An alleged iPad mini case mold got leaked out two days ago, showing a smaller dock connector. This morning, a purported schematics depicting an iPad mini has hit the web. According to ThinkiOS (via 9to5Mac), these drawings confirm whispers that the iPad mini will sport a seven-inch display and a brand new 19-pin dock connector instead of the regular 30-pin dock connector.
As a result, all existing peripherals could be potentially rendered obsolete. Another thing to glean from the images: the iPad mini could be really, really thin…
How thin, you ask. Just 7.2mm, which is in line with a report by the Japanese blog Macotakara from five days ago, claiming that the iPad mini will have 3G, be produced in Brazil and have a body thin almost as the iPod touch’s slim 7.2mm profile.
According to our source iPad Mini will have a 7-inch screen, and will be 5.3-inch wide and 7.87-inch long. For the sake of comparison, the new iPad is 9.50-inches tall, 7.31-inches wide, and has a depth of 0.37-inches.
If this rumor pans out, the iPad mini will be one hell of an attractive device thanks to its thinness.
Based on the schematics, case maker FullHull has created this rendering.
Just earlier this morning, another case maker published images of iPhone 5 case molds that indicate a 20 percent thinner design and also a smaller dock connector.
It’s believed this alleged 19-pin dock connector will be rolled out to all future iOS devices. We’re concerned about backwards compatibility with existing peripherals, though.
Perhaps Apple will make available a converter dongle of sorts? While Apple’s third-party accessories ecosystem is worth billions of dollars annually, the company never had a problem leaving legacy technologies behind, even if it meant screwing everyone in its food chain.
What do you guy think?
