Apple iSlate Tipped For Q2 With Aluminum Casing

Apple's iSlate tablet – long the subject of rumor – may have found its GPU in Imagination Technologies POWERVR SGX545 and be headed for a January 27th unveil, but according to insiders it'll only go on sale in Q2 2010.  Reuters claim two "sources familiar with the situation" have tipped AVY Precision Technology as supplying aluminum casings for the iSlate as of February 2010, while a third source has fingered TPK Solutions as joining Wintek as a touchscreen panel provider.

"Production of the cases will begin in February, so everything points to a second-quarter launch right now.  It doesn't take that long for the company to assemble the PC together, but a second-quarter shipment date is what we're looking at now" unnamed source

No design details about the iSlate casings have been revealed, aside from the fact that they're made from aluminum.  That could be left shiny and polished, like the back of an iPod touch, or brushed to a matte finish like a MacBook.  Since a camera and wireless connectivity have been tipped for the iSlate, we're guessing there'll be at least one patch of plastic somewhere on the rear of the tablet.

Right now rumors are still bouncing between 7-inch and 10-inch panels, and we're still not entirely sure what size Apple will eventually be announcing nor even whether they've one device or several planned.  CES 2010 has been filled with touchscreen tablets, prompted in no small part by the urge to cash in on what many manufacturers see as Apple-fuelled hype.

[Thanks Phil!]