This years special iPad event ‘finally’ put all rumours and speculations at rest as Apple announced second gen iPad mini with Retina Display.

Apple entered into a new product category with a smaller version of the full size tablet. The purpose of iPad mini was to make the device even more portable. It was aimed at those of us who want to hold the device for long hours to read books, browse the web and want something that fits in a small bag without adding any extra weight. In 2012 when all iOS devices were already supporting high resolution display Apple announced iPad mini with the same resolution as iPad 2 with 1024×768 pixels.

Since its introduction many started speculating that the next gen 7.9 inch tablet will certainly feature retina display. However, some reports and bloggers expressed concerns about battery and weight of the device. John Gruber of Daring Fireball also remained sceptical about iPad mini going retina in 2013 and said, “we demand magic — a retina iPad Mini with no decrease in battery life, but no increase in thickness, weight, or price. And they need to produce at least 20 million of them by Christmas. Something has to give.”

Apple has made iPad mini with retina display a reality this year with the same 10 hour long battery performance. The display features 2048×1536 resolution  which is the same as iPad Air at 326 pixels per inch. With the new retina screen the hardware saw an increase of 0.01 inches in thickness and 23 grams (0.06 pounds) in weight. The fact that the device continues to provide battery for a full days worth of use even with retina certainly makes it worth the negligible thickness and weight.

iPad mini with retina display also features the 64-bit A7 chip and M7 coprocessor introduced in the iPhone 5s. This boost the performance of the new tablet upto 4 times in CPU and upto 8 times in GPU performance.

The 5MP rear camera and 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera remain the same even in the new model. Apple has added support for even more LTE bands in this new device and also delivers twice the Wi-Fi performance than before.

If reading and browsing the web are the primary tasks that you use the iPad mini for, then upgrading to the latest model is certainly worth considering. High resolution screen makes the text crisp without any fuzziness and each pixel in the photos deliver fantastic detail.

Apple will continue to sell the original iPad mini with 16GB storage at $299 for the WiFi and $429 for WiFi + Cellular. iPad mini with retina display will be available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. The WiFi models start at $399 while cellular version starts at $529 and each model gets $100 expensive for more storage.

Will you be buying the new iPad mini this holiday season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Apple recently sent out media invites for the iPad keynote event. The event  will be held on October 22nd at 10 AM PT at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California.

Last week WSJ leaked the date and now the event has been confirmed by Apple. The media invite features Apple logo with leaves in the iOS 7 color palette flying in the background. The leaves signify autumn line-up of new iOS 7 devices.

The theme of the event is “We still have a lot to cover.” This clearly suggests that Apple is planning to announce more than just one product line. Rumors and reports in the past have revealed that the company is prepared to launch new iPad, second gen iPad mini, new MacBook Pro with Haswell processors and OS X Mavericks.

Apple events usually focus on one major product and try not to announce too many new products at the same event. However, as the company is offering two line-ups of iPads and other product categories also need to be updated before the holiday season, this years’ event will be packed with announcements.

The fifth-gen iPad is expected to be inspired by the advancements in iPad mini and feature a thinner bezel which will make it lighter. Rumors suggest the new iPad will feature new camera and could possibly run on the new A7 chip. It isn’t clear if we will see TouchID in the iPad as the company has experienced low product yield of the sensor in the past.

Many analysts believe the second-gen iPad mini will go retina this year. iPad mini with a high resolution screen could prove to be a big boost in terms of new hardware feature. However, there have been some doubts expressed over cost and pricing of an iPad mini with a retina display.

OS X Mavericks was announced during WWDC. The company has been busy with iOS overhaul this year and during the iPad event we may finally get a release date for the upcoming software update for Mac.

Apple teased the developers at WWDC with the all-new Mac Pro. The release date wasn’t announced and it was showcased as a work in progress. The company could use the event as a platform to release the new Mac Pro.

iMac product lineup was recently updated with the Haswell processors and MacBook Pro line up has also been due for an update. It is expected that Apple will make these available on or before October 22nd.

The fall iPad event will be packed with major announcements. Stay tuned as Touch Reviews brings you the latest information and product launches from Apple.

Apple is rumored to hold another special keynote event to announce the next gen iPad lineup on October 22. According to AllThingsD’s sources Apple will unveil iPad 5, second gen iPad mini, release OS X Mavericks and could share an update on Mac Pro’s availability.

