The rumors about the forthcoming Apple tablet, that have been making rounds for quite some time, have been substantiated by a Friday report from AppleInsider that says device is being readied for early 2010 launch!

Going by the latest AppleInsider claims, “people well-respected by AppleInsider for their striking accuracy in Apple’s internal affairs” have confirmed that a tablet device – apparently to be an “oversized iPod Touch - would likely be launched in the first quarter next year.

Reaffirming the earlier this year reports from the Wall Street Journal, AppleInsider said that the Apple CEO Steve Jobs has personally been overseeing the tablet development process. Furthermore, the AppleInsider confirmation about the tablet also endorses VentureBeat’s last week report that Apple-acquired chip company PA Semi is working in two teams - one on iPhone and iPod chips, and the other on a tablet device!

About the tablet, AppleInsider writer Kasper Jade said in a post: “AppleInsider has observed silently as the project was reset at least a half-dozen times over the past 24 months. However, the past six months have reportedly seen the critical pieces fall into place. Jobs, who’s been overseeing the project from his home, office and hospital beds, has finally achieved that much-sought aura of satisfaction. He’s since cemented the device in the company’s 2010 roadmap, where it’s being positioned for a first quarter launch.”