True to form, even with the widely-rumored release date for its iPad Mini fast approaching on Oct. 23, Apple has yet to speak one word about its tablet device. Seemingly confirming much of what's been swirling around the Internet for months, today pricing and configuration information has leaked, allegedly appearing in Apple's inventory system, according to a report from German tech site Mobile Geeks.
The iPad Mini will reportedly come in 16 different memory and wireless configurations, according to an inventory system screenshot obtained by MobileGeeks. The site alleges that the screen capture comes from the internal inventory system of Media Market, Europe's largest electronics retailer.
Of course, this is all in German. But, even without a control of the motherland's tongue, you can clearly tell that there are 16 versions of the iPad Mini listed with prices in euros attached, "presumably with 19 percent value-added tax already factored into the price," assumes CNET.
According to MobileGeeks, prices for the iPad Mini will start at 249 euros ($322) for a Wi-Fi-only 8GB iPad Mini, with other memory configurations of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB also available. The high-end 64GB cellular version is listed at about $650, possible because it has 4G LTE capability.
While we always caution putting too much faith in leaked photos or specs of products until they're confirmed by the company making the device, MobileGeeks is a fairly reliable source for this sort of information. Most recently the site leaked a report that confirmed the eixstence of Samsung's Galaxy SIII Mini smartphone ahead of its debut in Frankfurt, Germany.
Makers of protective cases for Apple products are also preparing for the iPad Mini's official release.
According to CNET, on Alibaba.com, China's biggest business-to-business e-commerce site, a search for iPad Mini turns up many postings of cases for the device in an array of colors and materials, some of which even say the cases are for "iPad Mini 7.85-inch tablet."
If this is accurate, the case not only confirms the existence of the tablet, but also that it will indeed have a 7.85-inch screen.
Alibaba.com connects many Chinese manufacturers with buyers in China or overseas. "Potential buyers of the cases could be retail stores that want to sell them as soon as Apple launches the new tablet," notes CNET.
Prior to every Apple product launch, Alibaba.com usually becomes the trading platform for cases supposedly made specifically for the new Apple device. This scenario played out similarly with the release of the iPhone 5. Ahead of Apple's release of the smartphone on Sept.21, there were already many iPhone 5 cases sold on Alibaba.com, according to CNET.
Apple will hold a press event on Tuesday, Oct. 23 to unveil the iPad Mini, two days before Microsoft unveils Windows 8 and its first tablet, the Surface at an event Oct. 25, according to several reports from sources like Reuters, and All Things D, who cited "people familiar with Apple's plans." A location for the Apple event hasn't been confirmed yet, but the blog speculates that the event will be held at Apple's Cupertino campus since the company already held a big press event in San Francisco for the iPhone 5 unveiling.
Apple has ordered 10 million iPad mini tablets to be built in the run before Christmas, double what rival Amazon has ordered for its Kindle Fire HD tablets in the same period, according to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal.
Similarly, Japanese Apple blog Macatakara claims that production of the iPad mini is well underway in Brazil, according to "reliable sources" it spoke to.
The latest leaked product cases for the iPad Mini seemingly confirm the size we saw recently in purported pictures of the device from 9to5Mac researcher, Sonny Dickson, who posted photos said to be of the iPad Mini and the new Lightning dock connector to his Twitter and Instagram accounts on Oct. 9. Obviously, there's no way to know whether the pictures are real or fake, but they seem very similar to other "leaked" iPad Mini pictures.
"It is not clear whether the pictures are genuine or where they have come from but other pictures released at around the same time appear to be mock-ups, rather than pictures of actual production units," noted British newspaper The Telegraph.
iPad Mini specs
7.8 inch screen with 1,024 x 768 resolution. The resolution will probably not be retina display, but it is possible it would have the same ppi as found on the iPad 2. The tablet would be able to handle all the apps. The design will stick to the same aesthetics of the iPhone 5 with an anodized aluminum back plate rather than a plastic build.
It will have two cameras, one front facing, for FaceTime or other video chat applications, and another, higher resolution rear-facing camera on the back. Sports a lightning port connector, like the iPhone 5. Likely an A6 processor, although, some sites are suggesting it may be an A5 like the iPad 2.