Another Confirmation of Apple's Tablet

If Apple is really trying to keep their tablet under wraps until next month's big reveal, someone in Cupertino should probably have told Kai-Fu Lee to tone down his loose lips on his widely-read blog. The former president of Google China did, indeed, confirm the worst kept secret in the computer world: the Apple tablet is coming.

Lee was formerly employed by Apple before moving over to Google, where he held an executive position until earlier this year. Now retired from Google, Kai-Fu Lee is a free spirit who tells it like it is on his blog (it's written in Chinese, of course). Lee, however, is still "in the game." He founded and now presides over Innovation Works, a technology fund in China.

What juicy gossip does Lee present in his blog? For starters, the tablet will allegedly weigh less than a MacBook Air (see quote below). Basically operating as a large iPhone, the tablet will also come with a 10.1-inch multitouch touchscreen as predicted. Although various names have been proposed, it appears that "iGuide" won't be the name of the device itself, but rather a service somehow related to the tablet.

Most excitingly, Lee confirms the January reveal for the Apple tablet. Although we were all pretty sure of a January 2010 announcement, Lee's corroboration certainly puts some impatient minds at ease. According to Lee, the tablet will arrive packed with 3D graphics and will likely retail for below $1,000. Lee also touched on the possibility that Apple will partner with an assortment of U.S. network operators to reduce the overall cost of the tablet. It's feasible that buyers will receive the tablet at a discount when they sign up for a mobile service contract.

Image via TechnoBlog