Following much date-guessing from bloggers and Apple fans about when the highly rumored “Apple Tablet” would debut, now a top industry analyst predicts it will debut next year.

Frank Gens, chief analyst at IDC, said it’s a “no-brainer” that it will be released in 2010.

“There’s enormous appeal in sizing up the iPhone/Touch for a variety of applications and activities that people already use those devices for but would jump at the chance to have a larger screen — watching videos/movies, reading books/magazines/newspapers (it would take a big bite from the Kindle), surfing the Web, videophone, and online gaming. Look for Apple’s “iPad” by year-end 2010.”

The Apple Tablet is rumored to look like a larger version on an iPod Touch.

Industry insiders estimate the tablet might retail for anything between $800 and $1,000.

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