New iPad Mini release date, news and rumours

The new iPad has been and gone, sporting a chunkier and heavier build than the iPad 2, which left some wondering: what's with all the extra weight?

However, it looks like Apple may be about to aid those conscious of extra grams in their bags, as rumours hot up about a potential iPad mini (or iPad nano, if you prefer) arriving later this year.
As the Amazon Kindle Fire steals the budget tablet show and with more small, cheap tablets on the horizon, such as the Google Nexus tablet, Apple may well want a bite of the, well, apple.

Back in 2010, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that smaller screened tablets were not "sufficient to create great tablet apps" and would be "dead on arrival", so rumours suggesting a new iPad mini is in the works reveals a potentially new direction for the firm in its post-Jobs era.
Believe it or not, there's certainly a lot of chat surrounding the iPad mini, so we've scooped it all up, mushed it all together and expelled it into a handy round up, allowing you to keep track of every twist and turn.
If you're pressed for time then check out our iPad Mini rumour roundup video below.

Update:
A new report has examined the prospects for an iPad Mini - and how it might contribute to the company's bottom line, particularly with gamers and the educational market.

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Amazon Kindle Fire HD vs iPad 3 vs iPad Mini

It's a three-way fight this time round as the iPad 3 takes on the rumoured iPad Mini and Amazon's Kindle Fire HD

We pitch Apple’s current iPad 3 and its rumoured iPad Mini against the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

Form

iPad 3 - 241.2 x185.7x9.4mm, 652g

iPad Mini – TBC

Amazon Kindle Fire HD - 193 mmx137mmx10.3mm, 395g

The iPad 3 is the largest of the three tablets we’re comparing here with its 9.7-inch display and in most ways it’s virtually identical to its predecessor, the iPad 2.

This means you get the same iconic Apple style with softly rounded corners, a moderately sized and evenly proportioned bezel around the screen and a back panel which slopes upwards and inwards slightly from the front.

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Surface Tension: will Microsoft's new tablet really be cheap?

Has Microsoft gone mad? That's what this week's top tech rumour suggests: Microsoft apparently plans to sell the Windows RT version of its Surface tablet for thirty-two pence.

Well, $199, but that's pretty much the same thing: that's the same price as a Nexus 7, which costs considerably less to make and which Google isn't making money from.

Our very own Gary Marshall isn't convinced. "If Surface is as good as it appears to be, it'll sell even at iPad-esque prices; it doesn't need a Poundstretchers price to make it competitive," he writes, before reaching for his tinfoil hat.

"I'm beginning to wonder if the low price thing is actually a smear campaign by Microsoft's aggrieved OEM partners. 'Let's tell everyone the Surface is $199!' they cackle. 'Then when Microsoft says it's $399, everybody will be like OMG Micro$oft sucks!!!!! and we'll win the internets!'" Our money's on a price tag of $399. We'll see you down at Paddy Power.

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Top tablets under £300 - Best cheap tablets 2012

The new iPad still rules the roost as the best tablet in the world, but with prices starting at £399 and rising all the way to £659, it's clearly priced in a bracket way above many people's budget.

Because Apple offers its leading devices at sky-high prices, those wanting a more affordable tablet experience will have to look elsewhere, since iOS is not an option. The main port of call is Android - unless you think the iPad Mini will end up coming in at less than £300.

The Google developed operating system now adorns a multitude of tablets, from those priced at the same lofty heights of Apple's offerings, to those that can be picked up for £100 at your local supermarket – although we'd advise against purchasing most of these, and instead check out the superior options below.
If you can't quite hack the lower offerings, and you've managed to scrape together enough money to indulge in a pricier tablet experience, then take a gander at the following:

1. Google Nexus 7

• Price: from £159
• OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Review score: 4.5/5
• With a quad-core processor, beefy 12-core GPU, 7-inch HD IPS display and being the first device to run Android Jelly Bean, the Google Nexus 7 is quite simply the best budget tablet out there.

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Top Android Tablets In The World

If you're looking for a tablet and don't fancy an iPad, then Android is currently the way to go. (Don't know what an Android tablet is? Check out: what is an Android tablet?)

There are other options out there; Windows 7 tablets are available, the BlackBerry PlayBook is on sale now and the HP TouchPad has come and gone in a flurry of £99 ($150) panic-buying. But Android 4.0 (soon to be Android 4.1) is currently the main OS rival to the iPad, and the products are still making their way onto the shelves.

We've saw the launch of Nvidia's next-generation Tegra 3 chip which has taken 2012's quad-core Android tablets to new heights. The likes of the Asus Transformer Prime are beckoning in the new era, and the iPad is starting to feel the heat.

Some tablets have 10-inch screens, others seven, and there are big differences in battery life, processing power and on-board RAM. So while we wait for the likes of the Amazon Kindle Fire 2, let's see what the current best tablets are...

1. Google Nexus 7

Manufactured by Asus to Google's specifications, the Nexus 7 ushers in a new era of affordable, quality Android tablets.

Packing a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 12 core GPU, 8GB and 16GB internal storage and 7-inch 1280x800 screen, the Nexus 7 certainly has the skills to pay the bills, but at a highly attractive price point.
Laughing in the face of its closest rival, the Amazon Kindle Fire, it looks like Google has got the budget end of the tablet market all wrapped up, that is until the Kindle Fire 2 and iPad Mini come to the fore.

Quick verdict

A quad-core processor, beefy GPU and the first device to run Android Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7 certainly packs a punch. It may not tread a lot of new ground, but the Nexus 7 is a solid performer and easily the best tablet a couple of hundred bucks/pounds can buy.

2. Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Review

Introduction:

Perfection is something that most manufacturers strive to achieve with their products, and as we all know too well, Samsung isn't a stranger when it comes to delivering the goods. Has it really been 6 months since we first feasted our eyes on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 back at Mobile World Congress? Yes, and during the time, the note-taking focused tablet has received its redesign to better have it ready to take on the competition head on.

For a second though, it makes anyone wonder why they would even unveil something that wasn't up to the expectations of being a viable competitor. Whatever is the case, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is here in the flesh – freshly packing some upgraded internals, while presenting itself as the premier paper and pen replacement. Donning a $500 starting price point, it's sure to fit in nicely with the existing crop, but in a world where novel features are perceived to be tertiary things with consumers, it's going to take more for the Galaxy Note 10.1 to establish itself in the same premier class as its rivals.

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