Gruber: Apple Has a 7.85-Inch iPad in the Lab

- What an iPad "mini" would look like compared to the first-generation iPad and an iPhone

The well-connected Apple pundit John Gruber has revealed during his Talk Show podcast that Apple is prototyping a smaller version of the iPad internally.

Asked by Dan Benjamin whether he thought a 7.85-inch iPad would ever be released, Gruber replied: “Well, I don’t know. What I do know is that they have one in the lab…a 7.85 inch iPad that runs at 1024×768… it’s just like the 9.7" iPad shrunk down a little bit. Apps wouldn't need to be recompiled or redesigned to work optimally on it. It's just the iPad smaller.”

Apple has been reluctant to release a tablet under the 10-inch form factor stating, on numerous occasions, that this is the perfect size for a genuine tablet experience. Like many Apple inventions and prototypes, the 8-inch iPad currently undergoing testing may never see the light of day.