Apple Announces 3 Million iPad Mini and iPad 4th Gen Sold in Three Days

Apple’s newest members of the iPad line-up, the iPad mini and the updated iPad 4th gen, have managed to sell more than 3 million units in three days since launch.

Usually I’d say that was a pretty good number, but it’s not really that impressive, considering that they combined sales for both the iPad Mini and the new 4th gen iPad, so you dont really know how many of each have sold. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook stated;

“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad. We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”

The numbers also dont include cellular iPads which wont ship for another few weeks. Still better than the 1.5 Million Wifi 3rd gen iPads sold at it’s launch, I guess? Considering that that the new 4th gen iPad and iPad mini are available to buy in 34 countries though, it really does seem like a somewhat small-ish number for Apple.

Still, I’m thinking a huge part of that number is the iPad Mini, eh? Full Press Release below.

Press Release

Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days Wi-Fi Only Models of New iPad mini & Fourth Generation iPad Double Previous First Weekend Sales

CUPERTINO, California—November 5, 2012—Apple® today announced it has sold three million iPads in just three days since the launch of its new iPad® mini and fourth generation iPad—double the previous first weekend milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi only models sold for the third generation iPad in March. The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad will ship in a few weeks in the US and in many more countries later this year.

“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”

The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch™ display, FaceTime® HD and iSight® cameras, ultrafast wireless performance* and an incredible 10 hours of battery life**. The new fourth generation iPad features a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina™ display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance.

Both iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina display are available in 34 countries including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the UK, and will be available in many more countries later this year, including mainland China. Demand for iPad mini exceeded the initial supply and while many of the pre-orders have been shipped to customers, some are scheduled to be shipped later this month.

Pricing & Availability iPad mini with Wi-Fi comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and is available in the US for a suggested retail price of $329 (US) for the 16GB model, $429 (US) for the 32GB model and $529 (US) for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi models are available in black or white for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad are available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular and fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be available in the US on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon in a few weeks. iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered for a suggested retail price of $459 (US) for the 16GB model, $559 (US) for the 32GB model and $659 (US) for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will be offered for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. Additionally, iPad 2 is available at $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model where they are sold now.

*LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details. **Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Has appeared previously leaked iPad Mini prices for a number of models released by a retail store in Germany. In these leaks are listed a number of models of iPad Mini and the lowest price was at 249 Euros or about $323. As if to support these rumors, now also mention the price of the latest leaked iPad Mini is in a price range that had appeared before.

As reported by 9to5Mac website, list price 7.85-inch iPad Mini starts with the lowest price $329. That is the price for the iPad Mini WiFi-only models. As for higher specs, Apple sold at $429 and $529. Alternatively, an increase of $100 for each model.

From the price list that appears, can be seen also the iPad Mini with mobile support that cost $130 more expensive than the WiFi only models. So to iPad Mini 3G, the price starts at $459, $559 and $659 in different storage capacities.

The plan tomorrow (Tuesday, October 23) Apple will unveil the iPad Mini in a media event which will begin at 10 am (24 Oct, 1:00 pm). If you are one of Apple fans and do not want to lose precious moments witnessed release iPad Mini, please continue to monitor Twitteling, because we will deliver every detail of information on you;)

Budget-Friendly Gadgets Newest Trend in Technology

These days, you can't go anywhere without being surrounded by gadgets. From iPad's to iPhones, smartphones, tablets and netbooks, it seems as if everyone has one. Until now, most of these gadgets have gained strong reputations for breaking the bank, with the majority of them holding price tags of $500 or higher. Fortunately, it seems as if budget-friendly gadgets are becoming the latest technology trend. If you've dreamed of owning your own iPad or netbook, there's no better time than now to invest.

Google Chromebook

At just $249, the Google Chromebook is the first Google computer with all of the features of a more expensive netbook at less than half the price. This 2.42lb netbook is sleek and light enough to fit in your purse or backpack, but it carries a powerful punch. With a Samsung Exynos 5 dual processor and built-in dual band Wi-Fi, it's an ideal netbook for both personal and business use. Even better, businesses can rent Chromebooks starting at just $30 per month.

