Apple’s iPad Mini Already In Production: Wall Street Journal

By: Kevin Green  |   October 6th, 2012   |   Apple, News, Tablets

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has reported that Apple’s suppliers in Asia have commenced production of a new tablet device. The device is rumored to be smaller than the current iPad and is a move by the California maker of the iPhone and Mac computers to take on other manufacturers like Google and Amazon who have made big progress in the tablet market with their smaller devices. Many manufacturers see tablets as the future of computing and competition for the space is toughening. Even though Apple has dominated the space historically, clever competitors have divided up the marketplace by giving consumers a lot of choice and price points. Apple introducing a new device will undoubtedly have interesting results.

 

The iPad2 costs $499 and may be too expensive for many buyers. That is why competitors like Google launched the 7-inch Nexus 7 device at $199. Amazon recently announced that it would be selling the brand new similarly-sized Kindle Fire tablets at $159.

 

According to the WSJ, the new Apple tablet will have a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal touch screen, which is a significantly smaller than the original 9.7 inch iPad screen, and will also have lower resolution than the iPad. The WSJ has also confirmed from its sources that Apple part suppliers like South Korea’s LG Display Co. and Taiwan’s AU Optronics Corp. have already started production of the screens for the new device.

 

The rumor about the smaller device had been circulating for some months now and previously AllThingsD had stated that Apple would put the new tablet on sale in October (TQ was on it).

 

Observers believe that the new smaller tablet is Apple’s attempt at keeping up with a market which is evolving fast. The smaller devices have found a consumer base that wants to pay less for a similar device that is easier to hold and transport. Apples latest expected tablet should be able to meet those demands and more and bring a whole new segment of clients to the innovative company.

 

Source: iPad In Canada

Photo: Pocket Lint