Apple has plans to introduce mini iPad: report
While Apple has never hinted about a 5-inch or 7-inch iPad, rumors about a pocket-sized Apple tablet have long been swirling.
The latest rumors about Apple’s plans to build a pocket-sized tablet emerged from China. Citing anonymous “reliable sources”, the latest edition of "As the Apple Turns" reported that a manufacturer is developing Retina displays for Apple’s potential smaller tablet.
Eric Jou of Kotaku reported that Chinese site NetEase had claimed that the Cupertino firm would launch a mini iPad in the third quarter of 2012 to contest potential Windows-based tablets.
According to Jou, the cost of Apple’s mini tablet would be put under $300.
Macotakara reported that 2013 would be the year of a smaller tablet that would come equipped with a display resolution of 1,600 x 960 pixels or 1,280 x 960 pixels.
The idea of a 7-inch iPad appears to have originated from an iLounge report in 2009. Citing an anonymous source, that report claimed that Apple had developed a number of models of the iPad, including a 7-inch version, which was dismissed by Apple’s former CEO Late Steve Jobs as being too small.
Apple’s latest tablet, the new iPad, features a 9.5-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels.
