14 DAY TRIAL // Following reports saying that Apple was experimenting with different materials for the enclosure of its rumored tablet device, AVY Precision Technology is now said to have been tapped for producing aluminum casings for the product. Another part supplier, TPK Solutions, is allegedly Apple’s choice for equipping its tablet computer with high-performance touchscreen panels.
Citing a Reuters report issued on Friday, last week, AppleInsider reveals that two Taiwanese companies are supplying parts for Apple’s forthcoming tablet device. AVY Precision Technology will reportedly begin production of the aluminum casings in February, the site says, with TPK Solutions being instructed to supply touchscreen panels that are set to be employed by Apple’s new device.
Three anonymous sources are said to have leaked this information, one of which allegedly said that, "Production of the cases will begin in February, so everything points to a second-quarter launch right now. It doesn't take that long for the company to assemble the PC together, but a second-quarter shipment date is what we're looking at now."
The panels are also said to be the primary factor holding back the tablet’s launch. Sources suggest that additional work (reinforcement) on the panels has been required by the Mac maker.
For many, it is no longer a question of whether Apple will introduce the long-hyped tablet, but of when this will happen. Most bets are on a March release, with Apple being expected to introduce the device later this month, on a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Vendors such as Dell and HP have already shown to the world what they can do in terms of tablet computing. The latter has had the misfortune of having Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, demo its slate computer for less than a minute during a CES keynote, in what looked like a time filler for an overall unsatisfying keynote address.
Apple, however, is expected to surprise the world with a device that doesn’t just borrow key features from the iPhone and the MacBook. Softpedia is one of the many voices on the Internet upholding that an Apple tablet can’t just be an oversized iPod touch. With the countless published patents for some astonishing technological feats, the company behind the Mac operating system is likely gearing up to leave the world in awe again – just like it did with the iPhone.
If its existence is proven true, the tablet will likely gain immediate popularity not only thanks to the technologies it will employ, but also thanks to a passionate Steve Jobs (Apple CEO), who tops the list of candidates for introducing the new product.