'IPad Mini' Release Rumored In 2012: Will It Knock Out Samsung's 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2?

The announcement of Samsung's 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 has accelerated iPad Mini rumors; the latest comes from a Chinese portal, which claims that six million mini iPad units will launch in the third quarter.

The report from NetEase, translated by Kotaku, states that the mini iPad will sell for $249-$299. The rumors correlate with a report from Mashable that claims Samsung is supplying Apple with new LCD technology for smaller iPads.

Rumors surrounding the mini tablet suggest it will have a 7.86-inch screen and will rival smaller tablets such as Amazons Kindle and Samsung's smaller Galaxy Tab.

Last year, the late Steve Job's quashed rumors of a mini iPad, but as iPad competitors continue to launch smaller tablet's Apple is expected to launch its own version soon.

Meanwhile, Apple's new iPad has topped the tablet rating chart of Consumer Reports, beating the likes of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Toshiba Excite 10LE.

The revolutionary tablet has been heralded for its 2048 x 1536, 3.1 million-pixel Retina display. A new benchmark in excellence, providing the best rendering of detail and color accuracy we've ever seen on a tablet display, ConsumerReports.org says about the tablet.

Potential Rival

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 will be released on April. 22 and will come in two different sizes. The 7-inch version will cost $250 and goes on sale on April 22. The 10-inch version will cost $400 and goes on sale on May 13.

The Galaxy Tab 2 Series, available in both 10.1 and 7.0 screen sizes, are powerful dual-core tablets running the latest version of Android -Ice Cream Sandwich, said Samsung in a press release. The devices feature an integrated IR blaster for universal remote capabilities, as well as an easily accessible memory card slot for convenient loading of multimedia files in a range of supported file formats.

The 7-inch version is currently available for pre-order and ships on April 22 and customers will be able to reserve the 10.1-inch version on May 4, with the launch date following on May 13.