Apple’s iPod rumored to be growing up

iPod Touch: More than an MP3 player.

TechCrunch is reporting that Apple is currently in talks with manufacturers to commence production on a larger version of its iPod Touch platform, possibly slated for an official launch in late 2009.

One inside source who has purportedly held the device described it as an iPod Touch with a larger screen on the order of seven to nine inches, which would make it roughly twice the size of the current Touch devices. At this point, further details about the design of the device and its touch-oriented software user-interface remain pure speculation.

Meanwhile, the growth of Apple’s App Store and the dearth of applications that harness touch and accelerometers for input have certainly crafted a market that did not exist in years past.

Can Apple sell a tablet to a market that has consistently rejected widespread adoption of such devices? Only time will tell, but Apple’s strong brand certainly does not hurt their chances of success. It will be interesting to see how this develops.