Apple tablet rumours gather pace

Speculation regarding an Apple tablet computer has intensified. The Financial Times claims that the company is set to launch the product in September or October, with built-in access to electronic books as well as Apple's iTunes music service.

Numerous recent reports have pointed to a tablet or similar device coming soon from Apple. It is said to have a touch-sensitive display up to 10in in size and to be based on the same operating system as the company's popular iPhone handset.

The Financial Times report claims that Apple is aiming to launch the tablet to capitalise on the lucrative Christmas buying season.

The device will be offered with new content deals that will allow it to compete with electronic book readers such as Amazon's Kindle, according to sources quoted by the paper. It will also have access to Apple's iTunes music download service.

Apple has previously stated that it is not interested in producing a Mac netbook, but current rumours suggest that the new device will be more akin to the ultra-mobile PC concept unveiled by Microsoft several years ago, with access to the internet via a Wi-Fi connection rather than a 3G cellular network.

Estimates of the price for the Apple device vary between $600 (£365) and $1,000 (£607), making it costly compared to most current netbook models.

However, Apple's iPhone has already become one of the most popular smartphone models on the market, despite carrying a higher price tag than many rival devices.

At the time of writing, Apple had not responded to requests to confirm or deny the details of the Financial Times story.