What to expect from Apple's tablet unveiling

Apple's got a lot planned for its Wednesday press event.

While the invitation -- "come see our latest creation"-- is broad and vague, it's fairly obvious that the biggest news will be the widely anticipated tablet.

It's about time.

Tech observers have been anticipating an Apple tablet for several years, churning out report after report of rumors and speculation.

And Apple has been considering tablet designs since at least 1983. Now, perfectionist CEO Steve Jobs finally seems satisfied enough with the product to show it off in public.

Are you excited about the Apple tablet?

But that's not the only thing the company is likely to announce. Updates to the MacBook line and the iPhone OS are also likely to be on the ticket.

Here's our guide to what you can realistically expect. And if you don't care to read our predictions, just stay tuned for the January 27 event.

We'll be providing live blog and news coverage here on Gadget Lab and on Twitter: follow @bxchen and @GadgetLab for real-time news nuggets.

The Apple tablet

Multiple independent reports have described the tablet's appearance as a 10- to 11-inch iPhone or iPod Touch. (AppleInsider's sources describe the tablet as "a first-generation iPhone that's met its match with a rolling pin.")

The tablet, many have reported, will serve as a slate-like substitute for magazines, newspapers and books, while also offering the general-purpose functions seen in the iPhone, such as gaming, viewing photos, Web surfing and using apps.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal said Apple will market the tablet to be shared among multiple people at home or in classrooms, thanks to its bigger screen.

A few reports have claimed the tablet will sport a 10-inch OLED touchscreen, which would be great for reading books. But there aren't many of these displays on the market, and they would also cost Apple about $400 apiece.

A 10-inch LCD touchscreen, on the other hand, would cost Apple $60, much more in line with the expected $1,000 price tag.

The true mystery about the tablet lies in its software and user interface. Simply expanding the iPhone OS to fit a larger screen can't be the whole story.

We expect a tablet interface that strives to appeal to everyone, like the iPhone OS does with its 3.5-inch screen, SpringBoard user interface and fingertip-sized icons.

The ergonomics of text entry will especially be challenging on a device that size.

People briefed on the product say it will incorporate a virtual keyboard. But if the tablet is going to serve as an alternative to a notebook or netbook, an ordinary virtual QWERTY isn't going to cut it.

We're predicting Apple will incorporate new multitouch gestures, and maybe even the accelerometer, to trigger functions of the traditional QWERTY keyboard.

Imagine if pressing two fingers down anywhere triggered the Shift key, for example. And to add a wild guess, we think Apple will expand on the voice-recognition feature seen in the iPhone 3GS, to augment text entry.

Still, no one outside Apple's tablet team has a solid idea of what the tablet's interface will be like. The only minuscule clue is a quote from a recently departed Apple employee who told New York Times' Nick Bilton, "You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet."

If it's taken Apple this long to figure it out, I'm sure we will be. But we do expect the tablet's operating system to share some of the same DNA as the iPhone OS.

Indeed, the iPhone reportedly contains some elements of an older, shelved Apple tablet project.

What could it be called?

Internet sleuths at MacRumors.com have found evidence suggesting Apple is interested in the names iSlate, MagicSlate, iGuide and iPad. Apple has apparently filed for trademarks for each of those names.

Apple not only filed for the iSlate trademark; the company also procured ownership of the domain iSlate.com, making this the most likely candidate.

As for when the tablet will ship, WSJ published the most credible report to date claiming Apple has plans to ship the device in March.

Price tag?

All we've heard are guesses from analysts, some who claim the tablet will cost as much as $1,000 including carrier subsidy.

We estimate the tablet should cost between $700 and $1,000, placing it somewhere in between an iPhone and a MacBook.

There are a few scant rumors claiming the tablet will be carried by Verizon, but none seems substantive enough to bet money on. There's too little information out there about the carrier to make any reasonable predictions.

In summary:

# A 10- to 11-inch tablet

# Somewhat resembling the iPhone hardware

# Substantially expanded version of the iPhone OS

# Probably called iSlate

# With a new interface

# Possibly two versions: LCD and OLED

# With Wi-Fi and 3G data connections

iPhone OS 4.0, iLife 2010

Fox News' Clayton Morris had a scoop citing anonymous Apple employees who claim iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife 2010 will be announced at the event.

I'm a believer.

The tablet will likely have a beefed-up version of the iPhone OS with all the newest features. So given the logic that the tablet OS is ready to be announced, iPhone OS 4.0 should be ready for a preview as well.

But a preview would probably be it, just so Apple can begin seeding betas to developers to prepare their iPhone apps for 4.0.

As for iLife 2010, Apple has announced almost all of its iLife suites during January of years past. I believe we'll see an iLife launch only because it would be consistent.

