Apple will reveal iSlate tablet on 26 January, says ex Google China president

"Most surprising: Apple predicts production of nearly 10 million [units] in the first year!" Lee said in a post on a Chinese microblog service that cited information from a source he described as a knowledgeable friend.

The tablet will look like a large iPhone and come with a 10.1in multitouch touchscreen, a virtual keyboard and support for videoconferencing and e-books, the post said. The claim of 3D graphics appears to relate to similar graphical functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch, rather than any implementation of the 3D display technology currently being tested in some monitor units and used in cinemas.

Although there's nothing particularly new about any of this information, the comments from Lee, who worked for Apple over a decade ago and left Google this year, add to a sea of rumours about a possible ultrathin Apple tablet combining e-reader and web-surfing functions.

Speculation about the device has redoubled since a blog post by the Financial Times last week cited unnamed sources saying Apple is expected to make a major product announcement at an event in San Francisco on January 26.


Long-time Apple watchers may find some humour in the fact that it is a former Google executive starting a rumour on the Apple tablet.