Behind Your Business

Like Elvis, there have been so many sightings and rumors of an upcoming, groundbreaking Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is undergoing revisions, with new reports that the tablet will be delayed and that a major publisher is getting ready -- and still no word from Apple.

Taiwan-based DigiTimes reported Thursday that the launch of the tablet computer is being delayed from March to the second half of 2010 so it can include a model using a 9.7-inch OLED display from LG. OLED, or Organic Liquid Crystal Display, technology is considered to have superior black levels and other features, compared to LCD screens.

As High as $2,200

DigiTimes said there will also be a 10.6-inch LCD-based model, and Quanta Computer and Pegatron Technology will manufacture both models. Because of the high price of OLED, the publication said the retail price could be as high as $2,200, with the LCD model in the $800-1,000 range. The OLED screen alone is reported to cost about $500. However, the delay could help the final price, as the cost of OLEDs could drop.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who has frequently said the Apple tablet is real, noted Thursday that the delay won't hurt Apple's revenue projections, since most analyses of the company's expected 2010 results don't include a tablet product.

And, he said, if Apple does release a modestly priced tablet in the fall -- in the range of $600 -- it could expect to sell about 650,000 units. If the tablet, which is expected to have 3G and Wi-Fi, is bundled with multi-year plans from a wireless carrier like AT&T, its price could be partially subsidized. Earlier reports have speculated the price would be between $500 and $700.

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