I’d have to say, having been in this game for a very long time, that this is the first time Apple speculation has been rather civil and well thought out. The general consensus seems to be that Apple will pull the covers off of a media tablet device which will offer owners ebooks, magazines, newpapers, some kind of online experience, and a range of multimedia capabilities, all with integrated 3G+ and for around US$800-1,000. My opinion pretty much matches the educated pundits who have been in the industry for some time, including Leo Laporte and Jason Calacanis, but I think price point is where they don’t have it. I’m going to bet that it will land somewhere around $500. I’m of the opinion that the “leaks” regarding price point have been a smoke screen to make the unveiling price point all that more dramatic. Mark my words.

Now, for what it will NOT be. The Apple _______ (you fill in whatever you think it will be called) will not be a jumbo iPod. That’s just too much, and people would expect it to be a phone first and foremost. Whatever it is may actually have mobile telephony capabilities, but that won’t be the centerpiece. The Apple ________ will not be a full-on tablet Mac. Microsoft has clearly proven over and over and over and over again that people simply don’t want tablets which are really PCs without a keyboard. Steve Jobs knows this and will not make that mistake. I’ll bet that it can’t even be hacked to run Mac OS X, since it will likely be running on a chip from Apple’s acquisition of a few years back, PA Semi, and fabless chip maker which builds multi-core x86-compatible CPUs.

The Apple _______ will also not require a costly wireless subscription. It will come with integrated 3G or better, ala Amazon’s Kindle. However, it will be on a faster network, probably T-Mobile since they can leverage (and correct me if I’m incorrect here) GSM/GPRS’s ability to operate independently of a voice network so they can just pump data. Content vendors will pay for this network through their ad-based revenue and Apple will get a cut. Simple and clean, just like the App and Music Stores. Finally, the Apple _______ will not be a gaming device. Sure, there will be some casual games for it, but Apple has clearly positioned the iPod/iPhone as the gaming rig. Hell, they’ve come right out and said it. I know that Apple has made statements only to reverse them, but I don’t think so in this case.

That pretty much sums it up. Now we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out for sure. Who knows, they may announce 32″ and 42″ TVs with integrated Apple TV systems. Despite how cool that would be, it would be a serious letdown.

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