Apple tablet: too little, too late?

The blogosphere is abuzz about about the prospect of an Apple tablet coming in 2010. According to a note written by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster (via Silicon Alley Insider) Apple is developing a tablet-based computer that will be positioned between the iPhone/iPod touch and its MacBook lineup of notebooks:

The idea is that it'd be better for surfing the Web, watching movies, and reading books than the iPod or iPhone, but not powerful enough that it would crush notebook sales.

Munster claims that the new tablet could run a third, "more robust" version of Mac OS X optimized for multi-touch screens but that they're not going to launch this year, as some had predicted.

We expect the development of such an OS to be underway currently, but its complexity, along with our conversations with a key company in the mobile space, leads us to believe it will not launch until CY10.

The story is based on a rumor that surfaced in April that Apple is deveoping two new mobile devices: an "iPhone lite" and a bigger "media pad" via a partnership with Verizon.

Silicon Alley Insider's Dan Frommer claims that since the netbook market is still relatively small Apple has "plenty of time before it really matters." I beg to disagree. The more time that Apple takes to make up its mind/develop an answer to the netbook is more time for people to buy other hardware and more lost sales.

Whatever happened to being nimble and innovative? Has Apple lost its fire?

Picture: JonnyIsGeek.com