Image via Complex Original
If all the rumors and reports are true, Apple will hold a press conference early next month and announce not one, but two products that will heavily impact not just its quarter earnings, but the consumer electronics market as a whole: the next iPhone, and a smaller iPad. Seeing as how the iPhone hasn't had a true refresh in a long while, folks are more interested in gossiping about the next Apple smartphone.
However, there are nearly as many rumors floating around about Apple's answer to the Amazon Kindle Fire and the newly announced Google Nexus 7 tablet. Both tablets are smaller and less powerful than Apple's, and both, according to analysts, have the best chance at ending Apple's dominance over the tablet industry.
To hedge its bets and make sure its stays king of the hill, reports have Apple planning to release a smaller version of the iPad sometime before 2013. We've gone through all the reports and rumors and pared the info down to give you everything you need to know about Apple's next tablet device.
September Announcement, Late Fall Release
Reports have the new iPhone and the new iPad both being announced at a September 12 media event, with the iPhone being released a short while after. However, the iPad is not scheduled to drop until much later given the differences in production times. Rumors and reports say that while production of the iPhone is set to begin August, the smaller iPad won't hit production lines until sometime in September, which will put it in stores right in time for the holiday shopping season.
It Will Likely Have a 7.85-Inch Screen
How much smaller will the new iPad be? About two inches smaller than the original, according to Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and DigiTimes, all of which said the mini iPad would have a display between seven and eight inches. Back in April, John Gruber from Daring Fireball commented that Apple had an iPad with a 7.85-inch screen floating around campus, being tested by engineers and designers. Last month, the New York Times joined the chorus and confirmed that the new tablet will sport a 7.85-inch display. We think it's safe to say these are the dimensions we'll see come launch.
It Will Take Design Cues from iPod Touch
Experts believe the new iPad won't follow in the footsteps of the last iPad and will be remarkably thinner than any iPad, or tablet, ever made. Macotakara, a Japanese tech site, claimed a source tipped it off that the next iPad will be only 7.2mm thick, making it nearly as thin as the iPad Touch. Some analysts have surmised that the iPad may be marketed more in the iPod Touch family than in the iPad family, as it will take design cues more form Apple's mobile media device than its tablet.
Will Be Signifigantly Cheaper than iPad
To compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire and the newly announced Google Nexus 7, Apple, it's been reported, will be pricing the new iPad very aggressively. Rumors have had the price all the way down to $199, while others see it being sold between $249 and $299. The New York Times is reporting that, either way, it will be "significantly cheaper" than the current iPad.
Apple's Prepping Six Million Units
Anticipating high demand for the product, some sources say Apple is planning on producing six million devices in the month of September. This number could be derived from analysts reports that predict if such a device was launched, Apple could sell anywhere between four and six million units before 2013.
It's Not Likely to have a Retina Display
To keep costs well below that of the iPad, the new, smaller iPad will forego the high resolution Retina Display found on the iPhone, the new iPad, and now the newest MacBook Pro. Sources speaking to Bloomblerg say the display will sport the same 1,024 x 768 resolution of the iPad 2. However, Chinese site MyDrivers, said that in order to keep the new tablet thin, Apple will employ IGZO display panels from Sharp which can possibly deliver pixel densities of up to 330pi, similar to that of the Retina Displays.
It will have a 3G Cellular Antenna
If you were hoping for 4G in the ultra-portable iPad, think again. Rumors have the minified version of Apple's tablet sporting a 3G antenna as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Chinese site Macotakara believes users may be able to make phone calls with the tablet, as well, making it a competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Note smatphone/tablet hybrid.
It Will Ship With Minimal Memory
We hope this one isn't true. Many reports have Apple shipping the mini iPad with no more than eight gigs of storage. We're guessing this is meant to push the company's cloud offerings. The storage amount falls right in line with the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7, but, even still, eight gigs in 2012 seems too paltry.
It Will Run the Same Apps
For those worried about apps made for the iPad not running the same on its smaller cousin need not worry. Reports say the software will make it so everything runs smoothly on the new device. There won't even been a need to scale anything down, the way iPhone apps needed to up-scaled for the iPad.
There Will Be Only One
The rumors of Apple launching multiple new iPads have died down in the first half of 2012. There's been no word or hint that Apple plans to launch more than one new tablet this fall.