Apple tests a tablet with an 8in screen

TOY MAKER FOR THE WELL HEELED Apple apparently is testing a tablet with a smaller screen as it looks to maintain its position in the market amid growing competition.

According to Market Watch, the cappuccino company has been working with component suppliers to test the smaller screen device. Marketwatch cited unnamed officials at some of Apple's suppliers who claimed that the company has shown them screen designs for a device with a screen size of around 8in and is qualifying suppliers for it.

The sources said the smaller device has the same screen resolution as the Ipad 2, which has a 9.7 inch screen.

The move is a surprising one, not least because Apple founder Steve Jobs criticised smaller screens on tablets. He said the Ipad's size is "the minimum size required to create great tablet apps".

However, Apple's rival Samsung has tablets in all shapes and sizes, indicating that Apple might have thought twice before sticking to one size.

The news comes as more reports emerge of a 7 March launch for the Ipad 3. The next generation Apple tablet, which is thought to be LTE enabled, is likely to have the same screen size as its predecessors. µ