The iPad focused event had been rumored to be held in October earlier. Apple announced the iPad mini in October last year and the iPad product lineup had been due for a refresh. The fifth generation iPad is widely expected to share the design language of iPad mini which could result in a thinner and lighter design with slimmer bezel. The new 9.7 inch iPad could run on 64-bit A7 chip that was first introduced in the iPhone 5s. Sources familiar with the matter believe that even the second gen iPad mini could feature the A7 chip.

Apple introduced Touch ID in iPhone 5s this year to encourage more customers to set a passcode and yet find it easier and very intuitive to unlock their device. It is not clear if this fingerprint technology will make it to the iPad. However, it is possible that the new iPad 5 could feature the Touch ID.

Second gen iPad mini has long been rumored to feature a retina display and many leaks in the recent past suggest that second gen iPad mini will finally feature the high resolution display.

The time and venue of the event is still unknown. AllThingsD has a good track record of predicting dates for Apple events. While there has been no official confirmation it is very likely that the iPad keynote event will be held on October 22, 2013.

Apple’s 7.9 inch tablet, the iPad mini is due for a refresh this fall and according to a new report the next gen iPad mini will have an almost bezel free design. We recently highlighted another report which claimed that Apple is facing shortage of retina display supply that could result in retina iPad mini launch to be delayed until 2014.

DigiTimes published a repot citing sources that claim Apple will introduce a redesigned version of the iPad mini to give the next-gen 7.9 inch tablet an almost bezel free look. The current iPad mini design already features a very narrow bezel to it is unclear how the company will accomplish this. The report further highlights that retina display iPad mini won’t be available for this holiday season however, customers can expect a refresh this fall with improved technical specifications.

While the new iPad mini may not be availabe during the year-end shopping season, Apple reportedly may first release a slightly updated version of the current iPad mini in the second half of 2013, which is expected to be lighter, thinner and equipped with improved specifications, the sources said.

Apple clearly dominates the tablet market space which is evident by the total mobile web share. The company has a very aggressive marketing strategy for its tablet product line-up. The introduction of a small 7.9 inch tablet gives Apple an edge to dominate the market further by entering the small screen tablet segment. The company does not want to give any room to its competitors to compete in this segment.

Tablet product category was revolutionised by Apple and it was the first company to sell it in large numbers. The product refresh cycle for tablets has become shorter since the third and fourth gen 10-inch tablet as both were introduced in less than a year.

Rumors of an next gen iPad mini have been on the web for several weeks now, and many reports are suggesting that the new device would include a Retina Display as one of the many new features. However, according to market researchers, the inclusion of a Retina Display would bump the price of the second gen iPad mini by up to 30%. This means that each iPad mini would cost Apple $12 more per unit to produce, and would subsequently cause a price increase for consumers.

According to Digitimes, this addition of $12 per unit would raise the total price of the iPad mini above $200 for production. A Retina Display would tack on a number of new costs, including a new LED backlight for the higher pixel density. Overall, this would total up to a 30% increase in price for production. The most expensive part of an iPad mini is the screen, which is $80 per unit. A teardown by research firm IHS iSuppli in November estimated that the iPad mini internals cost Apple $188 to produce.

Although analysts are expecting a price increase for consumers, it is likely that Apple will find a way to retain the current price point as they did with the 3rd generation iPad after it received a Retina Display. It is unclear exactly when Apple plans to introduce a iPad mini with Retina Display, however, other issues such as retaining the same form factor and battery life may also present an issues alongside the price.

{Via AppleInsider}

When Apple announced iPad 2 they called 2011 the “year of iPad 2″ and now the company is all set to repeat its breakthrough success in the tablet market with the introduction of iPad 3. According to reports published by WSJ and iMore iPad 3 release date is expected to be announced on March 7th.

Various leaks, rumors and analysts reports we’ve covered in the past suggest that Apple’s next gen iPad 3 would feature retina display, upgraded processor and there’s also a possibility of 4G LTE networking.

4G LTE networking has been another mystery surrounding the iPad 3, with a compatible Qualcomm chipset becoming available, but international LTE coverage is still slim, and in some cases a year or more away. It sounds like Apple has 4G LTE lined up for iPhone 5 this October, but we’re still not certain if the iPad 3 will get it earlier.

Jim Dalrymple of LoopInsight also seems to agree with the release date announcement of iPad 3 being March 7th. He is known to have reported or confirmed Apple rumors with a very good track  record. The report published by WSJ also pointed to an early March launch event.

LTE rollout has been very slow and while Apple has been rumored to include faster networking in their future products iPad 3 could possibly be Apple’s first iOS device to support LTE. The Cupertino-based company has been testing LTE in iOS 5 as it was revealed in an “internal iOS test build” of one of Apple’s major mobile partners.

