With iPad Mini rumors beginning to pick up once again, The Wall Street Journal now reports that mass production has now officially begun for the new, smaller iPad, noting that it is still on track for release later this month.
Asian suppliers for Apple Inc. have started mass production of a new tablet computer smaller than the current iPad, executives at component makers said, as the Silicon Valley company tries to stay competitive against tablets from rivals such as Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.
The report backs up expectations that the iPad Mini will include a 7.85-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 768. The report also backs a report from Bloomberg stating that displays began production last month, and are being produced by LG and Au Optronics.
Pricing is still a mystery for the iPad Mini, although it is thought, and has been suggested by numerous credible sources that it will be priced somewhere between $199 and $299.
The iPad mini is expected to be as thin as an iPod touch, and feature a narrow bezel, and is expected to be launched later this month for between $200 and $300 (1, 2). It will likely resemble a smaller version of the iPad 2.