AUO reportedly tapped to supply displays for Apple's rumored 7.85-inch iPad

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014


A new report claims Apple is lining up suppliers for a 7.85-inch iPad, and that the company recently inked a deal with AU Optronics to provide displays for the rumored device.



Monday's report from the Chinese-language Economic Daily News ( Google Translate) is the third in five days to claim that Apple is planning to release a so-called "iPad mini" in the third quarter of this year. On Saturday, a leaked document from Samsung Securities indicated Apple planned to release a "new 7-inch product" later this year.



And last week, DigiTimes also claimed that Apple will begin production of a 7.85-inch iPad in the third quarter of 2012. It was said the device could be priced between $249 and $299.



Monday's report sided with on screen size, saying the 7.85-inch panels will be supplied by AU Optronics as well as LG Display. Apple will, however, exclude its rival Samsung from supplying displays, the report claimed.



LG is expected to provide Apple with between 70 and 75 percent of the displays for the rumored "iPad mini," while AUO will supply the remaining components. Backlights for the alleged device will be supplied by Radiant and Forhouse, the report said.











Finally, the Chinese newspaper also claimed that production of the 7.85-inch iPad will be handled by Pegatron Technology. That would be a shift for Apple, as most of its devices, including most iPads, are currently assembled at Foxconn, but Apple has recently come under fire for its partnership with the company.



While most claims of a smaller iPad model have come out of the Far East, last month The Wall Street Journal joined the fray and reported that Apple was testing a new iPad with an 8-inch screen, smaller than the 9.7-inch display currently found on Apple's touchscreen tablet. The smaller device is rumored to have a screen resolution similar to the current iPad 2.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 88
    aestivalaestival Posts: 74member
    Well, that rumor's perfectly believable -- can't think of more than a million reasons why Apple would flee China as a production center, if they were to drop Foxconn. And who better to predict such trends than a Chinese publication that's knee-deep in the Chinese business world?



    Thanks though for clearing up where the small-screen rumor was coming from -- could someone please start a rumor about the "iPhab"? I need a few more laughs than the Chinese industrial complex can afford
  • Reply 2 of 88
    brutus009brutus009 Posts: 356member
    I'd love to have an iPad, but I've already got a sweet Macbook Air so it's hard to justify. Show me a $300 iPad and I'm sold.



    And before anyone directs me to the refurb page, no, I'm not going to buy an old iPad 1 or 2.
  • Reply 3 of 88
    techboytechboy Posts: 183member
    Let's assume this smaller ipad is "true"...How can Apple possibly price this thing so it doesn't compete with ipod Touch and used market iPads 1-2???



    ipod touch = $199~

    used ipads = $300~

    NEW ipad = $500~



    Anyone else see a problem here with this small ipad? Would some people want 7-in ipads? Sure! SOME!!! It's the same group of people claiming Amazon Fire is a contender to iPad a few months ago. Look at where Amazon is at now? Still only attracting mostly ebook-focus readers... No doubt, ebooks are hot and bring a lot of money to the table, but I don't think Steve Jobs vision starts or ends with ebooks. Jobs vision with post-PC tablets is meant to become our daily multi-purpose tool...form-factor and design is critical to making this tool functional and not just look good in your hands.... and if true, this smaller ipad would be post Steve Jobs biggest mistake by his core group of executives.
  • Reply 4 of 88
    shaun, ukshaun, uk Posts: 1,050member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aestival View Post


    Well, that rumor's perfectly believable -- can't think of more than a million reasons why Apple would flee China as a production center, if they were to drop Foxconn. And who better to predict such trends than a Chinese publication that's knee-deep in the Chinese business world?



    Doesn't Pegatron also manufacture in China? I think this has more to do with not putting too much of your manufacturing in the hands of one company (Foxconn), which also helps to stimulate a little price competition between suppliers. I've noticed over the past few years that supply chain leaks in the end tend to be the most reliable source of future product information.



    I've no idea why 7.85". Seems too close to the current 9.7" iPad but I'm sure there is a reason. Maybe instead of a genuine tweener device this is just a slightly smaller iPad with a lower price to compete with the Kindle. Same principle as the they do with the MacBooks - 13" versus 15", etc.
  • Reply 5 of 88
    aaargh!aaargh! Posts: 20member
    Apple has said multiple times that a 7-inch screen is too small for tablet apps.



    If Apple is indeed shopping around for 7.85" screens, it could be a completely new product. What if the Apple TV will come with a 7" touchscreen remote control ?
  • Reply 6 of 88
    bearbear Posts: 27member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aaargh! View Post


    Apple has said multiple times that a 7-inch screen is too small for tablet apps.



    There are 2 arguments against 7" being too small. the first is iPhone/iPod Touch and the second is that higher resolution displays are now available.

