iPad Mini release date pointing to Nov. 2
It’s looking like Apple will indeed release its much-anticipated iPad Mini on Nov. 2, as previously reported on Blorge.
After not sending out invitations to a “special media event,” which will unveil the new and smaller tablet, on Oct. 10, it soon became clear that the iPad Mini wouldn’t be released in the month of October. That special media event, which included the tagline “We’ve got a little more to show you” on the invitation, is being held this Tuesday in California.
TechCrunch reported this week that the Nov. 2 date, which we originally reported here on Blorge, appears to be accurate.
“November 2 is the ship date we’ve heard today from a source close to Apple’s supply chain, echoing an earlier report by Geeky Gadgets that that’s the day the iPad mini will go on sale,” according to the report.
MacRumors reports that a German site — iFun.de — reported that Apple has informed major shipping logistics partners to prepare for a big ramp up in shipments leading up to that date.
The iPad Mini is expected to be a 7.85-inch version of Apple’s popular tablet. The smaller size should appeal to people who enjoy consuming books, magazines and other media on their current tablet, but don’t like holding it for long periods of time.
Price is also expected to be a big draw around the iPad Mini. According to rumors, Apple might actually release an iPad Mini with only 8 GB of space. That would be half the amount of space that you can currently buy on an iPod Nano for $150. Being that an iPad would be more expensive to produce, going smaller in storage might be the answer, although it probably won’t be popular.
Many Apple enthusiasts are hoping Apple will be able to release an iPad Mini starting at $250 for a 16 GB model. This seems unlikely, as Apple’s fifth-generation iPod Touch, which starts at 32 GB of storage, goes for $300. Expect the iPad mini to start between $320 and $350 for a 16GB wifi model and go up even higher for a 64 GB version with 4G LTE.
Blorge will be live-blogging Apple’s media event this Tuesday.
