Apple launched the iPhone 5 last month which was nearly similar to the speculated one due to high amount of leaked images of it's body and components. Apple had stated that they will increase the secrecy regarding the manufacturing of it's products, however it seems to decrease a lot resulting to the vast amount of leaks from insiders at the factory.
After the release of iPhone 5, analysts have now focused on the next device Apple brings out. As is the case with iPhone 5, there are many rumors floating around along with proofs such as photos of various parts and components of the to-be launched iPad Mini. The speculated date for Apple's invitations to be sent out is October 10th next week (Update 1: Busted, No invitations were sent on October 10th. Update 2: Apple sent invitations on October 16th, 2012.) and the announcement date of the new iPad is speculated to be on October 17th 23rd 2012 (Update: Confirmed, Apple sent out invitations for an event on this date) with release date the week after on November 2nd (Update: Confirmed for WiFi only model), with pre-orders starting on October 26th (Update: Confirmed).
Let us see what are the rumors that are floating around and wait till the launch date to confirm if the rumors are really valid.
| Features | Rumors | Actual (after Event) |
|---|---|---|
| Name | iPad Mini (most probably) or iPad Air or just iPad | Confirmed (iPad Mini it is) |
| LCD Screen | 7.85-inch non-Retina IGZO display (1024x768 resolution) | Confirmed (7.9-inch 1024x768 resolution) |
| Processor | 32nm A5 processor | Confirmed (Dual Core A5 processor) |
| Memory | 512MB of RAM | Unknown as of now. |
| 4G/LTE support | 4G/LTE for the cellular model Update: No 4G/LTE in all models to make it a cheaper product. Speculations about only WiFi models available. | Busted (World LTE option available) |
| Near Field Communication (NFC) | No NFC | Confirmed |
| Camera | Rear and Front facing cameras | Confirmed (5 MP iSight Camera with 1080p video and 1.2 MP FaceTime Camera with 720p video) |
| Battery | 16.7 Whr/4490 mAh 3.72V Battery | Somewhat Confirmed (16.3 Whr Li-Po battery, other details Unknown as of now) |
| Design | 7.2mm thin body with Aluminium back panel possibly in Anodized Black or White color similar to iPhone 5 and thinner bezels on front side. Smaller dual speakers on either side of the Lightning connector with headphone jack at the bottom. Update: More colors available apart from White or Black similar to iPod Touch. | Confirmed (But only in Black & White colors and headphone jack on top.) |
| Dock connector | Lightning Connector | Confirmed |
| SIM card | Nano-SIM card for 3G/LTE Models. Update: Not available if 3G/LTE is not present in all models. | Confirmed (Nano-SIM card for World LTE) |
| Earphones | EarPods included in the package | Busted (No EarPods included) |
| Price | Speculated price $249 onwards (or some say above $300 since the new iPod Touch is $300) Update: iPad Mini price rumored to be leaked as shown in the table below. | Neutral (Price updated in table below and is nearly similiar to the leaked prices) |
| Other Announcements | Revamped 9.7-inch new iPad (iPad 3) which features a Lightning connector and compatible with International LTE frequencies. | Confirmed. Also the New iPad was upgraded with A6X processor, 720p FaceTime Camera, improved LTE compatibility and Lightning connector, revamped as 4th generation iPad. |
| Other Announcements | 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display rumored to be announced at this event. | Confirmed. Also, new versions of iMac and Mac Mini were introduced. |
As the working of Apple is highly secretive (or believed to be) and mysterious, we will only know if these rumors are true when they announce their product in October 2012 (possibly 17th 23rd October). Until then we can only speculate. The list of rumors will be updated after the product launch to bust or confirm the rumors...
Till then, hold on tight!!!
Update 1:
| Type | Size | Price | Actual Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | 8GB | €249 ($320) | - |
| 16GB | €349 ($450) | $329 | |
| 32GB | €449 ($580) | $429 | |
| 64GB | €549 ($710) | $529 | |
| Cellular+WiFi | 8GB | €349 ($450) | - |
| 16GB | €449 ($580) | $459 | |
| 32GB | €549 ($710) | $559 | |
| 64GB | €649 ($840) | $659 |
Update 2: Yet again, most of the leaked information about the iPad Mini was found to be mostly accurate.