Apple of course is keeping mum but the expectation is that later this month they will introduce some sort of touch screen tablet computer, likely called the iSlate.  This week at CES, Microsoft and HP introduced their version and the response was somewhat underwhelming.   Naturally everyone is expecting that Apple will have the lust-worthy device that will make the world drool but despite all the rumors and guesses and photoshopped fakes, no one can say with any authority exactly what the device will be or what it will do.

It’s entirely possible that it will include 3G connectivity as well as WiFi.  Some are predicting that it will function as a much larger version of the iPhone, with apps available from the iTunes app store.  None of this gets my juices flowing.

I think it’s because I’m a writer – for the blog, for BC Magazine, for a book I’m not completing because I’m procrastinating doing things like this blog post.  But I am a keyboard guy, a physical keyboard guy.  I’m a touch typist – thanks mom for insisting that I take that class back in the 7th grade.  The feel of a keyboard is incredibly important to me.  I’m the kind of guy who goes to the computer mall and spends an hour selecting a new keyboard, testing out the key spacing, responsiveness and other factors before making up my mind – and even then it takes me a week or more to get comfortable with a new keyboard.  I simply cannot imagine that I could ever be comfortable pounding out a 1,000 word column on a virtual keyboard.  Maybe this means I’m old skool.  Whatever.

I’m trying to think of what functionality a tablet PC might have that would get me to open my wallet.  Not internet access on the go – I’m fine with using my iPhone for that or my MacBook if I needed something heavier duty (and heavier).  (Yes, I’m an Apple fanboy.)   Not watching video or listening to music.  I’m not much into playing video games.  And I get all the social media I need on the go from my iPhone – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare.

Not reading a book – I’m 75% happy with the Kindle.  (I wish it had color, but I realize that a color screen would be brighter, making it harder to read for extended periods, and a quicker drain on the battery.  And I wish it did a far better job handling PDFs.)  (Just finished Ken Auletta’s excellent Googled.   Cued up next, something a bit on the lighter side, Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler.)(There are books I want that are not available for the Kindle and that just wouldn’t be as good on it – tech manuals, photo books, graphic novels, those sorts of things.)

Editing photos?  If the CPU is powerful enough and Adobe came out with a tablet version of Photoshop, maybe that might do it.

And then again, back in July 2008, I wrote a column in BC listing all the reasons I wouldn’t buy an iPhone.  And then a few months later I took the plunge and have never looked back.  I’d never go back to Windows Mobile or Symbian or Palm OSes and from what I’ve seen of Android, there’s not enough there to get me to switch.

So it’s possible that Apple will have some trick up Steve Jobs’ sleeves that will get my juices flowing, get me saying “I’ve gotta have it!” once they debut the device.  But right now, not so much.

But what about you?  Based on what is known now, are you planning to buy one when it comes out, and if so, why?  (And not just “because it’s Apple!”)

I’m much more interested in what Nikon will come out with to replace the D700.  And I’m so freaking happy with the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens I just got – if and when I get another job I suspect I’ll celebrate by getting Nikon’s 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II lens.

Not posted at 7 AM when I was first awake but online now, this SCMP article has too much good stuff in it to just pull out a few excerpts.  And anyway, most sensible people don’t pay the ridiculous annual fee to get at the SCMP’s web site.  So here it is in all its glory:

Construction of the HK$66.9 billion high-speed rail link project faces the threat of further delay, with lawmakers opposed to it planning to hijack today’s funding vote by tabling at least 30 motions for discussion.

But even if the pro-government majority manages to deal with these and passes the funding by the end of the six-hour meeting at 10pm, lawmakers who support the project will still face thousands of protesters who have vowed to surround the building.

Even before tonight’s showdown, scuffles between supporters and opponents of the project broke out in several places yesterday.

At a special Legislative Council Finance Committee meeting to discuss whether transport experts from the Professional Commons group, which opposes the project, should be allowed to present a counter-proposal at today’s meeting, independent lawmaker Chim Pui-chung, who backs the project, engaged Wong Yuk-man of the League of Social Democrats in a shouting match.

The pair shouted derogatory remarks for several minutes, calling each other names such as “beggar”, “prisoner” and “someone with a triad background”, until the meeting’s chairwoman, Emily Lau Wai-hing, ordered them to stop.

