Rumor Roundup: 7-inch iPad, 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and iPod nano Redesign
Rumor Roundup: 7-inch iPad, 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and iPod nano Redesign
It’s been a month since Apple unveiled its latest batch of goodies at WWDC 2012. In the weeks since then, the internet has been abuzz with the typical flotsam of Mac and iOS device-related rumors that tends to wash ashore in the time between product announcements from Cupertino. Here's just some of them that've been making the rounds.
7-inch iPad
Image courtesy of Gottabemobile
There’s no end to the scuttlebutt surrounding the possible release of a 7.85-inch iPad. Dubbed the iPad Mini by most everyone, the Wall Street Journal believes that the device will be launching in October and is set to give Amazon’s Kindle Fire (due for a refresh around the same time) and the Google Nexus 7 a run for its money in the budget tablet market. But will it? Maybe.
According to Japanese Mac news site Macotakara, Foxconn’s Brazilian factories will ramp up production of the diminutive slate in September. This fits in nicely with the rumored October launch, but in my opinion doesn’t provide enough of a head start for Apple to produce the number of iPad mini tablets they’d need to see them through the tail end of the back-to-school season or the rabid adoption of the product that’d take place as the holidays crept closer in December. Despite the fact that the product has yet to be officially announced, there’s no end to the number of companies and sources swearing that they have a handle on what a smaller iPad will look like. For example, Gotta Be Mobile has posted pictures of physical mockup of the still unverified device, and how it compares in size to the third-generation iPad. The mock up also features the details of where the tablet’s speakers will be situated, and a smaller port interface than we’ve seen so far with any iOS device.
Since everyone else is sounding off on what this still imaginary piece of hardware will look like, we felt maybe we should throw in our two cents as well: If Apple builds one, it’s gonna be flat. You heard it here first.
13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display
Hey, you know that new 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display? Well, it might have a smaller sibling. According to MacRumors, a Geekbench 2 benchmark submitted to the service in June details what could be the specifications and test results of a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display. MacRumors is quick to point out that the results of the test could be a forgery, the system specs seem plausible enough for a next-gen MacBook Pro workhorse.
Image courtesy of Mac Rumors
Are the results legit? It’s hard to say. A month before the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display was unveiled at WWDC 2012, a Geekbench 2 listing for it appeared as well. That said, along with the laptop’s listing, there was also one for an as of yet unreleased new iMac. We’ll just have to wait and see.
iPod nano Redesign
image courtesy of Macotakara
Again with the Macotakara! This time around, the vigilant Mac hounds are reporting that they’ve got the dirt on the next-generation iPod nano. According to the site, Apple is will be releasing a form factor that’s more in line with the rest of the company’s rectangular iOS offerings, and will more closely resemble the iPod touch. I’ve got my doubts about this one. Sure, Apple’s messed around with the nano’s format a lot in the past, but it seems to have settled into the form factor it's been rocking for the past few generations. I can’t see them straying too far away from what they’ve got now. It’s a great hybrid of the iPod shuffle and the iPod touch. A design shift in either direction could cannibalize the sales for both models.
What do you guys think--about all of it? Do any of the rumors making the rounds right now hold any water?
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