Apple's rumoured Macintosh tablet device could bring the company revenues as high as $1.25 billion, according to one noted Apple analyst.

Gene Munster, analyst at Piper Jaffray, suggested that the device, which he estimates to arrive early next year, could account for up to three per cent of the company's 2010 revenues.

Munster estimated that the device would cost $600 retail and serve as a mid-point between the iPod touch and the MacBook notebook model. The analyst estimated that the company could sell up to two million of the tablets over 2010, accounting for some $1.25bn in total revenue.

The tablet device, according to Munster, would be similar in function to the iPod touch and would run on a variation of the iPhone OS. The analyst suggested that the tablet would primarily focus on web and media-viewing features and would use the company's App Store to deliver software to the device.

An Apple tablet has been rumoured to be in the works for more than a year. The company has long contended that it was not ready to get into the growing netbook market, saying that such low-cost systems lack the quality which the company desires in its offerings.