Reports that Apple is working on a smaller version of the iPad have been circulating for months, and the latest word is that the company will unveil the product a week from Tuesday, on October 23. The newest iPad is expected to fit into a large pocket, with a 7.85-inch display and an ultra-thin form factor. The most recent version of Apple’s iPad has a 9.85-inch display, and the iPhone 5 has a 4-inch display.
While Apple is not expected to pull out all the stops with a major media event as it did for the iPhone 5, it will certainly win some attention with a new iPad launch. And if the launch does happen on October 23, it will be well-timed to potentially take the spotlight off Microsoft’s Surface tablet, due to ship October 26. One version of the software giant’s tablet will run Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, also expected to become available around October 26.
Microsoft knows the stakes are high in the tablet wars. With tablet sales projected to exceed 126 million this year, and sales of personal computer falling for the first time since 2001, some analysts believe that within four years tablets will be outselling PCs. Personal computers have made Microsoft the world’s largest software company, but as momentum shifts to tablets, the Redmond company is almost certainly looking south to Cupertino with concern.
The Microsoft Surface has been called a “tabtop” — a cross between a tablet and a laptop computer. It will sport a 10.6-inch screen, making it a much more capable workhorse than Apple’s expected iPad Mini, and noticeably larger than the latest full-size iPad.
If it wants to take the shine off the Surface, Apple will need to continue making inroads into Microsoft’s territory, which is of course the workplace. Already, the iPad has emerged as a popular choice among executives, so Microsoft has some catching up to do.
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