Hype surrounding the 7.85-inch version of the market leading iPad continues to run at full speed after Apple did not talk about the iPad mini at its September 12th event where it introduced new mobile devices. Following countless rumors and leaked images, a Chinese tech blog leaked purported new images of a working iPad mini. The photos show a sleek and slim new iPad with a smaller 8-pin dock connector port (like the Lightning port in the iPhone 5), and a rear-facing camera. The iPad will reportedly be priced between $249 and $299 to compete with the top budget tablets Amazon Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7. The smaller iPad is reportedly slated for an October launch date. Some reports suggest that the tablet would resemble a stretched iPod touch rather than a shrunken iPad 3.
What Else You Need To Know
- The entry level third generation iPad, which has a 9.7 inch screen and Retina display, is sold for $499. The Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire, the most popular tablets following the iPad, are priced starting at $199.
- A Taiwanese paper claims that the iPad mini is now in production and that Pegatron is joining Foxconn as supplier.
- Apple unveiled the iPhone 5, the iOS 6 mobile operating system, and new iPods September 12th.
Other sources
Needless to say, the smaller tablet segment characterized by a lower upfront cost will become the most happening tablet segment with the emergence of the iPad Mini.- Sovan Mandal, Good E-Reader
With leaks starting to appear so frequently, production supposedly under way, and now working models hitting the web is a launch imminent? We’d have to say yes!- Cory Gunther, SlashGear
- Good E-Reader
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Apple iPad Mini Rumors Take The Hot Seat
The particular segment is being dominated by the Nexus 7 right now though the new breed of Kindle Fires too is getting a fair share of consumer attention.
- Engadget
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Pegatron reportedly nabs 50 to 60 percent of iPad mini orders, breaks up Foxconn's monopoly
According to today's front page news on Taiwan's Economic Daily News, reports from two local securities firms claim that Pegatron's managed to nab a staggering 50 to 60 percent of iPad mini orders from Apple, meaning Foxconn is finally no longer the sole assembler of iPads.
- GottaBeMobile
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iPad Mini Rumors: Production Begins Ahead of Launch Date
As for its design, it’s said to resemble a larger iPod touch with thin bezels on the sides. If and when Apple decides to announce and release the iPad Mini, it will be faced with growing competition.
- Tech Radar
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Report: As iPad Mini enters mass production, Foxconn out as sole manufacturer
As for its design, it’s said to resemble a larger iPod touch with thin bezels on the sides. If and when Apple decides to announce and release the iPad Mini, it will be faced with growing competition.
- Pocket-lint
- iPad mini production in full flow, battle between manufacturers
- TN
- iPad Mini Reportedly Enters Mass Production
- Other
- iPad Mini Reportedly Already in Production at Chinese Factory
- TechCrunch
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Alleged Leaked iPad Mini Pics Show Lightning Port, Odd Hole On The Back
You’ll notice an unfamiliar weather icon on the homescreen, which also appears on the images in this article, out of France. It’s a Chinese Weather app, which leads us to believe that this may indeed be a legitimate leak out of a Chinese factory.
- New iPad mini photos appear to firm up earlier leaks
- Cell Phone Signal
- Everyone Is Saying This Is The Real iPad Mini (AAPL)
- More...