The iPad rumor mill is spawning twins.
According to DigiTimes, Apple will unveil two versions of its next-generation tablet next month at the Macworld|iWorld conference. Sources at Apple's supply chain partners tell the blog that the new models will target the mid- and high-end markets, while the existing iPad 2 will be positioned to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire.
The new models will sport 9.7-inch screens instead of the 7.85-inch screen the Taipei-based tech blog reported two weeks ago that the new tablet would "likely" launch with. The screens will reportedly feature QXGA resolution and dual light bars to strengthen panel brightness.
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The report follows previous reports about Apple's immediate QXGA ambitions. Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch, told CNET in November that, "It's happening--QXGA, 2048x1536. Panel production has started [for the next-generation iPad]. There's three suppliers." (In that month-ago report, Shim named the same suppliers that DigiTimes did today.)
It's also no secret that Apple is expected to release a next-generation 9.7-inch screen model in the March-June time frame.
However, like many of DigiTimes' recent reports on Apple's device roadmap, this report should definitely be taken with a grain of salt. In addition to its sources doing a zig-zag on the screen size, DigiTimes reports that Apple plans to unveil the new models at the Apple fan event formerly known as just Macworld, which the Cupertino, Calif.-based company abandoned three years ago.
Apple's surprise return to conference, put on by IDG World Expo, would certainly garner significant buzz on its own.
