Rex Hammock has fun predicting that Apple will be releasing a large iPod Touch in the coming days. It’s just conjecture, nothing based on first hand knowledge, but for a Saturday morning it seems good enough to link to.
The foundation of his theoretical product launch comes from a bunch of other rumors, which who knows if are right or wrong. But with the absence of information, isn’t guessing fun?
Personally, I’d like to see a larger iPod Touch. I think a lot of people would too. Whether it’s called a Tablet, a Netbook, and eReader, or whatever doesn’t matter. It’s a product segment that’s lacking any clear design leadership and possibly Apple could step in with a category winning approach.
I do think, by the way, that coming in from the eReader angle is the way to go.
However, realize that a larger iPod device is going to require new programming efforts and so far Apple hasn’t hinted anything here. So I’m not convinced that a device is imminent.
Now what about a fall product launch as TechCrunch has predicted? Who knows. That fits closer with sales cycles and other product launch efforts, and would give time for Apple to work with developers before releasing it, as well as give them time to set up a “premium store” for its apps as some have predicted is in the works.
But all of this is guessing and all of it has proven wrong in the past.
Of course, when people talk about a fall release of an Apple Tablet are they referring to 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, or is that 2010?, or 2011?, or….you get the point.
The one thing we know is that when it comes to Netbooks and Tablets, the market is way ahead of Apple’s engineering and design efforts. Or is the lack of a product primarily geared around price points, product positioning and other business decisions? Who knows. In the meantime, the rumors will continue, and I imagine given enough time Apple may or may not release a larger iPod Touch. How’s that for a prediction?!