iPad mini being tested by Apple, according to Taiwanese analysts

If Apple’s decisions were based on a democratic vote of analysts and rumormongers, then we would know with 100% certainty that an iPad mini is on the way. Though if that were the case, you would also, at this very moment, be using your iPhone 5 to flip through channels on your iTV, while sending a text from your 3G-enabled iPod touch. Rumors of an iPad mini could be bogus, but they keep coming nonetheless.

The latest analyst to weigh in is Taipei-based TrendForce, who believes that an iPad mini may be coming just in time for the 2012 holiday season. TrendForce says that the device is currently in the testing phase, which may or may not lead to an actual product release.

TrendForce believes that such an iPad mini would have a resolution of 1024×768. This would be equal to the resolution of the first two iPads (which would give it a higher pixel density), but would be dwarfed by the expected 2048×1536 in the iPad 3. Previous rumors have said that it would sport a 7.85-inch display.

The researcher goes on to predict that Apple will continue to dominate the tablet market in 2012. It attributes this to advancements to the iPad 3, which the competition won’t be able to keep up with. TrendForce’s biggest concern about the iPad 3 is the low yield of those high-res Retina Displays; it wonders if Apple will be able to produce enough of them to keep up with worldwide demand.

It’s hard to say if we should put any stock in this. Analysts’ predictions are often based on supply chain sources, but they are at least as often nothing more than guesses. Even Apple may not yet know its plans for an iPad mini, but the prospect of the smaller tablet continues to be a favorite subject of the rumor mill. You can interpret that however you’d like.

via CNET