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• Five Ways Apple's Tablet May Change the World



• New Gear from Apple and Verizon Wireless?



• Apple: Finding Even More Uses for iTunes







Tech's chattering classes are obsessed with the unconfirmed product, which Apple (AAPL) may announce at an event in January, or February, or March, depending on which set of reports you adhere to. Apple, not surprisingly, is mum.



The hunger for information—and misguided speculation—reminds me of the mistaken prognosticating about the iPhone before its introduction three years ago. It may be time to step back and realize that Apple may uncork a product so surprising that the company again leaves the tech industry scrambling to catch up to its products' smooth operation and sleek design.



Documented facts about the tablet are few. This much we do know: In November 2008, Apple took control of the trademark name TabletMac from a company called Axiotron, which converts MacBook laptops into tablet computers running Apple's Mac OS X.



Wild Imaginings

In April, BusinessWeek talked with people who had seen prototypes of a device they called a media pad as well as a small iPhone, described as "iPhone lite" by the person who saw it.



Then there's outside speculation. In November the Taiwanese Web site Digitimes, often regarded as a solid source of information regarding the plans of Taiwan's electronic manufacturing sector, reported that the Apple tablet had been delayed until the second half of 2010 because of the price to build its display.



On Dec. 24, New York Times blogger Nick Bilton quoted two people—one an unnamed source, the other a former Apple employee—dropping tantalizing clues. Jobs is "very happy" with the machine, and users will be "very surprised at how you interact with the new tablet," the Times wrote. About the same time, the Financial Times reported that Apple plans to reveal the new device at an event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Jan. 26.



Missing the Mark on the iPhone



It's important to take reports like these with an appropriate helping of salt. Apple holds numerous trademarks it doesn't actively use; ever hear of MacTel, Vingle, or Drypod? In addition, Apple's top-secret labs in Cupertino, Calif., have probably developed numerous tablet prototypes, some of which may be used to show potential partners but that don't represent a finished product. And leakers have a tendency to exaggerate what they know, or invent from whole cloth.



A similar speculative frenzy surrounded the January 2007 iPhone launch. Looking back at Apple rumor site postings in the months leading up to its debut, I noticed how far off the mark many were about the iPhone's looks, Apple's partners, and who the carrier would be who could resell it. For example, enthusiasts' home-made design drawings that emerged on rumor sites showed a phone that sported a navigation wheel similar to the iPod's. Others imagined the iPhone would have a slide-out keyboard.



Few saw the potential for a touch-sensitive display, which eventually became the signature design element of the iPhone and iPod touch.



Consider the fevered imaginings endemic to Apple. The company engenders such strong reactions from its customers that users tend to "project the known upon the unknown," says Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at market researcher Interpret. That's why so many observers took the well-understood iPod and grafted a phone onto it when imagining Apple's iPhone plans.



A Larger Screen?



Apple's tablet may revolve around a larger touch-sensitive screen than the iPhone's, which could be central to its design and control. I've speculated about it myself in a past column. The iPod touch is so useful an Internet device that I keep one handy on my bedside table. It would make a lot of sense for Apple to market a device with a larger screen—say, 7 in. to 10 in. diagonally—that runs applications downloaded from the iTunes app store, wouldn't it?



Writers and tech pundits think so. But we're not Apple engineers and designers. What seems from the outside to be a logical progression may seem merely simplistic to the folks at Apple's 1 Infinite Loop headquarters. Their job isn't so much to think about the next logical step on a path as to set a divergent course for what people are likely to want for years to come.



Apple may throw everyone a curve ball here. Imagine an Apple tablet about the size of a 11-in. spiral notebook with an iPhone-like touch screen. How about the ability for the machine to recognize voice commands and dictation of text? A built-in video camera and maybe a mini-projector for meetings would be nice. And if the reports of Apple's discussion to land print media content in the iTunes store are true, how about an easy-on-the-eyes display for reading electronic magazines and books?



Embracing Two Worlds



A more fundamental question is whether Apple's tablet will more closely resemble an iPhone or a Mac. It will be fascinating to see how whatever emerges straddles those two worlds.



We use PCs and laptops to get things done when we're stationary; we use mobile devices to stay informed and complete small tasks when we're out and about. This device, it seems, will either have to incorporate both paradigms or have to create one of its own.



My bet? There will be a product from Apple reasonably described as a tablet, and Apple will reveal it during the first quarter of 2010. That's not going too far out on a limb. As the iPhone enters its third year, Apple needs something new to sell to keep delighting its customers, inspiring envy among its competitors, and increasing its sales.

what company will replace CITI on the Dow Jones ?

