Sharp cuts iPad screen output; due to iPad Mini success?

Apple's latest iPads.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers/CNET)

Apple has asked Sharp to cut production of its 9.7-inch iPad screens, leading some to wonder if the iPad Mini is behind the move.

Sharp's iPad screen production line has fallen to "minimal level," Reuters is reporting today, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its output. The sources say that the production slowdown commenced late last year, and is now at a low level.

Those sources say that the slowdown could be due to consumer demand increasingly shifting to the iPad Mini, though those folks would not say how much Apple's smaller slate could be impacting screen production. It's also possible, those sources said, that it's simply a seasonal correction.

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