Amazon tablet coming into focus: Quanta reportedly lands orders

Amazon has reportedly placed orders with contract equipment manufacturers for tablets.

According to DigiTimes, Quanta Computer has received orders for a tablet device with peak orders expected to hit 700,000 to 800,000 a month.

It has been long rumored---and increasingly clear---that Amazon is going to launch a tablet to challenge Apple's iPad. The device is likely to run Google's Android operating system optimized for tablets. The parts have been cobbled together for months. To wit:

Amazon launched an Android app marketplace.
Amazon rolled out Cloud Drive and Cloud Player to store music and docs.
And the company has its Kindle apps, including one optimized for Honeycomb.

Put it all together and Amazon has the tools to deliver content to tablets---something other device makers such as Samsung, Research in Motion and others haven't been able to pull off.

Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps has argued that Amazon is one of the few companies that can give Apple a run. Meanwhile, Jason Perlow began arguing that Amazon will make a tablet splash last year.