7.85

The gears could start to turn as early as this month for the production of a smaller iPad.

Production of the 7.85-inch display slated for use on a smaller version of the iPad should begin in August, an analyst told CNET.

"We expect panel production to start in August, with production ramping up to high volumes (more than a million units per month) in the fourth quarter," said Paul Semenza, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, in response to an e-mail query.

Semenza said this is DisplaySearch's "understanding of the activity for the 7.85 [inch] … Read more

The Google 7-inch tablet is on the way, according to a fresh report -- the latest in a long line of reports dating back to the beginning of the year.

The tablet will hit the market in July, according to a Thursday report from DigiTimes. Shipments -- about 600,000 initially -- are set to begin in June, the Taipei-based publication claimed.

Asus is expected to manufacture the device.

NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET previously that a 7-inch Goggle tablet was in the works, though a June shipment date means that an original projection of an April production … Read more

The latest scuttlebutt about the rumored Google tablet makes the case with a lot more certitude. In fact, an Android enthusiast site goes so far as to say it's a "done deal," citing sources.

Let's get right to what that site, Android and Me, is claiming. The Asus MeMo 370T (see photo above)--which appears to be the template for the Google tablet--has been "scrapped after Google contracted with Asus to produce their 'Nexus tablet,'" the report begins.

Android and Me continues. "Earlier reports said the device would retail for $199-$249, but … Read more

Don't believe Apple will release a small tablet? Maybe not. But that hasn't stopped a constant trickle of reports citing Asia-based suppliers who are reportedly gearing up to make parts for the device in the third quarter of this year.

AU Optronics and LG Display will supply the 7.85-inch screen for the Apple device, according to Taipei-based Economic Daily News--that report was cited in the Macotakara blog in a post dated March 6.

Other suppliers listed in the original Chinese-language article include: Radiant Opto-Electronics and Forhouse, which will supply the backlight module; Renesas Electronics, which will make … Read more

Enough about the iPad 3 already. The first iPad to come in a smaller size is due for production in the third quarter, an Asia-based report says.

Apple is likely to begin production of a 7.85-inch iPad in the third quarter of this year, Taipei-based DigiTimes said, citing sources, in a story dated Thursday.

And the price? It could go as low as $249-$299, the report said.

Before Apple goes that low, though, an 8GB iPad 2 priced below $400 is expected on March 7, when the company also announces the iPad 3.

The 7.85-inch iPad report … Read more

A smaller iPad is undergoing tests, a market researcher says, adding fuel to rumors about a downsized Apple tablet.

"Smaller iPads...are still in the testing stage; whether or not these prototypes will enter mass production remains unknown," TrendForce, a Taipei-based market research and consulting firm, said today.

The impact of a small iPad would be felt mostly in 2013, TrendForce said. "If production ensues, the release time will possibly be in 4Q12, right before Christmas. With a smaller size and a resolution of 1024x768, as opposed to iPad 3's 2048x1536, the small iPad will not … Read more

Steve Job's protestations notwithstanding, the chances of Apple bringing out an 8-inch class iPad are increasing by the month.

CNET reported in October that Apple was looking into an iPad with a 7.85-inch screen. And reports emanating from the supply chain--the host of companies that make components for the iPad--have continued unabated. The most recent coming from the Wall Street Journal.

Naysayers immediately point to Jobs' comments way back in November 2010, when he seemed to summarily dismiss the notion of a smaller tablet.

"Apple has done extensive user testing and we really understand this stuff...There … Read more

A wave of new iPad rumors broke Wednesday night. As usual, some are more credible than others.

First, Let's address the most credible information circulating out there centered on the screen and battery.

Screen: High probability that a QXGA, 2048x1536 display-toting iPad is coming, Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch, told CNET on Thursday, reiterating, in part, what he said earlier. "They started making the panels in November. In the first quarter, they're going to do about 8 million," he said. Suppliers include Sharp and LG Display.

Apple is also expected to tap IGZO (indium gallium … Read more

What's Apple cooking up for 2012 and beyond? Look south to Austin, Texas, for an answer.

That's where Apple's component partner Samsung (and legal opponent in an alternate universe) has set up camp.

In fact, probably the single biggest reason that Samsung located its $3.6 billion chip plant in Austin is to make silicon for Apple, a chip industry source familiar with Samsung's plans told me this week (and as Reuters reported).

And that makes it easier to figure out the future course of Apple's products--because we know what Samsung has done so far … Read more