We’re two days away from the rumored date in which Apple will send out invitations to their event for the iPad Mini, a device that has been rumored for far to long. As the event looms closer, leaked images have surfaced online, including high quality renders, like the one above (from Martin Hajek), but we’re hearing reports that this iPad, despite the fact that it may not sport a Retina display (in attempts to keep the cost lower), will actually be even more impressive than the iPad 3. In fact, it actually may be one of Apple’s most beautiful designs to date.
Rumors are suggesting that the new iPad Mini will feature a thinner, lighter design than the iPad 3, as well as thinner side bezels and like the iPhone 5, will come in a black anodized metal as well as the traditional raw aluminum. Tokepa analyst Brian White says that Apple, who needs this device to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7, didn’t cut corners on the design.
“Apple did not skimp on the aesthetics of the much anticipated ‘iPad Mini,’” White says. “In fact, we believe the ‘iPad Mini’ could outshine the new iPad in terms of how the device feels in a consumer’s hands.”
While Apple is rumored to have ordered 10 million iPad Minis, reports suggest that this device has been slightly harder to manufacture and thus could cause some supply constraints, especially if consumer demand is as high as expected.
With a new iPhone, an iPad Mini, the iPad 3, new iPod Touches and Nano’s, this could be one hell of a Christmas season and fourth quarter for the company in Cupertino, who are offering perhaps their greatest selection of devices in the company’s history. If the iPad Mini launches this month or the beginning of November, it could severely cannibalize Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9 devices, which don’t launch until November 20th, not to mention Google’s Nexus 7, which is hard to find in local retailers.
Source: AllThingsD (in regards to Brian White’s comment)