Many rumors are floating around about the highly anticipated Apple iPad Mini. No one knows the price and full details, but critics suspect that Apple will make the tablet around $250 to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire HD and Google's Nexus 7.
According to Forbes, citing analyst Allan Yogasingam of the research firm, UBM TechInsights, Light Reading reported today that Apple is likely to make the widely expected 7-inch version of the iPad Wi-Fi only in an effort to keep the price tag of the device below $250.
In comparison to the new Kindle Fire HD, Amazon is only offering a WiFi version of the 7-inch version, which is priced at $199. Amazon is offering an 8.9-inch version for $299; for $499 they double the memory and add 4G LTE capability.
Yogasingam said the device could also be lacking any back-mounted image sensor as a cost-saving move.
In terms of books, Amazon might have an upper hand for avid book readers.
The Kindle Fire HD features Whispersync for Voice, which Amazon syncs all your books across all your gadgets, that syncs your words-book with your audiobook. You can also sync up your progression in games. Another feature will be Immersion Reading. You can listen to the narration of your book while you read it.
For the Apple, there might be an app that customers can download to read their favorite book. There may be a better screen for reading on the iPad Mini, which will likely include Apple's ipcoming new operating system, iO6, and might have Retina Display.
To really heat the competition up, a report has announced that Apple is seeking to create a service similar to Pandora radio.
According to the Wall Street Journal, "Apple Inc. is in talks to license music for a custom-radio service similar to the popular one operated by Pandora Media Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be a bid by the hardware maker to expand its dominance in online music," the report said. "Such services create virtual "stations" that play music similar to a song or artist of the user's choosing, either on Web browsers or smartphone apps. Like traditional radio, they are typically free for users, but incorporate advertisements."
The service is to work with Apple's products, including Macs, iPhone 5, and iPad Mini.
According to MacRumors, the report said that Apple recently initiated licensing negotiations with record labels and that it could be a matter of months for the service to launch.
"As on Pandora, the music would be interspersed with ads, in this case carried by Apple's iAd platform, which syndicates ads to iPhone and iPad apps."
Reports say that the new little iPad will feature a 7 to 8 inch IGZO display with 330 pixels/inch. It will be more affordable. It is also assumed that the new tablet will feature Apple's upcoming operating system, iO6, which includes a new, Google-free Maps app, and Passbook, and promises better Facebook integration, better maps, and better video conferences that use cellular data, according to Entrepreneur.com. It is also said to have a smaller dock connector and thinner bezel. It will also have FaceTime and Retina Display.
Check out details of Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD HERE!