Whatever it's called — the iTablet or the iSlate or the iGottaHaveIt — Apple's upcoming tablet PC promises to revolutionize how we communicate, consume and create in a digital media world.

As I touched on in my segment on new marketing tools for the RUI Branding and Integrated Marketing course, the device may well eclipse the iPhone’s success and become the first true all-in-one communications and computing device, eliminating the need for most (if not all) of the other gadgets we schlep around with us today: cell phone, music player, laptop/netbook, et al.

It appears to be much like the Knowledge Navigator concept Apple introduced over 25 years ago, — except made better through the experience of learning how people interact with personal digital devices. Unfortunately it won’t have the “natural” speech-to-text capabilities that were a major cool factor of the Knowledge Navigator. However, in talking with a top Silicon Valley industrial designer and one of Apple’s key designers several weeks ago, I’ve learned that there’s a collective expectation that such capabilities are less than seven years away.

My sense is that the ramifications of the tablet PC will be much more far-reaching than we expect and affect a broad range of lifestyle and business paradigms from what gadgets consumers will buy to the new challenges and opportunities that will face the entertainment industry.

I believe the Apple tablet will

1. Easily become the first all-in-one device. It’s easy to see how it can replace a laptop or multimedia player — but how to replace a cell phone? Easy: think of the Apple tablet as being a wireless/WiFi base unit to which a Bluetooth headset could be tethered. Normal cell phone activities — dialing in and out, for example — can be accomplished through voice dialing. Text messaging can also be done verbally rather than manually. Why have we been restricted to texting using a keyboard only? The Apple tablet can also offer far greater power than a standard cell phone, for example, offering the ability to conduct video conferences.
2. Reenergize iTunes as a distribution channel. As Apple goes head-to-head with Comcast as a distribution channel, this device will become your new portable television, carrying your own personalized network of channels and shows. If Apple adds a TV dock to replace Apple TV, this will be a slam-dunk winner.
3. Give music a new opportunity to reinvent itself. With its all-in-one potential, I also suspect the tablet will breathe new life into the music industry. By creating a single device for easy spinning and mixing, bands and everyday DJs can create their own easy on-the-fly mashups and share them easily with their followers. Jim Bornzin, one of our New Media Management certificate grads who worked for Warner Music Group, gave me his POV:
   
   

   Imagine yourself at home, or on a plane, with the tablet and every music option wirelessly available to you. Purchasing and streaming music video and live concert feeds (ala UStream) can become a significant source of advertising/sponsorship revenue. Only time will tell if the tablet is widely adopted for music use. If Apple’s product history is any indication, the digital music revolution will be “tabletized.”

4. Contract distribution windows for motion pictures. Given how digital television and on-demand access have resulted in movies being released for on-demand on the same day as theatrical or DVD release, will the fact that users will carry their own “portable theaters” further screw with traditional distribution window timeframes?  My guess is yes: big time. This also can benefit the studios greatly by providing as another monetizable distribution channel, however: insofar as the key to their success is their opening weekend, the more the merrier.

It’s a challenge and an opportunity for each of us.

What else can the tablet do to improve user experience, change the digital media landscape, and create new business opportunities?  How will you capitalize on this?