iPad mini

Two images that are thought to be of the battery from an iPad mini have surfaced overnight and they not only look legitimate but the performance figures of the battery seem to stack up too when placed against the new iPad and iPad 2; the images were sent to MacRumors.

We heard yesterday from some very reliable sources that Apple would be holding an event to launch the iPad mini later this month; October 23 to be more precise. Some more information is starting to slip out and it appears that the actual event may be focused on Apple’s iBooks store and of course education. The news comes from The Next Web who has now heard this from multiple sources.

Apple looks set to unveil their long-rumored, eagerly anticipated new iPad mini at a special media event just over two weeks from now. According to John Paczkowski of All Things D, however, it'll be the Tuesday, October 23 rather than the traditional Wednesday.

The iPad mini may debut as a Wi-Fi only device, and the iPad 3 revision iMore revealed back in August may be compatible with International LTE frequencies, just like the iPhone 5.

If everything we've heard to date holds true, Apple will be announcing the iPad mini sometime this month. But while Apple has yet to so much as schedule an event, manufacturers are already racing to get iPad mini accessories ready to launch alongside it.

App.net (ADN), an alternative to Twitter that seeks to better balance the needs of the platform owners with developers and users, saw substantial growth in the last couple of weeks. This is partly due to the arrival of popular clients -- for end users the interface is the app, after all, and familiarity is a huge feature. In addition to attracting attention, these clients reduced the learning curve and the stress level often associated with platform change. ADN also lowered the cost of their service. Initially ADN cost $50 a year for a non-developer account, which was a substantial barrier to entry for anyone but the geekiest of geek users (#227, at your service). While $50 is less than some people spend on fancy caffeinated beverages each month, it still feels like a big up-front expense for something that may or may not provide a significant return. ADN dropped the yearly price to $36, but what's more, they introduced a new $5 monthly option. $5 a month is actually $60 a year, which is more expensive than it was previously, but far more people will be willing to give ADN a chance at $5 than $50, as any substantial period of time beyond a few days blurs towards the amorphous. It's a lower up-front cost, and hence, lower up-front risk.

It's objection handling at the product level, and it's smart business. It's something Apple has been doing going on a decade, and something they're doing especially well with iOS devices right now.

Apple has reportedly placed orders for around 10 million iPad mini tablets according to The Wall Street Journal. The information on the huge order quantity number comes from various Apple supply chain vendors in the Asia region who claim to have received orders specifically for the iPad mini

This Fall season, Apple is busier than ever before. Back in 2010, Apple had their product launches spaced out. Spring saw the original iPad. Summer had the iPhone 4 in its traditional spot. Fall saw new iPods. This year, however, they just finished rolling out the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, and they’ve given us impressive new updates to the iPod lineup as well, mirroring many of the updates in the iPhone 5. Soon enough it looks like we’ll be seeing the iPad mini announced.