APPLE HAS sent out invites for an event in California next Tuesday where it is expected to announce the release of a smaller iPad.
Media and analysts have said for months that Apple has been developing a smaller iPad, dubbed the “iPad mini”. The tablet is thought to be about half the size of the regular iPad and to start at $249 or $299. The regular iPad retails at $499 in America and £399 in the UK for the most recent models.
Former CEO of the company, the late Steve Jobs, was said to be against the idea of a smaller tablet in 2010, even going so far as to describe them as ‘DOA’ (dead on arrival). He added that smaller tablets would be ‘too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad’.
Although initially Jobs was right, it is believed that Apple has witnessed the moderate success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which is around half the size of an iPad and retails at $159, and are keen to launch a similarly sized tablet.
The new smaller iPad is slated to be around half the size of the regular iPad, with a display screen expected to be 7.8 inches in diagonal, slightly larger than the Kindle Fire or the Google Nexus.
The regular iPad has a screen measuring 9.7 inches.
Although Apple’s ‘modus operandi’ is to announce a new product one to two weeks after announcing it, the company could very well treat the new iPad mini as little more than an update to an existing product, and may start selling straight after the event.
The launch date has been put back twice now, with reports initially slating the launch for the 10th October, followed by the 17th October and now the 23rd, and the tablet may start selling from the 26th onwards.
A roundup of iPad mini rumours
As mentioned, the iPad mini is expected to have a screen size of 7.8 inches, although some sources, including {http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/101612-ipad-mini-263413.html|Networkworld.com|Link to article} reckon it may be slightly bigger at 7.85 inches, with a screen resolution of 1024x768.
Apple Insider are reporting as many as {http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/16/ipad-mini-skus-reveal-apple-will-release-12-models-in-two-colors|24 different configurations of the model|Link to article}, will be released, with the entry level iPad mini believed to be an 8GB model in black or white, costing $250.
A number of sources including the Wall Street Journal are reporting that Apple has, according to supply chain sources, orderered 10 million units in the fourth quarter.
The tablet is expected to be available in {http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3405436/ipad-mini-rumor-throw-down/|four different sizes - 8, 16, 32 and 64GB models|Link to article}, according to {http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk|PCAdvisor|Link to site} with mobile data-ready and wi-fi only models available, according to {http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/14/retailer-purports-to-show-ipad-mini-in-wi-fi-cellular-models-priced-from-250-650-euros|leaks from various retailers reported by Apple Insider|Link to article}. It is also expected to be 4G and LTE capable.
It is unknown whether or not the new tablet will make use of the A6 system-on-a-chip technology present in the iPhone 5 but it is widely expected to make use of the
lightning dock connector.
{|http://www.padgadget.com/2012/08/06/steve-jobs-was-not-against-an-ipad-mini-alleged-casing-shows-up-on-web/|Leaked images|Link to pictures} from {http://www.padgadget.com|PadGadget|Link to site} suggest a front and back camera, and a battery a third of the size of the iPad clocking in at 4,490mAh.