TechCrunch: Mac-based large tablet coming this year, running Intel

Seth Weintraub

February 01, 2010

Apple Inc News

Amid lots of words of bet hedging, MG Siegler manages to mention that he's heard from second hand sources that Apple is planning a bigger, Mac-based tablet launch within a year, and perhaps we might know more as early as WWDC. The "MacPad" in question would be running an Intel chip and would come in a screen as big as 15-inches, according to Siegler.

We are more inclined to believe the 22-inch touch iMac story from Chinese-language Commercial Times reported earlier this year. This would probably be similar to the current iMac with a capacitive touch screen which could sit on an angle similar to a draftsman's table. It would run a special touch-enabled version of MacOS 10.7 (which we've seen running around our logs) and run on high end Intel portable hardware (Core i5, i3?).

Any product like this would likely be an evolution rather than a revolution, as Apple doesn't release huge new product lines twice in one year.

Below is Trolltouch's Touch enabled iMac:

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Comments (9)

admin | February 01, 2010 - 4:40pm

and of course there is this:

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 01, 2010 - 4:56pm

For heaven's sake - give us at least a few weeks before continuing with the tablet rumors as if the iPad didn't happen.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 01, 2010 - 4:59pm

I say fake, it's the old style iMac being used. If it was a new LED model I'd probably believe it.

~fin~

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 01, 2010 - 5:23pm

Other than adjusting the angle position of my 2006 iMac. I have never had the propensity to want to touch a desktop computer screen even if I had the option to do so. So I hope these touch iMac rumors are just that, rumors. I have seen the HP touch and for what one's able to do, I would be happy just to use a pointer and mouse of old. Now, tablet format... that's a different story!

mime454 | February 01, 2010 - 5:23pm

That iMac is real with a purchasable mod from troll touch. Look it up.

GiloftheOC (not verified) | February 01, 2010 - 10:19pm

I don't think these TechCrunch rumors are true. It seems like Apple is going to leverage their in house chip fab team to push this "A+" architecture as far as it will go. aside from new iMac's and any other desktops they design, we may be seeing quite a bit more of the in house chips.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 02, 2010 - 12:00am

In a shop environment, or as an exhibition display fine, on a desktop I'm not so sure. I shout at people who touch my screen, then I have to get the little black cloth out to clean the greasy finger prints.

NQ Logic (not verified) | February 02, 2010 - 12:32am

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Anonymous sage (not verified) | February 02, 2010 - 2:37am

You say: "Apple doesn't release huge new product lines twice in one year."

Maybe that was true in the past, but the bigger Apple gets, the less likely it is to be true. The more lines there are, the more of them will be renewed more often so eventually there will have to be two new product lines twice in one year. Anyway, the iPod line and the Mac line have always been treated differently when it comes to product launches.