The Apple Tablet

iPhone was obviously Apple's beta of a tablet. But with Big Fruit Co. getting into consumer electronics, doesn't it make sense to move ever further away from the computer while still using the computer for the core device in the home?

An Apple tablet won't be thought of or pitched as a computer any more than the iPhone was. It will, however, still include OS X, swanky hardware, an SSD drive, etc. It will be a mini-computer. But to the consumer, it will simply be a magical tablet capable of doing almost everything the average user does.

Check online bank account, surf the web, etc. are a given with Safari. So how about a nightlight/clock/alarm clock? Or an ever-changing slideshow device (which allows you to stream any Apple TV or Flickr or .Mac photos)? Best yet, a true Universal Calendar. This ties to Google Calendars, allowing an entire family to coordinate schedules. School calendars, work vacations, birthdays and dentist appointments all easily retrieved and shared throughout a house.

Form factor will be key, so the tablet will pretty much be about the size of a Kindle, only thinner and more elegant. No orientation. No handedness. Just a gleaming sliver of silver and glass. A TV on steroids. The iHome.