Is a smaller Apple about to fall from the iPad tree?
Apple CEO Tim Cook and vice president of marketing Phil Schiller took to the stage in California at a media event where he is expected to finally unveil the company's long-awaited “iPad mini” -- competition for smaller, 7-inch tablets from companies like Google and Amazon that are nipping at the tech giant's heals.
"You knew there'd be something called Mini in this presentation," Schiller told the crowd.
The company has sold 84 million iPads since their debut in April 2010, he said. But rather than the widely anticipated smaller iPad, Cook began the event by touting the company's success in software -- especially the app store.
"We've reached another milestone — customers have downloaded 35 billion apps from the store. This is jaw dropping," Cook said.
A brief history of the iPadIf speculation is correct, a mini iPad would follow three full-sized models. Here are Apple's iPad releases since its debut in 2010:
— the iPad, April 3, 2010. Original model (announced Jan. 27, 2010).
— the iPad 2, March 11, 2011. Faster processor, thinner. Comes with two cameras for taking photos and video chatting (announced March 2, 2011).
— the new iPad (third generation), March 16, 2012. Faster processor, much sharper screen and improved camera (announced March 7, 2012).
It's the iconic hardware that Apple is known for, of course, and the company wasted no time unveiling it. Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for the company, joined Cook on stage to tout the company's victories in that arena, as the pair noted that Macs are the number one desktop and notebook in the country.
To continue that momentum, Schiller revealed a new 13-inch MacBook Pro that he said is 20 percent thinner than the previous generation, and a pound lighter. The new laptop features a 2.5-GHz Intel processor, a high-resolution Retina display with over 4 million pixels, and a solid-state drive rather than a spinning disk. It will start at $1,700, he said.
Schiller also described updates to the company's Mac Mini and iMacs, the later drawing oohs and aahs from the assembled crowd. The new iMac, which starts at $1,299, is a razor-thin all in one computer that starts shipping next month, he said.
But the company was reserving information on the iPad mini, the gadget that gathered the crowds, for later in the show, it seems.
Prior to the start of the event -- held at The California Theater in San Jose -- tech pundits batted forth ideas about what the device would look like, based on various leaks and rumors. The talk centered on a 7.85-inch screen , according to various leaks and reports.
The display will have a resolution of 1,024 × 768, according to a new report by DigiTimes, citing unnamed sources in Taiwan. That means it won’t sport a super high quality Retina display, but will have the same resolution as the iPad 2 (with its 9.7-inch screen).
Price is the next big question, especially since Amazon and Google’s offerings start around $200, about half the price of a new iPad. It’s not Apple’s style to compete on price, however, and the company isn't shy about tacking on a healthy premium.Most analysts expected Apple's newest to come in at either $299 or $349, potentially replacing the aging iPad 2.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and vice president of marketing Phil Schiller took to the stage in California at a media event where he is expected to finally unveil the company's long-awaited “iPad mini” -- competition for smaller, 7-inch tablets from companies like Google and Amazon that are nipping at the tech giant's heals.
"You knew there'd be something called Mini in this presentation," Schiller told the crowd.
The company has sold 84 million iPads since their debut in April 2010, he said. But rather than the widely anticipated smaller iPad, Cook began the event by touting the company's success in software -- especially the app store.
"We've reached another milestone — customers have downloaded 35 billion apps from the store. This is jaw dropping," Cook said.
A brief history of the iPadIf speculation is correct, a mini iPad would follow three full-sized models. Here are Apple's iPad releases since its debut in 2010:
— the iPad, April 3, 2010. Original model (announced Jan. 27, 2010).
— the iPad 2, March 11, 2011. Faster processor, thinner. Comes with two cameras for taking photos and video chatting (announced March 2, 2011).
— the new iPad (third generation), March 16, 2012. Faster processor, much sharper screen and improved camera (announced March 7, 2012).
It's the iconic hardware that Apple is known for, of course, and the company wasted no time unveiling it. Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for the company, joined Cook on stage to tout the company's victories in that arena, as the pair noted that Macs are the number one desktop and notebook in the country.
To continue that momentum, Schiller revealed a new 13-inch MacBook Pro that he said is 20 percent thinner than the previous generation, and a pound lighter. The new laptop features a 2.5-GHz Intel processor, a high-resolution Retina display with over 4 million pixels, and a solid-state drive rather than a spinning disk. It will start at $1,700, he said.
Schiller also described updates to the company's Mac Mini and iMacs, the later drawing oohs and aahs from the assembled crowd. The new iMac, which starts at $1,299, is a razor-thin all in one computer that starts shipping next month, he said.
But the company was reserving information on the iPad mini, the gadget that gathered the crowds, for later in the show, it seems.
Prior to the start of the event -- held at The California Theater in San Jose -- tech pundits batted forth ideas about what the device would look like, based on various leaks and rumors. The talk centered on a 7.85-inch screen , according to various leaks and reports.
The display will have a resolution of 1,024 × 768, according to a new report by DigiTimes, citing unnamed sources in Taiwan. That means it won’t sport a super high quality Retina display, but will have the same resolution as the iPad 2 (with its 9.7-inch screen).
Price is the next big question, especially since Amazon and Google’s offerings start around $200, about half the price of a new iPad. It’s not Apple’s style to compete on price, however, and the company isn't shy about tacking on a healthy premium.Most analysts expected Apple's newest to come in at either $299 or $349, potentially replacing the aging iPad 2.