Speculation on an Apple tablet PC heated up on the Web Monday as Taiwanese news sources reported that the Mac maker has placed orders related to the device with manufacturers.

The tablet is scheduled to make its debut in October and will have a 9.7-inch touch screen built by Wintek, according to InfoTimes. The Apple enthusiast site MacRumors posted a translation of the article.

Along with Wintek, Apple has placed orders with Foxconn and Dynapack, InfoTimes reported. The tablet is expected to sell for about $800, which means it would not compete with netbooks, popular mini-laptops from companies such as Acer, Asustek, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo that sell for less than $500.

Industry watchers have been speculating for some time that Apple would eventually release a Mac tablet. In May, Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster said he expected Apple to release such a computer in the first half of 2010.

At 9.7 inches, the Apple tablet's screen would be roughly a half-inch less than many netbooks, which typically have displays of 10.1 or 10.2 inches. The touch screen, however, would make the Apple device much different and would be a key driver behind the higher price.

Apple, which competes in the more profitable high end of the PC market, has said it won't offer a computer that would compete in price with netbooks, which have proven popular among cash-strapped consumers in the current economic recession.

Netbooks accounted for nearly a fifth of all laptops shipped in the first quarter of this year and have posted double-digit growth while shipments of traditional laptops and desktops have fallen.

Analysts have said that a Mac tablet could prove popular among people looking for a computer that's easier to carry around than a laptop. However, the device would need to support a full-size keyboard, which would not have to be attached, but could be used through a Bluetooth wireless connection, some analysts say.

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