Apple rumoured to be making a Laptop sized Tablet with a Built in Keyboard - Windows 8 Microsoft Surface and Chromebooks Barbarians after Bill Gates Rising Tide

When the Apple iPad Air landed, many were surprised by how thin it was as noted in my blog article entitled “Apple iPad Air, the World’s Lightest Tablet launched in Silver, Space Grey, White - Christmas smartphone and Tablet Battle Royale as Winter is Coming”.

Many have now concluded that the name was quite fitting, with many anticipating that Apple might make a Professional version of the Tablet suited for more creative work as noted in “Apple's new iPad Air the precursor to an 'iPad Pro'?”, published October 22, 2013 2:14 PM PDT by Josh Lowensohn, CNET News.

But could this new name that sounds like a take from the Apple Macbook Air be a precursor to an Apple iPad 6 that would have a more powerful processor and thus be suitable for creative works similar to a Laptop as per the speculation Tiawanese Blog Digitimes in the article “iPad 6? New, bigger iPad 'planned for October'”, published Thu 2 Jan 2014 14:10, First Post's The Week?

Apple iPad Air – 7” Tablets are the official Ladykillers of Handheld Gaming

The Apple iPad Air’s little brother, the Apple iPad Mini 2, is even a great replacement for you Nintendo 3Ds or PlayStation Vita, a factor that may be driving the popularity of the 7” Apple iPad Mini 2 as concluded in my Geezam blog article entitled “Apple iPad Air’s the World Thinnest Tablet and Apple iPad Mini 2’s a 3DS and Vita killer”.

News that Apple may be making a supersized Tablet to eventually rival the Microsoft PixelSense as stated in “Apple to unveil 12.9-inch iPad, claims report”, published November 19, 2013 9:46 AM PST by Lance Whitney, CNET News isn’t really new.

The original report by the Korean Times as stated in “Apple plans to unveil bigger iPad”, published 2013-11-19 16:15 By Kim Yoo-chul, Korean Times very little more than an unnamed source close to Apple’s supply chain that decided to seek a little publicity. But the idea has credence as Tablet are yet to prove themselves on the same level of reparability and ability to get actual work done among Generation X (age 29 to 45).

Tablets for the most part are great for content consumption, their main attraction and the reason for their gradual adoption by even Jamaicans as opined in my blog article entitled “Jamaicans falls in love with Digicel's DL600 and DL700 during Christmas 2013 - Sub-US$100 smartphones driving rapid smartphone adoption in Jamaica as Manufacturing is Possible”.

Handheld Gaming is going to be the first casualty of Tablets as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “How the Apple iPad killed Ultrabooks, Printing and the Mouse as the World Rediscovers Tablets”.  Their lack of Wireless Internet connectivity and multi-functionality makes them easy targets for the coming deluge of 7” Tablets as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “The Two Towers of Tablets, 7” Amazon Kindle Fire and 7.9” Apple iPad are the Global Tablet size of Choice”.

But all is not well in Apple’s Orchard!

Apple is facing competition from White Label Tablets – Made to Order in China

It’s one of many floating rumours, making this story take on a life of its own online and gradually, slowly, build its credibility and make it seem a little more possible despite seeming silly at first.

Because Apple may be building it as a defense against the growing power of Google Chromebooks and the Slow rising Tide of Microsoft Surface Tablets and their rebranded Microsoft PixelSense. especially as they’re losing marketshare against Generic White Label Tablets as predicted in my blog article entitled “Android Tablets Marketshare gain over the Apple iPad - Clear and Present Danger”.

They’ve been slowly losing marketshare to the gradual and slow rise of cheaper US$50 7” White Label Tablets that are custom-made to order in China for American clients as I’d predicted some time ago in my blog article entitled “Apple iPad vs Huawei MediaPad & HP TouchPad - Hackers say this is As Good as it Gets” and “Asus Transformer & Asian Tablets vs Apple iPad - Vybz Kartel's Straight Jeans & Fitted Big Trouble in Little China”.

Albeit cheaper and with lower resolution screen, customizability and their lower pricing point make them very attractive to many Americans who want to try out a Tablet and who may not be yet sold o the idea of a Tablet

Google Chromebooks – PC’ makers shun Windows 8 to make Google Chromebooks for Schools

Might Apple be seeing the same trend towards Touch among American Citizens possibly among High Schoolers as noted in “Will The Large Screen iPad Pro Be Apple's First In A Line Of Desktop Touch Devices?”, published 12/29/2013 @ 12:48AM by Anthony Wing Kosner, Forbes News?

