iPad mini

More sources chime in confirming November 2 iPad mini availability

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

A smaller iPad has gotta be one of the industry's worst kept secrets in 2012. It will also be competition's worst nightmare. Now, Apple last week issued invites for a media event scheduled to take place next Tuesday, October 23 in San Jose’s California Theatre rather than the usual venues, San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts or Apple’s own campus in Cupertino, California. We've heard whispers that general availability was already scheduled for November 2 and now more credible sources are chiming in to confirm the date...

iPad mini release date allegedly pegged at November 2

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2012

As Apple gets to show us "a little more" next Tuesday, and taking into account that Microsoft's Surface tablet will hit store shelves next Friday, watchers have been wondering whether the iPad mini will be immediately available following the introduction, on the Friday following the event or the following week. The iPhone 5, for example, was unveiled on Wednesday, September 12 and hit store shelves the following week on Friday, September 21. According to a new report citing a source close to a major UK retailer, the iPad mini will hit retail stores on November 2 (that's a Friday)...

Alleged iPad mini part numbers show 24 models

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2012

iDB yesterday informed you about possible price points for the iPad mini discovered in the system of a German retailer. Today, we bring you a full list of alleged iPad mini part numbers, showing 24 different models based on price, color and storage capacity. Most telling of all, it appears Apple will offer the device in WiFi, 3G and 4G LTE configurations...

AU Optronics seen boosting output of iPad mini screens ahead of next week’s unveiling

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 20, 2017

Having solved yield issues, Taiwan’s maker of flat panel displays AU Optronics (AUO) is said to be boosting its output of displays for the iPad mini, with Apple being so confident in AUO's ability to deliver that it upped orders by 50 percent to three million panels (Apple's striving to produce ten million iPad minis).

The screens should trickle down to assembly factories later this month, giving hope that Apple will have ample supply of parts at its disposal to manufacture enough iPad minis for the rumored October 23 introduction. If history is an indication, the iPad mini should be available either right after the keynote or a week or two following the presser...

Revamped iMacs, 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro due alongside iPad mini next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

As October 23 approaches, the word on the street is that Apple alongside the iPad mini will unveil a redesigned iMac with a curved shell "like a water droplet", updated Mac minis a new 13-inch MacBook Pro notebook featuring the Retina display. Hot on the heels of last month's introduction of the iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod touch and the new iPod nano, Apple apparently isn't done updating its existing lineup, per one analyst who recently called for eight Apple product releases by end of 2012...

Alleged iPad mini prices leak

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 15, 2012

According to a purported screenshot claiming to be from an internal system of a German retailer, the iPad mini could cost anywhere between €249 for the entry-level model to €649 for the top of the line model. This translates to $320 for the base model and $840 for the flagship one, although U.S. prices are likely to be lower because gadgets in Europe typically cost more due to a higher cost of doing business on the continent. In total, eight different models are said to be on offer...

Reuters reaffirms reports of October 23 Apple event

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Friday morning, a report surfaced claiming that Apple was planning to hold a media event on October 23 to announce the long-rumored iPad mini. But given that we heard a similar story for the 17th, we remained skeptical.

Then later that day, the well-connected Jim Dalrymple gave his "yep" of approval on the date, further confirming it. But if that's not enough proof for you, a major news outlet has just added its weight by backing the story...

Claimed photos of iPad mini battery surface

Cody Lee ∙ October 14, 2012

It seems like the long-rumored iPad mini might actually become a real thing this month. Multiple well-sourced reports are claiming that Apple is planning to unveil the tablet at an event on October 23.

With that in mind, we expect to see speculation and part leaks really ramp up over the next few weeks as we await Apple's announcement. In fact, today we've got photos of a purported iPad mini battery...

iBooks said to be major focus at iPad mini event

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Yesterday, the elusive and long-rumored iPad mini event was as good as confirmed for October 23rd. AllThingsD reported the date, and the well-connected Jim Dalrymple gave his "yep" of approval.

And now that we know when it's going to be, the next question is what is it going to be? We'll see the smaller iPad, of course, but what else? Well the word is, there's going to be a focus on iBooks...

iPad mini announcement confirmed for October 23

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

October 10 came and went without an Apple media event (here's why), but that doesn't mean the rumor-mill is standing still. According to a new report by a Wall Street Journal-owned blog, Apple will hold an iPad mini event on October 23 (that's a Tuesday). And instead of holding a presser at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where the iPhone 5, iPads and other products were introduced in the past, Apple has reportedly opted for a more intimate setting at Town Hall Auditorium on its Cupertino, California headquarters.

UPDATE: Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has weighed in on the rumor with his trademark "yep".

The iPad mini: are you ready for Scuffgate on a grand scale?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

October 10 has come and gone without an Apple invitation (Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt who called for it apologized), prompting watchers to wonder about a smaller and cheaper iPad Apple's rumored to be close to launching under the iPad mini moniker.

According to a supply chain report today, Apple is facing quality control issues with the device's display and chassis, suggesting that shipments are not smooth at the moment due to low yield rates. The report notes that the iPad mini will come in native and black-colored aluminum chassis said to be "more vulnerable to scratching". That doesn't sound good.

The manufacturing difficulties are being blamed on anodizing, a finish process where aluminum thrown into a pool of chemicals and then running an electrical current through the acid bath, which produces a skin-deep layer that can easily be peeled off. The anodized finish process on the black cases for the iPad mini is reportedly "more critical", resulting in lower yield rates...

Report: iPad mini is WiFi-only, Apple to update iPad 3 with UK’s 4G LTE and Lightning

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

We may have been exposed to a surprising amount of leaks pertaining to the looks and hardware features of a smaller iPad Apple is thought to be introducing later this month. One important feature has remained a mystery thus far: the device's price point.

With both Amazon and Google selling their seven inchers for just $199, Apple's mini iPad cannot and shouldn't cost substantially more in order not to ruin its chances in the marketplace.

Among the possible tricks Apple could employ in order to keep the costs down: re-using some of the iPad 2 components and yes - skimping on some features, including cellular networking...