We're finally sure the iPad mini is real, and the latest indication is that October 23 is the day Apple has chosen for the big unveiling – just eight days hence.
What is still very much up for debate is just how many versions of the cut-size iPad will go on sale, and more importantly what they will cost. Well, how about this idea: a total of 16 different variants, with prices starting at just £200?
That's the latest whisper doing the rounds, following an inventory system leak surfaced by German mobile blog Flo's weblog. If the inventory listing is accurate, Apple is indeed looking at Wi-Fi and 3G versions of every variant of iPad mini (contradicting another rumour that surfaced last week), and there will be black and white options of both types, available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage option.
The cheapest 8GB Wi-Fi-only model has been listed at €249, which equates to around £200. If that's true it'll certainly provide some serious competition to the latest crop of low-price 7in Android tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7.
The top-end 64GB Wi-Fi plus 3G variant, meanwhile, is priced at €649 (around £520), indicating just how wide a market the iPad mini is aiming at. On the surface of things Apple appears to be targeting everyone from entry-level tablet bargain hunters to high-end shoppers who effectively want a full-blown iPad with a smaller screen.
But with the only actual difference between the two being the presence of 3G and the amount of storage space on offer, can the iPad mini really hit both markers effectively? Time will tell – and that's assuming this info is in any way accurate, which itself is by no means certain.
Via PhoneArena