After all Chromebooks have been so popular I’ve done an article on their latest trend; Low-cost Touchscreen Chromebooks such as HP’s (Hewlett-Packard) re-entry into the PC world in the form of the US$279 HP Chromebook 11 as reported in my Geezam blog article entitled  “US$279 HP Chromebook 11 is a great Christmas present for Millennials” .

More recently, there’s been the US$299 Acer Chromebook C720P as reported in my blog article entitled “US$299 Acer Chromebook C720P launched as the Second Touchscreen Chromebook - Affordable Google Pixel Chromebook clone that’s sure to please this Christmas”.

Both are squarely priced for High Schoolers and College students who can easily adapt to a Laptop that NOT quite a Laptop as its stores it’s files in the Cloud. Effectively it’s a NC (Network Computer), a New Trend that slowly catching on thanks to Google launch of Chrome OS on the first Cr-48 Chromebooks some four (4) years ago as chronicled in my blog article entitled “Google Chrome OS and Open Source - Star Wars A New Hope”.

Microsoft Surface and Windows 8 – Barbarians after Bill Gates Rising Tide against Apple Macbook Air

Meanwhile the Microsoft Surface Table Top computer that Microsoft rebranded after the launch of the Microsoft Surface as reported in my blog article entitled “Microsoft debuts Windows 8 with new Surface Tablets - PixelSense rebranding as the Dark Knight Rises to defeat PC World” is starting to show promise.

I’ve practically ignored the Microsoft Surface Tablets Computers mainly because of the failings of Windows 8 and the un-fixability of the product as declared by Teardown specialist iFixit in their listing in “iFixit outs tablet repairability list; Surface Pro in last place”, published February 28, 2013 9:26 AM PST by Don Reisinger, CNET News.

Good to note the Microsoft Surface isn’t alone; most of these newer Tablets and Ultrabooks are not friendly to DIY (Do It Yourself) Fixing at all, being designed as either being disposable or having to be brought back to the manufacturer to be repaired like a smartphone as noted in “Tablets, Ultrabooks: The future is unfixable”, published February 19, 2013 -- 13:00 GMT (05:00 PST) By Jason Perlow, ZdNet.

Even here in Jamaica I’m yet to come across a Microsoft Surface Tablet, as they are also a bit overpriced for such low-end specs, something I’d predicted would have blunted sales of an otherwise excellent and well built Tablet. However, I’ve come across Windows 8, forcing me to make a copy of the Operating System a Jamaicans are steadily purchasing the Ultrabooks and upgrading computers with TouchScreen monitors to run Windows 8.

Yet this Christmas a lot of Americans began feeling the Microsoft Surface. Analyst Chikita reporting a miniscule but significant 0.5% increase in Traffic due mainly to an increase in usage of just-purchase Microsoft Surface Tablets over the Christmas of 2013 as stated in “Microsoft’s Surface Tablet May Have Been Saved by Christmas”, published 01.02.14 2:53 PM By Marcus Wohlsen, Wired.

Since then Microsoft Surface Pro has stealthily upgraded the CPU’s from an Intel 1.6GHz Core i5 4200U processor to a 1.9GHz Core i5 4300 as reported in “Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 gets stealth silicon upgrade”, published January 2, 2014 7:05 PM PST by Brooke Crothers, CNET News. So expect great things from the Microsoft Surface Pro and a possible resurgence for the Microsoft Pixelsense!

Apple Beware – Laptop sized Tablet with a Built in Keyboard in the skunkworks

With the Google Chromebooks gaining Traction and the Microsoft Surface showing signs of Life, I may yet have to write more articles about their gradual inroads into the High School and College Market. Apple iPads and MacBook Air’s and Pro’s are clearly the Targets of these efforts.

When they bear fruit, the Post-PC World wouldn’t have killed off PC. Rather, they’d have hatched Hybrid Laptop Tablet Devices capable of doing the work of  bigger, noisier and energy-inefficient PC, with  the Apple iPads and MacBook Air’s and Pro’s relegated mainly to a Professional Graphics and Creative Arts Crowd.

In summary Apple, as was with the case with the Apple iPad Mini, may really have no choice but to build a TouchScreen Tablet that the same size as a Laptop and packing a Case that’s a keyboard in response to this coming threat. But we’ll see in the coming months whether my prediction bears fruit as we Take a Bite of the Apple!