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Apple’s iPad mini: What we don’t know

Friday, October 12, 2012 · 5:33 pm · 42 Comments

“The so-called ‘iPad Mini’ is the Sasquatch of the gadget world,” Scott Stein reports for CNET. “Rumored for years, the smaller iPad looms ever closer to reality, with rumors of an imminent announcement and release ramping up nearly every day.”

Stein reports, “The gadget blogosphere, bolstered by a recent flurry of leaked photos and specs, seems to be taking the existence of the iPad Mini as an inevitability. But even assuming that the Mini is real — and that it’s coming soon — there are some key unknowns. Here are the biggest and most important ones.”

• How much will it cost?
• What is the name?
• What’s the screen resolution?
• What’s the storage capacity?
• What gets left out?
• Will there be candy colors?
• Could there be a killer accessory?

Read more in the full article here.

Categories: News

Tags: 7.85-inch iPad, 7.85-inch iPad mini, iPad, iPad mini

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Comment Feed

42 Comments

Dave Marsh

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 5:47 pm · Reply

Ok, I’ll bite.
Price: $299 (16GB), $399 (32GB)
Name: iPad mini
Screen Resolution: 1024 x 768 (7.85″)
Storage: 16GB, 32GB, no 64GB model
Left out? 64 GB model
Colors: Black, White
Accessory? Smart Cover

There, that wasn’t so tough. Since Apple has said NOTHING about a smaller iPad, EVERYTHING said about it is speculation. But, IF Apple releases a smaller iPad soon, I’d put my guesses above right up there with the “pros.”
- kingmel
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 6:19 pm · Reply
  
  Sounds quite reasonable to me… Unfortunately, Scott Stein gets paid for asking a bunch of questions, and you don’t get paid for the answers. Such is life.
  - tbone
    
    Friday, October 12, 2012 - 6:58 pm · Reply
    
    +1000
- radtech5000
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 7:09 pm · Reply
  
  Sounds about right but I’m hoping for a lower price range since this won’t be a retina display.
- peterblood71
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:06 pm · Reply
  
  You left out cellular models – 3G & 4G. Dats what I’s wants to know…
- Lux
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:44 pm · Reply
  
  Ah…let’s see, iPad mini…hmmm….that means the original is now the Max-iPad? Will they really do that to their most important product? IPod Magnum or anything else is better then MaxiPad.
- ckan
  
  Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 12:36 am · Reply
  
  One more things left out is google map and in apple map plus death of amzn, goog and msft’s small tablets and once again blood on apple’s devices.
- Radio Moscow
  
  Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 9:31 am · Reply
  
  There is no ipad mini…
  There is an iPod touch maxi
  it will replace the high end iPod touch at 299 price point
  It has a larger screen, blah, blah….etc
  - LLIBSETAG
    
    Monday, October 15, 2012 - 6:05 am · Reply
    
    iPod Touch Venti
Dave Marsh

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 5:52 pm · Reply

Oh, I forgot. My price guesses are for WiFi models. If Apple includes cellular models, add $129 to each size for the two additional configurations.
wzinc

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 5:58 pm · Reply

There was soooo much leaked about the iPhone 5. I thought, “Surely, Apple leaked fake parts,” but then there was a complete phone that would boot. Even the whole iPhone-lost-at-the-bar leak wasn’t this bad; it was one traceable source. Of course, the leaks were right; they had a real iPhone 5. It seems like Apple didn’t care about security on the 5. So, based on that, these iPad mini leaks are probably true.

