There have been rumors online that Apple may soon be revealing a smaller version of their iPad, which has been called the iPad Mini or iPad 4. However Apple has not confirmed it. According to MobileNApps (MNA), sources which include The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, say the smaller tablet may be launched as early as September. But what can we expect from it in relation to its bigger brother the current New iPad ‘3’?
Current New iPad ‘3’ vs upcoming iPad 4 ‘Mini’ rumors
Bloomberg believes that the tablet will be in contention with those from Amazon and Google. Google revealed their 7 inch tablet at the I/O in the form of the Nexus 7. The Mini iPad could help Apple keep their dominance in the tablet market.
One of the biggest differences between tablets will be the size of the screen. The iPad comes with a 9.7 inch screen while it is thought that the screen of the iPad 4 will be in the region of 7 to 8 inches. Due to the smaller screen size it will lack the Retina display and this will help to keep the cost of the device down. This will perhaps be in the region of $199 which is in the same region as that of the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7.
This could be their competition’s worst nightmare as previously the 7 inch tablet form was an area where Apple had not ventured. It was also an advantage over the 9.7 inch tablets in terms of weight. One research firm has said that Apple have 61% control over the tablet market which in total is thought to be worth around $66.4 billion in 2012.
Microsoft has recently revealed their Surface tablets which operate on Windows 8. There is the RT version, which is the cheaper and less powerful version with a feature limited Windows 7. There is also the Pro which is the more expensive model and comes with a feature packed version of Windows 8. The Nexus 7 on the other hand will come out in the middle of July, providing all goes well and at the moment we are waiting for the date for the Surface’s release, but it is thought that it may be released at the same time as Windows 8.
With Windows 8 perhaps being released in October, along with the Surface, the Mini iPad could prove to be stiff competition. The iPad 2 is being sold at $399 compared to the new iPad which has the price tag of $499.
There is also the question of connectivity. At the moment the price of the Microsoft tablets are to be announced but they come with USB slots. While this is only a small inclusion, it does happen to be an effective one as users will see it a productivity device which is classed as essential for fans of Windows.
It is thought that the screen of the iPad Mini a.k.a. iPad 4 will be the same as the display on the iPad 2. This means that potentially Apple have four screen sizes which developers will have to work on apps with. These are the 3.5 inch screen of the current iPhone, a 7 or 8 inch Mini iPad, 10.6 inch iPad and potentially a 4 inch screen on the upcoming iPhone. Apple could have made three product announcements within the year. These are the larger iPad in March, the new iPhone around October and the iPad Mini shortly after.
