> touchscreen tablet

No, I haven't seen anybody used touchscreen there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ8pQVDyaLo

We can even recognize that "the tablet" is by IIX and that it has 10 real buttons (1..9 than 0):

http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/rapny-1.jpeg

So it was probably then designed as a portable flat TV. Still it looks good.

The device is by IBM, not IIX. The site below has some better pictures of the device's logo (and some other bits of “IBM” hardware), along with lots of pictures of Kubrick's preference for san-serif fonts:

http://typesetinthefuture.com/2001-a-space-odyssey/

You're right, I haven't seen that even better resolution photo.

http://typesetinthefuture.com/postfiles/2001/2001_ibm_tele_p...

We see even the brand:

   IBM
   TELE PRO

So it is a flat TV set after all, made by IBM.