Apple iPad Mini

The iPad Mini was rumored to be in the making for quite some time, but tech junkies everywhere can now get their hands on the new, smaller and faster iPad Mini for just $330. What sets apart the iPad Mini from the more expensive iPad 3, apart from its lower price, is that it is ultra fast. In fact, Apple claims the newest addition to the iPad clan is up to twice as fast as any previously release iPad. And of course, users will get all of the best features, including access to more than 275,000 apps, FaceTime and dual iSight cameras.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD

At just $199, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is an ideal gift for anyone who can't bear the thought of being without entertainment. With a 7" HD display and built-in dual Wi-Fi, the Kindle Fire is perfect for storing and viewing all of your favorite movies, TV shows, music, magazines, books, photos and even gives you access to your favorite mobile apps. Additionally, this tablet features a front-facing high-definition camera for video calls with friends and family via Skype.

Google Nexus 7

Another budget-friendly gadget from Google, Nexus 7 is the latest Google tablet that uses the infamous Android 4.1 Jellybean platform. Also priced at just $199, it gives users access to more than 600,000 apps, ebooks, music, and endless hours of entertainment. The tablet features a powerful NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor, so users can expect it to run fast and survive on standby for up to 300 hours.

iPad mini and iPad 4th Gen on sale: WiFi ships Nov 2nd, 4G “late November”

Presales of Apple’s iPad mini and iPad 4th-gen have begun, with the online Apple store accepting orders for both new tablets ahead of delivery in November. Both the 7.9-inch iPad mini – priced from $329 – and the iPad 4th-gen – priced from $499 – are available in WiFi and WiFi + Cellular versions, though shipping times vary between the cellular/non-cellular models: if you want your new iPad soonest, you’ll have to forgo mobile data.

The WiFi-only models are expected to begin shipping on November 2, for both variants, though that’s likely to rapidly change in the coming hours as more preorders flood in. As for the WiFi + Cellular variant, that’s listed as shipping sometime in “late November” though you can still place an order today.

Both iPads run iOS 6, and have support for all the usual App Store apps as well as Siri, Apple’s digital assistant tool. The iPad 4th-gen has a Retina display, just as its predecessor did, though swaps out the old-style Dock Connector for a Lightning port, and the A6 processor for the new A6X chipset.

The iPad mini, meanwhile, runs at the same resolution as the iPad 2, though is designed to be more pocketable and a rival to Android slates like the Nexus 7. There’s more information in our hands-on.

Update: Looks like there’s another speed compromise to be made depending on color: if you want the white & silver iPad mini, you’ll have to wait two weeks, as opposed to November 2 estimates fro the black & slate version:

Apple iPad mini released, world swoons –an annotated graphic

In case you missed it… (yeah, we know, a more redundant opener to a blog posting there has never been) Apple has released a new iPad. It’s smaller than the existing iPad. Sort of a mini version of the iPad. They’ve called it the iPad mini. Brilliant. It gets easier and easier in the Apple Marketing Department, doesn’t it?

Note obligatory use of sentence case for this product name, like the iPod touch, despite Apple’s continued arbitrary use of a capital P. Why do we all persist in honouring this ludicrous bastardisation of written English? Really, it’s an Ipod, if we’re going to consider using a proper noun for the product name. Or if we consider it generic enough, we should write ipod, like writing kettle as opposed to Kettle. Or hoover vs Hoover.

Oh, sorry, were you waiting for a more detailed analysis of the new iPad mini? Sorry. Can’t really be bothered. It’s very nice, it’s completely unnecessary and it probably guarantees an early grave for millions of perfectly serviceable electronic devices now apparently rendered obsolete and prehistoric and ultimately heading to the world’s landfills. Super.

We’d all take one if it was offered to us free, though, wouldn’t we? Even if only for use as a bedside lamp or a small plate for sushi.

E&T covers this sort of 21st century gadgetry nonsense all the live long day, so drop by our home page any time for the latest news and features. If you prefer an Apple-only diet, bookmark our Apple news page. It’s dynamically updated every time we write about Cupertino’s technology behemoth. Mmm… dynamic!

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Would you buy an iPad Mini?

As September draws ever closer, consumers, tech enthusiasts and Apple fanboys and girls eagerly await the announcement of the new iPhone, but for the first time in as long as I can remember, there is another Apple device receiving just as much interest at exactly the same time: The mythical iPad Mini.

