While Apple is hiding the Apple Tablet name under the iSlate and Magic Slate trademarks, owned by (probably) dummy company Slate Computing, LLC, we also learn that there are a bunch of services associated to the new device. Recently, the folks of MacRumours discovered a bunch of interesting info regarding iGuide, a trademark that could serve for a brand new navigation and maps system for the tablet.
Just like the Slate Computing company, iGuide Media, LLC (the firm behind iGuide) is based in Delaware and it may only exist to protect the trademark for Apple. Speculations claim that iGuide might also be the name of Apple’s tablet, or a magazine service, but a maps service seems more plausible.
9to5Mac even mentions that iGuide could replace iTunes, but that wouldn’t make much sense, specially since this service is basically a tradition for Apple. However, the Cupertino folks could move podcasts, audiobooks, TV shows, movies and digital books to a new service, to separate it more clearly from iTunes, if this is the case.
Back to the mapping service, there’s some background to this story, if you consider the fact that Apple acquired a mapping startup called Placebase in July 2009. It all happened quietly and you have to know that Placebase’s technology is seemingly able to rival Google Maps, thanks to its customization features and detailed layers (demographics, crime data and more).
A state of the art tablet with incredible navigation features certainly sounds better than an average e-reader/tinier netbook made by Apple, like the first rumours pointed out, right?
[via Geek]
