iPad Mini: Did the rumors come true?
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Apple announced its new iPad Mini Tuesday after weeks of rumors swirled around the Web. Which of the rumors came true? How good were the Apple analysts at predicting the new device?
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Release date
The announcement of the Mini does put it head-to-head in timing with Microsoft’s new tablet, the Surface. Surface will be available on Friday, and pre-orders for the iPad Mini will be on the same day. The Wi-Fi-only Minis will be available on Nov. 2.
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Name
The name “Mini’’ was rumored for months before the date. Apple did refer to it by that name.
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Size
Bloomberg first reported the size would be 7.85 inches. The new device ended up being 7.9 inches (pretty close, right?). This does make it slightly larger than the Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7.
Left: 9to5Mac researcher Sonny Dickson posted photos of a possible new iPad prototype on Twitter on Oct. 9.
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Cost
The biggest uncertainty was the device’s price. Business Insider reported that the table would cost between $200 and $300. CNET reported that $350 or $400 was more likely. In the end, the baseline cost was $329 for a Wi-Fi-only 16GB version. The highest end version, which is Wi-Fi and cellular with 64GB, is $659.
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Wi-Fi only?
The Guardian reported an alleged leak for the new device: no 3G or 4G service. Industry sources told The Guardian that having only Wi-Fi would reduce production price and keep the broadband connection exclusive to the the more expensive iPad line. The iPad Mini that was announced has two versions a Wi-Fi-only and a Wi-Fi with cellular. The cellular option is a higher cost.
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Lightning connector
The Guardian rightly reported that the new Mini would use the Lightning charging dock, which is smaller.
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Don’t expect retina display
The Wall Street Journal reported before the announcement that the device would not have the retina display, that the iPhone 5 does. This rumor turned out to be true.
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Revised iPad
The Guardian reported that the iPad would be revamped with the new Lightning connector with the Mini. Apple did release the fourth-generation iPad alongside the Mini.
