Wednesday Apple Rumors: iPad Mini Production Under Way

by Christopher Freeburn | October 3, 2012 2:31 pm

daily apple rumors AAPL[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Mini Ramp-up: Mass production of Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL[3]) smaller-screen iPad has commenced in Asia[4], the Wall Street Journal says. Apple has neither confirmed nor denied plans to launch a smaller version of its market-dominating iPad to compete with 7-inch tablets from Google (NASDAQ:GOOG[5]) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN[6]), but analysts widely expect the company to debut the new tablet within weeks. Sources say the iPad Mini will feature a 7.85-inch screen. Production of the LCD touchscreens for the iPad Mini began last month at LG Displays (NYSE:LPL[7]) and AU Optronics (NYSE:AUO[8]). Some reports have surfaced suggesting that manufacturing problems relating to smaller bezels could constrain supplies, but analysts expect the smaller iPad to hit stores in time for the holiday shopping season.

One Less Lawsuit: Google’s Motorola Mobility Unit has withdrawn one of the two patent infringement actions[9] it brought against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), Bloomberg noted. Motorola did not disclose the reason for dropping the suit, but said it could refile the action at a later date. Motorola claims that Apple has infringed on seven of its patents. The patents involved in the action relate to location reminders, video players, email notifications and voice interaction in smartphones and tablet computers. The two companies are fighting over patent clients in a number of jurisdictions. Another patent suit will go to trial next month in Wisconsin.

Jury Challenged: Samsung has filed paperwork with a California court seeking a new trial in the patent infringment suit[10] that resulted in a $1 billion jury award for Apple, BBC notes. The South Korean electronics giant alleges that the jury foreman provided incorrect answers to some questions during jury selection and failed to disclose his involvement in two previous lawsuits, including one that might have biased him against Samsung. The company also questioned some of Judge Lucy Koh’s rulings during the trial. Apple recently requested an additional $700 million in damages in addition to the jury’s award.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[11] stories.

Endnotes:

  1. [Image]: https://investorplace.com/hot-topics/apple-rumors-stock-news/
  2. Apple rumors: https://investorplace.com/search/?q=Apple+Rumors&searchsubmit=Search
  3. AAPL: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=AAPL
  4. has commenced in Asia: http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443635404578033684191275730.html?mg=reno64-wsj
  5. GOOG: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=GOOG
  6. AMZN: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=AMZN
  7. LPL: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=LPL
  8. AUO: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=AUO
  9. withdrawn one of the two patent infringement actions: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-02/google-s-motorola-drops-latest-itc-patent-claim-against-apple.html
  10. seeking a new trial in the patent infringment suit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19816642
  11. Apple Rumors: https://investorplace.com/2012/04/hot-topics/apple-rumors-stock-news/

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