According to the information forwarded in a December 28-dated blog post by an ex-Google China executive Lee Kai-fu, as many as 10 million units of the Apple tablet computer, which apparently is round the corner, will be shipped in the first year of release of the device.

Citing sources in-the-know, the blog post said that the still-unannounced, supposedly large iPhone-like Apple tablet computer – likely to be called ‘iSlate’ - will be priced below $1,000; and will feature a 10.1-inch multitouch screen boasting three-dimensional graphics.

The Apple tablet will essentially give its users a novel way of reading digital books and surfing the Internet. It would likely compete with the Amazon Kindle e-reader; and the low-priced netbooks from Acer, Hewlett-Packard, and Asustek.

Going by the buzz about the structure and functionality of the Apple tablet, the device would largely target a thus-far-unexploited market; and, as such, the 10 million unit sales projection in the first year appears to be a rather high estimate. The expected sales figures imply that the company is expecting the tablet device to sell almost two times the iPhone’s first year sales – which stood at over 5.4 million units.

About the iSlate sales projections, Enderle Group analyst Rob Enderle said: :It’s a pretty aggressive number for a class of product that’s not yet established, but if anybody could do it, Apple’s probably the one company that could!”