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The rumoured Mac Tablet could be worth around $1.2bn to Apple, according to a technology analyst.
Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster said in a research note that the device will have widespread appeal, according to Apple Insider.
He predicts that as many as two million devices would be sold in its first year. Munster also suggests that it will retail for around $600 (£360) and launch during the first half of 2010.
"Last week we spoke with an Asian component supplier that has received orders from Apple for a touch-screen device to be fulfilled by late ’09. This data point underscores our thesis that a tablet will likely launch in early 2010," Munster wrote.
He also predicts that the device will be more like a larger iPhone than a MacBook tablet. "Apple could choose to simply run the current App Store apps on the larger device, with enough usable space for multiple apps to run.
"Key apps, like Safari and Mail, could be made larger to make use of the larger screen resolution, making Apple’s tablet appealing for more extended use, and the company could continue to leverage its primary asset in mobile computing, the App Store, in this scenario.
"We believe this is the most likely scenario given the success of the multi-touch platform and the App Store ecosystem, which could be accelerated with a tablet device."
