Meanwhile, the Nook Tablet costs $50 more than the Kindle Fire and doesn't offer in-house video and music services, but has its own charms as a reading-focused device with a dollop of multimedia.

In the recent past, we have focused on providing customers with solutions that help manage the proliferation of data between the end-user and a business application over any network to any device.

In developing the device, Apple focused on the role the gadget could play in homes and in classrooms, say people familiar with the situation.