iPad mini 2

Apple sends out invites for October 22 iPad event: ‘we still have a lot to cover’

The Wall Street Journal-owned technology blog, AllThingsD, reported last week that Apple's next media event will take place on October 22, that's next Tuesday. Sure enough, the company just sent out invites for the October 22 event to select members of the press. The invitation-only press conference will be held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco and will begin at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT, John Paczkowski of AllThingsD first reported and The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple subsequently confirmed.

The invite graphics features a close up of the Apple logo set against the white background and a bunch of colorful apple leaves. "We still have a lot to cover," reads the tagline...

Speculation mounts over availability dates for new iPads, MacBook Pros and Mac Pro

Apple has kicked off its blockbuster Fall with September's double iPhone launch and followed-up by updating the iMac family with Intel's fourth-generation Haswell chips, 8GB of RAM standard across all models, faster graphics and ultra-fast PCIe flash storage and other goodies.

Now, our attention has already turned to other products in Apple's 2013 pipeline. AllThingsD last week claimed Apple will hold an iPad media event on October 22 and today a pretty reliable French blog has published availability dates for the upcoming new iPads, as well as updated MacBook Pro notebooks and the next-generation Mac Pro...

iPad rumors: redesigned Smart Covers, Retina iPad mini could bulk up slightly

In today's roundup of the somewhat obvious Apple rumors, a new report has suggested that the upcoming iPad mini 2 will be a tad thicker than its predecessor, presumably in order to accommodate a bigger battery needed to drive Apple's power-hungry Retina display. This is newsworthy as none of the leaks to date has pointed to added bulk.

The thicker iPad mini meme isn't unexpected: watchful readers will remember that Apple's third-generation iPad with Retina display turned out to be slightly thicker than the previous iPads, due to the larger battery inside...

Next-gen iPad shells in gold leak out

We previously heard October should be for new iPads. As various parts and components are now leaking out from China on a daily basis, it's fairly safe to assume that next-generation iPads are indeed around the corner. Just recently, we've seen leaked iPad 5 schematics, shells and an alleged Touch ID module and now a set of photographs have been posted online seemingly depicting the rear case of both the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2.

Provided these shots are legit, Apple could pull an iPhone 5s and provide both new iPads in gold, in addition to the previously leaked white and space grey finishes...

DisplaySearch: Retina iPad mini, larger iPhone in the pipeline

Highly-regarded NPD DisplaySearch issued a new research note late last night, offering up several bold predictions for Apple's future product plans. It believes the company is preparing to revamp the displays across nearly all of its devices.

Among the forecasts, the marketing research firm says it agrees with the rumors that the new iPad mini Apple is expected to unveil later this month will have a Retina display. And it also concurs with the ongoing 'larger iPhone screen' chatter...

New concepts depict the iPad mini 2 in gold and blue

Last week, a couple of photos popped up on the web of an alleged next-gen iPad mini with a gold shell. If legit, the leak would seemingly confirm reports that the new tablet will be offered in the same 3 colors as the iPhone 5s.

But as usual, the underground photos didn't do a very good job of showing off the device in its entirety—in fact, you can only see the bottom. But never fear, Martin Hajek has drawn up some concepts to give us all a closer look...

New report calls for 8MP camera in both iPad 5 and iPad mini 2

Get ready, it looks like iPad-wielding picture-takers are about to multiply. According to a new report, Apple is going to beef up the iSight cameras in both its fifth generation iPad and second generation iPad mini this year.

Highly regarded analyst Ming-Chi Kuo sent out a note to investors this afternoon, claiming that the two tablets—which are expected to be unveiled later this month—will feature 8-megapixel shooters with larger apertures...

Retina iPad mini could face severe supply constraints

Despite the fact that we've seen conflicting reports on the topic, the consensus seems to be that Apple is working on an iPad mini with a high resolution display. And it's expected to introduce the tablet at a media event this month.

According to a new scoop from Reuters, however, even if such a product is unveiled in the near future, it may be a while before you can get your hands on one. The outlet says initial supplies for the slate will be severely constrained...

New photos show alleged gold iPad mini 2 with Touch ID Home button

While it's still unclear if the next-gen iPad mini will sport a Retina display, it seems that it will feature a Touch ID Home button and gold color option. That is, if this pair of leaked photos showing the alleged tablet are to be believed.

The above image, and one we've posted right after the break, surfaced on Chinese site DoNews this morning. And as you can see, they show what appears to be a 7.9-inch iPad with a gold-colored shell and Apple's new fingerprint sensor...

New report claims Retina iPad mini may not ship alongside iPad 5

Apple may not be planning to release an iPad mini with Retina display alongside its next-gen iPad 5 next month, according to a new report, which claims that there's little supply chain evidence suggesting otherwise.

The news comes from market research firm IHS iSuppi, who is reporting that while the iPad 5 looks to be on track for its expected October launch, manufacturing volumes for the Retina mini point toward a 2014 debut...

iPad mini 2 back shell in space gray?

With the iPhone 5s and 5c, Apple has clearly adopted a new color scheme for this year's iPhones. On the plastic end, we have white, red, green, blue and yellow as your vivid color choices. The flagship iPhone 5s, however, has switched to three finishes: in addition to the much talked-about gold variant, there's also a silver model which closely resembles last year's white iPhone 5 and an all new space gray model, basically a subtly toned down black iPhone 5 design with a gray backplate that gives it a more metallic feel.

Which begs the question of new iPads. With these design changes in place for new iPhones, will Apple adopt a similar strategy for the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2? A new part that leaked Wednesday shows a new space gray color finish on a back shell said to belong to the forthcoming second-gen iPad mini upgrade...

Apple to hold another media event on October 15?

With last week's official introduction of the flagship iPhone 5s and the colorful iPhone 5c now behind us, our attention slowly but surely turns to Apple's next major product launch. iDB, along with a few other reliable blogs, suspected there won't be new iPads in September as the company would have been unwise to focus its attention (and waste headlines) on both new iPads and iPhones.

The French blog MacGeneration, which has somewhat of a mixed track record, has now pegged an iPad-related event at October 15 (that's a Tuesday)...