iPad Mini Renderings Released
In an almost identical fashion to how the iPhone 5 spread across the internet, the iPad Mini is also finding its way into the rumor mill a lot lately. Just like the iPhone 5, Apple has been completely silent about the tablet and hasn’t even admitted it exists. It seems as if the iPad Mini’s story will be very similar to the iPhone 5. The most recent rumors surround 3D renderings of the iPad Mini that have surfaced online.
There have been a few leaks of what appear to be parts for the iPad Mini online recently, and naturally fans began to try to put all the pieces together to construct what could possibly be the iPad Mini. These 3D renderings come from Martin Hajek, who also created extremely realistic renderings of the iPhone 5. The renderings of the iPhone 5 looked extremely realistic to the point that many people thought it was an actual physical product. Hajek placed the iPhone 5 renderings in a real life setting to enhance the perception that the device was real when it was in fact, just a very well-constructed 3D rendering.
With the iPad Mini, he did not go to the lengths of placing the device in a real setting, but rather made them look like an Apple advertisement. The renderings look exactly like you would expect to see the devices on Apple’s official website. His graphics show the device from several different angles as well as in different color variations as well.
The renderings show the rear camera and a microphone as well as a headphone jack at the top. Images of the flex cable for the headphone jack (allegedly) were also leaked this month as well. On the bottom of the device you can see the smaller Lightning port and the speakers which have been moved. There were rumors earlier this year that the device would have relocated speakers which may be what inspired Hajek to place them there.
As we mentioned, he also gave us a look at what the iPad Mini would look like in a color other than black and white. Hajek shows a light metallic blue version of the device. The front face is white, but the back is a bluish color similar to that of the new colorful designs for the iPod Touch. It would be interesting to see if Apple decides to add some color to their other devices. They have chosen to stick with the standard black and white models for the iPhone and iPad, but the decision to offer more colors for the iPod Touch might translate to the other devices. Also, Nokia has taken jabs at Apple’s lack of color selection for their phones in an ad for the Lumina 920.
Apple has made moves to increase the control they have over 3rd party accessories for their devices. It would be interesting to see if they start offering more color options for their device as a way to stop people from modding their devices with 3rd party back plates.
It will certainly be interesting to see how close Hajek’s rendering will be to the actual device. His iPhone 5 model was a very close match to the actual product so this could be what we end up seeing when and if the device is launched. As we’ve said, Apple has not even stated that they have an iPad Mini yet. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple has actually already started producing the smaller iPad, but again this is all speculation at this point. Some people believe that Apple will announce the device this month in time to get people excited for the holiday season.
