According to an article on Reuters, a few Taiwanese manufacturers are starting production of parts for the Apple ereader/tablet (rumored to be named iSlate) starting in February.  This may set up a launch date sometime in the second quarter.

The cover/case likely will be produced by AVY Precision Technologies, Inc. and the touch screen panel by Wintek Corp and TPK Solutions, all Taiwanese companies.

The sources for the information didn’t want to be named and Apple hasn’t provided any confirmation that the device even exist.  The information is likely control leaked by Apple and adds to the suspense of the mythical ereader device.  Stay tuned as the drama unfolds!

Check out our comparison table to see how the Apple iPad tablet, Kindle and other ebook readers compare with each other.