Everything You Need to Know About Apple's Upcoming iPad Mini Here's what we know so far about size, cost and its release date.
By Steve Kovach
This story originally appeared on Business Insider
The iPad is the most successful tablet on the market right now, but as competitors have proven, there's huge interest in smaller, cheaper devices, too.
So in a few weeks we'll have the so-called iPad Mini, Apple's attempt to fill the gap in its iOS device lineup. While early leaks on the iPad Mini haven't been as prevalent as they were for the iPhone 5, we do have a good idea what it'll be like.
Here's everything we know so far:
When will it go on sale?
Apple has already leaked to the press that it'll announce the iPad Mini in October. According to Fortune, Apple will hold a press event to announce the iPad Mini on October 17. The launch will be a week or two later, possibly in early November. The Wall Street Journal reports that the iPad Mini is already in full production.
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How much will it cost?
This is where things get tricky. There are rumors that the iPad Mini could cost as low as $199, which is the same price as the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. Others think a $299 price tag is more likely. But don't expect it to cost more than that as the iPad 2 is still going for $399.
How big will it be?
By all accounts, the iPad Mini will have a 7.85-inch display. That's slightly larger than the 7-inch display on the Kindle Fire HD and Google's Nexus 7, but noticeably smaller than the 9.7-inch display on the full-sized iPad.
What kind of screen will it have?
In order to keep costs down, rumors suggest that Apple won't include the high-resolution Retina display it uses on iPhone and iPads. That means the resolution will be about the same as the iPhone 3GS. In fact, it's likely Apple will use the same type of screen it used on the 3GS for the iPad Mini.
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What will it look like?
We haven't seen nearly as many leaked photos of the iPad Mini as we saw of the iPhone 5. But each new leak seems to be fairly consistent with the last. Assuming the leaks are legit, it looks like the iPad Mini will have an aluminum backing like the regular iPad and a very thin bezel.
Will it really be called the iPad Mini?
Maybe. The "Mini" moniker is just something the tech press has tied to the device. After all, when Apple released a smaller iPod, it called the new device the iPod Mini. But there are some other theories. John Gruber seems to think Apple will call it the iPad Air, a play on the sleek MacBook Air name.
Will it have the same new plug as the iPhone 5?
Almost definitely. Starting with the iPhone 5 and new iPod touch, Apple is transitioning all its iOS gadgets to the new Lightning port.
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