Apple to release a 7.85-inch iPad, says unknown Samsung exec

Apple has been rumoured to release a smaller iPad for months now. The size is expected to come in at 7.85-inches, a bit smaller than the current 9.7-inch iPad. Earlier today it was revealed by iSuppli that Samsung is “the sole vendor of the display for the 9.7-inch device”, so this latest iPad “mini”, or iPad “Nano”, rumour might have legs to it.

Apparently an unnamed Samsung exec told Korea Times that Apple is increasing the parts they are going to buy from them to $11 billion, up from $7.8 billion last year. The source stated that “The contract is expected to rise to $11 billion by the end of this year as Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, probably with a 7.85-inch screen, and to sell more of its MacBook Air PCs using Samsung’s faster solid state drive (SSD) storage”.

One of the reasons that Apple might be considering to launch a smaller iPad is to take on Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Yesterday, additional reports by DigiTimes suggested that Apple’s 7-inch iPad would come with a “slim bezel”, but “may not adopt Retina displays as in the recently released new iPads”. Rumoured price is between $249-299 USD.

For now, all rumours. The new iPad comes out this Friday.

Source: PhoneArena
Via: Korea Times & Engadget