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A small 7-inch tablet that is rumoured to launch by Apple during the 3rd quarter of 2012. A Chinese website claims that the new mini iPad tablet is designed to target the same market that Microsoft aims to capture when it releases its Windows 8 tablets. Although nearly two-thirds of iPad users expressed a desire to buy a smaller iPad, the 7-inch tablet was pronounced as "dead on arrival" by former Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs. One of Job's concerns about a smaller iPad was the screen being too small to express the software.

If produced, the iPad Mini would be a stark shift in ideology for Apple as it has steadfastly used one form factor for most of its iDevice products. One size for the iPhone, and one for the iPad. Only the iPod line has multiple form-factors; the iPod Nano and iPod Touch.