Apple to launch its next-generation iPad in January

Apple will unveil two versions of its next-generation iPad at the iWorld trade show scheduled for January 26, 2012. According to the DigiTimes reports, the new models will join Apple’s existing iPad 2, and will focus on the mid-range and the high-end segments. Sharp will be the major panel supplier for Apple’s next-generation iPad series, while Samsung Electronics and LG Display are also responsible for a part of the orders, according to the sources at its supply chain partners. Instead of the previously-rumored 7.85-inch, the upcoming iPad models will continue to feature 9.7-inch screens, and would have come with QXGA resolution (1,536×2,048 pixels), and Dual-LED light bars designed to strengthen the brightness of the panels. Search giant Google is also rumored to launch its own Android tablets, competing with Apple, in the next six months. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt told an Italian newspaper that the company plans to market a tablet of highest quality in the next six months. Reports claim that the new tablet is already in production at Apple’s Chinese suppliers.