Reuters reaffirms 'iPad mini' expected to debut at Oct. 23 special event

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Following a similar report on Friday, Reuters says Apple will be holding a special event in late October, where the company is expected to announce a new, small form factor tablet dubbed the "iPad mini."

Sources familiar with Apple's plans said the Cupertino-based company is preparing to unveil the iPad mini on Oct. 23, which will supposedly be priced to compete with less expensive offerings from Amazon and Google, reports Reuters.

While failling short of specifically naming the iPad mini as the device to be announced, the source said Apple is set to unveil a "new product" at a "major" Oct. 23 event, just days before Microsoft is slated to roll out Windows 8 and the Surface tablet.

iPad mini Rendering
iPad mini rendering. | Source: Martin Hajek


Saturday's report comes one day after AllThingsD first broke news that Apple is likely to debut the 7.85-inch iPad at the as-yet-unannounced event, reaffirming months of rumors surrounding the new device.

According to Topeka Capital analyst Brian White, who claims have seen the device during a trip to visit component suppliers in Asia, the device is comparable to other small form factor tablets like Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire.

"We actually had the opportunity to play with a pilot iPad Mini used by one of the vendors," White said. "This 7.85-inch iPad Mini fit our hands like a glove and we were easily able to tuck the device in our sport coat, offering consumers a more mobile iPad experience for certain use cases."

Despite not yet being announced, the purported iPad mini is already being scrutinized by analysts, who speculate that Apple can expect to maintain its usual high profit margins if the device is priced between $299 and $349. This would be in stark contrast to the Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, both of which are said to be sold at-cost.

"The biggest cost in a tablet is the display," said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. "On a mini, the display will be a bit cheaper."

Apple is rumored to be using a display with a resolution comparable to those found in its non-Retina iPhones.

Press outlets have yet to receive invitations to the rumored Oct. 23 unveiling, though Apple usually gives a week's notice before holding a major event. A separate report on Friday claims the product launch will focus on Apple's iBooks, suggesting the company may market the smaller iPad as a content consumption vehicle.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    tylerk36tylerk36 Posts: 1,037member


    The "new iPad Mini"?  The "iPad Mini"?  The "iPad 7"?  


     


    Ok so maybe what Apple will call it will be iPad.  Concept here.  One goes to the Apple.com web site.  They want to buy the 7" iPad.  So they click on store then iPad then Apple says select type of iPad.  You then have the selection between the 10" and the 7" model.  There is no label calling it iPad Mini on Apples web site.  Just merely iPad the selection is the 7" model.  Isn't that what the rumor people have called it "iPad Mini".   


     


    Myself.  I think Apple should release an iPad called "The Steve Jobs Edition".  Black in color, 8 Megapixel Camera, A6 Quad Core, 128GB storage and a carbon fiber case.  It would sell in the millions easy.


     


    Troll!!!

  • Reply 2 of 29
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Whether this happens or not it's all very safe as the pieces line up nicely. I do hope the name isn't iPad mini though.
  • Reply 3 of 29
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    tylerk36 wrote: »
    The "new iPad Mini"?  The "iPad Mini"?  The "iPad 7"?  The "Steve Jobs iPad"?  The "newest iPad"?  The "iPad miniature"?  

    Myself.  I think Apple should release an iPad called "The Steve Jobs Edition".  Black in color, 8 Megapixel Camera, A6 Quad Core, 128GB storage and a carbon fiber case.  It would sell in the millions easy.

    Troll!!!
    to retail at $1200
  • Reply 4 of 29
    The main problem will probably be... shortages galore. I can already envision the news media constantly going on about iPad Mini shipping delays as Apple quickly runs out of inventory. It will be one more reason for Wall Street to downgrade Apple shares for the holiday season. Apple had better start building some factories where everything is assembled by robots because human labor isn't going to be enough to keep up with demand for Apple products.
  • Reply 5 of 29
    If apple is going to focus on ebooks ...

    Get ebooks working on macbooks and pros, if I've got the screen I want to use it!!!

    Seriously if I had one question to ask apple management it would be "when am I going to be able to read ebooks on my mac?"
  • Reply 6 of 29
    So, sounds like reuters just "ran" with All Things D's take. I'm not sure thats technically a "reaffirmation". Just standard internet based "news reporting".
  • Reply 7 of 29


    I'm not one of the people who said they wouldn't call the original the "iPad". 13-year-old boys might snicker for a week or two, but everybody else would just say "Grow up!" and it would be a non-issue very quickly.


