The only major innovation in the new iPad (or iPad 3) may have been the retina display making an appearance in the larger form factor, but we may have an 8″ surprise coming later in the year if an unnamed source at Samsung is to be believed.
Samsung already gets a reported $9.7 billion from Apple for being the supplier of the chips and screens for iPhones and iPads, but that number is expected to rise to $11 billion by the end of the year. This increase, according to the unnamed South Korean source is mostly due to the future availability of a smaller 8″ iPad Mini that will come with a 7.85″ display from the company. If this is true then it is a sign that Tim Cook’s Apple is ready and prepared to contradict Steve Jobs who was on record noting his belief that 7 or 8″ is too small to be beneficial as a tablet whilst too big to fit in your pocket.
Samsung (Galaxy Tab 8.9) and more famously Amazon (Kindle Fire) are selling good numbers of smaller form tablets already, so maybe this is a case of Apple following consumer demand rather than generating it. One thing is certain, however, and that is that the already very strained relationship between Apple and Samsung will be stretched even further with the leak – upcoming products are secrets Apple normally tries to keep very, very close to its chest.
[via PC Advisor]