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image The Web again is abuzz with Apple tablet rumors.

Details: 9.6-inch touch screen, virtual keyboard, high-speed  download packet access working with AT&T wireless, P.A. SEMI processor chip, $800-$1,000 price, February 2010 introduction.

Photo is from 9to5Mac, which picked up the item from Taiwan Economic News.

You bet I’d rather the price be lower, perhaps through a smaller display. I much preferred the rumor of two Apple tabs of different screen sizes, ten- and six-inches. Maybe, in fact, that’ll still happen.

In any event, we’re probably talking about a multifunction device—not just an e-book reader—which would make consumers more inclined to open their wallets.

Among my wishes: Blue tooth or another way of using an external physical keyboard. A stand to prop up the tablet would be nice, too. The results would be be similar to the TeleRead design I envisioned in the early 1990s.

Related: Google news roundup on the above, plus ‘Is this Apple’s e-book Trojan Horse?’

 
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