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Apple testing 8-inch iPad; iPad 3 will be 4G, reports say

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Rumors about Apple’s next iPad -- or iPads -- are showing no signs of slowing, and once again speculation is circulating that the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant is working on a smaller form factor.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources working for Asian suppliers, reported that Apple is working with those suppliers to build prototypes of an 8-inch iPad.

“One person said the smaller device will have a similar resolution screen as the iPad 2,” the Journal said. “Apple is working with screen makers including Taiwan-based AU Optronics Co. and LG Display Co. of South Korea to supply the test panels, the person said.”

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As of now, Apple is looking to just test a smaller-form iPad and “could opt not to proceed with the device,” the report said. Apple officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday, but the company does have a policy of not commenting on rumors and speculation.

The Journal’s report follows Technology Business Research analyst Ezra Gottheil’s declaration last week that he expects Apple to releast a 7-inch iPad this year.

Rumors of smaller iPads, particularly in a 7-inch size, have been circulating for months but they’ve largely been dismissed as speculation and not something Apple would ever actually do.

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While analysts and journalists have offered many reasons that such a move is unlikely, the one cited most often is the late Steve Jobs’ stated belief that a 7-inch screen “is too small to express the software.”

Apple’s first-generation iPad and the iPad 2 both have 9.7-inch displays, with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. The iPad 3, which is expected to be unveiled by Apple as early as March 7, is rumored to have a “retina display” with nearly double the resolution of the first two.

While conjecture about a smaller iPad has long been brewing, the Journal confirmed one rumor Tuesday that nearly everyone seems to have agreed upon for months -- that the iPad 3 will ship in 4G LTE variants for both Verizon and AT&T’s networks.

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