Apple to launch eight-inch iPad in 2012?

Though former Apple CEO Steve Jobs is consistently on record as belittling the idea that a tablet with a screen less than 10 inches is desirable, Apple is likely to launch a 7.85-inch iPad prior to the fourth quarter of 2012, DigiTimes argues.

That might be one of the first tangible examples of "post-Steve" thinking at Apple. As fastidious as Steve Jobs always was about every little detail of Apple products, it is impossible to conclude anything else.

Global shipments of tablet PCs are expected to reach 60 million units in 2011, of which 70 percent will be Apple's iPads.


Some might even argue that a seven-inch e-book reader is not actually a "tablet." There arguably some differences in lead applications, with e-books obviously weighted towards consumption of print style content, and larger tablets more optimal for video consumption and web browsing.

Some might argue that the apparent sales success of the seven-inch Kindle Fire from Amazon, and some might argue, large-screen smart phones, Apple might now think it has to have a product in the seven-inch to eight-inch form factor.  Apple to launch 7.85-inch iPad in 2012?