So far Apple's iPad has only come in one screen size (9.7 inches), but according to a new report, the Cupertino firm has a smaller tablet kicking around in its testing labs. This word comes from John Gruber of Daring Fireball, who was responding to a question about the existence of a smaller iPad on the latest episode of The Talk Show podcast. Gruber says that he's heard that Apple has a 7.85-inch 1024x768 iPad in its lab, and that to get a feel for the size of the device, one simply needs to take a screenshot of a regular iPad in portrait mode and then flip it to landscape. As for when this smaller iPad might actually see the light of day, Gruber says that he's "heard from nobody" if it's something that Apple actually wants to ship.

This isn't the first time that we've heard rumblings that Apple is cooking up a 7-inch iPad, but John Gruber is known to be one of the better-connected folks covering Apple, so it's interesting to hear him discuss a smaller iPad. Of course, it's not a total surprise to hear that Apple is testing a smaller tablet, as the company is likely working on prototypes of several devices at any given time. Whether or not it'll ever hit store shelves is something else entirely. What do you all make of the idea of a 7.85-inch iPad? Is a smaller iOS tablet something you may be interested in checking out?

Via The Next Web, The Talk Show