iPad Mini Event Said to Focus on iBooks

The Next Web is reporting that the rumored iPad Mini event scheduled for October 23rd will have a heavy focus on iBooks. The iPad Mini will be aimed at smaller tablets like the Kindle Fire, that are generally used to consume content including books and movies.

In what will likely be completely unsurprising news to many, we’ve now heard from multiple sources that Apple’s as-yet-unannounced iPad mini event will have a strong focus on iBooks. Since an iPad mini would likely be squarely aimed at those who wish to partake of media on their tablets, that would make a lot of sense.

Apple executive Eddy Cue said in an email released during the Apple v. Samsung trial that he "found email, books, Facebook and video very compelling" on a 7-inch Samsung Galaxy tablet. It seems likely that Apple will focus on similar uses for the iPad Mini.

Apple To Finally Unveil The iPad Mini On October 23 [Report]

This isn’t the real thing, but it’s likely to be identical.

Apple was expected to send out invitations to an upcoming iPad mini announcement on October 10, but that date has now come and gone, and we’re still left wondering when the tiny tablet is going to get its grand unveiling. Recent reports have suggested that the device has been postponed due to production delays, but according to AllThingsD, that’s not the case.

Instead, Apple will be holding its event on October 23, sources claim — just three days before Microsoft’s new Surface tablet begins shipping in the United States.

“People familiar with Apple’s plans tell us that the company will unveil the so-called “iPad mini” on October 23 at an invitation-only event,” reports AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski.

October 23 falls on a Tuesday, marking a break from Apple’s recent tradition of holding events on a Wednesday. It’s unclear where the event will be held, but it’s “likely” to be at Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium, AllThingsD reports, where the Cupertino company unveiled OS X Lion and the iPhone 4S.

Following the recent iPhone 5 event at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center, which also saw new iPods and a performance from the Foo Fighters, the iPad mini’s debut is expected to be a more “intimate affair held close to home.”

The device itself is expected to feature a 7.85-inch display, and — as you might expect — Apple’s new Lightning connector. It’s also likely to be thinner than previous iPads, and priced to compete with 7-inch devices from the likes of Amazon and Google.

iFixit Tears Down Apple's Fifth-Generation iPod Touch

The teardown experts at iFixit have turned their attention to Apple's fifth-generation iPod touch, moving quickly to examine the internals of the company's redesigned device.

The teardown reveals few surprises, but offers a good look at how Apple has been able to pack all of the components into a body that has 20% less volume than the iPhone 5. With a lack of cellular communications technology, the iPod touch carries fewer components and consolidates them into just a handful of parts. Most notably the logic board and battery are smaller than seen in the iPhone 5 and carry a top-and-bottom layout as opposed to the side-by-side layout seen in the iPhone.


One aspect of the teardown that did catch our eye is the Lightning connector and headphone jack assembly, which contains a long ribbon cable extending from those ports at the bottom of the device up to the logic board at the top. This part was seen several times back in August and was at the time claimed to be for the "iPad mini".

Those claims led to confusion over whether the iPad mini's headphone jack would be located at the bottom as on the iPhone 5 and the iPod touch or on the top as in the full-size iPad and as seen in mockups and cases reportedly based on leaked iPad mini design specs. With the appearance of this part in the iPod touch, the discrepancy has now been resolved and signs are pointing to the iPad mini's headphone jack being along the top edge of the device.


Other aspects of the device are fairly standard, with the logic board revealing Apple's A5 system-on-a-chip, flash storage from Toshiba, and the usual assortment of chips for handling Wi-Fi, touchscreen functions, gyroscope, and more.

Overall, iFixit found the new iPod touch to be difficult to repair, with many components soldered together and the device held together with adhesives and clips that make it difficult to open. The revelation is not a surprise, as Apple does not intend its mobile products to be user-serviceable and the company's efforts to push the limits of design and size reduction have led it to sacrifice accessibility.