Apple tablet to trigger online shopping frenzy

Apple will create a rush of online shopping tonight with the unveiling of a new gadget designed to replace books and magazines.

Expected to be called the iSlate or iPad, the gadget will be a large version of the iPhone with a 10-inch screen. It is being unveiled by Apple boss Steve Jobs at an event in San Franciso, where celebrities such as Stephen Fry were expected to be able to try it out.

Although the device is not thought to be available for several weeks, Apple could begin taking online orders from this evening. The firm has been in talks with publishers to provide content, and is expected to sign up more before it goes on sale.

Amazon and Sony sell electronic book readers, but the e-book market has not yet taken off. Experts say an "iPad" could change that. Michael Brook, of gadget magazine T3, said: "This device could do to publishing what the iPod did for music.

"It could pave the way for bringing the notion of ebooks and touch-screen computing to the mainstream."

Mr Jobs has said the product "will be the most important thing I've ever done".

Retailers today said they expect the demand for the device to be huge. Marcus Rees, PC buyer at Comet, said: "Apple are brilliant at launching new products and revolutionising how people behave — the iPod being a prime example. The new product being launched this week is likely to make internet access far easier and set a trend for the next couple of years."

Apple will be joining a market which business advisory firm Deloitte believes could be worth more than £600 million a year globally, predicting that tens of millions of units will be sold this year.

Paul Lee, Deloitte's director of knowledge and research, said: "While it is difficult to forecast sales of devices whose specifications are unknown, some analysts estimate 12-month sales from launch of over one billion dollars. This is larger than global sales of personal navigation devices."

Apple has remained tight-lipped about its announcement, refusing to comment on web speculation about the product's specification and name. The colourful paint-splattered invitation sent to journalists gives little away.

But an American publishing boss, Terry McGraw, whose firm McGraw-Hill is a partner of Apple in the venture, leaked some details yesterday on CNBC news.

"The Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system," he said. "So what you are going to be able to do now is we have a consortium of e-books. We have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format on that one.

"So with the tablet you're going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just terrific."