Now that it's been all but confirmed that Apple will be hosting a media event in September, the spotlight turns to the focus of the meeting. Obviously, a new iPhone is a given. But what else will Apple be unveiling that day?
One report suggests that we could see the rumored iPad mini at the event, although there is still no actual evidence that such a product exists. But that's not stopping case-makers from ramping up production...
Following up his bold predictions regarding the future of the iPod line, the often accurate Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has offered up his forecast for what will become of Apple's tablet line as well.
The analyst agrees that Apple is going to unveil an all-new, smaller slate this fall. But he also believes that the new tablet will launch alongside a tweaked version of the current third-generation iPad...
Really, why should Apple make the iPad mini other than what Bloomberg, WSJ and NYT heard? Per conventional wisdom, Cupertino needs to move fast now Google's Nexus 7 is picking up steam (the $249 16GB model is sold out). Some people reckon Apple must launch a smaller iPad in order to keep folks locked inside its ecosystem and away from Google's.
Others reason the shrunken iPad that fits inside women's purses could easily become a new fashion statement (and they're probably right). And we can fairly safe assume that Santa would bring $199 mini iPads to lots of kids this Christmas (naughty ones will get a Kindle Fire).
But as with all consumer electronics, including Apple's shiny gadgets, the case for iPad mini boils down to sales projections, spreadsheets and charts. It just so happens that I've stumbled upon an awesome chart which illustrates unambiguously why the iPad mini is a missing link in Apple's iOS portfolio...
A new report is out this morning claiming that thousands of job seekers are currently lined up outside of Foxconn's Chengdu, China plant. Apparently, the applicants are all vying for a number of summer job openings that were recently posted by the manufacturer.
It doesn't take a lot of brain power to guess the nature of these positions. Apple, who just so happens to be Foxconn's largest client, is widely expected to unveil two new major products this fall. One of which, the "iPhone 5," is believed to already be in production...
We told you yesterday that The New York Times joined The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg in backing the rumor calling for a smaller, cheaper iPad, affectionately dubbed by the media the iPad mini. But the smaller $249-$299 iPad wouldn't just give Google's $199 Nexus 7 tablet a run for its money, it might strike a chord with women similarly to how the first iPod mini music player with its five attractive colors (silver, gold, pink, blue and green) had become big with female buyers...
The Wall Street Journal was the first of big media outlets to report back in April that a new iPad model with a smaller eight-inch display was in the works.
Then, early in July Bloomberg corroborated the story and just a day later the Journal followed up with a new report of suppliers allegedly gearing up to mass-produce the gizmo in time for a presumed September launch.
And now, The New York Times (finally) gets in on the action, becoming a third major news outlet to put its credibility on the line concerning the iPad mini, claiming Apple would announce the smaller iPad later this year, priced "significantly less" than $499...
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...
Hot on the heels of the iPhone 5 engineering samples we saw earlier today, comes new photos showing what is claimed to be a case mold for Apple's rumored iPad Mini.
The images surface in the midst of tons of ongoing speculation that the Cupertino company is set to unveil a smaller iPad this year, to help it expand its popular tablet line..
After a series of reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, the "iPad Mini" has once again become the hotest topic in the tech world. It seems like everyone is getting in on the speculation regarding how, when, and why Apple would release such a device.
Up to this point, one of the most popular arguments against the smaller iPad has been that a 7.85-inch display would render most current apps unusable. So either developers would have to completely redesign their apps, or users would be forced to deal with tiny UI elements.
This theory has already been disproven by a number of pundits, via math and other reasoning. But we've come across some mockups that really drive the point across, demonstrating what apps would look and feel like on the smaller screen...
I know the sandpaper joke is getting boring at this point, but bear with me for a second. Though Jobs famously dissed seven inchers as being too small to comfortably operate "unless you include sandpaper so users can sand their fingers down to a quarter of their size", many watchers and journalists have been overanalyzing the repercussions of Apple's rumored inexpensive 7.85-inch iPad, allegedly slated for a September launch.
I'm also guilty for this, having recently explained why I thought Apple must deliver the iPad mini sooner than later (hint: it's the ecosystem, stupid). So let's assume for the argument's sake that the iPad mini is coming soon, rocking a 1024-by-768 pixels packed on a screen between seven and eight inches diagonally.
How would the new form factor affect developers, end-users and usability?
Following up on a string of recent reporting which revives the iPad mini rumor, the usually accurate Japanese blog Macotakara claimed that the device will be produced in Foxconn's new manufacturing facilities in Brazil. Manufacturing is apparently set to ramp up in September, just in time for mass availability around the holiday shopping season, as indicated in other reports...
Weighing in on a recent resurgence of the old iPad mini rumor, this time corroborated by credible news outlets such as Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, Apple pundit John Gruber opined that Apple could use existing manufacturing processes to quickly - and more importantly, cheaply - churn out millions and millions of seven-inch display panels for the iPad mini...