     


    There's no way, though, that they're going to call this the "iPad Mini". "You bring your Mini Pad and I'll bring my Maxi Pad"? No way in Hell.

  • Reply 8 of 29
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by applecider View Post



    If apple is going to focus on ebooks ...

    Get ebooks working on macbooks and pros, if I've got the screen I want to use it!!!

    Seriously if I had one question to ask apple management it would be "when am I going to be able to read ebooks on my mac?"


     


    That sounds like a pretty inconvenient way to read a book. Just use your iPad.


     


    If I'm reading an e-book, I prefer to read it the same way as I would read a paper book, reclining on a couch or relaxing in a comfy chair. I'd never bother to read a book on a desktop machine or laptop, no matter how high res the display was. Sure, Apple can add the option to read iBook books on Macs, I don't have any objections to that, I just don't think that it's a feature that many people would bother to use.


     


    If it is a big issue for you, then you could always use Kindle books, if you're looking to actually read books on a desktop or laptop Mac. Or, you could wait for Apple to release iBooks for Mac, and who knows when that will be, or if it'll even happen at all. It's obviously not a big priority for them, and there may even be a strategic reason for not releasing such an app.

  • Reply 9 of 29
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    "Apple wrote:
    [" url="/t/153362/reuters-reaffirms-ipad-mini-expected-to-debut-at-oct-23-special-event#post_2211031"]
    That sounds like a pretty inconvenient way to read a book. Just use your iPad.

    If I'm reading an e-book, I prefer to read it the same way as I would read a paper book, reclining on a couch or relaxing in a comfy chair. I'd never bother to read a book on a desktop machine or laptop, no matter how high res the display was. Sure, Apple can add the option to iBook books on Macs, I don't have any objections to that, I just don't think that it's a feature that many people would bother to use.

    If it is a big issue for you, then you could always use Kindle books, if you're looking to actually read books on a desktop or laptop Mac. Or, you could wait for Apple to release iBooks for Mac, and who knows when that will be, or if it'll even happen at all.

    So you don't read your email or browser webpages between iDevices and a Mac? I do both?

    I also use Reminders and Notes on both, among many other apps including being able to organize iOS apps and folders within iTunes. It's all very convenient. There is nothing wrong with having an option to do both.

    You can already store and open PDFs within iTunes in Preview but when it comes to EPUB books there is no way to quickly and easily grab text from your notes, bookmarks or anything else you've stored in iBooks.

    So why is inconvenient to have this as an additional option for users? He clearly didn't say he wants iBooks removed from the iPad and only made into a Mac app.
  • Reply 10 of 29
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    So you don't read your email or browser webpages between iDevices and a Mac? I do both?

    I also use Reminders and Notes on both, among many other apps including being able to organize iOS apps and folders within iTunes. It's all very convenient. There is nothing wrong with having an option to do both.

    You can already store and open PDFs within iTunes in Preview but when it comes to EPUB books there is no way to quickly and easily grab text from your notes, bookmarks or anything else you've stored in iBooks.

    So why is inconvenient to have this as an additional option for users? He clearly didn't say he wants iBooks removed from the iPad and only made into a Mac app.


    Of course I read email and browse the web from Macs, I'm writing this post from a Macbook which is hooked up to an external monitor. As I wrote, I suppose that it's a matter of personal preference, but I do see a big difference in viewing a webpage for a few minutes or even seconds compared to reading a book for many hours. I also wrote, that I don't have any objections if Apple does release iBooks for OSX. If somebody wants to read a 500 page book on their Mac Pro, hunched over a computer desk, then go for it, it doesn't affect me personally.


     


    As for your last question, I added a sentence at the end of my original post, where I stated that there might be strategic and deliberate reasons for Apple to not release it. They've had years to do it, and I doubt that making an iBooks app for OSX is a huge undertaking, so I'm guessing that they deliberately don't want to.

  • Reply 11 of 29
    applecider wrote: »
    If apple is going to focus on ebooks ...
    Get ebooks working on macbooks and pros, if I've got the screen I want to use it!!!
    Seriously if I had one question to ask apple management it would be "when am I going to be able to read ebooks on my mac?"

