Apple’s tablet wants to trump Kindle 2 with streaming video

Users these days don’t want their gadgets to be unitaskers. iPhones are jailbreaked to add apps and users even figured out how to add Facebook and Twitter clients to the Nook. It looks like Apple may justify the higher price of their tablet called iGuide or iSlate with increased functionality in the form of subscription based streaming video. 

This seems like a calculated move with their recent purchase of a music service called Lala. Lala was different from iTunes in that customers could purchase a song as a download or buy a streaming version instead. It wouldn’t be a huge stretch to modify Lala’s cloud based technology to stream video content.

Plus, some media companies like streaming rather than downloading more due to piracy concerns and DRM cracking. But what about the bandwidth issues that come with video? There’s a building for that. Apple is building a massive data facility in North Carolina that could be the hub for streaming video.

The reaction to the subscription based streaming service has been mixed among media outlets. CBS and Disney showed some interest but Viacom and Time Warner weren’t thrilled. NBC Universal and their stable of networks like Bravo weren’t on board given the fact they will become part of cable giant Comcast very soon. The service could be dicey, though. Hulu and Netflix are already media fixtures while others may lean on their TiVos for taped entertainment.

Consumers may also balk at the rumored $700 - $900 price of the tablet compared to the Kindle 2 and Nook. With e-reader apps for existing technology coming forward for the iPhone and Blackberry many may not want to hit their pocketbooks for a shiny new tablet.

Until the official announcement on January 26th, I suggest we all be patient and find a little humor in the hullabaloo. One BBC contributor sarcastically said that the tablet won’t just be useful but also “the solution to global warming.”