Soon afterwards, they shook hands and apologised for their behaviour. “I regret what I did. It looks bad and sets a bad example for the young,” Wong said. “I hope Chim will not take my words to heart.”

Project supporters from the Association of Engineering Professionals in Society were surprised when three Professional Commons members stormed into a press briefing yesterday, challenging them to a debate and handing out leaflets to reporters.

Association senior vice-chairman Yim Kin-ping said: “They have had enough discussion … This man [Paul Zimmerman] is not even an engineer,” Yim said, while a colleague snatched leaflets from reporters.

He said the Professional Commons’ proposed alternative – moving the terminus from West Kowloon to Kam Sheung Road and connecting it to the Airport Express – could not possibly be better than the government’s plan, which had taken billions of dollars and years of study by numerous experts to complete.

The Finance Committee rejected the Professional Commons’ request to speak at today’s meeting. Lawmakers said they had had at least two chances to present their proposal to legislators since November.

Lau pledged to stop lawmakers from repeating questions today, but said she could not deprive them of their right to speak. “I will conduct the meeting according to the procedure, in a fair and open manner,” she said. She has scheduled another meeting for next Friday in case today’s fails to bear fruit.

Albert Chan Wai-yip, of the League of Social Democrats, said he and his colleagues would keep tabling motions to prevent a vote on funding. “We will invite discussions on subjects such as whether there will be any noise mitigation measures for properties along the line,” he said. “Each affected housing estate can be made a separate motion.”

Ronny Tong Ka-wah, of the Civic Party, who successfully delayed the last vote on December 18, said he would not seek an adjournment today. “Many questions are still left unanswered. I believe today’s meeting may not be long enough to cover all of them,” he said.

Tycoon Li Ka-shing said funding would be passed eventually because Hong Kong people were intelligent enough to know what was good for them.

I suppose that aside from detailing the shouting match that took place, my favorite bit is the bit I’ve put in bold, where this guy asserts that the government has spent billions of dollars on the plan!   Not to forget that little bit of log rolling from Li Ka-Shing at the end.

Wonder who got a phone call from Beijing yesterday?  Could it have been Cheng Yiu-Tong?  The SCMP summarizes thusly:

Cheng Yiu-tong’s comments

Wednesday morning, after a radio interview:

The status of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong is like an embassy of the Foreign Ministry. You clashed with the office in this manner. This was very shocking to Beijing.

Wednesday afternoon, at a press conference on constitutional reform:

I didn’t use the word “shocking”. What I meant was, Beijing would ask whether Hong Kong people had changed their way of expression.

Thursday afternoon, after a TV interview:

There were many questions posed to me at the press conference yesterday and at that time I thought I hadn’t used the word “shocking”. Later, I found it on the internet … I was shocked by my serious memory decay.

No further commentary on his assertion that Beijing would “send troops here” if protests continue.

Not much else attracting my attention this morning.  Today’s the day for the supposedly-massive anti-high speed rail protest, with up to 10,000 people expected outside of Legco today.

Those of you in the US who rent DVDs via Netflix may have already noted that Netflix has signed a “deal” with Warner Home Video to not rent WHV titles until 28 days after their street date.  It’s expected that they’ll sign similar agreements with other studios soon.  The reason for this?  Back in the day, initial releases of home videos were priced at $100 and sales were aimed at video rental shops and not consumers.  When the list price dropped to $20, studios tried to get a percentage of revenue from rental shops but mostly failed at that.  Over the past three years, DVD sales have been declining for a variety of reasons.   These reasons may include increased rentals and piracy but also include the fact that there are a lot of shitty movies lately that people may go to see in the theaters but have no interest in buying afterwards, not to forget increased competition for our leisure eyeballs thanks to online social media like Facebook and Twitter as well as video games.   2009 was the first year in many years that theatrical revenue was higher than DVD revenue.

Warner is making the classic mistake of attempting to protect an old market rather than adapt for the future.  History shows that all such attempts end in failure.  You can’t force people to buy something they don’t want to buy.  I suspect there will be some temporary increase in sales numbers but eventually consumer frustration at this sort of arrangement will benefit pirates more than it will benefit Warner.