The Financial Times has joined the gang of rumors pointing to an Apple tablet device coming out in the near future.  The FT is adding credibility to these rumors with the following information: the screen size  “may be up to 10 inches diagonally;” it will run the iPhone OS; it will connect to the Interner via WiFi; it will have a book marketplace (think Amazon’s Kindle service).  Here are some direct quotes taken from the article: “[The] tablet-sized computer [will ship] in time for the Christmas shopping season, in what the entertainment industry hopes will be a new revolution.”  “[The] touch-sensitive device… will have a screen that may be up to ten inches diagonally,” and while it will “connect to the internet like the iPod touch, it’ll probably [do so] without phone capabilities.”  Apple is known is release updated iPods and Mac desktop/laptop revisions in September, after the back-to-school season.  This tablet device could very well slip into the launch window between this time and the holiday season.  According to the FT, Apple is apparently rushing to complete this device and have it on store shelves by Christmas.

In other Apple-related news, Apple has decided to join forces with major music label companies (namely EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music Group) to come up with a plan to make consumers want to buy entire albums rather than single tracks when shopping at the iTunes Music Store.  In order to stimulate consumers to go beyond the single track and dive into the entire album of a particular artist, Apple and said music labels will soon include “interactive booklets, sleeve notes and other interactive features with music downloads.”  Up to this point, users have only received PDF files with their album downloads that includes only album liner notes.  According to an insider, “…it’s not just a bunch of PDFs; there’s real engagement with the ancillary stuff.”  Executives commented on this new initiative code-named “Project Cocktail:” Apple wants to make bigger purchases more compelling by creating a new type of interactive album material, including photos, lyric sheets and liner notes that allow users to click through to items that they find most interesting. Consumers would be able to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into Apple’s iTunes software.  Would you be enticed to pay for entire albums instead of single tracks if these kinds of additions were tagged with your purchase of the album?  Both the Apple tablet device and Project Cocktail are rumored to be released side-by-side as soon as this September.  Let’s cross our fingers and hope these rumors come to fruition; sounds like really cool stuff is on the way.

[Via Mashable; Gizmodo; Engadget; mock-up by Edwin Tofslie]