As we said yesterday, with news breaking that a scaled down version of the iPad, currently referred to as the “iPad Mini”, is heading into production – the speculations are really about to kick off. The Gadget Helpline will attempt to keep you updated with all the latest leaks- but with no official word from Apple treat everything we’re about to report as rumour.
Since the March 16th launch of the new iPad (simply known as “iPad”) there has been a bit of a buzz alluding to a smaller 7.85-inch tablet – or iPad Mini – arriving at some point in the future which would offer a pocket sized solution for Apple fans who want something a little more portable than the sizeable 9.7-inch current model iPad but larger and more capable for heavy demand applications and tools than an iPod Touch.
Chinese source NetEase is now reporting that a number of the country’s manufacturers have already been approached to supply hardware components for an unconfirmed Apple project but it is believed that this will be the iPad Mini, which could already be in production. These manufacturers include Foxconn, which has previously helped Apple build its iPad as well as Pegatron, typically a maker of Android tablet parts (and not to be confused with Transformers baddy Megatron).
The iPad Mini is merely believed to be a “temporary” name and the gadget has a few months to tweak its final appearance before a suggested October launch for an assault on the Christmas market this year. We’re also expecting an iPhone 5 before the end of 2012, said to be unveiled around the same time and also a refresh of some of Apple’s most popular lines.
With so many devices coming from Apple in just one year (including two variations of the iPad) do you think the tech titan will oversaturate the tech market in 2012? Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.