by: Eli Ungar-Sargon

If you like tech, January is the most exciting month of the year. All of the big tech companies show off their new toys at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. All, that is, except for a little company from Cupertino called Apple Inc. For many years, Apple introduced their products at Macworld San Francisco. Typically, CES had a few days head start before Steve Jobs would take the stage at Macworld and pull all the press to San Francisco with his unparalleled showmanship. But this year, things are going to be a little different. Apple is no longer participating in Macworld. So will there be more media attention on CES 2010? Not a chance. There’s a Cupertino storm brewing the likes of which we have not seen since the introduction of the iPhone. Talk of the as of yet unannounced device will overshadow anything that happens in Las Vegas.

The rumors have now reached a fever pitch and everyone expects Mr. Jobs and company to introduce a Tablet-style device sometime in January. Apple stock is hitting record highs and some analysts are already making predictions on 2010 Tablet sales. Until recently, the most compelling evidence for the existence of this mystery device came from Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times, who casually made mention of the “impending Apple slate,” during a talk at Harvard in September. Since then, there have been reports that Apple contacted iPhone developers and told them to have resolution-independent versions of their apps ready for January. At this point in time, there seems to be an overwhelming amount of evidence that Apple is indeed preparing to launch a Tablet. Who would want such a device? How big will it be? How much will it cost? What will it do? Will it be a Kindle killer? These are all questions that the technorati are obsessing over in much the same way that they did about the iPhone when it was still just a rumor.

No one really knows exactly what this device will do, or how it will fit into our lives, but it seems likely that there will be major implications for the printed word. A 10 inch, high- resolution multitouch color screen with a persistent connection to the internet could be the perfect platform for digital books, magazines, newspapers, and comics. Indeed, a whole new generation of rich, interactive media would thrive on such a device. Which brings me to my own fantasies for the impending Apple Tablet.

Apple has a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on right now. On the one hand, they have given us the most elegant and powerful tools for creating and distributing content. This democratization of content creation started when the iLife suite began shipping on every Mac sold. It was furthered when Apple integrated podcasting into the iTunes store. The idea is that anyone with a Mac and and internet connection should be able to easily create and share content. On the other hand, it is virtually impossible for an independent filmmaker to make their films available for download on iTunes. Furthermore, Apple have shown themselves to be very controlling and capricious with the App Store approval process.

My hope is that Apple remembers the rest of us with this new platform. It is very important for them to line up all of the publishing houses, magazines, and newspapers for the Tablet to be a success. But I really hope that they also provide us with the tools (iLife 10?) to be on a level playing field with the big guns. Whether we see more of Apple’s Jekyll or Hyde, 2010 promises to be an exciting year for tech fans.