6-Inch iPad Planned for Mid-Year Launch?

Mockup of 7-inch iPad compared to current model
Czech site SuperApple.cz reports [Google translation] that it has heard from a pair of sources that Apple is developing a new, smaller iPad with a display measuring slightly under 6 inches. According to the report, the smaller iPad would carry the same resolution as the current iPad, although it is unclear how users would be expected to deal with what would be significantly smaller user interface elements if that were the case.

Based on the automated translation, the report seems to indicate that the smaller iPad would debut in the middle of this year, in part to buy time for Apple to finish work on a "great successor" to the current iPad. Such a move could possibly be in line with rumors and speculation about Apple releasing an "iPad 3" or a "Pro" version of the second-generation iPad around September of this year.

The site appears to tie the legitimacy of this new report to an analysis of a pre-release iPhone 4 display last year that demonstrated the display carrying a resolution of 960 x 640, although it is unclear how today's claims of insider knowledge of future products relates to a technical analysis of parts that had already been floating around.

Apple had been reported to have been investigating a range of tablet screen sizes from 4- to 12-inches prior to the iPad's launch, with some reports claiming that what became the iPad would actually debut in both 6-inch and 10-inch sizes. But late last year, Apple CEO panned forthcoming 7-inch tablet being released by competitors, calling them "dead on arrival" due to their perceived inability to offer a true tablet experience.