Even though Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs has mentioned several times that a smaller form factor of the their tablet is not planned, reports are persisting otherwise. The latest rumors are saying that instead of a small iPad, the new 5 to 7 inch device might in fact be a large iPhone, sized to compete with not only small competitor tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the BlackBerry PlayBook but also larger smartphones like the Dell Streak. The Concord Security analyst who was formerly with the Taiwanese publication Digitimes – Ming Chi Kuo – recently told AppleInsider that Apple is looking into a mid-sized iOS device that it would be bringing to market possibly as soon as fall 2011. The screen size is reportedly 5 to 7 inches, and Kuo said he was “not sure” if the new device would be released as a small iPad or a large iPhone / iPod Touch. A separate report by a Czech blogger, citing two independent sources, claimed that Apple is currently working on a large iPod Touch screen with the screen size of about six inches. Jobs has made several statements denying a smaller iPad in the works, but it is important to bear in mind that Apple has been known to make pronouncements that the company has later contradicted. He previously savaged 7-inch tablets as “tweeners” that are “too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad” at an investor conference call last year. However, Jobs also said that Apple would not make any iPod that could play videos and mocked tablets as being worthless for doing anything other than surfing the web in the bathroom. As usual, if Apple feels a market in something, they will most certainly go after it rather than leave it to competitors so the possibility is still there. What do you think of the whole ordeal? Let us know in the comments below! As usual, stay tuned for more news and info on the topic by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feed. [Source: AppleInsider] Authors:

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