“Apple Inc will host an event on October 23 where it is expected to unveil a smaller iPad that will take on the less expensive devices offered by Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday,” Poornima Gupta reports for Reuters. “The source did not specify what the product would be and an Apple spokesman declined to comment, but tech blog AllThingsD reported earlier on Friday that Apple would launch the mini iPad at the event. The device is expected by many experts to have a screen between 7 and 8 inches.”
MacDailyNews Note: 7.85-inches (diagonal).
“One Wall Street analyst said he had seen the smaller tablet, dubbed iPad mini by the media, while visiting component suppliers in Asia. ‘We actually had the opportunity to play with a pilot iPad Mini used by one of the vendors,’ Topeka Capital analyst Brian White said,” Gupta reports. “‘This 7.85-inch iPad Mini fit our hands like a glove and we were easily able to tuck the device in our sport coat, offering consumers a more mobile iPad experience for certain use cases.'”
Gupta reports, “Apple’s fiscal fourth quarter financial results are scheduled to be released on October 25, two days after the event, offering analysts a rare opportunity to grill executives about a new product just after details are made public. A smaller iPad could be a risk to Apple’s industry-leading margins, given that neither Amazon nor Google has been known to make much money from the smaller tablets… Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said that, if Apple prices the smaller tablet between $299 to $349, it could maintain the current margins. If the tablet is priced below $299, Apple could still maintain a decent margin if it offers 8 GB of storage instead of the minimum 16 GB storage it has in the current iPad, Wu added.”
Read more in the full article here.
Gupta reports… yikes
Yeah, that gives me the creeps too. Wonder where the little turd is.
He crawled back under the Shamdung bridge…
Gupta may very well be the Hindi equivalent of Smith or Jones; in other words, a common name.
The Gupta that posts here is another, a Scamdung troll from India. For all we know, he’s still stuck in Berlin, the victim of a one-way ticket courtesy of Scamdung, and Scamdung didn’t buy him a ticket home.
(True story: A month or so ago, at a big wireless trade show in Berlin, it was revealed that Scamdung was recruiting Indian bloggers to attend as Scamdung’s guests. The catch was that unless these bloggers cranked out enough pro-Scamdung posts, they would have to buy their own tickets home.)
I saw that story.
Sad Scamdung.
‘This 7.85-inch iPad Mini fit our hands like a glove and we were easily able to tuck the device in our sport coat, offering consumers a more mobile iPad experience for certain use cases.’”
Been saying this (along with a few others) since the beginning of the iPad and MDN kept announcing sayings “there was no need for anyting else” back then.
Doctors, nurses, inventory specialists, warehouse managers and others just got an iPad that they can carry around all day without having to hold it. I too believe, as some have said, that this will outsell the iPad in its full size form.
This is true. MDN used to mock competing tablets as “tiny-screen”. Haven’t seen that for a while…
Yeah, a number of us argued with MDN on that position. Looks like we got SteveJack this time…
Not the same at all.
7in tablets in widescreen orientation are very small in area. In contrast, 7.85in at 4:3 ratio is completely different. Makes a big difference. The new iPad Mini is actually nearer a “8in” tablet than the 9.7in iPad is a 10in tablet.
7 inch tablets are 25% smaller than 7.85. Do a quick and dirty… 7×7 = 49, 8×8 = 64…….that’s 15 more than the 7 incher or 30% more. So a 7.85 inch is going to be a little less, say 25%. That’s a quarter as much more. SJ didn’t say anything about the 7.85 inch.
If the iPad mini truly “tucks into a sport coat pocket” that easily, the 16:9 display aspect ratio theory appears to be a winner. A narrower (but taller) display will more easily slide into a pocket. Even so, it would take a pretty wide pocket to hold a 7.85″ display. Perhaps Apple uses the traditional manhood system of units, or MSI, for the iPad mini. In MSI, the true measurement is inflated by at least 33% to achieve the desired “wow” factor.
I just wanted to clarify that I favor the current 4:3 iPad aspect ratio. The 16:9 is superior for widescreen video content, but 4:3 is superior for most everything else and is a better overall compromise.
Yup. MDN always said there would be no iPad mini. I have said all along that there would be an iPad mini. It just seems to be so obvious. I guess we’ll see in about a week and a half?
It’s going to be an expensive November for me. iPhone 5 to replace my iPhone 4 and an iPad mini to replace the original iPad that my kids have basically turned into their own.
Having used the Nexus 7 a little, I really love the form factor (but hate Android), so I have no doubt the iPad mini will be my favorite device around the house and probably also my favorite remote control ever!
They have to do it no matter the margin. It’s a weak spot. This is going to be an epic holiday season for TV advertising.
Can’t wait. If, by chance, all these rumours are true…
And if the 23rd event does not have an “iPad mini” I’m going to laugh my ass off at the “media”
I personally don’t want one, I have a full size iPad and love it. I said it before that I have a fire. The fire would be about the same size of the mini… It’s too small for me.
I don’t need a size in between my iPhone 5 and iPad 3rd gen.
