14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is anticipating huge demand for a tablet computer that is rumored to have an 8-inch screen and an attractive price point, as the company prepares to take the tablet industry by storm.
Sources from Apple’s supply chain are telling the Wall Street Journal that some component suppliers have received orders for as many as 10 million iPad minis in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2012.
The Journal says the figure is about double the orders placed for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets in the same quarter, adding that such a big order acts as clear indication that Apple expects huge demand from the public.
Recent hardware leaks indicate that Apple’s smaller tablet will boast a screen that measures 7.95 inches on the diagonal, a tapered aluminum shell on the back, and possibly various color options.
The device is expected to run on iPad 2 parts, including the A5 system-on-a-chip (SoC).