I have almost been irked by the thought that I have not owned a Mac yet. Converts tell me the greatness of it, cynics find warmth in the price attractiveness of its cheaper brother. All things considered, I opine Mac is a fantasy and a dream.

Just the sight of a Mac is great. But is that worth the $1600 indulgence? The answer depends on how precious $1600 is to you. It sure is to me. Which is why I created the nest-egg. But even after saving up quite a bit, I struggle to bite the bullet.

When I heard rumors of the iSlate (blogosphere’s jargon for Apple’s tablet), I paused for a moment and thought, “May be this will rescue me….give me the experience of Mac, while not pocket-picking me.”

iSlate may be the biggest rumor of the millennium or the best bet for those who want a piece of Apple, but can’t bite the whole fruit.

If there is a single most-important factor for the positioning of this product, it is the price. The cheapest Mac is $999, so I imagine iSlate will (or is it must) be priced around $700–900

Let us see what happens. Jan 27th will be a big day for Apple and for some of us.