Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Apple Tablet Rumors: Gaming to Be a Focus, PA Semi Chipsets and More

By

apple-tablet-montageThe unveiling of Apple’s top secret tablet PC is next week, while this week the rumors are flying. We need to stop calling them rumors—we should probably call them Apple tablet clues. So, here is a quick roundup of today’s Apple tablet clues:

P.A. Semi chip to power the Apple tablet…

Recommended Videos

So this “rumor” has been on the iSlate-stalkers radar for some time now. Most industry experts assumed Apple would be using P.A. Semi for the new device, especially since Apple purchased the company in 2008 for $278million—that’s a hefty price to pay if Apple didn’t use the company for something.  The Apple Insider reported that UBS Investment Research cited industry checks forecasting that the Apple tablet will be powered by a processor designed by P.A. Semi and built by Samsung. Once again, we’re not surprised but this news.


Related

Publishers just getting wind of Apple tablet reality…

We heard already this week that Apple may be linking up with HarperCollins Publisher and the New York Times, but apparently many more publishers are in the works. The Apple Insider reported today that Publishers Marketplace said “secret” negotiations are taking place between Apple and “nearly all (and most likely all) of the six largest trade publishers” in the U.S. Apparently Apple has been doing some publisher soliciting in New York for the past few weeks.  There are also rumors that the publishers are not please with Apple’s need for control over the pricing and that the negotiations may not be completed by January 27th.


Apple tablet may be very game-oriented…

Apple hasn’t been big into the gaming scene like Microsoft or other hardware developers, but some sources are saying the new tablet PC could change all of that. The new iSlate is supposed to be a multifunctional, multimedia monster of a tablet, with sources like the Wall Street Journal claiming the big surprise on the device will be its gaming abilities. The WSJ says the new tablet will surely include playing games as a focus, especially since it will be able to run existing iPhone software. Apple’s focus in providing mobile games for the iPod and iPhone were only test runs for what they want to bring to the tablet, some say. Big-name game developers like Electronic Arts and Konami embraced Apple’s push for mobile gaming and brought some of their high-profile titles to the App Store.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Dena Cassella
Dena Cassella
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Haole built. O'ahu grown
Could the Vision Pro replace your iPad? There’s just one problem
The front visor of the Vision Pro on display at an Apple Store.

In the time since it launched in early February, we’ve heard a lot about how Apple’s Vision Pro could replace some of the company’s other devices, especially the iPad. Now, prominent leaker Mark Gurman has joined the fray and lent weight to the idea of the headset becoming a tablet killer. But while that seems plausible, there’s one major problem with it.

Specifically, it’s the price. Because while Gurman’s Power On newsletter makes some good points about the Vision Pro’s strengths, it can’t get around the unavoidable obstacle that is the device’s $3,500 asking price. If the Vision Pro really is going to replace the iPad, a lot has to change first, especially given how wide of a range of prices the iPad line hits.
The iPad killer?

Read more
MacBooks could soon fall behind the iPad Pro in this important way
The iPad Pro (2022) sitting in the Magic Keyboard.

The dynamic balance between the Mac and the iPad may be about to shift again. Both the MacBook Air and iPad Pro will reportedly get updated this spring, boosting performance with the inclusion of the new M3 chip.

But a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman indicates that a new "landscape Face ID camera" may be in the works for the iPad Pro, potentially taking away one of the main advantages that MacBooks have over iPads. With so much of work happening in video calls, the iPad Pro might become a far better laptop replacement in this new generation.
The dream experience

Read more
When the iPad is a better computer than my PC
Apple iPad Pro 11 with Apple Magic Keyboard.

Can the iPad work as a real computer? I'm well aware that I'm not first to raise this question. It is, however, the first time for me to ask the question of myself. After all, everyone's needs for a proper "computer" are different, and I've never given it a fair shake.

I'm running an iPad Pro 11-inch that uses an 8-core CPU/10-core GPU Apple M2, which is an insane amount of power to pack into a tablet. And I've recently added a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil into the mix, making it look a lot like a regular laptop. It still has limitations, but with all that on doard, I found myself surprised at how good of a computer the iPad Pro can really be.
What's a real computer, anyway?

Read more