur and ugly dog-lover Jason Calacanis just tweeted it runs a modified version of the iPhone OS, citing a developer. Maybe. Here at CoM, we like the idea it’ll run Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
