Will the Apple tablet defy the rumors like the iPod did?

For months, I’ve been reading about all of the hype and rumors surrounding the expected announcement of a tablet computer from Apple.  Like the rumors and hype leading up to the announcement of the fist iPod, the hype and rumors of Apple’s tablet computer will likely give way to something almost completely unexpected, and maybe, disappointing.  In October 2001, it was rumored that Steve Jobs would announce the successor to the Newton.  Apple was going to reinvent the PDA.  Instead, Apple released a hard drive based digital music player for $399.  A lot of Apple fans everywhere were crushed.  They wanted an Apple branded PDA, and they couldn’t understand why Apple would want to produce consumer electronics.  More than 9 years later, the iPod has been a runaway success, and the most popular music player in the world.  It revolutionized the way we all listen to music.  If Apple does indeed release a tablet computer next week, it too will be misunderstood, and it will disappoint a lot of people.

Apple fans always create their own versions of what they want to see from Apple.  Over time, they add to their creations, read about other people’s ideas, and gradually form an image of what is to be announced.  When Steve Jobs later announces the actual product, our hopes are either totally dashed, or we are surprised and delighted.  There will be a lot of tech pundits, and Apple fans who will criticize Apple’s latest creation.  They will complain that it costs too much, that it leaves out features, or that it has no chance at success.  The original iPod contained a 5GB internal hard drive, and held about 1000 songs.  Its original sales price is the same as the sales price of an iPod touch with over 12 times of the original’s storage capacity, and far more features.  The original iPod became the best selling digital music player before it even began supporting Windows.  Apple’s tablet computer will likely garner a similar market share against its competitors despite its price, and its leaving out some key features that everyone had hoped for and wanted.

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The great iPhone death watch – Apple 2.0 – Fortune Brainstorm Tech.

Oh, how wrong they were!  This makes me wonder why anyone in the tech industry, or consumers for that matter, even take all of these people seriously.  Apple, like all other tech companies have had their share of flops.  The Newton, G4 Cube, and the Lisa all come to mind.  Microsoft has a lot of flops as well.  Windows Me, Windows Vista, the Zune, Plays For Sure, are some great examples of some of their many failures.  I won’t go so far as to predict that the new Microsoft retail stores will also fail, but look at this way…  You can buy a Windows PC anywhere.  You can buy a copy of  one of the many versions of Windows 7 anywhere.  What real incentive do consumers have to visit a Microsoft retail store?  Gateway, and Dell tried to launch retail stores.  Do you remember how those ventures went?  In case you didn’t guess, they failed miserably.  Perhaps all of the employees at the Microsoft stores should update their resumes, and have them ready.

With all of Apple’s successes since Steve Jobs came back to Apple, it makes me wonder why the tech pundits continue predicting Apple’s demise.  I think they resent that Apple continues to defy their expectations, even during a bad economy.  Apple stands conventional wisdom on its head, and continues to ‘Think different’.