Why hasn’t Apple done anything to stop the leaks? Where where the cease and desists?
Was the iPhone 5 a test to see what would happen if everyone knew a lot about the device before debut?
- Dmitri
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 6:41 pm · Reply
  
  Maybe they realized that the leaks don’t matter? I’m not saying they don’t, I’m just speculating. But aside from generating a collective “meh” from the bored bloggeratti, it seems like all the leaks generated a LOT of interest in the phone. Perhaps having the surprise spoiled is more than balanced by the added buzz? I don’t know. Speculating.
- Spark
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 6:50 pm · Reply
  
  All those Foxconn injuries? Retribution for leaking.
Spark

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 6:52 pm · Reply

Name: TadPad, or how about the iPad Dell (because what is shrinking faster than Dell?)
tbone

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 6:59 pm · Reply

Who says they’re leaks. In the case of the iPhone 5, it was an awful lot of free advertising.
JONNY

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 6:59 pm · Reply

I’d buy one, but ONLY if could do GPS like my Garmin without cellular.
- peterblood71
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:07 pm · Reply
  
  This thing would be perfect for the car being Goldilocks size.
Mike

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 7:24 pm · Reply

I’ll add one more question: Why?

Whoever can’t afford an iPod Touch or iPhone or iPad isn’t going to be able to afford or justify a ‘tween-sized device. What new functionality could possibly be offered?

The only possible new audience that could be demanding a paperback-sized device is, you guessed it, the purse-toting paperback readers. Not exactly a growing demographic, and not a very profitable one.

Apple should know that

I hope i’m wrong, but the real ROI of yet another screen size iDevice with, i predict, zero functionality improvement over the current iPhone or iPad, will be poor. A 7″ screen device is has limited appeal and will likely only cannibalize a few sales from Apple’s existing lines.

Apple would be better designing a new line of attractive iPad-toting purses or simply running an iPad promotion with a bunch of iBooks tossed in for a very attractive price.

I fear that Apple is brainlessly responding to the Kindle Fire and Nook HD threats rather than thinking through a solid strategy of how the existing iPad lineup already blows away the useless 7″ devices. Wasting resources to put up a me-too product seems like something a copycat does, not the industry innovator.
- Gm
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:32 pm · Reply
  
  They’ll sell like hotcakes! Apple won’t be able to make enough during the holiday season. There are a lot of Kindles, Nooks etc. selling today so there is a market. And think of all the 7 inch tablets that are not being sold because they are not made by Apple. If Apple makes it, it will be a quality tablet. It has to compete in the price range so obviously it will not be a full feature tablet like the iPad. But I’m going to bet that Apple has this all figured out or they wouldn’t have jumped in with both feet. Pricing will be the most important issue. And they’ll sell like hotcakes!
Derek Currie

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:19 pm · Reply

Not to mock Dave Marsh from above, but to have some fun worthy of the vacuumware that is the iPad ‘Mini’:

Price: $199 (8GB), $299 (16GB)
Name: iPad Spaghetti Monster
Screen Resolution: 800 x 600 (stretched to 7.85″)
Storage: 8GB, 16GB, no 32 GB or 64GB model
Left out? RAM and enough Flash memory to do more than read books.
Colors: Brown, Pink
Accessory? Smoke detector

IOW: Setting aside the comedy of this vacuumware, it might as well be a lame POS chunk of hardware only fit for reading books in order to ‘compete’ with the crapware already on the ‘market’ in that size range.

If Apple ‘were’ to put out something in that size range, AND if Apple held to their quality standards, the device would be WAY outside the current ~7″ market in every respect. And of course the TechTard press would go all FUD lunatic about it being ‘expensive’.
- Gm
  
  Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:38 pm · Reply
  
  You have said all along that there won’t be an iPad mini. Should we expect anything else from a troll?
  - Derek Currie
    
    Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:46 pm · Reply
    
    It’s great to have fans! I <3 you too, hater.
    - Derek Currie
      
      Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:51 pm · Reply
      
      BTW: LOVE the faked HTML link you associated with your nick:
      
      html://ios/
      
      Way to be anonymous!
      
      Note how everything about ME is real, except of course my avatar, with which I enjoy having fun. My real face is over at Facebook. Friend me!
      - Gm
        
        Friday, October 12, 2012 - 9:50 pm · Reply
        
        Geez! You’re right, everything about you is real. You are a real troll. Only a troll would try to look up someone’s information like you did. You must lead a sad empty life. I have better things to do. We are going to go watch John Burroughs high school football game. Try getting off the site and doing something constructive with your life. I feel sorry for you.
        
