Apple (AAPL) has rehired Michael Tchao, one of the original designers of the Newton personal digital assistant, the New York Times reported Tuesday, in another possible sign that Apple is preparing to launch a tablet-like computer. 

Tchao will be with the Cupertino, Calif.-based company as vice president of product marketing, the Times reported, citing an Apple spokesman. 

Tchao was part of the original development team that created the Newton PDA, which was considered groundbreaking for its handwriting-recognition technology but lacked the sales to be successful. After leaving Apple, Tchao was with Nike's (NKE) Techlab, which designed armbands and sneakers that integrated with Apple's iPod music device. 

Apple has been long rumored to be working on a PDA or tablet-like device, which has been a product genre that has had limited success in the marketplace so far. However, Apple has a long track record of developing products that are eventually adopted by the general populace -- the iPod and iPhone being the most recent examples.