    And seriously, if that's your one question, then it's a good thing you're not running Apple. ;)
  • Reply 12 of 29
    v5vv5v Posts: 1,357member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post



    And seriously, if that's your one question, then it's a good thing you're not running Apple. image


     


    With due respect, and I know you're not taking it too seriously, I kinda wish whoever *IS* running Apple these days (Tim? Jony?) *WOULD* take it just seriously enough to make it work.  Unlike Apple II, who apparently suffers with an awkward computer position, my Mac setup is the most comfortable reading spot in the house.  It is MUCH easier for me to read a book on a comparatively big computer screen than a tiny little phone.  I was surprised and disappointed to discover I can't.  Amazon and Kobo do it, why not Apple?


     


    I'm tickled that I can use my phone to read a book on the train, but I don't understand why I can't use my bigger screen when it's practical.  I've already told Apple via the feedback page that I won't buy any more iBooks until that changes.  http://www.apple.com/feedback/ibooks_ios.html

  • Reply 13 of 29


    I read on a laptop all the time. It's great because unlike an iPad, you can have the page full-width and scroll down—you don't have to have it right in your face. More importantly, you can have more than a few books in a file structure—not a dozen or so in a flat file on a fake shelf.


     


    Also you can utilize various formats, although I've only got four—HTML, PDF, DjVu, and a few Epub*. All free from Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Google Books, etc. An iPad could read how many of these? Epubs and HTML in the browser, I suppose—but how in the world would you find anything?


     


    *Of course, to read Epubs you have to either use the Epub Reader Firefox extension or Adobe Digital Editions, which sucks rope.


     


    Edit: Ironically, Adobe Digital Editions doesn't suck quite as bad reading Epubs as it does reading PDFs—Adobe's own format.

  • Reply 14 of 29

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Following a similar report on Friday, Reuters says Apple will be holding a special event in late October, where the company is expected to announce a new, small form factor tablet dubbed the "iPad mini."


     


    I just have read it is also the launching of iBook

  • Reply 15 of 29
    Ok, so are we agreed that if we get to less than a week prior to Oct. 23 with no invitations issued, we can put this puppy to bed.

    Basically if it gets to this coming Thursday with no invite this will go down as one of finest practical jokes a company pulled off on the media.

    The leaks in Apple's supply chain are now quite evident if this product quite simply does not exist and imagine the credibility hit Apple will have engineered. It could be quite useful for Apple to deeply weaken faith in those serving up rumours of impending Apple products.

    In a few days we'll know if there's a new iPad or just a great feat of engineering of a different sort.
  • Reply 16 of 29

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Carmissimo View Post



    Ok, so are we agreed that if we get to less than a week prior to Oct. 23 with no invitations issued, we can put this puppy to bed.

     


    If you are VIP then you get invitation

  • Reply 17 of 29
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Carmissimo View Post



    Ok, so are we agreed that if we get to less than a week prior to Oct. 23 with no invitations issued, we can put this puppy to bed.

     


     


    If it doesn't happen on the 23rd then the probability drops dramatically but it is somewhat viable as long as they launch before black friday.

  • Reply 18 of 29

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nht View Post


     


    If it doesn't happen on the 23rd then the probability drops dramatically but it is somewhat viable as long as they launch before black friday.



     


     


    If it is announced the it will happen... That would cost Apple too much if the launching wont be realized

  • Reply 19 of 29


    Announcing a smaller iPad a month before Black Friday will be more than enough time for folks to plan to buy it as a holiday gift and for Apple to ship it on time. 


     


    And, as mentioned upthread, invitations will go out to a relatively small number of journalists. No major product event will happen, but the advertising blitz will be HUGE! I can see standalone 8" iPad ads as well as ads where the 8" and 10" models are marketed together. The latter message would highlight the idea that there's an iPad for everyone-not a tablet for everyone (I'm talking to you Amazon and Google)-but an iPad for everyone.


     


     


    Either a premium $349 8"iPad or a premium $499 10 incher would an awesome standalone holiday gift. Look around. What holiday gadgets are people going crazy over right now? You got me a $199 Nexus 7? Oh, you got me a $199 Kindle? Oh......thanks.

  • Reply 20 of 29
    Also you can utilize various formats, although I've only got four—HTML, PDF, DjVu, and a few Epub*. All free from Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Google Books, etc. An iPad could read how many of these?.

    All of them. Plus the formats used by Kindle, Nook, Kobo etc.
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