The 9.7-inch iPad has been and still is a huge success. Only 10 countries currently officially have the iPad in stores. Nine more will follow this month, but according to DigiTimes Apple has ordered 5.6 and 7 inch OLED-screens at Compal Electronics. This could be an indication that we can expect two smaller iPad versions in the future. And that future seems to be very near as rumors claim these new iPad models will be released during the fourth quarter of this year.
The sources noted that Apple has recently placed new iPad orders to Taiwan-based component makers for the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011 with 9.7-inch, 5.6-inch and 7-inch models all included.
The 9.7-inch model will see some minor changes, while Apple will add Chimei Innolux (CMI) as one of its panel suppliers.
The new 5.6- and 7-inch iPads will mainly target the e-book reader market, separating them from the 9.7-inch model, which mainly targets multimedia entertainment, the sources stated.
At the same time, DigiTimes casts some doubt on the rumors, because there’s an OLED-screen shortage. Samsung, the biggest OLED-screen manufacturer, can’t even keep up with demand from its own product lines. HTC even started replacing OLED for normal LCD-screens, because of that shortage. It also remains to be seen if Compal is interested in producing the new iPads given the scant profit margins.
