I've been thinking about a tablet mac since around January 2003, just before I saw ads for the Compaq tablet PC hit the streets of the UK. Oops.

All of my initial sketches and ideas were based on the fact that the Macintosh at the time was rarely seen as a home computer, as it was still often described as 'that computer designers use'. 

At that time, as a design student, I thought of a tablet mac as the perfect tool for a designer: from education to profession. It could be a sketchbook, or a retouching machine.

However, people are now waking up and there are more and more Apple computers in homes, so Apple's focus must be broader now, than when they were perhaps targeting the creative industry more. SO maybe they won't build one soon.

Hard to say, though, as everyone seems to be obsessed with 'touch' right now.

I want an Iduck too!!

Now I just need to find out the day before they make their official announcement of their tablet PC so I can make a quick buck on AAPL :)

OK, Apple has laid a few eggs in the past.
Ok, a few Ostrich eggs (Newton, Pink, etc.) However, Apple's version of a tablet would be welcome in certain circles, including those who work with Photoshop a lot and anyone working on contracts, such as Real Estate Agents. I know many RE Agents who love tablets because their customers can sign the documents right on the screen without printing anything out. Saves trees. Coupled with some kind of efax you can go almost completely paperless.
That doesn't mean that Apple can't ruin it...

Fujistu tried ths in 1990's. First they bought PoqetPC. Rhen they starting selling 386 based Stylistic 500 Tablet PC with CIC's New Handwriter Recognition System 5.0 for Windows 95. Worked okay for a few veritcal markets. But was a LOUSY seller to most folks.

the iNewton?

or was the iPhone a Newton with a phone built in.... or was it an iPod with a phone built in..... no the iTouch is an iPhone without the phone.... so will this have no phone, no mp3 player and just be a touchy pointy osx thing?

An Apple tablet wouldn't be competing for the 'vertical markets' so much as it would be competing with now-affordable Tablet PCs and the (still extraordinarily unaffordable) Wacom Cintiq.

Apple has the Adobe stack and the big design firms as customers. What's amazing is that they didn't cough a tablet up five years ago, when it could've sold at a higher margin.

This will sell sell sell. Just because apple has such marketing power and a huge fanbase.
Hell they could sell the iduck, one that you just put in your bath tub. People would just buy it because its got a apple logo on it.

Its like with clothes. If its a certain brand people buy it reguardless.

We all know that Apple is going to charge out the butt for this thing. This is what nearly killed Tablet PCs. I currently own a Toshiba M200 which I bought barely touched for $550... aside from needing a new battery, I love this thing and feel that it was the best $550 I've ever spent. Would I have paid over $1500 for a tablet PC? No. Will Apple fanboys dish out $3000 for an oversized iPhone? nope. Between this and Google's Android, Apple is dead.