Report: Steve Jobs Is 'Hands-On' With Apple Tablet

Rumors of a supposed Apple tablet have run rampant in the past few months. The speculation has cut a wide swath of possibilities: a 10-inch music and video-focused entertainment tablet with 3G connectivity; a 6-inch entertainment tablet resembling an overstuffed iPod Touch; a larger touch-screen tablet with a Mac OS baked in; and even maybe an Apple netbook tablet, though Apple has firmly denied that it can't hit the sub-$500 netbook sweet spot without the hardware being a piece of junk. There are also some reports that Apple is prepping two tablets, not just one.

While what type of touch-screen tablet Apple has up its sleeve is debatable, the Apple tablet has become the technology industry's worst-kept secret. And now, reports have surfaced indicating that Steve Jobs is directly involved in its production.

Even before his medical leave from Apple, Jobs was reportedly poring over every last detail of the upcoming Apple tablet, sources told The Wall Street Journal . Jobs also reportedly killed development of the Apple tablet twice over the years, once because of poor battery life and another time due to issues with internal memory capacity, the Journal reported.

The Wall Street Journal's report jibes with a report last month from popular Apple-focused news site AppleInsider that Jobs and Co. have been working on an Apple tablet for roughly four years and the process has been riddled with setbacks.

The report continues that since Jobs' June return from medical leave he has been more hands-on with the Apple tablet and his return to Apple has been "jarring" for tablet developers.

Jobs, however, refuted what was said by the Journal's source. In an e-mail to the newspaper, Jobs called the source's comments "incorrect," though additional details weren't provided.

"Those working on the project are under intense scrutiny from Mr. Jobs, particularly with regard to the product's advertising and marketing strategy, said one of these people," The Wall Street Journal reported. "The people familiar with the matter declined to give details on the tablet or disclose when the device would come out."

The rumored Apple tablet is expected to be released by the end of this year or in early 2010, according to various reports. Some Apple watchers speculate that the Apple tablet could be unveiled as early as a Sept. 9 event the company has planned for San Francisco, while others say that there will be no mention of an Apple tablet come Sept. 9.