Wall Street Journal reports Apple testing an 8-inch iPad to take on Kindle Fire

The WSJ report says suppliers have seen a test device with the same screen resolution as the current iPad 2, which will supposedly be replaced with the iPad 3's high-res "retina display" possibly by next month. AU Optronics and LG Display have purportedly been tapped to provide the panels for the test device.

The late Steve Jobs showed no interest in tablets with screen sizes smaller than the 9.7 inches that grace the current iPads, but he was well-known to contradict previous statements he made (as anyone whose has read Walter Isaacson's bio can attest to). Apple is also notorious for testing products that never see the light of day -- and aren't exposed by press links. Nonetheless, the Fire's success suggests a big market for a shrunk-down iPad, especially if the price shrunk as well.

Would you have an interest in a smaller, potentially cheaper iPad? Let us know in the Talkback section.