    Quote:

    If Apple is indeed shopping around for 7.85" screens, it could be a completely new product. What if the Apple TV will come with a 7" touchscreen remote control ?



    This is an interesting observation. And guess what, Apple would therefore be making a 7" iPad for the remote, so why not sell it separately as well to get volume higher and reduce costs?



    I would be interested in a 7"ish iPad.
  • Reply 7 of 88
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Techboy View Post


    Let's assume this smaller ipad is "true"...How can Apple possibly price this thing so it doesn't compete with ipod Touch and used market iPads 1-2???



    ipod touch = $199~

    used ipads = $300~

    NEW ipad = $500~



    Anyone else see a problem here with this small ipad? Would some people want 7-in ipads? Sure! SOME!!! It's the same group of people claiming Amazon Fire is a contender to iPad a few months ago. Look at where Amazon is at now? Still only attracting mostly ebook-focus readers... No doubt, ebooks are hot and bring a lot of money to the table, but I don't think Steve Jobs vision starts or ends with ebooks. Jobs vision with post-PC tablets is meant to become our daily multi-purpose tool...form-factor and design is critical to making this tool functional and not just look good in your hands.... and if true, this smaller ipad would be post Steve Jobs biggest mistake by his core group of executives.



    Why would Apple care about the used market when pricing their products? Have they ever shown even the slightest consideration for that?



    What you should have in your "pricing model" is separate prices for iPad 2 and iPad 3 since there is an expectation that both will continue to be on sales after the iPad 3 is released. I doubt Apple will price the iPad 2 with any consideration of the used market, either.



    I could see that Apple keeps both models in production and then at a future point in time they replace the iPad 2 with a smaller model. Not saying they will have a smaller iPad, but that's how they could approach the release such a device.
  • Reply 8 of 88
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Load of bollox
  • Reply 9 of 88
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aaargh! View Post


    Apple has said multiple times that a 7-inch screen is too small for tablet apps.



    And do you think Apple has always followed it's own public statements? What Apple says in those statements really can't be viewed as anything other than marketing. Every company says their products are the best and their competitor's products are lacking in some respect. That's all those statements were, and yet so many people take it as gospel just because Steve said it.



    - nobody reads anymore --> we now have iBooks

    - the shuffle doesn't need buttons --> the buttons are back

    - you don't need Firewire on your laptop --> less than a year later the ports were back



    Apple sometimes changes it's mind about things. Some statements may be intentional mis-direction. But it's all about marketing your current products, not about what the future products might be.
  • Reply 10 of 88
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member
    I wish they could make a bigger tablet. I saw an Asus 12" tablet this week-end and liked it.

    I would buy a bigger tablet if its as thin as the ipad 2.



    Maybe in a few years.
  • Reply 11 of 88
    aaargh!aaargh! Posts: 20member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bear View Post


    There are 2 arguments against 7" being too small. the first is iPhone/iPod Touch and the second is that higher resolution displays are now available.



    Steve Jobs addressed both points in the 2010 earnings call:



    Quote:

    If you take an iPad and hold it upright in portrait view, and draw an imaginary horizontal line halfway down the screen, the screens on these seven-inch tablets are a bit smaller than the bottom half of the iPad’s display. This size isn’t sufficient to create great tablet apps, in our opinion.



    While one could increase the resolution of the display to make up some of the difference, it is meaningless unless your tablet also includes sandpaper, so that the user can sand down their fingers to around one-quarter of their present size.



  • Reply 12 of 88
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Load of bollox



    Agreed. This is more about spreading FUD prior to the release of the iPad 3.



    Now one day there might be a smaller iPad, but it is just as likely here might be a bigger one. I for one would like a full A4 sized iPad. But the market for a bigger iPad would be smaller than the current size. And as all the smaller iPad imitators have amply demonstrated, a 7 inch tablet is less popular than the current iPad.



    Now, there are no doubt people who think a 7 inch would be the right size, so why not? On the other hand, it might be too hard for Apple to find the right niche (including price points) between the iPod Touch and the Ipad. On the gripping hand, why not just sell a lower price iPad 2?
  • Reply 13 of 88
    About time.
  • Reply 14 of 88
    carmissimocarmissimo Posts: 837member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Techboy View Post


    Let's assume this smaller ipad is "true"...How can Apple possibly price this thing so it doesn't compete with ipod Touch and used market iPads 1-2???



    ipod touch = $199~

    used ipads = $300~

    NEW ipad = $500~



    Anyone else see a problem here with this small ipad? Would some people want 7-in ipads? Sure! SOME!!! It's the same group of people claiming Amazon Fire is a contender to iPad a few months ago. Look at where Amazon is at now? Still only attracting mostly ebook-focus readers... No doubt, ebooks are hot and bring a lot of money to the table, but I don't think Steve Jobs vision starts or ends with ebooks. Jobs vision with post-PC tablets is meant to become our daily multi-purpose tool...form-factor and design is critical to making this tool functional and not just look good in your hands.... and if true, this smaller ipad would be post Steve Jobs biggest mistake by his core group of executives.



