Apple Inc expects to ship 10 million tablet computers in the device’s first year of release, former Google Inc Greater China president Lee Kai-fu (李開復) wrote on his Web log, citing a friend familiar with the project whom he didn’t name.
The Apple Tablet will be released by Apple chief executive officer Steve Jobs next month and sell for less than US$1,000, according to the post dated Dec. 28. The device will feature a 10.1 inch multi-touch screen with 3D graphics and look like a large iPhone, Lee wrote.
Lee left Google in September to start Innovation Works (創新工場), a Beijing-based technology fund with investment from WI Harper Group (中經合集團) and Foxconn Technology Group (富士康), whose flagship Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海集團) is the world’s largest electronics manufacturer and supplier of Apple’s iPhone.
“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,” said Rob Enderle, an analyst with Enderle Group in San Jose, California.
A tablet device could provide the Cupertino, California-based maker of the iPhone and Macintosh computers with a fresh source of revenue, offering digital books and portable Internet connectivity. Amazon.com Inc offers a Kindle electronic book reader, while Acer Inc (宏碁), Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) and Hewlett-Packard Co sell low-cost netbooks.
“The guys that have sold the most netbooks have been Acer, Asus and Hewlett-Packard, and it could pull some demand from them,” Enderle said.
Sherry Huang, Lee’s secretary at Innovation Works, confirmed the blog post was his but could not verify the accuracy of its content.
Lee didn’t immediately respond to e-mail queries. Jill Tan, a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for Apple, didn’t answer calls to her office or cellphone yesterday.
Apple’s shares have more than doubled this year to US$211.64 on the NASDAQ Stock Market as of 4pm New York time yesterday. Of 44 analysts tracked by Bloomberg, 38 recommended investors “buy” the stock, two analysts had a “sell” rating and four advised “hold” on Apple shares.
Apple offers music and software through its iTunes online store, supplementing sales from its computers, music players and phones. Software downloads for Apple’s devices grew 51 percent last month from November, according to research firm Flurry Inc.
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