It is just over a week since the iPad launched in the US. However, we are already hearing rumors of Apple working on an iPad with a different form factor.
According to reports on Taiwanese publicationDigiTimes, Cupertino might launch a mini iPad as early as the first quarter of 2011.
In a brief article today, DigiTimes Research senior analyst Mingchi Kuo is reported to have unearthed information about the "mini iPad" which will focus on the eReader market and could be targeted at users who may not have a great need for interactive browsing. DigiTimes reports:
"Kuo, citing talks with upstream component sources, said Apple's smaller-size iPad will be priced below US$400 and will target the highly-portable mobile device market and consumers that focus mainly on reading and do not have a high demand for text input."
The report further states that the mini iPad could come with a display measuring between 5 and 7 inches.
There are already speculations following the launch of iPad that Amazon might be dropping the price of its smaller 6-inch Kindle eReader to $150. By offering a cheaper and smaller tablet device that is customized to the needs of the ebook reading population, Apple may be in a better position to take on competition in this segment.
I personally prefer the size of the iPad (9.7 inch screen) for consuming digital content and wouldn't prefer a smaller sized iPad.
How about you? Would you buy a mini iPad?