Normally most Apple rumours take a sideline during iPhone season, but countless leaks, mumblings from ‘sources close to the matter’ and other blogosphere hyperbole have dragged iPad Mini rumours kicking and screaming into the public consciousness. I hear just as many people chatting about the mini iPad as I do Apple’s next mobile handset, which shows just how high the level of public interest the device really is.

With virtually every possible source, bar Apple themselves, leaking information about the iPad Mini, it seems the device is almost certainly being manufactured somewhere in China ahead of a holiday season launch. So this begs the question: Will you be buying one?

Is 7 to 8 inches too small for a tablet? Will you be willing to spend upwards of £300 on a device that does little more than your smartphone? At the end of the day, why go just a little bigger when you could get a 10 inch iPad 2? These are all important questions to ask, so let’s turn to the Android ecosystem, where mid-sized tablets have been available for some time now.

Despite several 7 inch Android tablets from the likes of Samsung and HTC stumbling at the first hurdle (see Samsung Galaxy Tab, HTC Flyer), the 5 inch Samsung Galaxy Note has been an unexpected success in recent months, with over 10 million units sold since its launch last October. Admittedly this is a smaller device, but it shows a definite interest in hardware larger than most smartphones, but smaller than the iPad. A device that you can still use on the go without needing to sit down to operate effectively.

Now let’s add the Google Nexus 7 to the mix. Google’s new flagship tablet has seen overwhelmingly positive reviews over the past couple of months. Even diehard Apple fans are praising it, thanks to the highly polished Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. Sales of the Nexus 7 have been brisk and sales figures for the tablets first quarter are expected to impress.

With the recent success of the mid-sized Android tablet, it’s no wonder Apple are looking to join the party with a similarly sized iPad. Apple will still sell millions of units regardless of market trends simply because there are millions of developers, tech enthusiasts and Apple fans who’ll want one for themselves, so it might take a couple of hardware generations before we see its more accurate market interest.

Perhaps 7 to 8 inches will be the sweet spot for the tablet form factor. As less and less phone calls are made in favour of instant messages, we may find ourselves carrying tablets instead of smartphones by the end of the decade. I personally use a 4.65 inch Android smartphone and could easily see myself moving to something larger, like a Nexus 7, if I continue to make fewer phone calls. Whether I’m alone in feeling this way or not, only time will tell, but every year devices are getting gradually bigger whilst hardware sales continue to skyrocket.

Will you be throwing your money at an iPad Mini if it materialises, or do you think 10 inches is the way to go? Is a smartphone/laptop combo your preferred solution going forward?, or do you still rock a Nokia and have nothing to do with all that touch screen mumbo jumbo?

Let me know in the comments below…

Apple goes to war with its rivals

Apple, Google and now Microsoft are slugging it out in the battle to sell us tablet computers. And the competition can only be a good thing

This has been quite a week in that strange, frenetic universe known as techworld. Two major companies did things that they once vowed they'd never do: Apple launched a small iPad in order to attack similar-sized devices marketed by its rivals – Samsung, Google and Amazon – and Microsoftlaunched the first computer it's ever made (a tablet called Surface). So we have Apple playing catch-up and Microsoft getting into a business – hardware manufacture – it had hitherto wisely avoided.

The Apple launch followed the usual pattern: slick presentations by chaps with chronic logorrhea – at least in relation to the word "amazing"; a complaisant audience drawn from the Church of Steve; and announcements of improved versions of existing Apple products. There's a new laptop with a Retina (ultra high-resolution) display, a new Mac mini (a much underrated product IMHO) and an iMac desktop so thin as to be positively anorexic. All nice and dandy – not to mention expensive.

But then came one departure from tradition. Just over 55 minutes into the show, as Phil Schiller, Apple's senior marketing guy, was extolling the virtues of the new iPad mini, he suddenly launched into what in industry parlance is known as trashtalk. He embarked on a scathing comparison of le nouvel iPad with "an Android tablet", sneeringly dubbed "the latest, greatest, most favourably reviewed new device", aka the Google Nexus 7. Needless to say, the Apple product was superior in every respect. Its bezel was thinner and made of aluminium, not (yuck!) "plastic". The Google device was "thicker and heavier even though it has a smaller screen", etc etc. You get the message: Nexus 7 may be the same size as the iPad mini, but basically it's trash. (He omitted to mention that the Google device is also at least £100 cheaper than its Apple counterpart.)