        Derek Currie
        
        Friday, October 12, 2012 - 11:02 pm · Reply
        
        It just keeps getting more silly. I think I’ll stop picking on the guy, even though he is an anonymous coward hater troll. I’m feeling a bit sorry for him too as this is just too easy. If someone else is interested in teasing the troll, he’s all yours.
    - Gm
      
      Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:52 pm · Reply
      
      Nice try troll.
      - Derek Currie
        
        Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:56 pm · Reply
        
        Is it wrong that I enjoy hating on haters? Torturing torturers? Sliming slimers? It certainly seems to be a useful and important niche. Thus my continued service to the cause. Cue the Troll Trampler’s Anthem…
        
        Gm
        
        Friday, October 12, 2012 - 9:01 pm · Reply
        
        Yeah, I’ll friend you.
        
        Derek Currie
        
        Friday, October 12, 2012 - 9:04 pm · Reply
        
        Whoever you are, hater.
        
        Gm
        
        Friday, October 12, 2012 - 9:46 pm ·
        
        Hey phony, go play with your S III. Troll. You’re probably using a Dell laptop. Hater!
        
        Derek Currie
        
        Friday, October 12, 2012 - 10:59 pm ·
        
        HAHAHAHA! So clueless. It’s like talking to a guy who can’t take his face out of the mirror.
        
        botvinnik
        
        Sunday, October 14, 2012 - 1:33 am ·
        
        you two need to go get a motel room.
        
        Derek Currie
        
        Sunday, October 14, 2012 - 9:15 pm ·
        
        Didn’t you see where we broke up?
        
        Radio Moscow
        
        Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 9:37 am · Reply
        
        Remember, you turn into whoever you fight. It’s inevitable
        
        Derek Currie
        
        Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 2:46 pm · Reply
        
        For me, the context of communication is critical. I turn on my troll trampling tripe only in specific situations. IRL I enjoy translating tech to people learning via patience and interaction. I save the nasty stuff for only the nasty. I suppose it’s a lot like a comedian having learned skills for dealing with hecklers. In any case, humor is the wind that sails the ship.
DMac

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 8:23 pm · Reply

Rumored for years?!?
Bandit Bill

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 11:20 pm · Reply

• How much will it cost?
$299 16GB $399 32GB
no 4G models available

• What is the name?
iPad mini

• What’s the screen resolution?
1536X1152

• What’s the storage capacity?
16GB and 32GB

• What gets left out?
A decent screen size

• Will there be candy colors?
yes
kids, women and gift givers will be the target market

• Could there be a killer accessory?
Nothing by Apple, except a Smart Cover
North

Friday, October 12, 2012 - 11:54 pm · Reply

I’ve been thinking about what might make the smaller iPad truly competitive over what are likely less costly devices (Fire, Android, even paperwhite devices), and the thing I come up with is some sort or e-ink/LCD like technology. I know work of comperable technologies has been underway for years. One was recently publicly prototyped. Could this be the iPad-mini’s “One more thing”?
MBBM

Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 1:35 am · Reply

I thought EVERYTHING was what we didn’t KNOW about it!
Clasqm

Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 3:30 am · Reply

Ooooh, this looks like fun!

My bet is that this thing is aimed at the education market first, consumer market second. My guesses are based on that.

• How much will it cost?
Same price range as the iPod Touch

• What is the name?
IBook

• What’s the screen resolution?
IPad 2 quality. Non- retina

• What’s the storage capacity?
32 or 64. IBooks Author files are HUGE

• What gets left out?
4G

• Will there be candy colors?
Not initially

• Could there be a killer accessory?
After you’ve used it well for a couple of years, you get a high school diploma.
Mike

Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 9:50 am · Reply

The iPad 2 is too large. I want the smaller one.

The End
silverhawk1

Sunday, October 14, 2012 - 9:41 pm · Reply

“Apple’s iPad mini: What we don’t know”
Nothing, really!