Apple preparing 400K tablets for launch

A DigiTimes report indicates component maker Foxconn, which Apple has again called upon for hardware purposes, is readying parts for 300,000 to 400,000 Apple tablet units, even though the Cupertino-based company hasn’t confirmed such a device is in development.

The rumored device is expected to be released in Q1 of 2010, and will feature a 10.6-inch display, though not much else is known about it.

The cost of the unit will likely be closer to $1,000, as Apple isn’t anxious to try and enter an increasingly competitive netbook market.  Asus, Acer, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and other manufacturers have flooded the netbook market, with product prices almost always under $500 for the smaller products.

Foxconn already has a close relationship with Apple, with the Taiwanese hardware manufacturer also providing hardware used in the popular iPhone.  Similarly, the company also is the largest mobile phone and electronic component manufacturer in the world, with numerous other companies relying on Foxconn for products.

In addition, other Taiwanese companies are rumored to be involved with the project, with some Asian media reports saying the Apple tablet will be released in February.  Apple hosts an annual press conference in San Francisco each fall, though announced products are usually released on the same date or close to the date of the conference.

Apple routinely skips the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is held each year in Las Vegas in January, and could announce its tablet device in February during Macworld 2010.  If so, the new tablet could be announced and released after the Macworld keynote.