"iPad mini" appears in Apple Online Store suggested search results, but...

By Rene Ritchie
published

"iPad mini" is currently showing up as a suggested search result in Apple's online store. But so is "iPad air". And "iPad nano". And "iPad little". And more.

Search results from Apple.com have previously identified accurate product names, including the iPhone 5, but past behavior isn't always an indicator of future behavior. Maybe it's just an anomaly in Apple's database. Or maybe, just like iOS firmware strings have been found for iPhone 10,1, maybe someone on Apple's team is having a little fun this weekend.

The hilarity should end on October 23 at the iPad mini event. Until then, enjoy our iPad mini redux preview, and the screens below. Let me know if you find any other good ones.

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

17 Comments
  • Lol that's cute apple.
  • I just tried it myself but they must have corrected their search
    Nothing come up...
  • No iPad Micro? :)
  • I got iPad Air and Nano but not Mini.
  • People, I believe it's not Apple doing this, but customers! When you start typing something in on Google, it starts suggesting searches. Did Google program any of these? No. They're based on the most-searched-for terms that have been inputted by users. I suspect this works the same way. Many unknowing people who've just heard rumours about iPad mini think it's available to buy, so they search for it. Then, the search box stores all of these entries. That's how I'm pretty sure it works.
  • This.
  • I tried "iMac w" and I got "iMac with Retina Display"... so ?
  • I believe you're all reading too much into this. It's probably like google does, we could all go start searching for iMac w/ Windows 8 and it would eventually show up as a suggested search. Must be a slow news day.
  • It already does that. Go to google and search "imac with w" and it'll suggested windows and other variants.
  • This really is worthless news and a worthless article, if you have ever actually used search on a site before you will know that the engine will suggest results based on all content or content that has been selected to be searched on said site, so in the case of this, all it is is that Apples search engine is returning results for any links that contain both of the words, for instance if you search ipad little here in the uk you will get a set of headphones due to the fact that the product listing contains both the words ipad and little, nothing to do with someone fooling around at Apple or even a product launch, I mean do you really think Apple would give the game away that easily.
  • Of course they would. They have done silly stuff like this in the past. Just because searching for "iPad little" and hitting the submit button will take you to a page, that doesn't mean that "iPad little" or "iPad lite" will show up as pre-defined search suggestions. Did you wake up cranky or something?
  • I think you're both right in that it isn't Apple programming this, but nicholasgriffin just has the opinion that Apple wouldn't give away something this easily. That's all!
  • Probably woke up just fine but upon making breakfast he realized someone sh!t in his cocoa pops.
  • Number what Tim Cook said Apple double down on secrecy
  • What about iPad Shuffle
  • The search suggestions are generated based on the searches that other people have placed. If 100 people searched for "iPad Mini", then "iPad Mini" will become a suggested search.
  • Tried to search it up but nothing. Looks like the iPad Mini is real this time.