Apple tablet computer?

Sure, this was the big story that broke yesterday, the patent documents Apple submitted two years ago. I didn’t want to write anything at the time, but now that I’ve thought about it for a bit and looked at how they purport it to work, I think I’m ready to say that it’s a good idea and that I’ll be looking forward to using one in a few months.
I’m not claiming to have any insider knowledge about an Apple tablet or Apple’s plans, but there’s a bit of history here that when Apple patents come up, it’s not for a couple of years that we see the actual product (if at all). However, given the advancements that Apple has made in touch interfaces, it seems like a total no-brainer for them to whip out some sort of tablet computer. And based on that patent documentation, it could be a winner.

Think about how awful touch devices were before the iPhone came along. Even if you’re not an iPhone fanboy (and I readily admit I am, but I still have a 2G phone), I think you’d be hard pressed to argue that they didn’t do a bang-up job on the interface. It looks great, it works well, and it’s a pleasure to use. Prior to getting the iPhone, I was under the impression that a phone couldn’t be fun. I thought it had to have a clunky interface and crappy screen and be generally underwhelming, and then Apple stepped into a market people thought they had no business in and showed the rest of the world how things should have been all along.

So why couldn’t Apple do the same thing with a tablet computer? Kohjinsha is working on a netbook tablet; Nokia has their internet tablets; the entire tablet computer industry which is just waiting for an enema and someone to come along and show the world that, yes, the devices can be good.

That’s why I’m thinking we’ll be seeing the Apple tablet computer, but I’m thinking they’ll wait until MacWorld. A device this important deserves the biggest Apple stage, but I won’t complain if they reveal it beforehand. So there you have it: I predict and Apple tablet at MacWorld. Laugh at me when I’m wrong.

MacRumors has the patent info and further comments and speculation.