As an iPad user who has also been using a Nexus 7 for months, I happen to agree with Schiller about the deficiencies of the Google product. It's excellent for some things (email, Evernote, diary keeping, for example) but unsatisfactory for others (web-browsing in particular). Its onscreen keyboard is, well, a bit flaky. And the standard of Android apps is pretty variable. On the other hand, it's well-made and is relatively good value for money. In technology, as in life, you get what you pay for.

What made Schiller's attack on the Nexus intriguing was not its content but the fact that he felt the need to make it. It signified a descent from the lofty heights to which Steve Jobshad elevated Apple, so far ahead of the competition that it didn't condescend even to admit its existence. And this subtext suggests that although Apple comprehensively dominates the market for high-end tablets that it effectively created with the iPad, it's now trying to keep up with the market for smaller, pocketable devices. One of the most important advantages of the Nexus 7, for example, is that it really does slip into a jacket pocket. (The same goes for Samsung and Amazon tablets.) In many contexts, that's actually quite useful, which is how Apple comes to be doing something that must be making Steve Jobs rotate in his grave: playing catch-up.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Microsoft was launching the first computer it has ever made in the form of its Surface tablet. This was intriguing in several ways. For one thing, it suggests that the software giant has finally concluded that Steve Jobs was right all along: that in order to make consumer-friendly computers one must control both the hardware and the software. The odd thing, though, is that the bit of the package it seems to have got right is the hardware. "Sleek Tablet but Clumsy Software " is how David Pogue, the New York Times technology columnist, summed it up, echoing early industry reactions to the device. "You have to be fairly cold-blooded," Pogue writes, "to keep your pulse down the first time you see the Surface: its beauty, its potential, its instant transformation from tablet to PC. How incredible that this bold, envelope-pushing design came from Microsoft, a company that for years produced only feeble imitations of other companies' fresh ideas. And how ironic that what lets the Surface down is supposedly Microsoft's speciality: software."

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I hope Microsoft gets its tablet act together. In the end, the only thing that keeps big technology companies honest is real competition. I don't want to live in an Apple-dominated world any more than I liked living in a Microsoft-dominated one. Which means, I guess, I will never get an invitation to a Phil Schiller superlatives-fest. In which case, virtue will be its own reward.

iPad Mini to kill off iPad 2, says analyst

Second-gen slate isn’t long for this world.

Apple will phase out the iPad 2 when the iPad Mini hits retail, an industry sage predicts, as the micro-slate becomes the new budget option for would-be Apple tablet buyers.

Rob Chira, an analyst at Evercore Partners, forecasts that the Apple will call time on its second-generation slate in the name of clarifying “product tiers” for customers.

Chira’s projection comes ahead of the anticipated unveiling of a smaller iPad, which is expected to sell for around $200 compared with the iPad 2’s asking price of $400, on November 2nd.

The tablet's spec sheet is rumoured to include a 7.85-inch screen of the non-retina variety, a A5 dual-core processor and the same Lightning dock connector as the iPhone 5.

The Cupertino-based tech titan is thought to have kept the iPad Mini’s price down by dispensing with 3G support and a rear-facing camera, as well as recycling parts from earlier iPad iterations.

iPhone 5: no third-party Lightning adaptors until New Year?

Apple cornering Xmas market for adaptors.

Apple will not begin hammering out terms with would-be manufacturers of accessories using the new Lightning connector until next month, reports reveal, apparently leaving iPhone 5 owners with no choice but to shell out for Apple’s own adaptor if they want to use older accessories with their new phone any time soon.

According to Apple Insider, the Cupertino-based tech giant has scheduled a meeting with accessory manufacturers in November to “discuss the terms of implementing the devices' Lightning connector”.

That news, coupled with the fact that the festive season is fast approaching, means it’s pretty unlikely that we’ll see third-party dock adaptors in the shops before Christmas.

Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, this will leave Apple’s own adaptor (yours for a not inconsiderable outlay of £25) as the only one on retailers’ shelves and leaves Apple looking at a(nother) nice little earner, as tech fans’ other halves search stores for apt stocking fillers.

Apple's conference is purportedly set to take place in Shenzhen in China on November 7th and 8th, with the aim of establishing guidelines for the Lightning standard.

