14 DAY TRIAL // A story on a Korean site has been pulled after being quoted on several news outlets, including Softpedia, with information about upcoming iPhone and iPad models as the result of Apple partnering with LG Display.
The story in question attracted attention with claims that an industry insider had contacted The Korea Times with information about the iPhone 5 and an ‘iPad mini’.
Specifically, the source had revealed that Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone would pack a 4-inch LCD display from Korean manufacturer LG Display.
The source further spilled the beans on Apple’s upcoming plans with its iDevice lineup by mentioning a scheduled meeting with LG. The alleged purpose was to discuss the launch of a 7.35-inch tablet referred to as the ‘iPad mini’.
The story has since been pulled spurring speculation that Apple’s legal department contacted the Korean newspaper with a cease & desist request.
If true, the move would indicate that said report contained sensitive information that Apple didn’t want reaching the masses.
Apple fans shouldn’t expect any clarification from Cupertino on why this story was pulled as the company never comments on rumors and speculation.
The Korea Times may also be constrained to offer any specifics as to why it was necessary to pull the story, so we may never know what happened.
It’s worth mentioning that rumors about a 4-inch iPhone 5 have persisted for a while. For example, one of the latest stories dissecting the topic was about Steve Jobs refusing to launch the iPhone 5 this year because of the screen size.
And the iPad mini rumors are also far from being fresh. Apple officials once famously said that a 7-inch tablet was not going to work in the company’s view.
Yet Apple aficionados never gave up hope that the company would one day launch a tablet that’s smaller than the 10-inch iPad.