Apple looking at building an 8-inch iPad, says WSJ

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple is thinking of redesigning its iPad to broaden its market base and compete with players like Samsung and Amazon.

The company has been sharing design ideas with its manufacturing partners, claims WSJ.

Apple’s iPad is one of the most popular devices the world over but smaller, cheaper tablets from Amazon and Samsung have been slowly chewing away the company’s market share. Apple is looking at a smaller tablet design to maintain its dominant position among buyers.

A redesigning strategy has worked well for Apple with its line of iPods and will probably work just as well for the iPad.

It was the late Steve Jobs who was against tablets with smaller screen sizes as he felt that the iPad 2’s 9.7-inch screen was the smallest that could support quality apps. With his demise, it looks like the company has started thinking a bit differently.

Apple’s suppliers told WSJ that Apple was in the process of qualifying suppliers for a newly designed tablet with a screen size of 8-inch.

According to a source, the new device will have a similar screen resolution to the iPad 2 and AU Optronics Co. and LG Display Co. are in line to supply its test panels.

Apple is expected to launch the next generation iPad 3 next month and given the rumors about its specs, it will probably hog the high-end tablet market as soon as it is released.

Another iPad unveiled with a smaller screen will surely be no less welcome, especially in emerging markets like India and China, where it can effectively compete against the Galaxy Note and the Kindle Fire.