    On Wednesday Apple will be in a position to offer two basic grades of iPad. The current technology with minimal tweaks can comfortably hit the $399 price point and a new iPad with a higher resolution can come in at $70 north of the current model.



    So if Apple offers a $399 iPad and already sells a Touch line that spans the range of $199 to $399, what is the fit for a smaller iPad. How many consumers, given a choice between a smaller iPad or a tweaked iPad 2 at roughly the same price point, would prefer the smaller unit. My guess is not many. Compare them back-to-back and the smaller unit is DOA.



    The Touch, especially if it gains a moderately larger screen, appeals because it is pocket-friendly. An 8-inch iPad not.



    What I think these rumours are supposed to do is slow down sales of the new iPad in that if some consumers think an 8-inch unit is coming, they might be inclined to hold off on a purchase just in case the different size is more to their liking. It is highly suspicious that these rumors have been fired up just before the next iPad is about to be announced.



    There is another problem. No one believes any more that Apple would bring out a new iPad in March and then a another new version in the fall. Clearly Apple is updating this product once a year. So if you're in the business of generating rumours, in order to encourage readers to take an interest, you have to make it seem plausible that a new product is coming later this year. Hence such a product needs to be conjured up, even if none exists.



    Apple has no reason to develop a smaller iPad. The company has argued that the iPad is the right size for a tablet and has the sales success to prove it. If there was a compelling 8-inch tablet threatening the iPad, that would be different. Where is that threat and with the iPad 2 soon to be available for around $400, where is that threat going to come from.



    Consumers are willing to settle on the iPad in the millions so, as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
  • Reply 15 of 88
    Same rumor being repeated.
  • Reply 16 of 88
    conrailconrail Posts: 489member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aaargh! View Post


    Apple has said multiple times that a 7-inch screen is too small for tablet apps.



    But the iPod Touch isn't?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aaargh! View Post


    If Apple is indeed shopping around for 7.85" screens, it could be a completely new product. What if the Apple TV will come with a 7" touchscreen remote control ?



    Now THIS makes sense. A Kindle sized touch screen remote would be awesome, especially if you could integrate other equipment with it, like an AMX system.
  • Reply 17 of 88
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


    I've no idea why 7.85". Seems too close to the current 9.7" iPad but I'm sure there is a reason.



    Because it's the size of the Kindle Fire and some folks think that Apple needs to be making a product to compete with the Fire. Despite the fact that the iPad already beats it in sales several times over.



    Also, Digitimes has a zero track record for being right and this is an old rumor that hasn't been true for two previous years. Add to this that Jobs said that a 7 inch size was too small for a tablet and folks are better off believing that this is a free press stunt to benefit the companies name dropped rather than a bonafided leak.



    If Apple makes something in the 5-7" range it will probably be towards the low end and be either a larger iPod touch to go with the current or more likely to replace it as a game focused item. NOT an iPad.
  • Reply 18 of 88
    carmissimocarmissimo Posts: 837member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post


    But the iPod Touch isn't?









    Now THIS makes sense. A Kindle sized touch screen remote would be awesome, especially if you could integrate other equipment with it, like an AMX system.



    Truth is, the Touch is too small to be ideal but there is a point to the compromise. You can pocket a Touch and so you can take it with you in situations in which the iPad couldn't work.



    I think the touch can stand to be a little larger and still address that need. The bigger the better as long as you can still reasonably pocket the device.



    I hate the small screen on my Touch but I use it a lot and it is something that slips into my pocket and provides something to tinker with on my lunch. If it was bigger, all the better.
  • Reply 19 of 88
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    If Apple makes something in the 5-7" range it will probably be towards the low end and be either a larger iPod touch to go with the current or more likely to replace it as a game focused item. NOT an iPad.



    Yet filling the same purpose. Aren't you arguing semantics more than asserting that Apple would never offer such a size at all? Apple might call it an iPod, but users (and the press) would still call it a tablet. The fine distinction between the two would be lost on buyers.
  • Reply 20 of 88
    carmissimocarmissimo Posts: 837member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    Yet filling the same purpose. Aren't you arguing semantics more asserting that Apple would never offer such a size at all? Apple might call it an iPod, but users (and the press) would still call it a tablet. The fine distinction between the two would be lost on buyers.



    The Touch is a tablet. I don't agree, though, that it's strictly semantics. I think it valid to refer to a product with let's say a 4.75-inch screen a revised Touch and not an iPad. It is a different class of device to be used in different scenarios. They would be companions not variations of the same theme. Owning both would make sense. On the other hand, a 7-inch tablet would represent an alternative that is dramatically inferior to either in some important areas.
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