Orange exec confirms Apple's upcoming tablet launch
Apple won’t confirm rumors that it will shortly be launching a new tablet computer, but one of its European partners has let the information slip. An executive at telecom firm France Telecom/Orange said, in a video interview that appeared yesterday, that Apple is launching a tablet at the end of January.
The executive, Stephane Richard, is the No. 2 executive at the telecommunications firm. He told French journalist Jean-Pierre Elkabbach that the tablet will include a webcam and that Orange customers would be able to buy it. It’s a little hard to back pedal on this one, since it’s on video (in French).
The confirmation suggests that Apple is lining up a worldwide launch of the tablet, which means that it’s not just an experimental dipping of its toes in the water or something that will launch in the U.S. market only. Apple itself hasn’t commented on the existence of the tablet, which many see as a new generation of computers.
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About the Author, Dean Takahashi
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
