Looks like Apple has sent out another round of invites for another event on the 23rd (that’s next week!). Details are scarce, but there’s a lot of reason to believe it’s going to be for the highly anticipated iPad Mini. Check out the promotional graphic below.
Sure, it doesn’t mention the iPad Mini specifically, but Apple has always left small clues in their promo graphics for events like this. In this case, the clues are likely to be the word “little” and the rainbow of hues that comprise the graphic itself. “Little” could be referring to a smaller version of the iPad, while the multiple hues could mean that the iPad Mini, or whatever the heck they’re going to call it, will be available in different colors.
Sounds like I’m talking out of my ass? If you guys will remember the launch graphics for the iPhone 5 event, that one left a few clues as well, such as the shadow of the number 12 (as in October 12) in the graphic below casting a shadow that magically formed the number 5 (as in iPhone 5).
Then there was a graphic on the side of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts where the launch event itself was held.
This particular graphic sparked a lot of speculation that the iPhone 5 was going to come in different hues. Turns out it was for the iPod Touch.
There is a lot of speculation and rumors surrounding the possible iPad Mini, but most of this year’s rumors regarding anything Apple have been spot on, which is why the iPhone 5 didn’t surprise anyone with anything new when it was finally released. So what do we think we know about the upcoming iPad Mini?
It’s expected to have a screen size of 7.85 inches with a 4:3 aspect ratio. No, it won’t be a retina screen, but probably something similar in resolution to the iPad 1 and 2. The iPad Mini will likely be powered by an A5 CPU coupled with 512mb of RAM, and if anything, it should look just like a smaller iPad. Pricing for the entry-level model can be anything from $249 to $349.
There has also been a leaked document showing the SKUs (stock keeping units) for the iPad Mini.
The leaked SKU document details three different models (Good, Better and Best), which likely stand for the WiFi-only, 3G, and 4G LTE models. Each model has four different configurations (P101, P103, P105, and P107) which probably indicate 8Gb, 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb storage options. Finally, each configuration is further denoted by an A or B, which likely stand for either black or white. All in all, that’s 24 possible options to choose from. Understandably, this conflicts with speculation that the iPad Mini will come in different hues, but it isn’t the only thing that Apple might launch. There have also been rumors of a possible 13 inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display, as well as a possible Mac Mini.
If the upcoming event will indeed be for the 7.85″ iPad Mini, it will be very ironic, considering that Steve Jobs originally scoffed at the idea of a tablet that was smaller than 10 inches. However with the success of the original Kindle Fire, not to mention the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 experiencing even more success, they have forced Apple’s hand to come up with a competing product. Time will tell if it will succeed though. After all, the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 are very competent products with very affordable price tags, and the so called Apple Tax will have people considering if they want to pay an extra $50 or more to pay into the Apple ecosystem.
Source: Gizmodo and Apple Insider
