After a week of leaks showing us components from the iPad 3, we now find out the classic rumor that comes back every once in a while to haunt us: there might be an extra 7 inch tablet launched by Apple once the iPad 3 is announced. The iPad mini has been discussed by experts for a long time now and now a Technology Business Research analyst is sure that we’ll see two new products at the new iPad event.
These products are a new case accessory with integrated keyboard and the smaller 7 inch iPad. Last I heard, Steve Jobs was against 7 inch tablets during his life, when he planned future strategies for Apple. He thought that their keyboards were very cramped and that 7 inch was not enough for a proper PC-replacing experience. Meanwhile, Amazon Kindle Fire achieved success with this format, eating into Apple’s tablet market share. So, if Apple wants to do something about that pesky rival, beating it at its own game sounds like a solution.
Previous reports said that this new iPad mini would actually use a 7.85 inch display and that it would have the same specs and resolution as the iPad 2. What do you make of all this rumors and speculations? I, for one, having seen how much Apple held on tight to the 3.5 inch iPhone diagonal doubt that they’ll be giving up the 9.7 inch format too soon…
