MacRumors has stumbled upon an interesting bit of gossip via the Wall Street Journal — Apple has begun mass production of the rumored iPad Mini:
“Apple Inc.’s Asian component suppliers have started mass production of a new tablet computer smaller than the current iPad, people with knowledge of the situation said, as the Silicon Valley company tries to stay competitive against rivals such as Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. that are offering smaller, less-expensive alternatives to the iPad.
“Two of the people said the smaller tablet will have a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal display with a lower resolution compared with the latest iPad model that came out in March.”
Macrumors notes that this information comes hot on the heels of another rumor that mass production of the iPad Mini has begun in Foxconn’s Brazil factories. if this proves to be true, then the supposed October launch date for the iPad Mini seems more and more likely.
The iPad Mini, as it names implies, will be a smaller version of the existing iPad and will sport a 7.85-inch display. While a lot of users are expecting Apple to include a retina display with the device, there are some saying that what we’ll see instead is a Sharp-made IZGO display which would be more suitable for the iPad Mini’s thinner design. The device is also expected to come with 16 GB storage but it’s very possible that Apple will offer different options as well. As for price, rumors point to a price point between $200-300. This would allow the iPad Mini to compete with other 7-inch tablets like the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.
Do you think Apple has a winner with the iPad Mini? Will it take over the 7-inch table category as well? Discuss in the comments below!
[via Macrumors, Wall Street Journal]