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Analyst: Apps the secret to Apple's tablet success

Many of the discussions around Apple's rumored tablet are about its 10-inch touch-screen display, but one analyst believes it will be the availability of the apps that determine its success.

Jim Dalrymple Special to CNET News
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to record music using a Macintosh. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. He currently runs The Loop.
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Jim Dalrymple

It won't be the 10-inch touch-screen display that drives adoption of Apple's rumored tablet computer, but rather the availability of apps for the device, according to one industry analyst.

Gene Munster, senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray, said in a research note to clients on Monday that initial tablet successes will come from the confidence consumers have with Apple's mobile platform. It is widely expected that Apple will use an iPhone-like operating system on the tablet, enabling consumers to utilize existing apps.

Recent media reports that Apple is asking developers for super-sized versions of their apps is helping to fuel speculation that existing apps will work on the tablet.

An interesting tidbit of information in Munster's research note is that he expects Apple's tablet to compete well in the netbook category. While the Netbook focuses on its portability, Munster sees the tablet focusing "more on apps, entertainment content (from the iTunes Store), and Web surfing."

Apple reportedly chose Innolux, a subsidiary of longtime manufacturing partner Foxconn, as the supplier for the 10-inch displays.