The much-rumoured iPad mini will be shipping before Christmas, according to new rumours that reportedly come via British bank Barclays.
An analyst working for the bank expects Taiwanese tech factory Pegatron to construct and ship 3 million miniature iPads, Focus Taiwan reports. The tiny tablets are reckoned to ship in the fourth quarter of 2012, or the three months leading up to the end of the year if you're not fluent in management speak.
The iPad mini didn't arrive alongside the iPhone 5, as some had predicted, but rumours that it really exists and is ready to pounce are still doing the rounds.
This latest tip sees Pegatron's expected iPad mini count revised down to about 30 per cent of Apple's yearly total, which -- if our calculations hold up -- means 10 million iPad minis could be built this year.
That doesn't seem like very many devices, especially as Apple sold 3 million of its newest iPad during the tablet's first three days on sale. The iPad mini is tipped to be a significantly cheaper version of Apple's tablet too, so impulse shoppers could drive sales numbers higher still. The analyst in this case reportedly thinks a thinner bezel could be behind the lower 'yield rate' numbers.
If the iPad mini is real, it's expected to be revealed at an event this month. If Apple is true to form, we won't know about any launch plans until about a week before the event itself, however.
If Apple is plotting a smaller, cheaper iPad, now is the time to unleash it. Rival tablet makers like Google, Amazon and Barnes and Noble are all touting £160 slates that could easily eat away at the iPad's share of the delicious tablet pie.
Do the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD or Nook HD appeal to you, or will you wait to see what Apple has planned? Tell me in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 6
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anonymous 1 October, 2012 18:32
Considering how much of the iphone 5 was leaked, i think if the ipad mini did exist, a bit more than this would have been leaked.
anonymous 1 October, 2012 22:16
The iPad mini has no price point. If it is the same as the new iTouch then no one will buy the iTouch, if it is the same price as the iPad 2 then people will buy the iPad 2, and if it is close to either then people wouldn't buy one apple product, and apple sure as he'll won't want that
anonymous 2 October, 2012 06:58
I've just bought a Nexus 7 and can't see Apple beating that. I also hate being tied into products which do not appeal to me so will always prefer a different operating system.
anonymous 2 October, 2012 14:27
It'll be interesting to see how they price it - too close to the current iPad range and noone will bother going for the smaller option... and seeing as how the Nexus 7 is a similar price to a 16GB iPOD I don't think Apple will price it under 300 quid
anonymous 8 November, 2012 13:59
It is amazing to hold the new iPad mini in one hand rather than two . I admire the shape and thickness of iPad mini . I think it is so important to have protective
ipad covers to protect the sensitive parts of iPad mini. Ihope manufactures come with new designs with iPad covers.
Best regards
Matt Logan
anonymous 10 November, 2012 14:17
is the ipad mini coming out be 4 christmas plz i need 2 no