Now watch, apple remote… Updated Mac Pro and MBP, no mini 😉
I’m with you. I’d rather see upgrades to the big guns; let the grunts slog it out in the rice paddies. If we’re wrong, it would mean that Apple is opening a new front, carpet bombing the 7 inchers, attacking e-readers like Kindle and Nook. That would only make sense if Apple had secured significant new deals with publishers, but I haven’t heard of any leaks about that…only the usual leaks and rumors about hardware.
A smaller version of the iPad would also make sense because Apple will sell tens of millions of them if they are reasonably priced. That will demolish the tablet business models of Google and Amazon.
Mark my words…the iPad mini will outsell the iPhone 5 in the holiday quarter if adequate supplies are available and Apple prices it right.
That said, Apple has some serious work to do on the computer side of the house. A new Mac Pro and iMac should come first. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple releases a 13″ MBP retina model, first.
An iPad mini is imminent whether the naysayers squawk against it or not. Is it a coincidence that iTunes 11 will be launched in late October? I think not. All the evidence points to an iPad mini release later this month. The factories in China are already working full blast cranking out the iPad minis at the maximum possible rate to meet 10 million ordered units.
Yasser Arafat also never appeared with Ringo Starr…coincidence? I think not.
+1 for logic 101.
thanks…also Barbara Bush and The Quaker Oats Man never appeared together…another coincidence? I hardly think so.
Moreover…I never appeared with Jessica Biel…concidence? My intuition says, no.
This is going to kill the stock price when Apple doesn’t produce this rumoured iPad mini. All you guys pushing it are hurting my stock.
I’d like to see 8 GB ($199), 16 GB ($299), 32 GB ($399).
If there is in fact an 8GB @ $199, it will sell in insane amounts. I’m sure Amazon and Google hope that $299 will be the starting point (well, they’re probably hoping an iPad mini doesn’t come out at all, but a $199 would be even worse for them).
So what about the new iPod Touch? Who would buy one if there is an iPad mini for $199?
People who don’t want to strap a tablet to their body when working out.
the 16 GB iPad2 at $399 is going to be the best value, in my opinion.
Would also like to see it Cubert
I have no interest in the iPad mini. My iPad Retna is doing just fine. I’m going for a Note II to fill the gap between my iPhone 5 and iPad.
And that makes sense how? It won’t run any of the iOS apps that you have already accumulated. It won’t tie in to your iCloud account. I don’t get it.
Some enlightenment on your rationale for this move would be appreciated. Perhaps we are all headed down the wrong path…
My sentiments exactly. Especially when the note 2 is going to be at least $200.
Makes no sense at all.
Thus spake troll.
What is this “Retna” device you speak of- some new Shitdung Gollygee Tab model?
That is so STUPID its not even funny.
It would be funny if it never happened, what with all these supposed
sources avowing a momentous occasion for all on the 23rd. For people whose lives revolve around anticipating the arrival of new electronic gizmos.
At the financial report two days later they kind of shrug their shoulders and say “we didn’t announce anything, you jokers did.”
$239 ……
I don’t think there’ll be a $199 version. But it would sell faster than they could make them. My guess is $299 but $249 would be terrific. Apple has done their homework as far as pricing so I’m not really that concerned. They’ll be priced appropriately. And they’ll sell like hotcakes!
Oh come on!
The Microsoft Surface and RT tablets will sell like snotcakes too!
Only idiots believe in the iPad mini
Then I guess we’ll see you posting on 23 October?
Meh. iPad mini too small for me.
I see many different markets where the iPad mini will dominate: Education, Business, Medical, Children and the Small Hands/Big purse demographic (& etc.)
Still to small for me.
Siri says “it’s not going to be windy today” while outside the winds are roaring at 60 miles an hour!
Siri is trying to kill you
Nobody ever claimed that Siri was always a benign goddess. In fact, she’s an incarnation of Kali. With Kali, you buys your ticket, you takes your chances.
it’s wrong time, wrong target. fail.
New 7.85″ iPad, updated 13″ MacBook Pro and updated iMac’s…..yeah baby!!! Stick that up your A hole edwood.
Based on wildfire-like rumors, It’s safe to say the following iOS products will be announced at the upcoming event
(1) Regular iPad v.4 *or* The new+1 iPad *or* The new iPad+ *or* The new new iPad *or* … 🙂 (16GB WiFi, 32G WiFi, 64GB WiFi, 16GB 4G LTE, 32GB 4G LTE, and 64GB LTE)
(2) iPad Mini (16GB WiFi, 32G WiFi, 64GB WiFi, 16GB 4G LTE, 32GB 4G LTE, and 64GB LTE)
However if there is no iPad Mini (or whatever AAPL decided to call it) announcement at the event, I will be a bit concern about Apple’s stock price.
Can anyone explain why there’s a CrapSung GS3 ad on the “Mac” Daily News?
It’s the old adage. Money is the root of all evil.
If Apple is going to have an Oct. 23 event, it had better get invitations out today.