Apple has sent out a number of press invites to a secret event on October 23rd, hinting at the launch of its much-anticpated iPad mini launch.
The digital cards’ text reads: “We’ve got a little more to show you”. The event will take place at California Theatre in San Jose, California.
Rumours suggest the new model will feature a display that is 7-8 inches (18-20cm) in size, putting it in competition with the likes of Amazon’s Kindle Fire and the Goolge Nexus 7.
Mini tablets have started to prove popular to consumers, wanting a device they can hold with one hand.
However, Apple’s former boss, the late Steve Jobs, had previously attacked the idea of releasing a smaller iPad.
“There are clear limits of how close you can physically place elements on a touchscreen before users cannot reliably tap, flick or pinch them,” he told analysts in October 2010, according to a transcript of a conference call provided by news site Seeking Alpha. “This is one of the key reasons we think the 10-inch screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps… 7-inch tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad.”
Initial reports put the iPad launch put a announcement date of October 17th (today) for the iPad Mini.
The device is believed to have similar hardware to last year’s iPad 2, but reduced to an almost pocket-friendly seven or eight-inch form.
Fortune reported that images purporting to show the iPad Mini suggest a device measuring 7.85 inches, with an aluminium back-cover similar to the most recent iPad.
It is likely to sport a rear-facing camera and come with Apple’s newest ‘lightning’ connector, a controversial re-design which made previous accessories and chargers obsolete without an adapter.
If Apple follows its usual design styles, it is likely to come in white and black versions, with a choice of WiFi only, or a 3G option. However this unconfirmed.
The device, while still likely to garner a premium price-tag, will help Apple compete with the burgeoning smaller tablet market.
The 7-inch Google Nexus tablet sells for £159 for the cheapest version, while Amazon is also producing a budget tablet range.
