Apple’s long-fabled “iPad mini” has been on the tip of the Apple community’s tongue for some time but, and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo might have some good news, stating that the new, smaller iPad could launch as early as September!
Kuo stated earlier that he expects Apple’s next iPhone to launch in September, and MacRumors reports that he has now followed up that claim by stating that the iPad mini will be released close around the same time, leaving both devices potentially set for a September (or early October) release.
While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the iPad mini, a large number of Apple pundits and insiders believe that Apple does indeed plan on releasing such a device, presumably to compete more closely with devices like the Amazon Kindle Fire and Google/Samsung Nexus 7.
Interestingly, the analyst also notes that Apple may release a slightly tweaked version of the 9.7-inch iPad to make it run cooler and reduce their overall manufacturing costs. The changes will reportedly be made silently, and without the notice of consumers.
Kuo has been on quite a roll in the past day or so, claiming that Apple plans to release an updated iPod touch and iPod nano, a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, new iMacs, the next-gen iPhone, and an iPad mini all this fall, sometime between September and October.
That would make this fall Apple’s biggest launch season ever, and would give them a massive amount of pull over consumers this holiday season – especially considering that the rumored devices span all across the price continuum.
Looks like the second half of 2012 is gonna be a real doozy for Apple! Are you ready?
