Less than a year after hitting the market at an exceptionally low $199 price point, Google's Nexus 7 mini tablet is causing an uproar among early adopters who complain the device is already beginning to fail with frustrating lag and frequent periods of unresponsiveness.
A new report out of East Asia claims Apple will begin mass production of the fifth-generation iPad in July or August ahead of a third quarter launch, while the ramp-up for the next iPad mini has been pushed back to November.
In another 16 markets, users of Apple's iPhone 5 and LTE-enabled iPads will now find that their devices are able to access much greater speeds, as AT&T has taken its 4G LTE coverage live in more areas across the U.S.
Led by devices with screens smaller than 8 inches, tablets are expected to surpass notebook PC shipments this year to become the predominant non-smartphone mobile computing platform.
Due to a combination of seasonality and heightened competition from Android device makers, shipments of Apple's iPad may see a year-on-year drop for the first time since debuting in 2010, says KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple on Friday slashed prices for certified refurbished fourth-generation iPad and iPad mini models, with savings going up to nearly $150 in some cases.
While a report about Apple supplier Pegatron this week claimed demand for the iPad mini has been softening, the company's CEO has revealed in a follow-up that he said nothing of the sort.
Coming on the heels of a prior report regarding the production timeline of Apple's second-generation iPad mini, analyst Richard Shim from NPD DisplaySearch now claims that display suppliers like LG could start mass production of the rumored tablet's screens as soon as next month.
While customers waiting for Apple to launch a Retina display-toting iPad mini may have to hold out until the third quarter, one analyst believes the company is already preparing a third-generation device set for debut in the first quarter of 2014.
Samsung on Monday announced its new third-generation Galaxy Tab, a modestly equipped 7-inch tablet with a 3G-enabled variant that will also double as a phone.
AT&T-based users of Apple's iPhone 5 and LTE-enabled iPads will soon find their data access speeds greatly increased in a number of markets, as the carrier announced on Tuesday the expansion of its 4G LTE network to 79 new areas.
In an Office action filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week, the attorney examining Apple's "iPad mini" trademark withdrew their primary objections to the application, saying only a disclaimer clarifying the mark's use of the term "mini" is needed in order to move forward.
Google is reportedly working on a successor to the Nexus 7, one aimed at taking the fight back to both Apple's iPad mini and Amazon's Kindle Fire by shrinking the bezel to accommodate a larger and higher-resolution display.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has denied Apple's request for a trademark on the term "iPad mini," finding that the "mini" portion of the name is "merely descriptive" of goods or services available in miniature forms.
Recent changes quietly made to the Windows 8 hardware certification guidelines suggest that Microsoft could be gearing up to debut a new, smaller "Windows Reader" tablet designed to compete with more portable devices like Apple's iPad mini.
Innolux Corp. may benefit from the ongoing strife between Samsung and Apple, as the iPad maker is said to be dropping the latter in favor of the former as a supplier of touch displays for its iPad mini.
A new rumor out of the Far East on Wednesday claims Apple has cut shipments of the iPad mini by between 10 to 12 million units going into the second quarter, suggesting the company could already ramping down for a next-generation version.
Owners of both sizes of Apple's iPad saw their accessorizing options expanded on Tuesday, with Logitech announcing new Keyboard Folio cases for both the iPad and iPad mini.
According to NPD DisplaySearch, Google may beat Apple to the high-resolution 7-inch form factor tablet market with a revamped Nexus 7 in the second quarter of 2013, while the Cupertino company is expected to launch a Retina display-toting next-generation iPad mini in either the third or fourth quarter.
The launch of Apple's iPad mini appears to have slowed the rate at which competitors have been able to eat into the company's overwhelming lead in the tablet sector, according to a new study out Thursday, even as Amazon and Samsung tablets continue to carve out their own share.
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Daniel Eran Dilger
AppleInsider Staff
Kevin Bostic
Mikey Campbell
Neil Hughes
Sam Oliver
