Love it or hate it, the iPad has managed to popularize the tablet concept to the point that every manufacturer out there has to have such a device, so Apple's plans about releasing a smaller, 7 inch, version of the iPad don't surprise me at all since this would make the tablet a lot more easy to handle while also coming is as a response to its latest, Android based competitors.

The report comes from Rodman & Renshaw analyst, Ashok Kumar, who states that Apple is currently working on a smaller iPad that will feature both a front facing and a backside camera, set to debut in the first part of 2011.

If these claims are indeed true and Apple is working on such a front facing camera design this almost certainly means we will also get FaceTime support in this future model.

Although nothing is really certain at this time, building a 7-inch iPad would make a lot of sense since there is definitely a demand for tablets this size, as the Galaxy Tab and other devices recently released have demonstrated, going smaller making the tablet a lot more easy to carry around without having to sacrifice on usability.

The recent advent of Android based tablets could also be behind this decision, since going for a smaller screen could enable Apple to lower the price of the iPad, better competing with other solutions running Google's mobile operating system.

For now, we just have to wait and see what Apple has in mind, a 7 inch iPad being one of those things that we are most likely to get our hand on in the not so distant future. (via slashgear)