There was speculation that Apple would host an event at the end of October to unveil the highly-anticipated iPad mini. These rumours have just turned out to be true as Apple has sent out media invites for an event slated for October 23 with the caption, ‘We’ve got a little more to show you.’
The invite could mean that Apple has more gadgets in the offing for the year 2012. This invite also confirms a recent report, which stated that Apple would be hosting an event on October 23.
According to a report by CNET, “Apple is holding the event at the California Theatre in San Jose, Calif., just a block away from the courtroom where its major trial with Samsung took place”. This event is scheduled to take place next Tuesday, which is a deviation from the usual Wednesday announcements Apple tends to host. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacfic Time.
As per an earlier report published by AllThingsD, “Apple will hold a special event this month, at which it will showcase a new, smaller iPad. People familiar with Apple’s plans tell us that the company will unveil the so-called “iPad mini” on Oct. 23 at an invitation-only event”.
As far as the rumours of the iPad mini go, it appears that the Cupertino-based brand is not holding back any punches with this smaller iPad, and launching it in various storage capacities such as 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and the top-of-the-line model at 64GB of internal storage. The top of the line iPad mini is expected to be sold at approximately €649 for the 64GB Wi-Fi plus cellular version. The cheapest model, an 8GB Wi-Fi only version is believed to retail for approximately €249.
That being said, Apple has been losing its market share in the tablet segment to the likes of Amazon with its Kindle Fire, and Google with its Nexus 7 tablet. For Apple to stay in the run, and cater to a customer base that would want a smaller tablet, Apple would have to launch a 7-inch tablet to cement its throne as the leading tablet manufacturer. The Google Nexus 7 tablet is faring exceedingly well in the market and rumours suggest that a 3G version of the tablet may also be in the works. Apple would need to step into this segment to battle the increasing competition from other manufacturers.
It is also believed that the Apple event will also play host to a number of other announcements, which include the updated line up of Macs and on the software front, iBooks.
The iPad mini event is likely to have a strong focus on iBooks. It makes sense, as the iPad mini would likely be squarely aimed at those who wish to partake of media on their tablets. The primary purpose of such a smaller tablet would be to act as a medium for Apple’s content, namely iBooks publications and movies.
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