Are you excited about iPad 3 launch event? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Apple’s next gen iPad rumored to be called “iPad 3″ is expected to receive a 2048×1536 Retina display, a quad-core A6 system-on-a-chip, and possibly 4G LTE networking. Apple is consistently changing product cycle for the announcement of their next generation products, which was seen during the release of the iPhone 4S and the iPod refresh in 2011.

There have been many conflicting reports as to whether Apple will be retaining the current Apple A5 SoC, or switching to Quad Core A6 chip, which is almost double the power and would be able to handle a significant amount of usage and provide more RAM for applications.

Another interesting move by Apple could be 4G LTE networking, which is most notably available on Verizon and AT&T’s networks, which would allow the iPad to surf, download and upload at significantly faster than the current 3G speeds. However, many reports also deny that Apple will make the change to 4G LTE, with the high speed network still being in infancy and still being tested. It would be very un-Apple like to move to 4G LTE, which is a very risky move as it hasn’t been available for too long, making it very likely that Apple won’t be moving to LTE networks until the iPhone 5 at least.

As for the iPad 3’s cameras, rumors from iLounge suggest that Apple is looking to include a 5 or 8 megapixel rear camera and a FaceTime HD front camera. While the 5 megapixel camera seems more realistic for the iPad 3, an HD FaceTime camera seems unlikely.

Speculations of hardware additions for the iPad 3 have been circulating over the past few weeks, suggesting that the device is around the corner. Expect more rumors to surface in the coming weeks and around the first week of March.

In Mid-July, parts for a claimed iPad 3 surfaced, unleashing a slew of rumors suggesting that Apple was planning a release for the next generation iPad as early as October. When such speculation failed to materialize, the new rumored date for release is expected to be early 2012, quite possibly February.

On Thursday, new images of what appears to be a ribbon and a dock connector for the claimed iPad 3 have once again surfaced, giving way to a whole new plethora of rumors, suggesting that Apple is now manufacturing the devices or already has prototypes of the iPad 3.

Another image of the iPad’s power button flex cable has surfaced alongside the images from July, leading to more speculation. Cydia Blog reported on Thursday that these parts are now only 2-3 pieces of multiple pieces of the iPad, including the microphone flex cable, which are available through a Chinese parts dealer, TVC-Mall.com.

The new part, when compared with iPad 2, shows a different arrangement in internal circuitry, hinting a major re-design. The tail end of the part makes a “U-turn”, whereas the iPad 2′s Microphone Mic Flex Cable makes almost 90-degree turn both ways. Except for few details, the leaked part so far doesn’t offer a tantalizing tease.

Changes to the internal features of the iPad does not suggest that the exterior will be different, as the iPad 2 underwent a major design change from the original iPad, adding on 2 cameras, and a new thin exterior. The iPad may undergo small changes on the 3G model, moving to universal support for carriers, possibly adding on Sprint to its current offerings from AT&T and Verizon.

The iPad is very likely to retain its same form factor, although many reports in the past have suggested that the iPad may be thicker to support more features than the current iPad 2. If that was to be true, there is no doubt that Apple would be upgrading the iPad camera to anything above a 3 mega pixel. The iPad is rumored to launch early next year, with Apple’s A6 chip (which debuts concurrently with iPad announcements), and camera upgrades.

Taiwanese rumour site Apple.pro [Google translation] recently posted photos of what they claim to be photos of the iPad 3 dock connector in white, attached to a ribbon cable. The interesting part of all of this is that the dock connector resembles that of the iPad 2, but is all white as opposed to black.

The dock connector on the iPad 2 is embedded in the curved aluminum shell of the iPad 2, and is in fact black on all models. This may be interesting, possibly hinting at the idea that Apple is looking to change the design of the iPad and maybe move the dock connector closer to the white bezel to resemble the white iPhone 4, which is entirely white.

There is no confirmation that this piece is in fact part of the rumoured iPad 3, although there are some minor details that point to such an event. Part numbers were also updated from 821-1180-A in the iPad 2 to a newer 821-1259-06, further confirming that an iPad 3 may be in the works. The end of the ribbon cable makes a 90-degree turn in the new piece, whereas the iPad 2’s dock connector ribbon cable is entirely straight.

Apple has been rumoured to be working on iPad 3 that may be introduced as a “pro” or “plus” version of the device with a higher resolution screen rather than a complete redesign. There have been no further details on an iPad 3, other than this dock connector, and rumours peg a release for a September release.

Apple.pro has had accuracy in detecting Apple products in the past. It will be interesting to see if Apple releases next gen iPad this fall.

