There’s too much smoke for the iPad mini to be vaporware with Apple (AAPL) rumored to be sending media invites for the iPad mini announcement as early as October 10th. According to Japanese Apple blog Macotakara.jp’s “reliable sources,” production for the iPad mini have started at Foxconn in Brazil, not China. The mostly-reliable Apple rumor website says it’s unable to confirm if Foxconn factories in China are also producing the iPad mini. Macotakara.jp says that its sources say the iPad mini being assembled no longer has a microphone opening on the device’s backside as previously rumored. With supply for the iPhone 5 coming out of Foxconn already so tight, it’s possible that Apple will be splitting production of its iOS products between factories in China and Brazil. By building the new iOS devices in Brazil, Apple could be able to adequately produce enough supply for both the new iPhone 5 and iPad mini simultaneously.
The iPad mini is rumored to have a 7.85-inch display with a 1024 x 768 resolution, a front FaceTime camera, rear iSight camera and narrower bezels. Apple’s smaller iPad is expected to put heat on Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7 tablets with a price between $249 and $299. It might also come in a 4G LTE variant.
