Originally Posted by Quicksilver

This device is not on the horizon for me but apparently Microsoft has been busting their
butts trying to get this kind of device out on the market but have failed to do so.
So apparently Apple is not the only one who see's the need.

Loving or Hating Apple isn't the issue here and being a technologist
actually has no bearing on what Apple is trying to do either.

This article makes the following point which I agree with weather Apple
succeeds in it's effort remains to be seen.

The iPhone succeeds best as a media portal and Internet access point, stengths that will only be enhanced by an increase in size.

Society today is built around constantly consuming information from the Internet, and occasionally feeding information back into it. We shop, connect with friends, get directions, check the weather and laugh at dumber-than-dumb Internet memes. The Internet is the public commons, the central market and private living room for visiting with friends, all at once.

A small tablet based on the iPhone-interaction model should make it easier to visit these virtual spaces where we now live so much of our lives.