The 7- or 8-inch iPad Mini is one of those rumors that just keeps resurfacing, no matter how often it’s dismissed — it and the Apple TV. Somehow today saw three totally different sources all coincide to claim that yes, Apple is working on an iPad Mini.
The big one in this case is Bloomberg, who say:
The new model will have a screen that’s 7 inches to 8 inches diagonally, less than the current 9.7-inch version, said the people, who asked not to be identified because Apple hasn’t made its plans public. The product, which Apple may announce by October, won’t have the high-definition screen featured on the iPad that was released in March, one of the people said.
A Chinese source (via Unwired News) is claiming that it’ll run a Sharp IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) screen at a 7.85-inch form factor, and it’ll run $249-$299.
Finally, NPD DisplaySearch analysts talked to CNET, and they think a 7.85-inch version is in the works too, based on supply chain checks.
Now, any one of these reports individually I’d dismiss out of hands (well, maybe not so much the Bloomberg one), but all three at once? Over such a small time period? That’s a bit interesting. Maybe there’s enough smoke here to start thinking about something like a fire.
UPDATE: WSJ says so, too.
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An iPad mini is already being sold: It’s called the iPod Touch! An iPad mini would price the Touch right out of the market.
Well I think that apple will just let the touch die. If they made a 7 inch iPad, they COULD let he iPod die, also they HAVEN’T updated the touch in (I think) 2 years, they are going to replace it. I also think it’ll be the iPad 3s. S for small.
Comparison between a 7″ 16×9 Droid tablet and a 7.85″ 4×3 iPad is laughable. Not only are they not in the same size class, they shouldn’t even be used in the same sentence.