First off, Before I get a bunch of hate mail, “No I don’t really believe that the mac is dead”.

But, I do think we have begun to see a sea change in Apple’s product line. The first such change was the transition from the Apple II to the original Mac and it’s revolutionary user interface. More recently, the Mac underwent a major transition to OSX, but ultimately it was still a Macintosh. Initially, the Mac was promoted as “A computer for the rest of us”, which suggested not only elitism, but the goal of freeing the user from the technical complexities of computers and thereby enable real work. Over the years this has been more or less true compared to other computing platforms.

But even the most ardent mac user will agree that the personal computer is still a long way from being a truly personal computer for the casual user. By casual user I mean your grandmother and Joe 6-pack both of whom still struggle to find that letter they saved somewhere on their disc last week, and who couldn’t tell you the difference between dhcp, WEP, WAP or any other number of other acronyms that the digirati take for granted.

Enter the iPhone, iPod touch and what I expect will be the new paradigm for Apple in other such multi-touch devices. While the Mac will continue as a distinct product line in the years to come, it is the multi-touch devices which will fulfill the needs of a whole new class of user (consumers).  The original iPod showed the way for Steve Jobs...That there was another world beyond the classic Windows vs Mac wars of the ‘80 & 90’s.

While we may not see a tablet device from Apple in January, I believe we will see such a device with in the next 6 months. Imagine a device perhaps twice the size of the iPhone featuring the same functionality (sans cellular). With additional storage (ie: 32gb), N-wireless, microphone, speaker and a slew of newly released 3rd part apps the device will have great appeal at say a $600 price point. The addition of a single HDMI port and front-row would also provide an entry level iTV like device.