Apple has sent out invites to journalists with the headline “We've got a little more to show you”. The event will take place at 10am on 23rd October (next Tuesday) at the California Theater in San Jose, just 15 minutes down the Interstate 280 from Cupertino. Apple is expected to show off an iPad mini tablet as well as updates to the MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac range of computers.
We’ve heard a lot of rumours about the iPad mini and it does indeed look like it will materialise in less than a week, a few days before the launch of Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface. The iPad mini is expected to put up a stand for Apple against the cheaper, more portable big-name Android based tablets from the likes of Google/ASUS and Amazon. The 7-inch tablet size has proved very popular. Many sources believe that the iPad mini will have a screen nearer to 8-inches (7.85-inches), which could prove an even better compromise between size and portability.
Pricing leaks for the iPad mini a couple of days ago suggest a range of SKUs in the price range from £200 for an 8GB Wi-Fi model to £525 for a 64GB model with cellular network connectivity. An even wider range of SKUs has been uncovered by Apple Insider which has revealed a list of 12 different models available in two colours. One version is expected to be 4G LTE capable.
The other reveals at the California Theater event are expected to be a 13in MacBook Pro featuring a Retina display and an updated Mac mini computer. Also at the event a new thinner “tear drop” iMac is expected to be shown. This new iMac will have a curved shell like a water droplet which sounds aesthetically interesting but doesn’t sound like form following function. All will be revealed next week.
