Apple Tablet To Come With Content Subscriptions
January 1, 2010 by Ramon B. Nuez Jr.
Filed under Featured Content, Home Tech
So we pick up 2010 right where we left off 2009 – speculating what Jobs will be announcing on January 26th at the Yerba Buena Center. The hopes are set rather high that Jobs will make the announcement we have all been waiting for – the Apple tablet. Unfortunately, the pricing rumors are a bit unsettling. It has been reported that the price point could be anywhere between $700 to $900. According, Pete Cashmore Apple is plaining on selling 10 million tablets in 2010. I don’t see Apple selling 10 million units in 2010 at a price point nearly $1000.
What we can report with certainty is that Apple has been in talks with various publishers, broadcasters and movie studios to bring subscription based services to iTunes. The Wall Street Journal has reported that CBS and Disney are interested in partnering with Apple to provide TV subscription services. It’s still unclear how much Apple will charge for the TV subscription service – some are saying $30 a month. Additionally, it is unclear if CBS and Disney will be making their entire portfolio of TV shows available. My first guess would be no – we would see the availability of only a handful of shows. Apple plans to launch the TV subscription service sometime in 2010.
With Apple cutting these content deals and the tablet rumored to be coming in at just under $1000, are we really talking about an iPhone on steroids? I think we are more looking at an Apple media tablet. I am not just talking about the content already available on iTunes, that is a given. I am talking about news papers, text books, magazines all updated in real time, living stories and Internet TV - all operating on a 3G or 4G network; even white-space is a strong possibility.
I believe that the success of the Apple tablet will depend on a fine balance of price and content. Too much of one and not enough of the other and Apple will not be selling 10 million units in 2010.
Author: Ramon B. Nuez Jr. (53 Articles)
Ramon is a contributing writer to The Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com/ramon-nuez). He covers the net neutrality debates, broadband ubiquity and the emergence of new media. Ramon has also guest lectured at the NYU School of Continuing Education -- on social media, social networks and new media. In collaboration with Zev Green of Co-Founder of GoFamous and Robert Holmes of RobbeTheGeek.Com -- Ramon is producing a podcast called New Media Brief. In this podcast the three will be discussing topics ranging from social media to new media to personal technology. Ramon is a firm advocate of Charity: Water. He strongly believes in Scott Harrison’s message and purpose. In 2009 he ran a personal but small campaign to raise money for Charity: Water.