Apple may have turned its nose up at the netbook market , but that doesn’t mean it’s ignoring the void between its $400 iPod touch (32GB) and $1,000 MacBook. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes Cupertino will launch a touchscreen tablet, priced in the $500 to $700 range, in the first half of 2010. Rumors of an iPod-like tablet have been swirling for months, with some speculating that Apple is developing a large-screen iPod touch—say, a 7- to 9-inch touchscreen device—that would be large enough for HD movies and maybe a few desktop-style apps. Such a device would provide a better gaming experience than the iPod touch too. But please don’t call it a netbook, a bargain-bin class of laptop that Apple execs have dissed as “junky.” There’s no smoking gun in the latest report, but it does appear as though Apple is up to something. As reported by CNN , Munster’s sleuthing led him to conclude that an Apple tablet is only months away. The signs include: Apple’s recent interest ...