New York: Apple has sent out invitations for the October 23 event in San Jose where the company is widely expected to unveil a new “iPad Mini,” a smaller version of its market-leading tablet computer.
“We’ve got a little more to show you,” said the invitations.
Reports have been swirling for months about the smaller version of the market-leading iPad, but Apple has made no comment.
The October 23 gathering comes three days before the release of Microsoft’s new Surface tablet and two days before Apple reports quarterly earnings.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Apple has begun production of 10 million of the new iPads.
Some reports said Apple may also unveil a new version of its MacBook Pro notebook computer.
iPad Mini Specifications:
Various reports have cited the specifications of the new tablet and some pictures have also leaked.
It is expected to have a screen of 7.85 inches (20 centimeters) compared with 9.7 inches for the current iPad.
Retina display
Some tech junkies assume that a new, smaller iPad will run Apple’s Retina display, which makes the latest iPad’s screen super-sharp. Competitors like the Nexus 7 and Amazon’s newly revealed Kindle Fire HD boast similarly impressive resolutions. However, Apple could easily go with the iPad 2’s less “resolutionary” display to keep costs down.
Aluminum casing
The BoLoPad “photos show a device with an aluminum shell,” says Angela Moscaritolo at PC Mag. Indeed, this gadget looks awfully similar to the full-sized $499 iPad, “only smaller.” The aluminum backing features the familiar black Apple logo and iPad moniker, plus what’s apparently a hole for a rear-facing camera. And the French technology website NoWhereElse also has pictures of the purported slab, suggesting that the body is thinner yet slightly wider than Google’s Nexus 7 tablet.
The insides of an iPad 2
Using the iPad 2’s slightly slower A5 processor in the iPad Mini would continue “Apple’s (and especially Tim Cook’s) time-tested strategy of extending the life of already-developed technology by continuing to sell it, just cheaper,” The Week quoted Kyle Wagner as saying at Gizmodo. This could be problematic, however, as the chip “might not be powerful enough” to support a potential Retina display.
The new Lightning connector
Critics panned the iPhone 5’s new dock connector, dubbed Lightning, as the handset’s “one incredibly irksome” feature. However, switching to a smaller connection allows Apple to pack more inside each of its devices, and it appears the alleged iPad Mini will continue the trend. Pictures suggest the Lightning port on the bottom will be “flanked by two speaker ports, says Don Reisinger at CNET.
3G… or WiFi-only?
The website UkrainePhone allegedly obtained photos showing details of the tiny tablet’s inner-workings, including a NanoSim tray, “which is the first evidence of 3G support in the iPad Mini,” says Jesus Diaz at Gizmodo. If that turns out to be true, the iPad Mini would run on older, more antiquated cellular networks, making it slower than even the iPhone 5. However, British newspaper The Guardian reported in early October that the iPad Mini will likely be WiFi-only, according to multiple unnamed sources. If true, says Nathan Eddy at eWeek, consumers will surely be disappointed.
Price:
Some blogs which closely monitor Apple say the new tablet could be priced from $249 to $399, which could pressure rivals such as the Amazon Kindle Fire.
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