that Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has described an iOS device in the works for release in the second half of the year, and other reports say the screen size could be about 5 or 6 inches – putting it squarely in between the 9.7-inch iPad screen and 3.5-inch iPhone screen.

Apple watchers say it’s unlikely Apple would roll out a tablet computer -- or "iPad mini" -- with a 6-inch screen in light of disparaging remarks made by Apple chief Steve Jobs about small tablets, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, last fall ("We think the current crop of tablets will be DOA, dead on arrival," said Jobs. "They’ll learn the screens are too small and increase the size next year, while the old ones will be orphan products.").

Delivering a 6-inch screen on a big iPod touch focused on gaming and multimedia apps would get around Apple offering such a product technically labeled a tablet itself.

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