The replacement of the 30-pin port that has been a fixture of every iPhone since 2007 in favour of a new 8-pin port has sparked no little controversy among Apple fanboys. Not least because it rendered accessories bought for earlier models obsolete – unless punters paid out for Apple’s adaptor.

iPad mini pricing possibly revealed by European inventory list

Android tablet makers are quaking in their boots, and hoping that a report unearthed over the weekend isn't true. On Saturday, German tech blogger Florian Schimankeposted what appeared to be an inventory list of the various iPad mini models including prices.

The bottom line of the report (pun intended) is that the lowest cost iPad mini price would be 249 euros for a wi-fi only 8GB model. Sharp-eyed readers will note that we just wrote euros. However, as Gizmodo points out, for the third-generation iPad, Apple doesn't convert prices, it just moves them straight over (so the euro price is numerically the dollar price).

If Apple follows that policy - meaning a starting price of $249 - Android tablet makers could be in trouble.

Compare that to the 8GB Google Nexus which runs $199 and the Kindle Fire HD (16GB) at $199. While those would seem to have a price advantage over the iPad mini, assuming the prices are correct, remember that the iPad is the only device many consider when it comes to a tablet.

Without a significant, not just minimal, price advantage, the iPad mini could kill Android tablets, or at least decimate sales. Lower-priced Android tablets have proved somewhat successful against the iPad, but the mini - if truly priced at $249 - might prevent that.

On the other hand, speculation has been that the iPad mini would start at $349, and if the 249 euro figure were converted to dollars, it would be $320.

Another thing that is interesting, is that the price list includes a number of cellular iPad minis. It was also speculated that the iPad mini might come in wi-fi only form.

New iPad Mini: Newest Buzz And Latest News On The Rumorville

Numerous reports have said that a new iPad Mini is coming very, very soon. Most people believe in the old saying that "if there's a smoke, there's usually a fire." Well, that saying might proved to be true, after all, given all the stir this particular device has made so far.

Aside from the iPad Mini possibly seeing the light of day on October 23, 2012, what other news and buzz are currently out there on the purported iPad Mini? Just keep reading on.

According to recent reports, the upcoming iPad Mini may also sport the same 4:3 display ratio and may go to a 16:9 form factor as well. The size of its screen will possibly measure 162mm long and 124mm wide. The device's screen may be made by LG Display. It may be powered by a 4,490mAh battery.

There's also news that the iPad Mini may possibly carry Sharp's new indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) display technology that can make smaller pixels than current screens, drawing less power and providing more accuracy. It is also believed that iPad Mini will have a 16.7Whr battery running at 3.72V.

Meanwhile, a leading technology and gadgets news site has gathered an interesting report about the "alleged" models and price structures of the iPad Mini. You may want to read that site's spicy report here . Also, another report  suggests that the iPad Mini already exists.

To put into perspective, all the stuff that you hear and read about the mini iPad are, quite frankly, only speculations at this time. Bottom line is, the final details on the iPad Mini will likely become certain by virtue of the Apple event on Tuesday next week. Stay tuned.

For additional news, buzz and rumors on the iPad Mini, you may want to check out my suggested examiner articles below.

'iPad mini' likely to be Wi-Fi-only – but revised 9.7in model will offer UK 4G

Apple is believed to be readying an 'iPad mini' and revised version of the 10in model. Photograph: Ed Ou/AP

Apple's expected "iPad mini" will only come in a Wi-Fi version – but there will also be a revised version of the iPad with 4G connectivity compatible with the UK's Everything Everywhere network, and sporting the new "Lightning" connector, industry sources have told the Guardian.

Rumours have been building for months that Apple would move into the lower-priced end of the tablet market by offering a smaller version of its 9.7in iPad, dubbed the "iPad mini" and with a 7.8in screen.

That would compete directly with Google's Nexus 7 tablet, made by Taiwan's Asus, and Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets, both of which measure 7in diagonally.

Multiple sources contacted by the Guardian have indicated that they think the announcement of the "iPad mini" is imminent, with retail sources saying that they anticipate new products in November.

One company, Knomo, which designs cases for Apple products, said on Tuesday that it would have an iPad mini case available within days – even though no invitations have yet been sent out for any launch.

Earlier on Tuesday Sonny Dickson, an Australian writer, tweeted picturesof what he said was the "iPad mini", showing a squared-off device about half the size of a standard iPad with a Lightning connector.

