Apple suppliers have started production of a smaller version of the popular tablet, a report in Wall Street Journal has indicated.
The
report also cited sources familiar with the matter to confirm that the
iPad mini will sport a 7.85-inch display.
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.
The report comes a day after a report in Fortune indicated that Apple will unveil the iPad mini at a special event to be held on October 17. According to Fortune, Apple will send invitations for the special event by October 10, and the smaller iPad will go on sale on November 2.
The
7-inch tablet scene has plenty of activity off-late, especially since Google's $199
Nexus 7 tablet proved to be a smash hit. Amazon responded by
upgrading its Kindle Fire tablet to match the Nexus 7 on price as well as features. Apple's iPad mini is not expected to take on the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD 7" head-on in terms of price, and may be priced around the $249 mark instead.