The iPad mini may be on sale in November – well in time for Christmas – if the rumours turn out to be true.
The latest gossip surrounding Apple’s hotly anticipated device suggests the launch event will take place on October 17 with the tablet expected to hit the shops two weeks later.
Apple has not confirmed or denied the rumour, but it never reveals information about its products before time.
Nevertheless, the rumours surrounding the iPhone 5 turned out to be largely correct, and it may prove to be the same for the new tablet as well.
According to Forbes, the date of the launch – and the existence of the device – was confirmed by a "major Apple investor" who said he had heard the news from multiple sources.
The expected smaller, cheaper version of the iPad is often referred to as the iPad mini or iPad air, and is usually described as having a 7.85" screen.
The Forbes source said invitations to the launch would be going out on October 10.
Japanese fan site Macatakara suggested the new device would be given a housing made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
It said the project was being supervised by Kevin Kenney, Apple’s senior composites engineer, who used to build carbon fibre bicycles for US firm Kestrel.
The iPad mini looks set to go head-to-head with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7, the first tablet in the Google Nexus series.
British tech site Trusted Reviews said some sources were quoting a price of around 200 – half the price of the entry-level iPad.
Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, which has a 7" screen, retails for 159 and has dual Wi-Fi.
The iPad mini, in contrast, is predicted to offer 3G as well.
Story Source: www.bigpond.com
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