Going by two recent reports, by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, the much-awaited Apple multimedia tablet computer, which will probably be introduced later this month, will 'likely' begin shipping in March.

Citing inside sources in-the-know, the WSJ report also said that the Apple tablet will feature a 10-or-11-inch touchscreen, and will be available in two different finishes. The report further added that though the device will probably hit the stores in March, the shipping dates are yet to be finalized.

Meanwhile, the longtime Apple analyst Munster has been updated by a components supplier from Taiwan that the Apple tablet - which most Web sites say will be called 'iSlate' - will features a
10-inch touch display on which users will be able to read newspapers and books, play games, watch movies and TV, and use the Internet.

Munster added that the tablet, which will be bigger than the iPhone but smaller than a laptop, will be "a combination of e-book reader/Web-surfing device/e-mail/video player." Munster further said that the functionality of the tablet will be enhanced by third-party applications, which will "really let it rip."

Noting that Apple is in talks with some book publishers about proposals to distribute content, Munster projects that as many as 2 million units of the tablet will be sold during the first year of the device's release.