Stuff Reader Panel – What you have to say on the Apple launch

So we all know next week is the big Apple event, where it's expected to unveil the iTablet/iSlate/iPad depending on which source you believe.

But we wanted to know what you lot, the Stuff readers, are feeling about the announcement, and what you're expecting. Here's just a few snippets of your genius.

- "Media speculation has muddied any of my clear thought already... but I don’t want to underestimate Apple’s ability to surprise us. As inflated as some tech-hacks’ wish lists have been, I wholly expect that Apple will throw a curve-ball of some kind, be it with the design, what is (or isn’t) under its bonnet, or the services/functionality/pricing models around it. Excited? Yes I am. Will it change my life? Perhaps, but as with the iPod, iMac and iPhone, not straight away."

- "If it's a Tablet, it will do to the computing world what iPhone did for personal mobility (and the mobile industry didn’t/couldn’t do). I have always said that coming up from below is the only way to change the world of computing. Dumbing down doesn’t work – we can’t get to the final destination from there."

- "Next week can’t come soon enough. I can’t bear all the speculation; it’s seriously clogging up my Twitter account and we really need to move on. I would go so far as to say I hate the mysterious ‘Tablet / iPad / iSlate’ and I haven’t even seen one yet.
 
Essentially it’s a Mac without a lid right? Will it change my life? I appreciate it could be used (notice I didn’t say useful) but I’m certainly not missing one in my life.
 
I smell a Teenies Rubik’s cube, nobody needs one but I bet 80% of us will own one by Christmas 2011. And when we do I bet it will be just as frustrating, and just as inadequate as the coloured cube of the 80’s!"
 
- "I have been saving up for the past few months for new Apple Product, since I have an iPhone 3G and have just upgraded to a 3G S. I also own an iPod touch, an iMac and I am hoping to see an Apple Tablet coming out."

- "I am expecting the much rumoured tablet and I will be delighted if it does launch purely to stop the endless speculation.

My hope is that there are eBook capabilities, hopefully integrated with book buying and magazine subscriptions through iTunes. If this is the case then there needs to be a less reflective screen, similar to the e-ink screens on the Sony Readers. The ability to use your own SIM and it be contract free would be important to me, I can't see it replacing my iPhone, but if it was a bigger screen good enough for ebooks and video it would supplement my iPhone capacity nicely."

- "I'm expecting a few things from the event. Firstly, Apple will announce the long awaited, much rumoured iTablet and it will be hailed as the second coming of portable computing. Next, an ebook reader may also be announced, possibly in colour if the poster for the event is anything to go by. Finally, iPhone/iPod touch OS 4.0. Hopefully they will have opened up the crazy SDK restrictions to developers so that we can use Bluetooth keyboards without needing to jailbreak. Phones have had this basic feature ears before the iPhone came out, it is simply ridiculous!"

- "This year promises to be a red letter year for Apple, we're virtually guaranteed the tablet announcement, a new iPhone OS and handset with possible RFID capability, OLED screen and more memory. There's also talk of a camera-toting iPod Touch and a rumoured touchscreen iMac. If half of this comes to pass, I'm not going to have a very frugal year!"

So what do you think we'll be seeing next week – are you excited to see what Apple will unveil, or are you sick of hearing about it? Whichever side of the fence you sit on, sound off below.

Make sure you read our live blog from the Apple launch from 5pm on 27 January.