Report: Apple factories gearing up production of a 7-inch iPad mini

Between the upcoming Kindle Fire Coyote and Google's soon-to-be-available Nexus 7 tablet, the market for 7-inch tablets was already white hot. But those two headlining tablets are about to have some major competition from the company that propelled the genre to the mainstream: According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple's factories in Asia are gearing up to churn out new, smaller, 7.85-inch iPads.

This is the first well-sourced rumor we have confirming that Apple indeed has decided to go through with manufacturing the pint-sized version of its popular 9.7-inch iPad. Previous rumors had Apple creating a prototype 7.85-inch iPad with a 1024 x 768 screen.

News that the factory is gearing up to create the iPad minis suggests that the tiny tablets may be available soon, perhaps in time for the holiday season. Apple itself has not commented on the report.

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

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