With Citi shares trading below $1, the first time since 1970 that a “penny stock” traded on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, it is widely expected that it will be removed from the index.
“The company was added to the Dow in 1997 when it was still known as Travelers, and the last company to be removed from the Dow was AIG last September (when its stock hovered above $1) and was replaced by Kraft Foods.
“It’s also expected that General Motors may be removed from the Dow. GM shares are trading slightly above $1 and there’s speculation it may be headed toward bankruptcy.
“There are other stocks in the Dow that are now a part of Wall Street’s Dollar Menu. In fact, there are currently five Dow stocks trading in the single digit range.
“Who will take their place in the Dow? Mostly likely, another company whose stock is faring better or relatively better in this recessionary environment.
“There aren’t too many of those but if I had to guess, I’d say it would have to be a company with a strong brand name and one that is viewed as influential. Also, one whose shares aren’t trading in the single digits.
“On the technology front, Apple and Google are possible contenders. In the pharmaceuticals/biotech world, perhaps Abbot Labs, Amgen, Bristol, Genentech and Gilead Sciences could be considerations. If terms of other industries and companies, perhaps Monsanto or Amazon?
“Some might argue about the relevance of the Dow as it doesn’t accurately depict what’s happening in the markets because of its limited number of stocks and because it is price-weighted rather than market-value weighted like the S&P 500.
“However, there is still a prestige factor involved in being part of this elite group and any company added would see a boost in volume and possibly price.
“The top editor at The Wall Street Journal, which is published by Dow Jones, decides on changes to the index. It was reported (by Reuters) that they are currently monitoring the situation ‘closely.’
“Who do you think should be included in the Dow and why?”

Apple goes Bad ? one Apple a day keeps the cancer away from Steve Jobs ?

Apple CEO Steve Jobs Takes Medical Leave Until June (Update1)
By C. Guglielmo
-- Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who said this month that he is having treatment for a nutritional ailment, will take a medical leave of absence until June.
Tim Cook will take over Apple’s day-to-day operations, the Cupertino, California-based company said today in a statement. Jobs said he will remain involved in major strategic decisions.
“During the past week I have learned that my health- related issues are more complex than I originally thought,” Jobs said in the statement.
Jobs, who co-founded Apple in 1976, returned as CEO in 1997 and transformed the money-losing maker of Macintosh computers. His focus on stylish design and simple-to-use gadgets won over millions of buyers, turning Apple’s iPod media player and iPhone into best sellers. Jobs, who had successful surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2004, appeared thinner at Apple events last year.
Apple shares were halted in extended trading. They lost $2.38 to $85.33 today in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Apple has confirmed that CEO Steve Jobs will step down from his CEO post while recuperating from a hormone imbalance. His absence will stretch until the end of June.
Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, will run the company during Jobs' absence, according an e-mail Jobs sent to Apple employees that was released to the media.
Jobs said in the e-mail:
Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week, I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
Trading in Apple's stock was halted following the announcement but resumed around 2 p.m. PT, falling more than 8 percent, as investors digested the news.
Jobs, 53, has been the subject of heated speculation regarding his health since last June's Worldwide Developers Conference, when he appeared to have lost a great deal of weight. At the time, Apple insisted Jobs' health was a private matter, but revealed in early January that Jobs was suffering from a hormone imbalance that was impeding his body's ability to absorb certain proteins.
In August 2004 Jobs underwent successful surgery to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, which sidelined him until September of that year. Much of the speculation over the past year has been over whether or not that cancer has returned, which was not clear from the e-mail written by Jobs, an intensely private man.
Since his return to Apple in 1997, the mercurial founder has resurrected Apple from the depths, reviving the Mac, changing the music industry with the introduction of the iPod and iTunes, and turning the mobile phone industry on its head with the 2007 introduction of the iPhone. He is considered to be one of the single-most influential executives in the technology industry, if not U.S. business itself.
Apple has been criticized over the past few years for seeming to lack a succession plan for Jobs, who some feel can truly never be replaced. But it has never been clear whether the company was just playing its cards close to its vest regarding that plan, or whether it actually didn't have a plan. Cook has been regarded as the short-term solution for a long time, having run the company during Jobs' absence in 2004 and respected as a detail-oriented manager who can keep the ship on course. as of 6pm apple stock is down to 78.75 a share

Buying an IPhone today ??

Lining up for your iPhone?

BY CHERYL V. JACKSON
Retailers are planning to make the wait for Apple's much hyped iPhone 3G, which goes on sale at 8 a.m. today at Chicago Apple and AT&T store, as painless as possible.

"It's all hands on deck," said Gina Macchitelli, marketing director for AT&T, which has 11 area stores.

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The 160 N. State store, for example, will serve drinking water and have customers answer trivia questions to win prizes.

Employees will hand out order forms to to be filled out in line for quicker AT&T phone activation inside the stores. The purchasing and activation process should take about 15 minutes, Macchitelli said.

Also on sale today will be programs available through the online iPhone App Store that work with both the new and earlier model phones as well as the new MobileMe platform, which replaces the existing .Mac service.

Older model iPhones use the slower AT&T EDGE network, which the new phones switch to when the faster 3G network is unavailable.

The new iPhone operating system allows for use with Microsoft business applications, like Exchange-based e-mail. Older model iPhones and iPod Touches will need a software upgrade -- free for the phones and $10 for the Touch.

I would buy Apple under 176 a share and hold until it reaches 205 a share and then sell ! By: Mad Man