Despite Steve Jobs's repeated avowals to the contrary, reports persist of a smaller form-factor tablet. The latest spate of rumors take a new tack on the idea, however: rather than being a small iPad, the new 5- to 7-inch device might in fact be a large iPhone, sized to compete with not only small tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the BlackBerry PlayBook, but also larger smartphones like the Dell Streak.
Ming-Chi Kuo, the Concord Securities analyst formerly with the Taiwanese publication DigiTimes, told AppleInsider that Apple is looking into a mid-sized iOS device that it would bring to market possibly as soon as fall 2011. With a screen somewhere in between 5 and 7 inches, Kuo said he was "not sure" if the new device would released as a small iPad or a large iPhone/iPod touch. A separate report by a ... [Read More]