The iPhone 5 isn't the only upcoming device under Apple's belt. It's pretty much accepted that the Cupertino-based company is designing an iPad Mini, a mid-sized tablet somewhere between the current iPad and an iPod Touch.
An article posed yesterday on Gizmodo regarding the rumored iPad Mini featured a photo of what might be the iPad Mini display, sent to the news-site from a "tipster with strong business ties to China." Gizmodo remained skeptical, but ran the story anyway, noting, "If it's real, this is the very face of Apple's newest mystery gadget."
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The anonymous source also reportedly revealed that the iPad Mini will feature a 7.85-inch screen (diagonal), which corresponds to popular rumors and would put the tablet in direct competition with Apple's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire. The source also claimed that the iPad Mini would not have the expected 4.3 ratio. However, this begins to make sense when you consider the rumors that the iPad Mini's design will be closer to the iPhone's than the iPad's. According to Gizmodo's source, the iPad Mini has a rectangular shape similar to the rumored iPhone 5.
Gizmodo later posted an update, revealing that the allegedly leaked image looks exactly like the Kindle Fire, and is almost certainly not an iPad Mini.
Photos and concept design mockups of the iPad Mini have been surfacing at an increasingly rapid pace as the expected release date of the mini-tablet approaches. Analysts and consumers expect Apple to unveil both the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini at a special event on September 12.
9to5mac.com recently posted a number of mock-ups, which give us a pretty good idea of what the iPad Mini design will entail.
Rumors of the iPad Mini first appeared online back in January 2012, when the device was originally reffered to as the iPad 4. However, is it possible that the iPad Mini is actually an iPhone-Maxi? Apple is facing increased competition from Samsung, which boasts a line of smartphones with bigger screens than Apple currently offers or is planning to offer with the iPhone 5, it might make sense for Apple to offer a 7-inch smartphone-tablet hybrid to outdo its biggest competition. Rumors that Amazon's upcoming Kindle Fire 2 may also be a "phablet" suggest that this may be what consumers want, and Apple has made a name for itself by offering the people what they want, often before they even knew they wanted it.
Apple has remained reliable tight-lipped regarding the iPad Mini (as well as the iPhone 5), refusing to address rumors, reveal the device's official name or even admit it exists. However, with the expected release date rapidly approaching we'll likely know the truth soon.
