Apple begins iPad mini production, claims Wall Street Journal | The Verge
The Wall Street Journal is this morning citing sources from within Apple’s supply chain in asserting that the company has begun production of a new tablet device, which is smaller than its 9.7-inch iPad. Two of the informants claim the new device’s screen measures 7.85 inches diagonally — affirming what Bloomberg reported in August — with LG Display and AU Optronics having started manufacturing the LCD panels for it last month. The resolution on this purported new slate is said to be lower than on the latest iPad, but that’s to be expected given the 2048 x 1536 Retina resolution on the bigger tablet.
With a lower resolution and smaller physical size, the widespread expectation for any new iPad model is that it will fill out Apple’s range against the aggressively priced Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 slates from Amazon and Google. Of course, the rumored size here is marginally bigger than those 7-inch tablets, and Apple’s eventual price can also probably be expected to be at least a little bit higher.
