Apple iPad 7.85-inch rival to take on Kindle Fire?

The Apple iPad 3 is on the cards for a 2012 launch, that’s what all gadget fans are hoping but that’s expected to be a full-size 10-inch tablet, or is it? Apple seems to be keeping it’s options open on the size front, as it looks like the company is also toying with the idea of a 7.85-inch variant to go head-to-head with the Kindle Fire.

Pundits around the globe are suggesting that the first quarter of 2012 will see the launch of the Apple iPad 3. However, news is surfacing that Apple has been looking into sourcing parts for a smaller version of the tablet too, with a 7.85-inch screen being cited, which would make it a direct competitor to the Amazon Kindle Fire.

If sales figures are true, then the Amazon Kindle Fire hasn’t been the out-and-out success people were expecting and with Apple currently controlling around 90 per cent of the fledgling tablet market, if it should decide to go for a smaller form factor, it could well claim an even larger chunk of the market.

Apart from the size of the screen, there seems to be little in the way of hard facts at the moment, but it is keeping the Apple rumour mill busy. We’d like to see a Retina screen on any potential Apple iPad Mini, just to keep things pin sharp.

What do you think, is Apple working on a mini version of its best selling iPad and if so, is this the forma factor you want to see in your next tablet, or are you happy with the larger 10-inch version? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.