Apple has announced that they will be releasing a new product later this year: The iPot. The iPot will be available by November, just in time for Thanksgiving.

The iPot is a combination Crockpot and microwave type device, with the addition of internet connectivity features. Like a Crockpot, the iPot must be plugged into the wall (as opposed to being used on the stove). Like a microwave, you can program the iPot for various foods.

You will be able to put food into the iPot in the morning and it will keep the food cool (using reverse thermal induction technology) until the afternoon, when it will start cooking. By the time you get home from work or school, your food will be hot and ready for you to eat.

Sensors in the iPot will tell the attached mini-computer the exact temperature and moisture content of the food, letting the mini-computer know when your food is cooked to perfection. Once your food has finished cooking, the iPot changes to ‘warming’ mode, letting you retrieve it at your convenience.

The iPot also comes with an Ethernet port, allowing you to hook the mini-computer up to your network to download recipes from the official iPot site. The recipes will be free and allow you to cook a variety of thousands of different dishes without having to program the iPot yourself.

The iPot also has a slot for flash memory, allowing you to take the recipes you’ve programmed with you wherever you go (for example, to give to a friend).

For those worried that the mini-computer will be damaged by the heat, it will be connected to the iPot itself by a long cord which will allow the sensitive components of the mini-computer to be separate from the heat generated by cooking.

The iPot will come in sizes from 1-quart sauce pan all the way up to 8-quart stew pot. Plans are also in the works for a ‘bacon & eggs’ breakfast model, which will be a frying pan.

Prices for the iPot have not yet been announced.