• Bloomberg, Wednesday, September 22, 2010 12:42 AM

Apple Inc. may be readying a version of its iPad tablet computer with a 7-inch screen to fend off a threat from competing smaller-sized devices, according to an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw LLC. The product may be ready as soon as the first quarter of 2011, Rodman analyst Ashok Kumar writes. The current iPad has a 9.7-inch screen.

Apple may be considering the smaller iPad to vie with Samsung Electronics Co., maker of the Galaxy Tab. The wireless tablet device will run Google Inc.'s Android operating system and be offered by the four biggest U.S. wireless carriers: AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG. The Galaxy Tab will have a 7-inch display and video-conferencing features via Wi-Fi networks, Samsung said Sept. 16.

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