The latest addition to iPad Mini rumor mill has indicated that Apple is developing the upcoming miniature tablet with a 7.85-inch screen IGZO display from Sharp and the tablet will come with a price tag of $249.
The latest news has come from the "various analysts" at a Chinese language site called MyDrivers.com. The report further informed that price tag will increase to $299 for a high-end model which will presumably feature additional storage.
Adding more to the rumor mill, Bloomberg has also come out with a report which says that Apple is preparing to release a smaller version of the iPad in time for the 2012 holiday season.
Moreover, the Bloomberg report has also confirmed that the new smaller version iPad would feature a screen measuring between seven and eight inches - down from the standard 9.7-inch screen of the previous three versions. However, it won't come with a Retina Display.
Bloomberg cited "two people with knowledge of the plans" in its report, and said the new device could be officially announced as early as October.
What About Competition?
With such a price tag, iPad Mini will be at a perfect position to fend off any threat from the recently released Google Nexus 7, or the upcoming Kindle Fire 2.
Regardless, the fact that it would be $50 more expensive than its $199 competitors, as the soon-to-be-launched low cost tablet by the Cupertino giant will definitely land on the retail shelves with impressive specs.
iPad Mini is expected to come with Apple's incredible ecosystem and the device is likely to feature a 7.85-inch IGZO display from Sharp with up to 330 pixels per inch. That is a slightly higher pixel density than the iPhone 4S, which will make the new tablet's display thinner and the tablet will be lighter than existing iPads. At the same time, the display technology from Sharp will also offer higher contrast ratios and greater brightness while consuming less power.
Apple will look to top the market as increasing competition, such as Samsung, are flooding the market with the latest generation Android devices. Among the increased selection of tablets, Apple's iPad continues to rule as it accounted for nearly 95% of all tablet based traffic according to a survey conducted by Chitika, an online advertising network.
"As we had hypothesized, the iPad was overwhelmingly dominant versus the competition. Based off of impressions across our network, the iPad accounted for 94.64% of all tablet based traffic," as reported by Chitika Insights.
In addition to the survey, research discovered that consumers who are interested in the iPad mini prefers to keep it low priced, have 3G connection, an ultra thin body, Retina display, and Siri Support.
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