The new eight-pin connector, introduced with the iPhone 5, is incompatible with the 10-year-old connectors used on millions of iPods, iPhones and iPads, as well as accessories.

Industry sources indicated to the Guardian that they do not expect to see 3G-capable versions of the iPad mini. That would allow Apple to produce it comparatively cheaply and to limit the top price of the product, while retaining mobile broadband connectivity for its pricier iPad line.

Sources also indicated that they expect Apple to refresh the iPad line by following up the introduction of the iPhone 5, which is 4G-capable in the UK through Everything Everywhere's 1800MHz network – and from next September with Three – with revised versions using the same 1800MHz 4G chip and the new connector.

Including the new connector on the iPad, iPhone and "iPad mini", as well as the new iPod Touch which began shipping on Tuesday, would give accessory makers – who represent a multibillion-pound industry worldwide – a kickstart to build Lightning-compatible devices.

Some analysts have estimated that Apple could sell as many as 10m iPad minis by the end of 2012 if it is released, as some expect, on 2 November.

A key factor will be pricing: Amazon's Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7 are both priced at about $200 in the US, leading analysts to suggest that Apple cannot price the base version of any "iPad mini" above $250 without damaging its chance of selling.

Apple has held sway over the tablet market since the first iPad went on sale in April 2010, and still dominates the overall market. But Amazon, Samsung and most recently Google have discovered a "price umbrella" at the 7in form factor which they have begun to exploit.

Internal emails revealed at the Samsung-Apple patent trial in August showed that executives there had urged the marketing of a 7in model, but without success.

Industry rumours have suggested that Google intends to launch a 3G-capable version of the Nexus 7 tablet – for which no sales figures have yet been released – but so far there is no confirmation of this.

iPad mini UK pricing will start at £249, screenshot suggests

A man in China takes a closer look at an iPad inside an Apple store during the launch of the device in Beijing in 2010. Will the next one be smaller? Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

A screenshot captured just after Apple put the iPhone 5 on its website may point to the starting price of the as-yet unreleased – and unannounced – iPad mini.

The picture, caught by sharp-eyed reader Kristian Tapaninaho at about 21:20 on 12 September, shows the revised UK Apple Store page with a £249 starting price for the device.

Is this the starting price of the iPad mini in the UK? (A link to the full screenshot is included at the bottom of the post.)

Tapaninaho previously sent the screenshot to the Guardian, and has now blogged about it.

Apple is widely expected to announce a smaller version of its market-leading iPad tablet on 23 October, although the company has not yet issued invites or given any indication that it has a product in the pipeline. But multiple sources have indicated to the Guardian that they expect to see a new product in the category.

Most expectations are that it will be half the size of the existing iPad, which has a screen measuring 9.7in diagonally; rescaling would mean an iPad mini would have a screen measuring 7.85in diagonally, but with a total of half the screen area of its bigger sibling.

And contrary to earlier information from sources last week, other sources have told the Guardian it now looks increasingly likely that the new tablet will include 3G and possibly 4G capabilities.

The price spotted by Tapaninaho chimes with some other prices apparently leaked online and displayed by Mobilegeeks.de, which shows prices in euros for devices starting with Wi-Fi only and 8GB of storage priced at €249.

Converting that from euros gives a base price of £201; adding VAT at 20% gives £242 - though Apple, like most merchants, usually prices just below the next £10 increment, pointing to a £249 base price.

That will leave a price gap compared to the two principal competitors in the sector, Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7. The Kindle Fire, which will be going on sale in the UK, starts at £169 for an ad-free 16GB version and £209 for an ad-free 32GB version, while the Nexus 7 costs £159 for an 8GB version and £199 for a 16GB version.

There is a clear demand in the market for smaller tablets, as evidenced by Carphone Warehouse which said on Monday that the Nexus 7 was its best-selling Android tablet ever.

Graham Stapleton, chief commercial officer for the group, said in a statement: "It's clear that there is a massive demand amongst our customer base for smaller tablets. We're seeing a real shift in what customers are using their tablets for, with more and more watching content on the go. It's now common to see people using their tablets during the morning commute or catching up on the day's news in a local coffee shop, and smaller devices make it easier to handle.

He added: "We've seen that 59% of total tablet sales in our stores are sold as either connected or tethered, to allow access to the internet on tablets that don't have inbuilt 3G connectivity."

