Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today.
An 8-inch iPad? Don’t rule it out: Back in the long-gone days of 2010, when the iPad was still just a babe, there was some speculation that Apple would start making smaller tablets to compete with a then growing number of 7-inch tablets, like the original Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android-powered Samsung (PINK:SSNLF) Galaxy Tab. Steve Jobs shot those rumors down while presenting Apple’s third quarter earnings that year saying, “We think the 7-inch tablet will be dead on arrival.” Eight inches, however, might just be the screen size that passes Apple’s stringent style standards. A Tuesday report in the Wall Street Journal said that Apple is currently working with its suppliers on a new iPad with an 8-inch screen, making it notably smaller than the current 9.7-inch screened-iPad. This will be a separate device from the much-rumored iPad 3, as one source said that the smaller device will not necessarily feature the same high-resolution screen as the new model. Apple is reportedly working with LG (PINK:LGEAF) and AU Optronics (NYSE:AUO) to produce screens for the smaller tablet.
AT&T and Verizon Will Sell 4G LTE iPad: A smaller model isn’t the only iPad news coming out of the WSJ on Tuesday. A separate report claims that the iPad 3 will indeed be compatible with 4G LTE networks when it’s released in March, and AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ) will be ready to support the device when it comes out. Sources familiar with the company’s plans said that both telecoms plan to push the new iPad as a major selling point of their growing 4G networks. Verizon’s LTE network currently serves 200 million people and AT&T’s covers around 74 million people. This report follows reports on Friday that AT&T has started selling LTE-compatible micro-SIM cards, suggesting that the iPad will indeed be a 4G tablet.
Proview Looks to Block Global iPad Sales: The saga of China’s Proview Electronics versus the iPad continued on Tuesday with a Bloomberg report that the company is now looking to block the sale of Apple’s tablet around the world. It’s hoping to accomplish this through China’s customs bureau, which it has asked to block all iPad imports and exports, effectively cutting of Apple’s supply. The dispute between Proview and Apple started with Proview claiming Apple never licensed the iPad name, which Proview holds a patent on, for use in China. Proview has since sought $1.6 billion in damages from Apple as well as an apology. Chinese authorities actually began removing iPads from stores in China on Monday because of the dispute. Apple originally paid Proview $55,000 for the right to use the iPad name.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. Follow him on Twitter at @ajohnagnello and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook. For more from the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.
