Apple 'developing a Mac tablet'

Origami rival targeted at home and education markets

Apple is developing a tablet computer for release in the middle of next year, according to an Australian website quoting "sources in Taiwan".

The report on the Smarthouse site says that three companies in Taiwan are costing the product, which is focused on the home and education markets.

Apple patented a proximity detector earlier this year that was designed for use with the touchscreen and PCW's Test Bed blog speculated, more in hope than expectation, that the company might develop a tablet to rival Microsoft's groundbreaking Origami design.

The Smarthouse report by David Richards says the Mac tablet is a full-blown computer but is expected to be used for home automation – controlling lighting and entertainment devices and playing music through remote speakers.

Microsoft and others in the industry see education as a big potential early market for the Origami because of its portability and a target price of less than £400, some of which could be offset by savings on the cost of printed text books.

Richards claims that the new Mac tablet uses Intel processors and comes with a docking station with an HDMI port and buffer memory, allowing the tablet to stream content to TVs and other devices.