NZ faces wait for Apple's tablet PC

Apple will unveil a new tablet-style computer this morning which could revolutionise the publishing industry, but New Zealanders face a wait before it is available here.

Chief executive Steve Jobs is due to announce the new gadget - a one-piece computer with a large touch-screen - at a product launch in San Francisco.

The multimedia tablet will allow users to perform functions such as using the internet, watching movies, playing video games and reading books. It is expected to challenge Amazon and Sony in the growing e-reader market.

A spokesman for listed New Zealand Apple distributor Renaissance said the company knew nothing more about the new product than the general market speculation, and was not informed of new device launches until "about 30 milliseconds" before the products were announced publicly.

As a result, the spokesman said, he could not say when the tablet computer might be available in New Zealand. internet speculation suggests that the device may not be ready to ship.

While New Zealand's small market size means some technology product companies push it down the priority list for new product launches, Apple has released new devices internationally on a specified date, meaning New Zealand has been the first country in the world where customers are able to buy its gadgets.

This was the case with the much-hyped 2008 release of Apple's iPhone 3G, when queues formed outside Auckland Vodafone stores hours before the devices went on sale at midnight.

However, the Renaissance spokesman said the company did not know whether Apple would use the same strategy for its tablet launch.

Analysts say Apple's tablet computer is luring publishers with features lacking in rival products - such as Amazon's Kindle e-book and Sony's electronic readers. These include colour photos, video and author interviews.

Hearst, McGraw-Hill and Hachette Book Group have held talks about featuring their content on Apple's tablet. The device will allow publishers to create more interactive content, said James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Apple is in a killer position," McQuivey said.

"The majority of reading we do cannot be done on current e-readers. The Apple tablet will be first to make the claim that you can read everything from Sesame Street to Dan Brown to the Atlantic to the Denver Post, all on the same device."

Amazon.com's Kindle and Sony's e-readers, which dominate the market, have black-and-white screens and can't display video.

McGraw-Hill will "undoubtedly" have an e-book in response to Apple's tablet, chief executive Terry McGraw said.

While the e-reader market isn't large enough yet to significantly boost publishers' revenue, the Apple tablet may increase the popularity of e-readers over the longer term, said Randy Bennett, senior vice-president of public policy for the Newspaper Association of America.

About 6 million e-readers will be sold this year, up from 3 million last year, Forrester estimates.

Amazon.com's Kindle has about 60 per cent of the market, while Sony's products have 35 per cent, Forrester says.

The Apple tablet will have a back-lit screen, which will drain the battery more quickly than current electronic readers, McQuivey said.

The device is also expected to challenge established players in the video game business.

Apple's iPhone and the similar iPod Touch brought a new look to games because they have an accelerometer inside that lets people control the action by turning or tilting the device. With a touch screen and the computing horsepower for high-quality graphics, the iPhone lends itself to pared-down versions of console games like Assassin's Creed and The Sims 3.

A touch-screen gadget that is bigger than an iPhone could provide a larger playing field for gamers and give game developers a new way to push the limits of their creativity.

However, the cost of the device, estimated to be between US$500 and US$1000 ($707- $1414), will make it less affordable than game consoles such as Sony's PlayStation 3, which starts at US$300.

Microsoft New Zealand's chief technology officer Brett Roberts said the price of technology that enabled large screen, touch-enabled, and even voice-controlled mobile computing devices was falling sharply, meaning that such devices would become increasingly popular.

Roberts predicted that over the next few years there would be enhancements to devices that combined the technology of mobile phones and tablet computers, meaning workers and other users would be able to make better use of technology away from the desk or coffee table.

"The ubiquity of mobile communications and the rapid uptake of mobile data is going to change the way people work."

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