The Economic Daily News, a financial newspaper out of Taiwan, is reporting that Apple is prepping the iPad Mini for a holiday launch. Their inside information comes directly from the Taiwanese supply chain which will be producing the components and assembling the device. According to its sources, the touchscreen for the 7-inch Apple tablet will be supplied Cando Corporation and the IPS display will be supplied by Chimei Innolux, the world’s fourth largest LCD display manufacturer. All the components will be assembled by Compal, a popular notebook manufacturer whose clientele includes Dell, Fujitsu, and HP. This news come hot on the heels of a similar report from Digitimes Research senior analyst Mingchi Kuo who cited sources within the component industry for his prediction of the iPad Mini.
The idea of an iPad with a smaller form factor is not new. Hints of the production of a 7-inch and even a 5-inch Apple tablet have been floating around since the initial iPad rumors hit the rumor mill last year. This consistent stream of rumors suggests that Apple has been designing the iPad with alternate screen sizes from the inception of the product. Recently, the rumors of the iPad Mini have increased and include specific information on the suppliers and manufacturers involved in the production of this device.
In the natural cycle of rumor and product development, this increase in chatter is usually the pre-cursor to a product launch. All signs, hazy as they may be, point to an end of the year or early 2011 launch. Anyone buying it this time?
[Via PC World]