The iPad mini is pretty much a sure thing. While we don’t know the name, or exactly what it looks like, tech blogs and rumour mills have surmised a rough outline of what the device will be like. At 7.85-inches, the screen will be slightly larger than the Nexus 7 and other similar-sized tablets, but the resolution is expected to be an iPad 2-like 1024×768. As for internals, that’s not known at this point but it’s likely to debut under $200 in the U.S.
It was previously thought that Apple would announce the device as a “One More Thing” after the new iPhone on September 12th. But it’s now believed that the company will save the September event solely for the iPhone and iOS, and wait until October to announce the shrunken iPad. The iPhone is Apple’s most profitable product and perhaps the single most valuable product line in the world. Keeping the iPad mini to launch alongside a new set of iPods such as the nano and Touch series makes sense, and has been posited by pundits at Loop Insights and Daring Fireball.
Parts have begun to leak out for the iPad mini such as dock connectors (same as the 8-pin iPhone connector) and cases such as the ones seen above. If true, the iPad mini will indeed come with a camera, but there have been conflicting rumours to that effect.
Update: Well the reliable sources – actually “several sourves” – over at AllThingsD have confirmed the rumours to be true. Apple will indeed hold an iPhone event in September, probably on September 12th, then follow-up with another event to unveil the “iPad mini” in October. The iPad mini is expected to be priced around $200 – $250 and will have a display around the 7-8-inches.
Source: iDownloadBlog & AllThingsD
