Many are linking to this article this morning from SmartHouse that Apple is working on a Tablet Mac which will make it to the market mid-2007.
According to the article “The Mac tablet has been designed to handle third party applications such as home automation software that will allow users to control lighting, audio, entertainment devices and security feeds.”
We’ll have to see. Home automation is one market where current Tablets and UMPCs have not blossomed. Over the last couple years, as home entertainment systems have gotten bigger and bigger I’ve heard more and more people ask for a touchscreen-based “Tablet” that they can use to control their TV, monitor the house, and so on. There are some commercial systems, but like many auto-nav systems, they can be a little too expensive. The industry looks to be getting closer though. If the rumor is accurate, maybe Apple is getting in at a good time. Then again, how many times have we heard a rumor like this about Apple?