Apple Tablet - truth or fiction?

Rumours, unofficial leaks, more rumours and possibly even officially-sanctioned leaks from the notoriously tightly managed MarComms engine at Apple.

Do we know what's coming? Not really. We think we do, but the reality is that hype is dominating all facts at the moment, and that is just how Apple likes it. Each article, each blog (yes, just like this one) and each tweet that's issued grows the steadily-building excitement and anticipation, rising into a crescendo just at the time the announcement eventually takes place.

Beautifully done, Apple.

Interestingly, we won't care that much for the details when they finally arrive. We didn't really pay much attention to which CPU supplier the Apple iPhone used, or how long the MacBook Air's batteries would last, or the exact screen size they have. That's not what Apple is selling - it's the whole experience, a mix of genius marketing pizazz and excellent usability. Form and function are taken to a new level each time, and we lap it up.

And rightly so. It's the Apple overall experience that has won the most converts, not the features or technology. This is why Google's Nexus One is being roasted by users and media alike. Nice phone, some nice features, fantastic brand recognition, but somehow lacking in a holistic user experience. It will sell, but it will be tagged as the poor man's iPhone. Ouch.

Curiously, whatever Apple eventually launches, it will be revolutionary - the hype and their attention to detail will make it so. In fact, it may not even be a iTablet, iSlate or iPad, but something different altogether.

What if it were a new laptop, or a new version of Apple TV? Would this tablet hysteria hurt this? Yes and no. Apple probably wouldn't have allowed the hype to grow so out of control if there weren't a tablet in the works, would they? Well, this may prove very difficult to do in reality, other than by the controlled leak method mentioned above - and certainly no such articles have appeared. If they had though, would the madding crowds have noticed? Would the frenzied masses have rebelled when Steve pulled out a completely different object? Pitchforks and flaming torches this way, please...

The real danger is if the new tablet fails to live up to expectations. It is a crowded market, but it is also a market that's crying out for true innovation. The products out there are keyboard-less laptops or overgrown phones (usually ebook readers), or mini-laptops (i.e. netbooks). There is little to write home about, so most hopes are pinned on Apple to revolutionise and dominate this marketplace.

It would be a painful and expensive mistake if they don't reach the heightened mass expectations. Something tells me they will reach and exceed them though. That's what Apple does.