Jobs likes to pepper up press events with small announcements leading up to the major "One more thing," so iLife and iPhone OS 4.0 will probably be the first to be announced.

MacBook Pro upgrades -- maybe

An Intel contest promoted by e-mail appeared to leak upcoming MacBook Pros equipped with the newest Intel chips.

Intel had sent e-mails to members of its Intel Retail Edge program, promoting a chance to win two MacBook Pros equipped with Intel's new Core i5 processors during January, according to a report by MacRumors.

However, Intel soon after retracted the promotion, saying it was a mistake and that HP notebooks would be given away for the contest instead.

I found this move suspicious, because the promotion had been sent in multiple languages to members in the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain.

Seems odd that it would have gotten so far if the product weren't even real. Plus, MacBook Pros are due for a refresh.

Apple last upgraded the MacBook Pro in June 2009, and typically the company refreshes notebooks every six or seven months. Therefore, my gut tells me Intel realized it accidentally leaked the MacBook Pros and then moved to undo the slip.

I believe there's a good chance MacBook Pros will be announced at next week's event.

iTunes Upgrade

I haven't seen any rumors of Apple introducing a new version of iTunes, but I assume it would have to, in order to launch the tablet.

That's because the tablet alone won't be compelling unless it creates avenues for new content that can be used on the tablet, such as e-books, newspapers and magazines.

Expect Apple to preview a new version of iTunes, perhaps 9.1, that would add new content sections to the iTunes Store.

We'll most realistically see a new e-book section demonstrated in iTunes, as Apple has reportedly been in talks with HarperCollins Publishers to make e-books for the tablet.

US proposes net neutrality rules

The US has proposed new rules that would require internet firms to respect the principle of "network neutrality".

The head of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) said that "all web traffic should be treated equally".

The new rules are intended to prevent firms throttling bandwidth-sapping web traffic such as streaming video.

Networks on both sides of the Atlantic have long argued for a two-tier system, where those that can pay are given priority over those that cannot.

"There are few goals more essential in the communications landscape than preserving and maintaining an open and robust internet," FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

"It is vital that the internet continue to be an engine of innovation, economic growth, competition and democratic engagement."

It is the first time that the Chairman has spoken out on the issue since being appointed in June.

'Extraordinary platform'

He proposed two new rules to guide the FCC's approach to network neutrality.

The first would prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from discriminating against bandwidth-intensive web-content and applications by slowing or blocking it.

"They cannot block or degrade lawful traffic over their networks, or pick winners by favouring some content or applications over others in the connection to subscribers' homes," he said.

"Nor can they disfavor an Internet service just because it competes with a similar service offered by that broadband provider."

The second would mean that ISPs would have to be more transparent about how they manage network traffic.

The two new rules join four previous guiding principles of the FCC, which state that all consumers must be able to access "lawful" content, applications, and services, and attach non-harmful devices to the network.

"I believe the FCC must be a smart cop on the beat preserving a free and open internet," Mr Genachowski said.

"This is not about government regulation of the internet," he added. "It's about fair rules of the road for companies that control access to the internet."

President Barack Obama backed the concept of network neutrality in the presidential race. It also has the support of large companies such as Google, eBay and Amazon.

However, telecommunications firms on both sides of the Atlantic argue that carrying high-bandwidth content, such as video, puts an extra burden on their networks and costs them money.

They argue the cost should, in part, be borne by the websites or the consumers.

The new rules will be formally proposed at a meeting in October.

Rwanda Strides Into The World Of Broadband

Landlocked Rwanda is weeks away from completing a link to a new fibre-optic network promising high-speed internet for East Africa, officials say.

Engineers expect the capital, Kigali, to be connected to newly-arrived undersea cables in Kenya by November.

A national fibre-optic ring is due to go online early in 2010.

The new link is the key part of a plan to transform Rwanda from an impoverished, agricultural society into a hi-tech economic innovator.

Most of Rwanda's nine million inhabitants still make a living from small-scale farming, and much of the country remains without basic services - including a reliable electricity supply.

Yet 15 years after a genocide, which saw around 800,000 Rwandans brutally murdered, the government - led by one-time rebel leader President Paul Kagame - appears determined to push ahead with development on multiple fronts.
Rwanda remains one of the poorest countries in the world, but has a fast-growing population, of which more than 50% are aged 14 or under.

"We're in a hurry," Patrick Nyirishema told the BBC. "In five or 10 years' time, all those people are going to be looking for jobs."

Mr Nyirishema, a slight man of 34, took up his post at the helm of Rwanda's Information Technology Authority just one week ago. He found 160 ongoing projects in his in-tray.

