It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the concept of an Apple tablet. It would be a great machine for commuting, allowing me to keep up with news and email on-the-go. New reports indicate that Apple may be close to releasing such a beast in 2007.

Citing sources in Taiwan Australia's Smarthouse claims that Apple researchers have built a fully working prototype of tablet Mac and three companies in Taiwan are bidding for a potential launch in mid 2007.

Quanta and Hon Hai Precision Industry (a.k.a. Foxconn Electronics Inc.) are Taiwanese companies that make notebooks and other devices for Apple. Both have signed confidentiality agreements with Apple for the Tablet Mac according to the report.

Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.