It is October and the news about the Apple iPad Mini becomes more and more, some released photos also showed that the maximum suspensive iPad Mini will hit the shelves soon. According to the sources, the unveiling of the Apple iPad Mini will happen Oct. 23 at “an invitation-only event.”
In last month, Apple missed its chance to announce the tablet alongside the iPhone 5. And the expected Apple invitations to an Oct. 17 event in honor of a mini version of the iPad didn’t arrive in in-boxes on Oct. 10. Now, a new rumor suggests that invitations to Apple’s grand unveiling will head out in Oct. 23. We hope this date is true and iPad Mini will soon be joining Apple’s lineup.
Instead of a major bash, as Apple hosted for the iPhone 5 launch—taking over San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and closing out the event with a concert by the Foo Fighters—it’s likely to welcome the iPad Mini with a much smaller affair.
The timing of an Oct. 23 event would also have the Apple-friendly effect of distracting from Microsoft’s planned Oct. 26 launch of its Windows 8 platform and Surface tablet. The iPad Mini—which won’t compete directly with the Surface but is nonetheless likely to redirect sales—is expected to feature a 7.85-inch display, front and back cameras, and iOS 6, despite the well-reported shortcomings of its Maps app. It’s similarly made out of aluminum and the screen is said to be with a narrower bezel and with the same resolution as the iPad 2, or 1024 x 768 pixels.
Apple is rumored to release the iPad mini in both a Wi-Fi-only and 3G versions, both coming in the traditional black and white colors. The compact tablet will allegedly sell for a very affordable price (rumors have it that the iPad Mini should arrive on the market for $249-$299) and still be noticeably larger than Android 7-inch tablets.
In an August research note, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, who has been expecting an iTV and an iPad Mini for some time, described the future by writing, “We believe Apple’s product leadership, vertical integration and vast scale mean that it will receive the lion’s share of the economic benefit from the three biggest multi-year trends in technology: smartphones, 4G and tablets.”
We really hope the thin, iPad-like design iPod Mini would herald a new era for tablets world. But as Amazon and Barnes & Noble announced tablets that directly compete with the iPad last month. Whether the smaller iPad will win the fierce battle or not, let us just see!