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29 March 2024

iPad Mini is iPhone 5 Maxi, only cheaper

Published
By Vicky Kapur

Apple launched the iPhone 5 last month, and as its devotees and detractors continue to go to town about its strengths and failings, respectively, the Cupertino-based firm is, apparently, moving on. 

The tech titan is reportedly preparing to send out invites for another launch event, rumoured to be held on October 23. This time, Apple is expected to unveil the miniaturised version of its popular iPad 3. 

While its smartphone – the venerable iPhone – has been Apple’s bread-and-butter offering, the iPad is perhaps the next best thing to come out from its factories (yes, yes, the iPod is great as well, as is the iMac and the MacBook… which is why we said ‘perhaps’). 

Apple-watchers agree that the rumours (there’s a whole cottage industry out there for Apple products) surrounding the iPad Mini have been far fewer than those surrounding the iPhone 5 – but that’s what was expected. 

What wasn’t expected, however, was that the iPad Mini won’t be an iPad at all. Rumours have it that it will be either a souped-up version of the iPod, or a dumbed-down version of the iPhone. 

We’ve seen these claims that Apple is going to dumb-down the iPhone 5 a little and present it as the iPad Mini. We didn’t believe it either, until we saw this report on NBC News

Interestingly, according to 9to5mac, considered by some the ‘ultimate’ Apple rumours blog after a number of its rumours about Apple’s products came true, the iPad Mini will be a souped-up iPod Touch. 

“We received a number of tips over the last few weeks from sources that we have reason to believe hold knowledge about Apple’s plans on the upcoming iPad mini. A recurring theme of late is that the iPad mini will ‘look like a big iPod touch’ with smaller bezels along the sides in portrait mode and separate volume buttons and not a ‘rocker’ and a mic on the back,” the report states. 

According to reports, among the most notable features of the iPad Mini will be a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal display and the now-famous Lightning connector. It is also expected to be ‘much’ thinner than the iPad 3, and is expected to compete – including on the pricing front – with Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and Google’s Nexus 7, both of whom sell for $199 (Dh731) apiece. 

While both the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 sport a smaller, 7-inch screen, Apple may well decide to ‘kill the competition’ by retailing the 7.85-inch iPad Mini at the same price point – which will be a $300 mark-down on the price of the cheapest available fully-fledged iPad 3. 

Let’s look forward to October 23, then.

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