With new tablet reveals by Apple and Google expected this month, battle lines are being redrawn around the smaller 7-inch form factor, and that's just for starters.
An image published on Twitter purporting to show the iPad Mini alongside its bigger brother. Note the Lightning connector being used in place of the traditional 30-pin standard.
We're making our way through October, a month in which both Google and Apple are expected to announce significant but as-yet-unconfirmed additions to their tablet offerings, so it's not surprising that we're starting to see leaks from both camps. Earlier this week we witnessed a
rogue 32GB Nexus 7 shipped to a surprised customer in Japan, suggesting Google and ASUS will be expanding upon the relatively slim 8GB/16GB options currently available for the popular device. 3G connectivity is also being touted.
And according to one
report, Google is working on two other tablets in addition to its Nexus 7 updates. A new high-end 10.1-inch Nexus with an iPad-beating resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 is being developed in conjunction with Samsung (who have prior experience with the Nexus line, having manufactured two flagship Android smartphones in the 2010 Nexus S and 2011 Galaxy Nexus), and there's also talk that a budget-oriented US$99 tablet is in the works for December, which if true could really make things interesting.
But Google's not the only one subject to leaks along the supply chain. Photos published on
Twitter this week appear to show what looks like a pretty convincing iPad Mini tablet compared in size against a traditional iPad and iPhone. While the shots themselves don't look like fakes, it's been demonstrated before that realistic
non-working dummies of the rumoured Mini can be easily (and cheaply) purchased in China. The fact that these most recent shots don't show the device's display (with an operational iOS 6 setup) have led many to question their authenticity.
Overnight the Guardian
reported that the iPad Mini will be Wi-Fi only at launch but is expected to be announced alongside a revised larger iPad lineup which will support new 4G capabilities (that may even work in Australia
this time). The announcement is believed to be imminent (with many pegging tomorrow) with new products thought to be hitting shelves in November.