Newly leaked schematics and case renderings reveal a variety of purported details about Apple’s widely rumored “iPad mini” tablet, a device that is likely to take the wind out of the Nexus 7’s sails if it does indeed launch later this year at the rumored $249 price point. With early production of Apple’s smaller slate already under way according to reports, leaks continue to surface on numerous sites. In this latest round, Think iOS claims to have received third-party case renderings and schematics for the iPad mini from case maker FullHull.
According to the report, Apple’s iPad mini will be 7.87 inches tall and 5.3 inches wide, a significantly smaller footprint that the current-generation iPad model, which measures 9.5 inches by 7.31 inches. And while the third-generation iPad is 9.3 millimeters thick, the iPad mini will supposedly feature a design that is a remarkable 7.4 millimeters thin. For comparison, the iPod touch measures 7.3 millimeters thick.
There is a major discrepancy that casts doubt over Think iOS’s report, however: the website’s source claims that the iPad mini display will measure 7 inches diagonally. Numerous earlier reports suggest that the tablet will feature a 7.85-inch display, including one report from The Wall Street Journal that claimed the new iPad mini’s screen will measure roughly 8 inches diagonally.
The iPad mini is expected to launch this fall for between $249 and $299.
