Multi-Touch powered Widescreen iPod and Tablet Mac on the way?

Sources that have proven to be reliable in the past informed MacScoop that the use of the patented multi-touch technology introduced last week with the iPhone may be just a starting point in Apple's secret product pipeline. Other devices are said to be in development in Apple labs. Among them, a true video iPod and... guess what? A Tablet Mac.

A "true" Widescreen iPod

The "true" Widescreen iPod which is said to be at the final stage of its development should be significantly redesigned and feature a widescreen display similar to the iPhone's. It will also include hard-drive based large storage of 80GB or 100GB and similar battery life as the current video-enabled iPod line-up.

Pricing of what could be called a "revolutionary portable entertainment system" should be set between the iPhone and the higher-end video iPod of the current line-up. Sources told MacScoop that it may be marketed with the "Touch your music" slogan first mentioned by Steve Jobs during the demonstration of the iPhone's music capabilities.

The widescreen video iPod is said to be technically ready and will probably hit the market before the iPhone's June release, according to sources.

A tablet Mac will eventually arrive in 2008

The main information MacScoop has obtained is that there is indeed a Tablet Mac project that should eventually hit the market. Sources said the device will, with no doubt feature a "large" display (larger than the iPhone's) with Apple's multi-touch technology and wifi wireless connectivity.

The Tablet Mac will mainly target research and education markets but could also find some applications for the average consumer. However the device is said to be still in development and can be expected to be released only in 2008 according to the reports we obtained.

Rumours of a Tablet Mac have been running throughout the net for years. However, it has been established lately that Apple's CEO Steve Jobs dismissed the idea - although some serious customers showed interest on it.

Apple's stripped-down Mac OS X

Both the Widescreen iPod and the Tablet Mac should use a variant of the stripped-down version of Mac OS X introduced with the iPhone. However, sources claimed that although the Widescreen iPod's user-interface should be very similar to the iPhone's "iPod mode", the Tablet Mac should feature a much more advanced feature set, targeting other audiences than audio-video based entertainment.

Last week, MacScoop published another report revealing that Apple had developed a stripped-down version of Mac OS X intended to be used on the Apple TV and the iPod. A few hours later Steve Jobs was showing off the system on the iPhone.

The multi-touch technology, which is subject of several patents, combined to customized and stripped-down versions of Mac OS X now appear as a strong asset for the company's future developments, allowing Apple to differentiate its products significantly in terms of user interface and ease of use.