Technology

Will we see a 7-inch Apple tablet early next year?

The Apple tablet could be heading for a January release, as an industry insider has just told us that it’s practically impossible to buy a 7-inch touchscreen component right now – Apple are odds-on favourite to be buying them up.

Our source said: “If you want to buy a 7-inch touchscreen at the moment, you can’t.” They added that this could indicate a January release window for Apple’s hotly-anticipated tablet.

There aren’t many products on the horizon other than Apple’s tablet that would need such a large volume of 7-inch touchscreens, suggesting that this tip-off won’t be far off the mark.

Apple typically holds off from announcing specific details of big products until Steve Jobs can take to the stage, so much of what we know about the Cupertino-based company’s latest offering is based on rumours from around the web.

The most promising rumours are:

– So far, we do know that the enhanced e-reader will be an ideal platform for magazines to publish on. Condé Naste has already begun preparing a digital edition of Wired specifically for the device. The Apple tablet edition of the magazine allows readers to interact with the magazine’s graphics and add videos to written content.

– The fabled tablet could be dubbed the TabletMac as Apple were reported to have bought the TabletMac trademark from Axiotron, makers of the ModBook touchscreen.

– On the other hand, others believe the tablet will be dubbed the Apple Slate, as a New York Times executive referred to it as this in a speech to his staff.