FOSS Patents were quick to spot the changes and noted:

The original complaint specifically accused the following products of infringement: “the Samsung Captivate, Continuum, Vibrant, Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G, Indulge, Mesmerize, Showcase, Fascinate, Nexus S, Gem, Transform, Intercept, and Acclaim smart phones and the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet.”

The amended complaint accuses all of the above plus the Droid Charge, Exhibit 4G, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Prevail, Galaxy S (i9000), Gravity, Infuse 4G, Nexus S 4G, Replenish, Sidekick, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and Galaxy S II (aka Galaxy S 2). It also specifies the accusation against “Showcase” products, naming the Showcase i500 and Showcase Galaxy S.

It’s interesting to note that the amended filing uses aggressive language and alleges that Samsung “has been even bolder” with “products that blatantly imitate the appearance of Apple’s products to capitalize on Apple’s success”. Apple in its filing repeatedly mentions that when iPhone was introduced it offered unique features which no other company offered.

Prior mobile phones were often bulkier and contained physical keypads. Some had a rocker-style navigation button and sets of buttons for numbers and calling features. Others had a front panel with a partial or full QWERTY keyboard and a screen. None had the clean lines of the iPhone, which immediately caused it to stand apart from the competition.

Samsung has been equally aggressive in fighting back and the chief of mobile division at Samsung, J.K. Shin said:

We have used many similar designs over the past years and it [Apple’s allegation] will not be legally problematic.

This legal battle might just get bigger and we’ll just have to wait to see if the companies reach a settlement or continue to fight.

We recently reported that Samsung filed a notion requesting the court to ask Apple to show prototypes of iPhone 5 and iPad 3 as a part of the “discovery process”. Apple earlier this year filed a lawsuit against Samsung alleging that it had copied the look and feel of iPhone. During a recent interview with WSJ the chief of mobile division at Samsung, J.K. Shin said:

“We didn’t copy Apple’s design,” Mr. Shin said. “We have used many similar designs over the past years and it [Apple’s allegation] will not be legally problematic.” He suggested the scale of the lawsuit could grow, though he didn’t provide more details.

Even though Apple thinks Samsung has violated its “valuable intellectual property rights” the Korean giant feels that it won’t be a major cause of concern however, Mr. Shin did not comment on future implications.

The legal battle between Samsung and Apple continues to grow and doesn’t show signs of an early settlement. The legal spat is expected to continue for at least a few years until some substantial outcome can be seen. Such lawsuits are very common among big corporations and specially when it comes to technology companies where patent lawsuits are very common.

It will be interesting to see if Apple can indeed prove it in the courts that Samsung’s products are very similar to Apple’s design. The Cupertino based company basically feels that Samsung’s product could trick a customer to think that it was actually Apple’s new iPhone. When I visited a local mobile store recently to buy a protective screen cover for my Samsung phone the sales guy actually asked me if it was the iPhone 4. And obviously one can’t deny that Samsung’s UI and hardware design does look very similar to Apple’s design.

Apple recently filed a lawsuit against Samsung for copying their products, user interface, packaging design and technology which are in “violation of Apple’s valuable intellectual property rights.”

Samsung isn’t the only company against which Apple has filed lawsuits, the Cupertino outfit is currently fighting in court against several other Android based handset manufacturers including HTC and Motorola.

We recently reported that a federal judge ordered Samsung to provide Apple with pre-production samples of a number of devices which are not yet available in the market and gave the company 30 days to comply with the order so that Apple Inc. may decide an injunction on the infringement.

Now, This Is My Next reports that Samsung has filed a notion asking Apple to hand over the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 prototypes to the company as a part of the “discovery process.”

It’s important to note that Apple requested for the products which had already been widely publicised as Samsung gave away 5,000 Galaxy Tab 10.1 to Google I/O attendees. However, Samsung’s request is based on a lot of assumptions as the company is assuming that iPhone 5 and iPad 3 could “possibly” be similar to Droid Charge and Galaxy Tab 10.1 which will hit the market around the same time as Apple’s next gen products.

This move if in Samsung’s favour would allow the company to “evaluate any possible similarities so they can prepare for further potential legal action from Apple.”

Samsung’s asking for a court order requiring Apple to produce “the final, commercial versions” of the next-generation iPhone and iPad and their respective packaging by June 13, 2011, so it can evaluate whether there’ll be confusion between Samsung and Apple’s future products. If the final versions aren’t available, Samsung wants “the most current version of each to be produced instead.”

