It’s been rumored for many months that Apple will release a smaller ‘iPad Mini’ to compete with cheaper Android tablets and devices like the Kindle Fire.
After Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is indeed working on a smaller version of its popular iPad tablet, a fresh report from Japanese blog Macotakara reveals some more alleged details about the forthcoming device.
According to the report, the iPad Mini will be as thin as the iPod touch 4G, giving the tablet a thickness of only 7.2mm. That’s a nice decrease from the third-gen iPad’s 9.4mm thickness, and would also make the new device thinner than the current Kindle Fire. The unnamed source who reportedly saw a prototype of the device overseas says the smaller iPad is the same height as the Google Nexus 7 with a slightly larger width. (The Nexus 7’s dimensions clock in at 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm.) Overall, the design of the device is said to borrow heavily from the iPod touch 3G.
Previous rumors have said that the iPad Mini will feature a non-Retina 1024×768 display, like the original and second-gen iPad. The omission of the Retina display will assumedly help Apple cut costs and offer the device at its rumored $250-$350 price point. Macotakara notes that the iPad Mini is unsurprisingly equipped with 3G technology.
With rumors saying that the iPad Mini is coming before Christmas, Macotakara says that production will begin at Foxconn Brazil in September 2012. Apple is free to mass produce its products in South America after an important tax hurdle was overcome earlier this year.
Source: Macotakara
Image: Ciccarese Design
