Edible Apple

Somewhat unusually, Foxnews has entered the Apple rumor business. Citing, an inside source within Apple, Foxnews reports that Apple’s upcoming media event on January 26th will focus on “the mobility space”, which seems to imply that the event will focus on the iPhone/iPod or, of course, the rumored Apple tablet.

Last week the Apple blogosphere exploded with tablet rumors from a variety of sources, and when the dust settled, a number of sources hinted at a January tablet announcement to be followed by a late March or early April release date for the device. The Financial Times went so far as to report that Apple had already reserved a state at the Yerba Buena Center for the Artsfor an event to be held on January 26th.

And in keeping that rumor train chugging along, former Apple executive and current Google China president Kai-Fu Lee recently penned a blogpost stating that Apple will in fact begin shipping a tablet in January at a pricepiont below $1000. Citing an informed friend, Lee also states that the device will look like a larger scale iPhone, and will come in a 10.1-inch form factor, along with a built-in video camera, virtual keyboard, a capacitive touch screen, and an “amazing user interface.” Lee also writes that Apple expects to ship 10 million units of the device in 2010 alone.

Adding credibility to Lee’s assertions is that he has some solid connections to Foxconn, the company largely believed to be manufacturing Apple’s tablet/slate device. Lee runs a venture capital fund called “Innovation Works”, of which Foxconn is an investor. Also of interest is that Lee, in a previous life, spent 6 years at Apple as the VP of their Interactive Media Group where he helped oversee development of the Newton.