Samsung says it has to see the next-gen iPhone and iPad because it believes those are the products that will actually be on the market against future Samsung devices, so it has to be prepared for Apple’s potential motion for a preliminary injunction. That’s kind of a stretch: Apple can’t really file for a preliminary injunction based on potential confusion with unannounced, unreleased products, so Apple’s lawyers will almost certainly focus on confusion with the company’s existing products.

Samsung has additionally promised to abide by the rules applicable to Apple and only the lawyers will have access to the prototype devices.

Apple has always been and continues to be very secretive about its future products and Samsung is clearly basing their assumptions on rumours which suggest that Apple is indeed working on next gen iPhone and iPad.

This is certainly turning out to be more interesting that we initially thought and it remains to be seen if the latest developments in this case lead to any possible out-of-court settlement or if Apple continues to aggressively fight it out in the court.

At a media conference launching ‘The Daily’ digital newspaper on Wednesday, and eagle-eyed attendee claims to have spotted a working prototype of Apple’s second-generation iPad 2, notable by its front-facing camera. A report from Reuters is backing up the claims after a source with knowledge of the device confirmed its existence, and also suggested that the finished model could boast other features.

Describing what the eyewitness spotted at the News Corp conference, the Reuters report says, “what appeared to be a working model of the next iPad with a front-facing camera at the top edge of the glass screen.”

For a company as secretive as Apple about unreleased devices, it’s a surprise for many that a prototype iPad 2 was out in the wild at such a public event. A handful of Apple employees, including iTunes chief Eddy Cue, were at the event that saw the debut of the world’s first iPad-only newspaper, but it’s unclear from the reports whether it was a member of Apple’s staff carrying the device. Both News Corp and Apple have declined to comment.

A variety of rumors surrounding the second-generation iPad have been a popular topic as the expected launch date of the device draws closer, however, suggestions of a front-facing camera have certainly been the most popular. If the reported sighting is as genuine as it sounds, the promise of a camera-equipped Apple tablet later this year is almost guaranteed.

Without spoiling the party and ruining the hopes of many, it’s a good idea to bear in mind that features present in a prototype device don’t always make it to the finished product. Before an update to Apple’s iPod touch a couple of years ago, prototype models and parts were discovered that lead us to believe the device would launch with a camera. However, it wasn’t until the following year that a camera featured in the device.

Is the presence of a camera in Apple’s next iPad a must-have for you? Let us know you thoughts in the comments.

We have exclusively been told that the reason Apple just added multitouch gestures for the iPad in the latest iOS 4.3 beta is because the iPad will be losing the home button. Yes, we are told that Apple, at some point in time, will remove the home button from the iPad’s design. Instead of button taps, you will use new multitouch gestures to navigate to the home screen and also to launch the app switcher.

It is no secret that Steve jobs hates buttons. It took a good many years of infighting both inside Apple and among the Mac faithful to get us anywhere near a mouse that had more than one button. A long standing joke about Macs amongst many people. That obsession with losing buttons is still in full force inside Apple, as even though Apple mice have multiple buttons now, they are not physical. Nor are the “buttons” on Apple Trackpads for that matter.

It is also said that Jobs was against having a Home Button on the original iPhone.

There are many questions that remain to be answered about this rumour though; how will iOS devices be hard reset, is one.

How will people without all their fingers complete the four finger swipe that is the equivalent of pressing the Home Button when using multi-touch gestures, is another.

Moving the home button up by the power button is unlikely, but perhaps making the power button into a multi function button which includes an “emergency” Home Button feature is a possibility. It is very doubtful however that Apple would remove a button, only to replace it with another new one elsewhere. Having different functionality for a single button is something that Apple already offers for the Home Button itself. And they have shown that they are willing to do optional functions with the rotation lock / mute button on the iPad in iOS 4.3.

None of the problems suggested about a device without a home button are insurmountable. And there are advantages. Screen size could be increased slightly over more of the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad’s faces. This could mean more resolution, but could also simply mean an easier to read and more accurate to touch Retina display, which also looks nicer as it goes closer to all the edges of the device.

Another possibility is that Apple would work on some similar gestures to those found on RIM’s Blackberry Playbook tablet; where the actual bezel of the device is also part of the multi-touch surface, and provides specialised inputs from select gestures in specific locations. But that would be fraught with patent lawsuit risks for Apple.

In any case we’re not against the idea, whilst maintaining a suitably sceptical view on the veracity of the rumour until it is fleshed out a bit more by more information from other sources.

What do you think? Good idea or not? Would you like an iPhone without a Home Button? Have your say in the comments?