Another small tablet maker takes aim at Apple’s iPad Mini

Published on September 1 2013

LG Electronics became the latest company to mount a challenge to Apple’s iPad mini after it announced the G Pad 8.3 last week reports TheVerge. The G Pad 8.3 features a 1920×1200 resolution screen, which the Korea-based company claims is the first high-definition display for a small tablet of this size. In contrast, the current iPad mini features a 1024×768 resolution display.

LG’s upcoming tablet also has an 8.3-inch screen that is slightly larger than the iPad mini’s 7.9-inch display. In a teaser film, LG describes the 8.3-inch display as the “perfect size” for a small tablet that can fit in your pocket but still offer high-quality video viewing.

Although the Asus-built Nexus 7 also boasts a high-definition screen, LG apparently believes that the 7-inch Google tablet qualifies for a different tablet size category. In this sense, it appears that LG is aiming its small tablet market ambitions squarely at Apple’s iPad mini.

Apple is expected to unveil its second-generation iPad mini sometime after it launches the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C this month. The iPad mini 2 is widely expected to be upgraded with a Retina display.

According to unnamed industry sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s suppliers are already gearing up to produce the iPad mini 2 in time for a fourth-quarter release. Ironically, one of the display panel makers is rumored to be LG Display. LG Electronics has a 37.9 percent stake in its display-making subsidiary.

Although Apple hasn’t released a new iPad mini in almost a year, it still accounts for the majority of the tablet shipments in the worldwide market. According to IDC data, Apple held a 32.4 percent share of the tablet market in the second quarter of 2013, with 14.6 million units shipped. Although this is a drop from the 17 million Apple sold in the year-ago quarter, the anticipated iPad mini refresh later this year is likely to boost Apple’s market share again.

Here’s how Apple closed out the trading this week.

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