That implies that a mobile-capable iPad mini could do well in that space.

The pricing details leaked on Mobilegeeks.de are said to have come from the internal computer system of the German retail chain Media Markt.

Those show versions of the iPad mini with storage offerings of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. They also suggest that it will come in white or black versions, and with a 3G-capable - and, possibly, 4G-capable – version. That could make it attractive to mobile operators which could sell it alongside the iPhone, or on its own.

By contrast the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 are both so far only available in Wi-Fi-only models.

Tapaninaho has a link to the original screenshot taken on his iPad.

iPad Mini now in production, says Taiwanese newspaper

There's been no shortage of rumours about the so-called Apple iPad Mini, which is a smaller 7.85-inch version of the popular iPad tablet. However, speculation has just been given renewed life by a report in one of Taiwan's Chinese-language newspapers, United Daily News, which was picked up by Engadget's Richard Lai.

The UDN story reports that, according to Yuanta Securities, Pegatron has a contract to manufacture iPad Minis, which means that Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) will no longer be the sole supplier of iPads. Foxconn is, of course, under some strain meeting orders for Apple's iPhone 5, as shown by the forced labour of bussed-in "work experience" students on the assembly lines, according to China Daily. (Following publicity, any unwilling students were quickly allowed to return to their studies.)

UDN also notes that "the iPad mini will adopt a new generation of connectors" — presumably the new Lightning port introduced with the iPhone 5.

Finally, it says that "iPad mini can be shipped in September", though this does not indicate a launch date. Apple will want to build up a stockpile of several million units to satisfy initial demand.

Although not all Taiwanese sources can be considered reliable, The Wall Street Journal reported on 5 July that "Apple Inc.'s component suppliers in Asia are preparing for mass production in September of a tablet computer with a smaller screen than the iPad."

The idea that Apple would never do a tablet smaller than the iPad has already bitten the dust. One of the disclosures from the Apple vs Samsung trial in the US was an email from Eddy Cue, one of Apple's senior staff, saying: "I believe there will be a 7-inch market and we should do one." That was dated 24 January, 2011.

Today, there clearly is a market for 7-inch tablets, and more than a dozen companies sell them, including Samsung, HTC and RIM. Both Google and Amazon have low-cost 7-inch tablets that appear to sell in volume, with the Nexus and Amazon's Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD models. These are eroding the iPad's market share. However, an iPad Mini seems likely to reverse that trend, with production starting at 5 million per month. 

LG Optimus G Hands-On: Like Megan Fox Wrapped In A Sack

LG wanted to build a superphone. Good idea. So LG crammed it with the nastiest specs we’ve seen on a mobile device. We were excited. We got to play with it today… and they covered that beauty in one of the ugliest skins we’ve seen. C’mon, guys!

The tale of the tape: It’s an Android phone that runs Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s one of the first phones with the 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor (it’s been all dual-core until now). It has a 4.7-inch “True HD IPS Plus display”, 2GB of RAM, 32GB built-in storage, NFC, 4G LTE and a 2100mAh battery. Those are some swoon-worthy specs. At first glance, the performance actually seemed to back it up.

The screen looked gorgeous. I wasn’t able to hold it next to an HTC One X, but it seemed to be on par. Felt like a solid build, though a bit blockier than some other high-end phones. It was also extremely fast. The model we used had an 8MP camera (other versions will have a 13MP shooter), and it fired off shots without hesitation. It seemed to have horsepower to spare. I could pinch to zoom in and out on an HD video while it was playing, and it didn’t miss a beat. Perfect phone, right?

But no. LG had to go and put its own skin on top of Android. It is really, really, really ugly. When I first saw it I thought, “What the hell, is this thing running Gingerbread (Android 2.3)!?” It wasn’t. It’s Ice Cream Sandwich, which is a very attractive OS in its natural state. This looks blocky and low-end. It’s actually the only thing that looks low-end on the whole phone. Maybe a custom launcher can hide the shame, but I dunno. It’s really too bad, as this may be one of the best phones at time of release, but people will take one look at its face and walk right by it.

The Optimus G is coming to AT&T in the US soon, while Australia will have to wait until 2013. We’ll have a full review in the weeks to come. Maybe it will show us that it’s “pretty on the inside and that’s what counts”, and we’ll feel like shallow bastards. Maybe. Or maybe LG hosed the UX on a superphone.