Asus has reportedly won the contract to manufacture Apple's upcoming Intel-based iBook - aka the MacBook - which will be the first consumer-oriented notebook from the vendor to incorporate a widescreen display.

So claimed Chinese-language newspaper the Commercial Times today, according to the AFX news service. The report suggests Apple will ship the product in June - a year on from its announcement of the move from PowerPC processors to Intel chips, incidentally. The notebook will sport a 13.3in display.

Rumours that Apple was planning such a machine surfaced in December 2005, though at the time it was expected to debut early this year. It was alleged the 13.3in model will replace the current 14.1in iBook. The 12.1in iBook will evolve into a 12.1in MacBook. The 13.3in screen was said to have a native resolution of 1,280 x 720 - sufficient for 720p HD content.

Widescreen iBooks first hopped on the rumour mill in April 2005, when Taiwanese industry insiders claimed Quanta had won the manufacturing deal. The following June, it was claimed by Taiwan's Chinese-language newspaper the Economic Daily News that Asus - aka Asustek - had be given the contract.

A 17in MacBook Pro will also be announced in June, according to reports earlier this year. ®