"Rwanda is the most densely-populated country in the continent, and most of our people are subsistence farmers," he said.

"We can't wait until we have water, until we have built roads, before we get round to ICT (information and communications technology). We have to do everything at the same time."

Held back

Evidence of Africa's need for faster connectivity is easy to spot.

In central Kigali, towering satellite dishes belonging to one private company bring in most of the country's existing internet bandwidth.

As in other parts of East Africa which have long relied on satellite connections, the links are in the hands of a handful of operators and are sold on at high prices way out of reach of most ordinary Rwandans.
For a country which has publicly stated an ambition to turn itself into "the Singapore of Africa" - a globally important centre for business and communications - the reliance on satellite has held the country back.

Most Rwandans lack significant computer skills and few have regular access to the internet. Many of those who do are yet to explore the web's full potential.

"I first used the internet one year ago," said Carine Umulisa, a 24-year-old Kigali student.

"I sometimes go to the cyber cafe and I send messages to my family. It's very expensive now. But it's important for Rwanda to develop technology."

Even where there is bandwidth, people struggle with unpredictable connections. A bus carrying 20 laptop computers is currently travelling the country offering internet services to students and local business people.

When BBC News visited the bus in Kamonyi district, an area just 30 minutes' drive from Kigali but without any mains electricity, the connection was so erratic that the young people using the facility were unable even to sign up for their first e-mail account.

Great leap forward

At the national stadium in Kigali, inconspicuous antennae tethered to a floodlight pylon are the only outward sign of one of Rwanda's most arresting projects.

When operational, the antennae will blanket the city with a WiBro (Wireless Broadband) signal - a state-of-the-art South Korean wireless protocol - sometimes known as Wimax - designed to funnel data at high speed to new 4G mobile devices.
It is a clear statement of intent - building a 21st Century mobile data network in a country where many people still eke out a 19th Century existence.

But officials brush off suggestions that the WiBro network could be too niche, or that the cost of compatible devices will be prohibitively high. Linking Rwanda to the technology giants of South Korea and China is as safe as bets come, they say.

"We are really focussing on the future," one project engineer, Manzi Rwaka, told the BBC. "We are doing our best not to be left out of the world."

In a way, Mr Rwaka, 27, embodies the new country Rwanda is trying to become. Born outside of Rwanda after his family fled following the first outbreak of deadly civil violence in 1959, his parents chose to return home after the 1994 genocide, when Paul Kagame's RPF took power.

Fifteen years later, and with a university education in South Africa under his belt, Mr Rwaka works on the WiBro project and speaks in an almost evangelical tone about the future of his country.

"Coming from where we have been, we really want to focus on our position in the region. We know we are in a difficult situation but we are trying to get out of it. We want a solid economy and we will get there.

"If we sit down and wait for others to do something [we] might be waiting forever."

Critics muted

As the size of Mr Nyirishema's in-tray suggests, the WiBro plan is just one of many technology projects Rwanda's government is trying to push through in a hurry.

But while the scale of the ambition is clear, concerns remain that the government may be aiming too high.
In stark contrast to a regional neighbour such as Kenya, where mobile phone penetration is almost universal, just 20% of Rwandans own mobile phones, state media reported this week.

In an effort to boost mobile phone use and give farmers easy access to market information, the government plans to hand out 35,000 mobile phones across the country as part of a joint venture with major telecoms operators.

According to accepted international indicators Rwanda remains a desperately poor country, with a per capita annual income of just $315. Women each have an average of 5.5 children.

And some Western observers are critical of President Paul Kagame's hard-headed style of government. Amnesty International's annual report on global human rights issues regularly highlights the restricted nature of political debate in Rwanda and the lack of a free press.

But Mr Kagame, president since 2001, appears to remain genuinely popular and plans to stand for a second full seven-year term in elections in 2010. Two other candidates are likely to stand - neither is expected to come close to victory.

Despite his authoritarian tendencies, at the moment Mr Kagame appears to have support for his efforts to transform his country. He first identified technology as the way forward for Rwanda back in 1997, as the country began its long recovery from genocide.

Today, in a continent cursed with leaders who show an authoritarian streak and yet fail to improve the lot of their people, few appear willing to criticise Mr Kagame.

"Technology sits at the centre of everything we do," Patrick Nyirishema explained.

"But the biggest challenge we face is skills. Every extra step we take comes with a need for new skills."

With the arrival of East Africa's fibre-optic cables, Paul Kagame's bold strategy is about to get the connectivity it needs.

Whether the farmers and schoolchildren in electricity-starved Kamonyi can become the skilled workers Rwanda needs in the years to come is yet to be seen.