9.7-inch

iPad Mini to bury 9.7-inch iPad in 2013, says DisplaySearch

The venerable 9.7-inch iPad will get buried by the iPad Mini in 2013, NPD DisplaySearch said today in a research note.

If January is any indicator it could be a pretty sharp shift. Shipments of 9.7-inch tablet panels (iPad) "collapsed," falling to 1.3 million in January from 7.4 million a month earlier, DisplaySearch said.

But 7-inch and 7.9-inch (many of the latter are the iPad Mini) panel shipments grew to 14 million from 12 million in the same period.

And it will get pretty lopsided for the whole of 2013, DisplaySearch said.

"… Read more

Don't discount Apple's interest in a smaller iPad, says analyst

Steve Job's protestations notwithstanding, the chances of Apple bringing out an 8-inch class iPad are increasing by the month.

CNET reported in October that Apple was looking into an iPad with a 7.85-inch screen. And reports emanating from the supply chain--the host of companies that make components for the iPad--have continued unabated. The most recent coming from the Wall Street Journal.

Naysayers immediately point to Jobs' comments way back in November 2010, when he seemed to summarily dismiss the notion of a smaller tablet.

"Apple has done extensive user testing and we really understand this stuff...There … Read more

Apple's iPad 3 to usher in pixel-packing tablets

Apple's next-gen iPad won't be the only new tablet design with lots more pixels. Market researcher DisplaySearch said today that the average pixel density of tablets will surge next year.

The forecast calls for the average resolution of tablet displays to grow to more than 200 pixels per inch (PPI) in the second quarter of 2012 (see chart above), according to David Hsieh, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch. Currently, displays average just shy of 150 PPI.

The transition to very-high-resolution 9.7-inch tablet displays will begin with a bang on the iPad 3's 2048x1536 display likely due in the first quarter of next year. This is expected to have a PPI of 264, twice that of the iPad 2.

DisplaySearch's Richard Shim said Apple will pretty much eat up all supply of the 9.7-inch 2048x1536 displays. (Note that 9to5Mac has found new references by Apple to next-gen iPads here.) … Read more

Analysts: 'iPad 3' display presents a challenge

Making tablets with a very-high-resolution display in large volumes is posing a challenge for Apple, according to analysts and an Asia-based report.

Two analysts contacted by CNET today said that they don't expect a new version of the iPad, dubbed the iPad 3, until next year because of high-resolution display supply constraints. And a report today from Digitimes made similar claims.

"We have heard that panel makers have had trouble manufacturing panels at efficient yields with the resolutions that Apple is requesting," said Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch. "There's even been discussion of lowering the resolution to get better yields."

A 9.7-inch tablet display with 2,048x1,536 resolution "has been under development for some time," Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, said in reply to an e-mail query. Alexander said iSuppli has built its projections on a 2012 introduction of an iPad with this kind of very high-resolution display. Apple's iPad 2, announced back in March, has a 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 1,024x768. … Read more

Beyond the iPad: 'White-box' tablet numbers explode

In the shadow of tablet titan Apple, a market for white-box tablets has sprung up, brimming with inexpensive offerings. But it may be short-lived, underscoring the importance of a holistic design, according to a market research firm.

In the wake of reports of supply shortages for 9.7-inch displays--the size Apple's iPad 2 uses--it may be the case that one person's shortage is another's market opportunity.

In a blog posted this week, market researcher DisplaySearch said there's been a "growing" market for tablets using panels "that have been passed over by Apple … Read more