Edible Apple

Echoing a similar report from the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times also writes today that Apple is in talks with Television networks in the hopes that they’ll hop on board a planned iTunes subscription service. As we mentioned yesterday, the rumored service will cost users about $30/month and may be in fact be geared towards driving users to purchase its upcoming and rumored Apple tablet.

And speaking of everyone’s favorite Apple rumor, the FT article claims that the launch of an Apple tablet is “imminent”, while also noting that “Apple is preparing an announcement next month that many believe will be the official unveiling of its tablet.”  We should, however, point out that the FT cites no sources for its assertion, though the timeframe does make sense in light of Apple’s history of product introductions in January.  But at the same time, Apple won’t be partaking in Macworld this year, in part because it no longer made sense for them to time their product unveilings around an arbitrary date in January.

On a related note, it was only 2 weeks ago that Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner issued a research note to investors stating that Apple was on the cusp of beginning the manufacturing process for its tablet device, which if true, would hint at a late March or early April release.  And if that’s true, a January announcement makes a whole lot of sense as it would give Apple just enough time to build up the requisite onslaught of media coverage and hype.