It will be a big relief at 10 am Pacific time on Jan 27, 2010 when the Apple tablet (or whatever else Apple launches) is finally unveiled. Like the rest of the world, I am curious to see what they will unveil. If you look at their previous two hit products, we atleast had an idea of the category that they would slot into and the function that they would provide. However, no one has any idea of what the tablet will look like and what it would be used for. I expect that they will create a totally new market with this product, because if we just apply conventional logic, a new device just does not make sense, most people already have a device(s) that perform the function and will be reluctant to part with the big $$$ that Apple will definitely ask of them.

Anyway, here is my look at the various niches that this device can slot into. I'll include my experience of other devices in this category and how this mythical tablet will compare to them

Internet, email etc: Most people who care about the Net already have a smartphone in their pocket for internet access anywhere. When they need a full internet experience, which is typically at home or work, they have a full fledged computer (laptop/desktop). A lot of people also have netbooks as a cheap supplementary machine. So, there would be little sense in promoting this as an internet access device. This being 2010, it will be a given that it will have web access, but internet will not be the primary function.

Personal Media Player: This is not a very convincing use, simply because of the reported size (10"). I feel that it is too big for someone to hold comfortably for any extended period of time. I've watched a lot of movies on my n800 internet tablet with a 4.3" screen, so something like a 5" will be ideal, there is no indication that the tablet will be that small, so it will not be a media player.

Ebook: Again the problem is size, a 10" tablet is way too big to hold comfortably for an extended period of time. This is especially important for ebook as you would spend a lot more time reading a book than watching a movie and you also read books in a lot more positions (sitting, sleeping, standing in lines etc). I've read books on both my Nokia N82 with its puny 2.4" screen and the ipod touch with its 3.5" screen and find the touch to be the correct balance of size and portability. Gaming: Lot of people are speculating about games being the killer app. What are they smoking? Anything bigger than a PSP is far too big to game comfortably on. IMO, the iphone/PSP is the ideal form factor for portable gaming.

So, there we have it, no real clue on what this device will be used for and why we would want to buy it. That said, I am not a visionary, Steve Jobs is and I would not be surprised if he comes up with something that makes us go "Damn, why didn't I think of that?"