According to rumors initiated by a report from the Taiwanese news site InfoTimes, and other sources, Apple is supposedly working on a tablet netbook, which will likely be released later this year.

The InfoTimes report says that Apple has already placed orders for the components of the tablet netbook with quite a few hardware vendors. The reported device, which will function as a touch-screen tablet device, will feature a 9.7 inch screen.

Going by information coming forth from a source-in-the-know, Apple's rumored tablet netbook will be priced at $800, and will be made available as early as October. It is also being said that the $800 price point would make sure that sales of Apples' more economical products - the iPhone and the iPod - are not affected; more so as they offer most of the tablet netbook functionalities, but have smaller screens.

Seemingly, the rumored tablet would likely be Apple's 'mid-way product' between the iPhone/iPod and its notebooks - with the price tag being notably lower than Apple's current notebooks, as well as significantly fewer features, to ensure that professionals opting for the Apple notebooks, at present, continue to go with them in future too.

The tablet would most probably be aimed at enticing new categories of users - like the high-school and college students, who, thus far, have perhaps not been able to meet the expense of Apple's products!