newton.jpgFinally, an entertaining prediction for next week's WWDC event. AmTech's Shaw Wu forsees a "50% chance" we'll see a "hybrid between a Mac and iPod Touch" on Monday -- some sort of touchscreen device with either a 4-inch or 7-inch screen. That sounds a whole lot like a tablet computer to us -- a device that's seemed like a no-brainer for years, but really hasn't taken off. Ask Bill Gates. Or, for that matter, Steve Jobs, who tried this many moons ago with the Newton.

In any case, Shaw isn't banging the desk that hard on this prediction: "Timing is not clear, but we believe these devices will eventually be brought to market.". The rest of his WWDC forecast:

  • 3G iPhone at current $399 iPhone price; old iPhone discounted by $50 to $100.
  • New iPhone features: Thinner; better keyboard, GPS.
  • New Macs "less likely"; anticipates "radically refreshed design this summer or fall."

See Also:
Why Apple's (AAPL) iPhone Apps Platform Could Spark Huge iPhone Sales