Digitimes’ Joseph Tsai says Apple is reportedly set to launch an upgraded 9.7-inch iPad this summer, wirh device shipment volumes expected to increase starting September, according to a Chinese-language Apple Daily report citing sources from market watchers.
Tsai is skeptical of the paper’s claims, based on the fact that the current iPad is only a few months old, but he says the report can still be expected to ripple through the component supply chain and stir up other tablet PC OEMs and vendors trying to emulate Apple’s success with me-too products of their own design.
He notes that the alleged upgraded iPad is projecrted to feature indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) panel technology to facilitate an even thinner form factor and longer battery life, with panel supply will be shifted from Samsung to Sharp, according to the report.
Analyst Predicts 7.85-inch iPad mini For October
CNET’s Dan Farber reports that Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves believes Apple will introduce a 7.85-inch iPad in the fall with 8 GB of flash memory for $299, and sell 10 million of the minis by the end of 2012, notwithstanding Google’s new Nexus tablet that will sell for $100 less. Farber says Hargreaves also suggested that Apple will kill the $399 iPad 2, and replace it with a 16GB iPad mini for a similar price, and expects an October refresh of the current 9.7-inch new iPad.
