Foxconn, the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer who has often partnered with Apple to bring numerous products to the world, has now been rumored to have secured the contract to produce Apple’s new tablet device. 
DigiTimes reported this morning that Foxconn will be the sole manufacturer for the device, citing “market sources.” The device is expected to be for sale in the first quarter of 2010 or somewhere around this time, with an alleged initial shipment of 300,000 to 400,000 devices. No price was given in the report.
A key part in the report was: “The sources indicated they believe the tablet PC features will focus more on e-book functionality rather than music, and that based on Apple’s marketing strategy, long battery life, quick Internet connectivity and an easy-to-use user interface will be key features of the device,”. It also claimed that the device will sport a 10.6-inch display which would look great, and offered speculation that Foxconn may obtain panels for the tablet from its Innolux Display.
DigiTimes also reports that HP will follow suit shortly after with a similar product of its own in the second quarter of 2010 (why doesn’t someone get one in the market before Apple does? Surely this would be a smart idea?). Add to that the recent emergence of Microsoft's courier device that we don’t know much about, and we have what looks like the beginning of a brand new hardware product category….hopefully this will lead on to bigger and better things in the future!
Depending on Apple's price point, whether it intends to or not, I see this product and others like it eating away at the netbook's market share and may have a very detrimental effect on the market. In the end, I think the rumors we have all heard about the Tablet and other’s like it is exactly what people want in order to compete against a stylish netbook. But again as with most things in this industry, price will make all the difference, and if Apple tries to create a new niche for this product by pricing it out of the netbook market, it could have a hard sell on its hands so I say to Apple….think smart!