Apple has reportedly confirmed LCD suppliers for a rumored “iPad Mini” which the rumor mill says will be released in the second half of 2012. This latest tidbit comes courtesy of Taiwan news outlet Liberty Times.
CNET:
Citing the usual, vague “market rumors” but also a report from Japanese securities firm Macquarie, the Liberty Times said the iPad mini could start shipping by the end of the third quarter with a goal of 6 million units.
That 6 million is the same number projected last month by Chinese online portal Netease.
The report claims that LG and Au Optronics have already passed Apple’s certification tests to provide LCD panels for the tablet. According to the report, both are working to ship the panels for production of the smaller iPad.
Japanese blog site Macotakara says TPK Holdings will produce 4 million backlight modules, and Chimei Innolux will provide an additional 2 million. The tablet’s touch sensor would be made by Nissha Printing.
Other rumors say the 7.85-inch iPad will not feature a Retina display as we’d hope. They say Apple may stick to the resolution numbers of the original iPad, (768 X 1024), to cut costs and preserve profit margins, even at a lower sale price.
This is just the latest in a series of rumors that Apple will unveil a 7-inch iPad later this year. Barclays has carried reports of evidence of an iPad mini in the supply chain, while others have reported that the small tablet would offer 8GB of storage and sell for $200. Other reports have placed the price range at $249 to $299.
These rumors come as the iPad received a bit of competition, no matter how slight, from the Amazon Kindle Fire, the 7-inch Android tablet released last year. Apple has remained the runaway leader in tablet sales, with a projected market share of around 61 percent for this year.
While Apple has watched it’s tablet market lead erode in the face of the onslaught of Android tablets, is it ready to release a smaller iPad in order to strike a blow against its foes, both large and small? Will they follow a trend, instead of setting one as they usually do? Will they go for value instead of innovation with the smaller device?
We’ll all have to wait to find out the verdict, but while we wait, what’s your opinion readers? Will there be a smaller iPad? Will it have a Retina display? How much RAM will it have? How many question marks is a writer allowed to use in a paragraph? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
