The much anticipated Apple tablet seems to finally be on its way to becoming reality. After about 2 years of rumors and small pieces of information leaking here and there, it seems that the device is getting the final cut and might drop on the market sometime at the beginning of next year. Following the variety of rumors on the tablet, a new story on AppleInsider shows the imminent arrival of the machine.

According to the news, the tablet, which is 10 inches wide, comes with multi-touch capabilities, features 3G functionality, and has been developed under the supervision of Apple's CEO Steve Jobs himself. This is something that has been rumored before, only that this time the report points towards the fact that the last details have been settled, and that the possible launch time frame for the device would be January-March 2010.

AppleInsider states that the sources providing the information this time are known “for their striking accuracy in Apple's internal affairs.” While being sent back to the drawing board a few times before, the tablet should come in the first quarter of next year, possibly with the mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless. The move to a new operator seems to have been determined by the fact that AT&T, Apple's partner in the US, has delayed the availability of some features of the iPhone.

When it comes to the price the tablet might feature, a wild guess is that it should cost somewhere between the $299 iPhone/iPod touch and the $999 MacBook. Given the fact that this is not the first time rumors point towards an early-2010 release window for the device, it might prove true in the end. It still remains to be seen what hardware specifications the tablet will come with, yet more details will certainly surface in the near future, so stay tuned to learn the news.