We’ve been hearing rumors of this sort for quite some time, but now Digitimes has apparently confirmed its development. The smaller, cheaper iPad mini won’t have a 7-inch screen, per se, as they’re going with a rather unconventional 7.85-inch panel. They’re also saying that the bezel will be significantly slimmer, possibly resulting in a footprint that is no bigger than a 7-inch tab like the BlackBerry PlayBook.

To keep the iPad mini in the $249-$299 range, the display won’t be of the Retina variety, but there’s a good chance that it’ll still have at least a rear-facing camera. This will put the iPad mini at a slight premium over the Kindle Fire, but it should offer the full iOS experience. That’s something people are willing to pay for. I doubt they’d introduce an iPad nano after that, since that’s basically the iPod touch.

[ Source ]

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According to a report published by CNet, Pegatron Technology, one of the leading manufacturers of Apple’s iPad, has already begun filling the iPad 3 orders, the device which is rumored to be released in March.

The new report also indicates that Pegatron Technology will be producing anywhere from 7 Million to 10 million iPad 4 units as well. This is according to a report published on the DigiTimes. According to the Rumor mill “Apple plans to launch the iPad 3 this coming March and then come back for another round in October with the “iPad 4,” where Apple will ship them with “killer applications”.

If there are going to be 2 iPad models launching in just one year, we can be sure of one thing; the first model of iPad to come out will not see many changes.  As we reported earlier, iLounge reportedly got their hands on what is supposed to be the next iPad and in that report it has been made clear that the next iPad to come out will not be much different when it comes to looks. So it seems that the next iPad will be iPad HD or iPad 2S bringing only an upgraded processor, better camera, more RAM and storage capacity, we’re not sure about the Retina Display on this one.

It would be very hard to predict what the iPad 4 will look like or what sort of hardware changes it will bring along. But we will try to take a shot at it anyway. The iPad 4 (or whatever it will be called) will probably feature all the enhancements that iPad 3 will have but probably will have a Retina Display powered by A6 Chip, more RAM, LED Flash? All that wrapped in traditional aluminum unibody with a slightly redesigned look.

Only time will tell if 2012 will be the year of 2 iPad releases.

[ Source ]

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Simulated broken display on 1st gen iPad

Other specs we can speculate on for the iPad 2G (if that is what they call it) will be a thinner form factor, front-facing camera, retina display, higher cpu clock speed, more memory and some liquid metal love. I can’t see Apple doing too much more than that with the next iPad, the company doesn’t deviate too far from what is available, they just do it the “Apple way.”

Photo: Fix-iPhones

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Concept: A 6" iPad Nano next to a 6" Kobo

The Apple iPad has only been on the market for less than a week and it hasn’t even launched in Canada yet, but that hasn’t stopped a Digitimes analyst from predicting the future of the platform. While the iPad is bigger than the iPhone, it seems that we could be getting an iPad nano too.

According to a senior analyst at Digitimes, Apple is planning to release a smaller version of the iPad that will boast much of the same functionality, but in a smaller form factor. More specifically, they anticipate that the so-called iPad nano to have a “5- to 7-inch display.”

The target market here is for people who will be using the iPad nano primarily for reading, just as the iPod nano is more about music than it is video. Digitimes says that Apple will keep the entry price south of $400, enticing more consumers who may have otherwise skipped the pricier (full-sized) iPad.

With a six-inch display, the iPad nano would then be closer in size to the regular ebook-reading Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle. The expectation is that this smaller iPad will hit store shelves in Q1 2011.

In related news, the HP Slate is rumored to be launched in the middle of 2010 and manufactured by Inventec, according to Digitimes source.

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