Apple Tablet Gets Delayed

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We’re back with more Apple tablet rumors and you might not like what I’ll tell you today. It looks like Apple decided to push back the launch of the tablet to the second half of 2010. Are there any problems in paradise? Is Cupertino unable to deliver the tablet at an earlier date next year?

Rumors say that Apple decided to make an OLED version of the tablet and it looks like we’ll get to chose between LCD and OLED displays. The 9.7-inch OLED screens are coming from LG so maybe it’s worth waiting for the OLED versions. The obvious question here is why couldn’t Apple launch the LCD version around March and then make the OLED version available in the second half of the year.

Foxconn Electronics, Quanta Computer and Pegatron Technology are supposed to make the two tablets. And we can’t but wonder how three companies are going to split two different products. Speaking about the two versions, sources say that you can expect a 9.7-inch OLED tablet and a 10.6-inch TFT LCD model to be available in Apple stores around the world next year.

With these panel-related rumors we also have some prices for you. Naturally the OLED version will be more expensive than the LCD version, which is one more reason for Apple to launch the LCD tablet as soon as possible. Those people willing to pay twice as much for a panel will definitely wait for the OLED tablet to come out.

OLED panels are currently priced at $500 which represents about 30% of the total cost of the device. That means we can expect the tablet to cost from $1,500 to $1,700 in today’s prices. By mid 2010 we might see OLED prices drop so the overall price will also drop to $1,200 to $1,500. Thus an OLED tablet version will eventually cost around $2,000 in stores. On comparison, the LCD tablet will cost from $800 to $1,000 and the device will be significantly cheaper once bundled with a 3G plan from your favorite carrier.

As you can expect Apple hasn’t confirmed any of this yet so we’re still hoping to see the tablets in stores next March.