An 8" iPad in the Works?

[dgstorm]

pbrauer from over at AndroidTablets.net brought us this little gem of a story. It may be primarily Apple news, but it makes for some interesting speculation about Android products too, and is worth paying attention too. Here is his piece below:

So, if Apple were to come too late to the table with an 8" iPad would Samsung paper-bomb them with restraining orders? The question may not be as odd as it seems. Rumors out of Taipei are talking about new test versions of the iPad circulating with an 8" form factor, significantly different from the standard 9.7" screen we have become used to.

Rumors from the region state that Apple is working with screen makers including Taiwan-based AU Optronics and LG Display and of South Korea to supply the test panels. If these devices make it to the market they would significantly increase the portfolio for Apple, falling in between the iPhone and iPad forms.
As a standard practice it is not uncommon for Apple to try a couple of different configurations out, and this would place the iPad directly in competition with the devices from Samsung and Amazon. No real details other than size are available, but it is definitely something to keep our eyes on!

By pbrauer

Source AndroidTablets.net via (Wall Street Journal, FoxNews)

[spillner]

Surprising considering they blew off the original Galaxy Tab because they said it was too small to be useful. What I suspect is Apple is going to try to take back the market share they lost by the Kindle Fire by offering a more limited version of the iPad. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually lowered the price but limited the app store and made it more of an eReader/movie/game player.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using DroidForums

[gadgetrants]

Surprising considering they blew off the original Galaxy Tab because they said it was too small to be useful. What I suspect is Apple is going to try to take back the market share they lost by the Kindle Fire by offering a more limited version of the iPad. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually lowered the price but limited the app store and made it more of an eReader/movie/game player.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using DroidForums

Another reason this makes sense is that it "saves face." Remember Jobs said 7-inch tablets are "DOA" (but he never said anything about THE 8-INCH FORM FACTOR! LOL):

Steve Jobs drops knowledge on earnings call: calls out Google and RIM, says 7-inch tablets are 'DOA' (Update: complete Jobs audio!) -- Engadget

-Matt

[SwiftLegend]

1.7 inches doesn't sound like a that big of a difference to me. On a phone, yeah it is because you're holding it generally with one hand, but on a tablet, you won't even notice the difference.

[spillner]

wait untill they release a 4" display on the iphone, it'll be ground breaking