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Unconfirmed - Mac Tablet Using Intel's Atom Processor Is Real

'Reliable' source confirms recent bean-spilling on a new device from Apple

May 26, 2008 08:39 GMT  ·  By
A geek's dream - a concept design for a device that could pick up where the 12-inch PowerBook left off
   A geek's dream - a concept design for a device that could pick up where the 12-inch PowerBook left off

Apple has been rumored to be working on a tablet Mac for years, yet the Cupertino-based electronics maker has never even hinted at the possibility of such a device to emerge from their labs. Luckily for us, CEOs that share interests with Apple sometimes spill the beans on the company's plans, and so, according to voices in the blogosphere, Apple's Mac-running tablet is happening.

Jason D. O'Grady over at ZDNet blogs about "a little birdy" that has told him that "Apple will announce a 12 or 13-inch tablet in the fall of this year." The author reckons this is most likely going to happen in "the September or October time frame," while the device itself will run "the full Mac OS X and have a slot loading SuperDrive" - resembling the concept device we've discussed a few months ago (pictured left) - but also "an 'iPhone-type' GPS chip and an Intel Core Duo processor, presumably Intel's Atom."

Now, as Jason himself notes, some of you may recall a certain Intel Germany CEO spilling the beans on what is possibly Apple's rumored mini-tablet. The English translation of the ZDNet.de coverage says:

"As part of an Intel event for the 40th birthday of the semiconductor company at Munich's BMW World, Germany managing director Hannes Schwaderer confirmed today what has long been a rumor on the Internet: namely, that there is an iPhone with Intel's new Atom chip. The device is slightly larger than the current version, Schwaderer said. That is not, however, because of the Intel chip, but because of the larger display used in the new iPhone."

OK, so we have a larger screen, which is something a Mac tablet needs in order to be as close as possible to both the iPhone and a notebook, while Intel's new Atom chip is again in the spotlight.

Given that Jason D. O'Grady's "birdy has been reliable in the past," according to the man himself, which is why he is "optimistic about the rumor," it is fair to assume that Apple is indeed working on such a device, if not already prepping to announce it. "...but as always, nothing's for sure," O'Grady notes.