Samsung, Asus and other Android tablet vendors are reportedly very concerned over rumors that Apple is working on a 7.85-inch version of its iPad tablet, currently referred to as the “iPad mini.” Apple sold more than 15 million post-PC slates in the December quarter last year, and Android tablet makers are said to be concerned that a smaller, cheaper version of Apple’s wildly popular tablet will make it extremely difficult to remain competitive in the space. Moreover, Google is said to be prepping an own-brand 7-inch Nexus tablet to launch later this year, which will likely make it even more difficult for Android partners to compete. DigiTimes’s sources said “non-Apple” tablet vendors are fine for the time being thanks to the growing popularity of the 7-inch tablet space. If Apple and Google do release mid-sized tablets of their own, however, companies like Samsung and Asus “may soon have difficulty to survive” according to the site’s sources.
Android tablet vendors may not survive an ‘iPad mini’
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