Apple Inc is planning to launch its long-awaited tablet computer in March in a bid to increase its share of the market for handheld computers, The Wall Street Journal reported. The tablet is to be presented in late January, the paper said, quoting sources briefed by Apple. The device with a 25 to 28-centimetre colour touch screen is a likely competitor for Kindle, the electronic book reader of Amazon.com Inc, as well as netbook computers.
The device, expected to be priced at 700 to 1,000 dollars, also is to allow people to watch movies, play games and surf the internet. Apple’s tablet was expected to strongly influence the computer market and the media industry with hopes that it could help revive the ailing newspaper industry and revive interest in digital newspapers and magazines. Following the speculation, Apple’s shares climbed to a new high of 214.01 dollars.
