Be ready to welcome new iPad

Apple Inc intends to introduce its latest line-up of iPads on October 22, tech blog AllThingsD cited sources familiar with the company's plans as saying, meaning Apple would be updating its tablets in time for holiday shopping.

New versions of the iPad, which will go up against Amazon.com Inc's latest Kindle Fire tablets and other gadgets made by Samsung Electronics, are expected to feature lighter, thinner designs and more powerful processors.

Supply chain sources told Reuters last week that Apple may run into a shortage of so-called "retina" displays for the iPad mini, a smaller version of the tablet that helped popularize the product in 2010. That could in turn limit supply of the gadget during the crucial season.

Apple declined to comment about AllThingsD's report, which added that the company may also devote some time to detailing new Macintosh computers.

The iPhone-maker has come under pressure over the past year to preserve market share and bolster sales against rivals that are rapidly raising specifications and lowering prices.

Amazon's new 7-inch Kindle Fire is priced from $229 for 16GB wifi-only models, while Google Inc's second-generation Nexus 7 offers a similar screen size and storage capacity at the same price.

In comparison, the cheapest model in Apple's current 7.9-inch iPad Mini lineup with 16GB of storage starts at $329.


/Reuters/