The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has revealed in a Monday report from Taipei that approximately 10 million panels have been ordered by Apple for its still-to-be-announced and not-yet-officially confirmed `iPad Mini' tablet --- the much-rumored smaller, probably 7.8-inch, iPad.

According to the WSJ report, which substantiates a similar disclosure by the Taiwanese tech site Digitimes, Apple has placed big orders - with unidentified suppliers of its products - for the screen of the rumored `iPad Mini' tablet.

The small tablet-screen orders which Apple has reportedly placed with the suppliers for the fourth quarter are comparatively much larger in number - almost double - than the orders which Amazon has placed for its Kindle Fire tablet during the same quarter.

Prior to the WSJ report, Digitimes - which has a mixed track record in terms of extracting precise details from Apple's supply chain in Asia - had reported on Thursday that, as per the information shared by "unnamed sources" at Apple's Asian suppliers, it is highly likely that the fourth-quarter shipments of the `iPad Mini' may fall in the range of between 9 million units and 10 million units.

Meanwhile, going by the indications, it is expected that the `iPad Mini' will apparently be well-received by the consumers; and will help Apple retain its recently-dwindling dominance in the worldwide tablet market.