Apple Inc. may be manufacturing up to four million units of a seven-inch version of its iPad tablet starting September, a Taiwan-based tech site reported.
DigiTimes cited sources in the supply chain who said the supply volume for the 7.85-inch iPad is in preparation for the holiday buying season.
"The sources pointed out that the supply chain already started supplying a small volume of 7.85-inch iPad in June with a monthly volume at around several hundreds of thousand," it said.
Apple has been rumored to be making the smaller iPads to compete with smaller and cheaper tablets like the Kindle Fire.
DigiTimes noted rumors in the IT market showing Apple will launch its 7.85-inch iPad in October with a thinner screen frame.
This will allow the new iPad to have a bigger display area than other competing products.
Also, the mini iPad is expected to have a resolution similar to that of the iPad 2.
DigiTimes also said the device is being priced at $299, way above the $199 of Amazon and Google's 7-inch tablet PCs, but added its sources expect the smaller iPad to "create a strong impact on the two devices." — TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com