7.85-inch

The Google 7-inch tablet is on the way, according to a fresh report -- the latest in a long line of reports dating back to the beginning of the year.

The tablet will hit the market in July, according to a Thursday report from DigiTimes. Shipments -- about 600,000 initially -- are set to begin in June, the Taipei-based publication claimed.

Asus is expected to manufacture the device.

NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET previously that a 7-inch Goggle tablet was in the works, though a June shipment date means that an original projection of an April production … Read more

The latest scuttlebutt about the rumored Google tablet makes the case with a lot more certitude. In fact, an Android enthusiast site goes so far as to say it's a "done deal," citing sources.

Let's get right to what that site, Android and Me, is claiming. The Asus MeMo 370T (see photo above)--which appears to be the template for the Google tablet--has been "scrapped after Google contracted with Asus to produce their 'Nexus tablet,'" the report begins.

Android and Me continues. "Earlier reports said the device would retail for $199-$249, but … Read more

Don't believe Apple will release a small tablet? Maybe not. But that hasn't stopped a constant trickle of reports citing Asia-based suppliers who are reportedly gearing up to make parts for the device in the third quarter of this year.

AU Optronics and LG Display will supply the 7.85-inch screen for the Apple device, according to Taipei-based Economic Daily News--that report was cited in the Macotakara blog in a post dated March 6.

Other suppliers listed in the original Chinese-language article include: Radiant Opto-Electronics and Forhouse, which will supply the backlight module; Renesas Electronics, which will make … Read more

Enough about the iPad 3 already. The first iPad to come in a smaller size is due for production in the third quarter, an Asia-based report says.

Apple is likely to begin production of a 7.85-inch iPad in the third quarter of this year, Taipei-based DigiTimes said, citing sources, in a story dated Thursday.

And the price? It could go as low as $249-$299, the report said.

Before Apple goes that low, though, an 8GB iPad 2 priced below $400 is expected on March 7, when the company also announces the iPad 3.

The 7.85-inch iPad report … Read more

A smaller iPad is undergoing tests, a market researcher says, adding fuel to rumors about a downsized Apple tablet.

"Smaller iPads...are still in the testing stage; whether or not these prototypes will enter mass production remains unknown," TrendForce, a Taipei-based market research and consulting firm, said today.

The impact of a small iPad would be felt mostly in 2013, TrendForce said. "If production ensues, the release time will possibly be in 4Q12, right before Christmas. With a smaller size and a resolution of 1024x768, as opposed to iPad 3's 2048x1536, the small iPad will not … Read more

Steve Job's protestations notwithstanding, the chances of Apple bringing out an 8-inch class iPad are increasing by the month.

CNET reported in October that Apple was looking into an iPad with a 7.85-inch screen. And reports emanating from the supply chain--the host of companies that make components for the iPad--have continued unabated. The most recent coming from the Wall Street Journal.

Naysayers immediately point to Jobs' comments way back in November 2010, when he seemed to summarily dismiss the notion of a smaller tablet.

"Apple has done extensive user testing and we really understand this stuff...There … Read more

What's Apple cooking up for 2012 and beyond? Look south to Austin, Texas, for an answer.

That's where Apple's component partner Samsung (and legal opponent in an alternate universe) has set up camp.

In fact, probably the single biggest reason that Samsung located its $3.6 billion chip plant in Austin is to make silicon for Apple, a chip industry source familiar with Samsung's plans told me this week (and as Reuters reported).

And that makes it easier to figure out the future course of Apple's products--because we know what Samsung has done so far … Read more

Will Apple ignore Steve Jobs' decree that anything below 10 inches won't cut it as a tablet? The supply chain seems to be indicating it will.

Apple is "likely" to launch a 7.85-inch iPad before the fourth quarter of next year, according to a report in Taipei-based Digitimes.

Now, why would Apple go against Jobs' wishes? "In order to cope with increasing market competition [from]...the 7-inch Kindle Fire...and the launch of large-size smartphones," according to the report.

Displays will be provided by LG and AU Optronics (AUO), the report said, citing sources. … Read more

Production has started on the high-resolution displays destined for the next-generation iPad, while Apple eyes a 7.85-inch iPad further down the road, an analyst told CNET today.

"It's happening--QXGA, 2048x1536. Panel production has started [for the next-generation iPad]. There's three suppliers," Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch, said in an interview today. Shim confirmed other reports that cite three companies, Samsung, Sharp, and LGD.

That Apple is sourcing the display from three suppliers underscores the challenges of manufacturing a 10-inch-class QXGA screen in high volume. "I would imagine there would be concerns about [adequate] supply given the resolution of the display but you've got three different suppliers at this point. They should have enough to launch the product," Shim said. … Read more