Apple Inc. is set to introduce a thinner version of its iPad and a new iPad mini with a high-resolution screen, U.S. media reported.
Bloomberg, citing industry sources, reported Tuesday that the U.S.-based tech powerhouse is planning to release the new iPad models in the last three months of this year.
The slimmer iPad is expected to be a full-size model with a 9.7-inch screen and a thinner bezel. It will also “have a body that more closely resembles the current iPad mini.” The new iPad mini is speculated to be the first one equipped with a high-resolution Retina screen, which has been unavailable in the model unlike the iPhone and larger iPad.
The move came as its rival Samsung Electronics Co. expanded its global market share. While Apple remains the top dog in the tablet market, the second-placed Samsung recently narrowed the gap with its rival by launching an array of new tablet models.
According to data from International Data Corporation, Apple’s tablet market share plunged to 32.4 percent in the second quarter from 60.3 percent from a year earlier. Samsung, on the other hand, more than doubled its share from 7.6 percent to 18 percent during the same period.
