I’m not sure an iPad mini makes sense, but the scuttlebutt going around today is that we’ll see a 7-inch version of the Apple tablet in time for the holidays.
Chinese-language “Economic Daily News,” a financial newspaper, says Taiwanese companies are starting to assemble a 7-inch iPad. The publication — whose story was translated by the IDG News Service (http://macosg.me/2/q3) — says Chimei Innolux will supply 7-inch LCD screens, while touchscreen technology for the “iPad minis” will come from Cando Corp. Compai Electronics will assemble the devices, says “Economic Daily News.”
I may not think a 7-inch iPad make sense, but Kit Eaton of “Fast Company” (http://macosg.me/2/q4) does. “A 7-inch iPad would appeal to a slightly different audience than the 9.7-inch unit for two reasons: Size and price,” he says. “Some folks would find its reduced bulk more convenient (if you’re a habitual hand-bag user perhaps). Other users would find the smaller screen of this mid-sized system less convenient than the bigger iPad’s, but of course they’d be able to buy the larger unit. The lower price–which is an assumption, but a reasonable one–would make the iPad “mini” more competitive in the soon-to-be-crowded tablet market, and would place it in financial reach of many millions more consumers.”
— Dennis Sellers