iPad Mini – final predictions
The hour is nearly upon us. Here's what we reckon Tim Cook will be showing off on stage at the iPad Mini unveiling
Tim Cook is probably holding the iPad Mini in his hands as we’re typing these words. It exists, it’s been rumoured for months, and it’s less than an hour away from showing its face to the world. Here’s what we think will be gracing the iPad Mini’s spec sheet…
iPad Mini – screen
We expect the iPad Mini to arrive with a 4:3 ratio 7.85in Retina Display, hitting the sweet spot between portability and generous movie, browsing and gaming real estate.
iPad Mini – processor
iOS 6 will probably be kept chugging along by Apple’s A5 processor (the dual-core version from the iPod Touch), more than enough for the slick user experience we’ve come to expect from Apple.
iPad Mini – camera
The 5MP iSight camera from the new iPad 3 is likely to make an appearance in the iPad Mini. That might disappoint some camera purists, but in our opinion, if you’re using your tablet as a point and shoot cam, you’re doing something wrong. A front-facing Facetime camera is also a given. 2MP, at a guess.
iPad Mini – Lightning connector
If the iPad Mini doesn’t come with the new Lightning connector, each member of the Stuff team will eat something remarkably unpleasant (food item to be confirmed) and curse Apple for the remainder of its days.
iPad Mini – Smart Cover
Apple is never one to shy away from accessories which is why a smaller magnetic Smart Cover is more than likely on the cards. Will it do anything more than roll up? Probably not, but at least it will come in a cavalcade of bright colours.
iPad Mini – battery life
The iPad Mini is likely to have a similar battery life to the new iPad 3. Sure it’s going to have a small battery, but with less screen real estate to light up it might even out in the end (we hope). It should at the very least match the Google Nexus 7’s nine-hour video playback battery life.
iPad Mini – 4G
As much as we’d love for the iPad Mini to arrive with blazing data speeds, we’re afraid that the first generation of iPad Minis will have to go without to ensure that costs are kept down. Speaking of which…
iPad Mini – models and prices
Our joint brain scratching resulted in the prediction of two iPad Mini models – one 16GB and 32GB offering, priced at £249 and £299 respectively. That would put it above the Nexus 7 in terms of price, but we can’t see Apple removing its ‘Apple tax’ anytime soon.
iPad Mini – release date
We fully expect the iPad Mini to hit shelves internationally on Friday November 2nd. In fact we guarantee it. Sort of. Maybe. Well, we’ll know soon enough.
Our Apple iPad Mini liveblog is right here. Click on through and keep that tab open – not long to go now.
1080p phones set to hit next year, courtesy of Samsung and LG
Stuff Office Cat’s diary – 23/10/12
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
