The iPad mini rumours just keep on ticking, but this one seems to have more truth to it than most. As Samsung, Amazon and even RIM compete in the lower-end tablet space it seems logical that Apple would want a piece of the market. And if they can merely create a smaller panel with existing 1024×768 dimensions, millions of customers will come flooding in.
Despite Steve Jobs once saying that no one wants a 7-inch tablet since they are too small, he never mentioned anything about the 7.85-inch variety, which would be slightly larger than the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and its ilk while still being very comfortable to hold in one hand. As Amazon is finding considerable success with its Kindle Fire, and is expected to release the second version later this year, Apple’s logical countermeasure would be to supply a version of its own. Existing apps would work without any developer intervention, too, since it would have the same pixel count as the iPad and iPad 2.
According to Korean site NetEase, the iPad mini would be released for between $249 and $299 in Q3 of this year. The next iPhone is expected to be announced in late September or early October, so it’s unlikely that, if the existence of the tablet is true, it will come to market at the same time. Apple likes to spread out its launches by several months so as to not take anything away from the product in focus.
Would you bite on a $249 iPad mini? Or would you prefer a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0?
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