7-inch iPad tattle churns through Taiwanese rumor mills
By Thomas Ricker 
posted August 17th 2010 7:04AM
posted August 17th 2010 7:04AM
The 7-inch iPad rumors are suddenly hot and heavy. In the last few weeks, we've seen a series of reports claiming that Apple was working on a smaller iPad (or bigger iPod touch?) set for release between the end of 2010 or early 2011. A DigiTimes piece, sourcing its own "analyst," claimed that the device would be making a jump to the Cortex A9 processor core, 512MB of RAM like the iPhone 4, and a 1,024 x 768 pixel IPS panel -- the same resolution as the 9.7-inch iPad giving the new model a better pixel density. Now we've got Taiwan's Economic Daily News saying that Chi Mei will join LG in supplying the new 7-inch IPS panels with AUO joining Sintek to provide the digitizer. EDN also claims that either Compal or Pegatron may join Foxconn in the assembly. Remember, even with hints of a new iPad model in Apple's own code this is all just rumor for now. Besides, we're still waiting for those Xbox 360 Blu-ray drives that the Economic Daily News assured us were coming in Q3 of 2008.
Seems the devils come to collect from Apple, the transactions don't seem that smooth anymore
Steve's army's not giving up without a fight
@Zylam
Their market was always guys with "big pockets" .. Donno how they will manage to fit this larger iphone -smaller ipad in anyones pocket...?!
iPad rumours on engadget.
It begins...
@Zylam
I would have rather a 5 inch so it's more pocketable.... 7 inches is still not something I can just slide into my pocket.
@Zylam So will this be a device between an iPhone/iPod and an iPad?
@Plazmic Flame Might as well not get the 5 inch one, it's too big for comfortable use... it seems only useful for either a small pocketable device or something large enough at 9.7 inch which doesn't strain your eyes
@Plazmic Flame Americans are getting fatter and fatter so soon 7inch + pockets will be the norm.
@TheRealCJ
Amidst all of the complaints I heard when the iPad debuted, (usb ports please, no sd slot?, not a full OS?, etc), "It's not small enough" isn't something you heard thrown around. Why would Apple pick this to change?
@sakz
What are you talking about!
Apple fanboys keep their tech longer than you pc winnies. And by just by looking at the sheer amount of pc shit sold compared to Apple's swag the pc folks spend way way more than the Apple folks over a long period of time.
But let's be fare, with all that cheap ass pc shit cluttered all over the place folks out there are stupefied when they see Apple's prices.
But Apple's stuff is worth it.
@pspitts
And by just by reading your comment my brain hemorrhages just a little bit more
@Plazmic Flame
That's what she said!!
I couldn't resist.. Sorry. No offence meant..
@steel Apple will drop 10 inch ipad, replace with 7 inch, charge same price thus increasing margins...and Apple fans will buy it saying it's so much better than the 10 inch.....
@TheRealCJ Troll comments from haters. It continues....
@steel
Don't forget the camera!
Windows pad is the king
@liuweneg huh... what....?
@Billy i've seen it, it really is a nice apartment.
@Killing Time
^ LOL!
Ok, so it's like the Streak, but not a phone (and slightly larger), Like the iPad but smaller, and still too big for my pocket?
eh?
@Herbaceous Border Patrol
Also, vote yes on Blu Ray / xbox mashup.
I'll just file that right next to the courier in 'my other favourite hardware that Microsoft won't ever release' shall I Mr. Ballmer?
lmao oh boy that bluray for xbox.... I still see used stores selling HD DVD disks
I honestly don't see why this needs to exist. Make it significantly smaller, or don't bother.
@Pryomancer
Agreed if anything they should make a bigger iPad about 10 inches + with a kickstand. Actually thinking about it if you made it say 32 inches with a stand and called it iTV...
@Pryomancer You mean like iPod Touch/iPhone ... jajajaja
@Aku Exactly, they probably thought the original iPad was the largest they could go, so they won't make it bigger. Any smaller and it's an iPod. This just seems like an attempt to get more sales.
@fais An iCanvas then...?
@Pryomancer It's an attempt to compete with the imminent Samsung Galaxy S 7" Tablet (and all the other 7" tablets about to surface, even Dell have a bigger streak on it's way). Apple would be stupid to just have a 10" device and nothing else!
@Pryomancer
Attempt to get more sales? Shocking, isn't it?
If they get the price right then eBook readers will be finding it hard to be competitive.
Pointless device is pointless.
I just can't work out... why? Why, why, why?
@samiles
so it's more pocket friendly - duh
/sarcasm
@Wiggy Fuzz
Lol. I mean, where will it end?! How soon before we have a iPad in every size?! 1inch, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ad infinitum.
@samiles
For real. This one is hurting my head. The best I can come up with is that the more iOS SKUs they have, the more apps they sell.
It's much, much more likely that this is fake.
make a larger ipod, then make it smaller - innovation!
Not gonna happen, not now, not ever. Just like the iPhone nano rumors. Why would apple mess with a hit product by creating another product which is less features-dedicated? The Streak is identity-less and in no-man's land with that size screen.
@TomSawyer Here's the thing. What is one of the constraints on supply at the moment is the 9.7 inch screen. By adding a smaller model they can ship more product while the competition is still trying to work out what to do. If the price is significantly cheaper then there will be nowhere for the competition to make a profit. Just a thought.
@TomSawyer
Yep, thats what I say. Apple will not make this product. It would mess up with their apps big time.
3 different screen sizes? come on, whos gonna buy that moronic information?
Apple love consistency, and to come out with another sized iPad would not be what Apple does best...
@cornelp If it has a screen with the same resolution as the current iPad, which the rumor did say it would not mess with their apps... It would use the same iPad specific apps or the doubled iPhone apps, currently there are three screen resolutions supported in iOS and adding another ris not that big of an issue, sure it might add ten more lines of code to the app I am working on but that is also no big deal...
@TomSawyer
I'll take a $250, 5-inch iPad
@Plazmic Flame and what are you going to do with it?
Behold...the iPad Nano!
@Bioran23
Also known as an iPod Touch
I dont buy it. Apple is known to keep their trends quite well, and it would be pointless to resize a device that was JUST released and still cant be found on the shelves.
Also, they would now have to have 3 different apps due to screen size, and we all know Apple like consistency and this aint one of em...
Bogus info...
@cornelp
Did you not read the article? It will have the same resolution as the current iPad, so there is not another resolution to worry about.
@jonschu
still not gonna happen. If they actually release this thing, I'll buy you one. Scout's honor.
@jonschu Screen size and screen resolution is 2 totally different things. Did you actually read MY statement?
Apple is NOT known for messing around with 10 different same-level devices. They just dont.
Why would Apple come out with a 7 inch device when they have a 9.7 inch already? There is no point to it. As a company, you would start to separate your products across many varies of ability, and thats NOT what Apple is about.
Apple is about consistency and quality. Simple...
@cornelp
Before you ask if anyone read your statement, you need to go back and learn about screen resolution. It doesn't matter if this device is 5'' or 12 if it has the same screen resolution it can use the same iPad apps.
Maybe this one will have a camera! Revolutionary!
I'll buy 4!
The iPhone 4 uses a variant of the Cortex A8, not the A9. The iPhone 4 uses a cut-down version of the Samsung Hummingbird core, which is based off of the A8 architecture.