Apple Tablet will double up as a 2nd monitor?

According to Gizmodo, an insider has revealed that the Apple tablet is indeed real, and mostly what people are expecting: A 10-inch touch-screen tablet running the iPhone OS, priced somewhere between $700-$900. However, there’s a twist. The tablet can act as a secondary screen/touchpad for Apple computers. This makes it different from and more appealing than every tablet that has come before. Multiple monitors have gained tremendous appeal over the years, and it’s not hard to see why. Having a secondary monitor allows you to reference one thing while manipulating data on another.

A lightweight tablet that can act as a secondary monitor is perfect for mobile professionals that need the extra real estate. Because it’s based on the iPhone, its hardware will be lighter and thinner than if it were based on the Intel Core 2 platform. The overall device should be about as portable as existing portable usb monitors like those by Mimo. By making the tablet thin and light, mobile users won’t mind slipping in their notebook case with their laptop. By further capitalizing on the tablet by using it as an input device, the Apple tablet becomes even more appealing. I’m a fan of the multi-touch input device used on MacBook pro laptops, and having a multi-touch display as an input device opens up a whole realm of possibilities, especially for graphic artists.