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Budget iPad mini tipped for October

A couple of days ago we brought you the rumours that Apple were going to release two more iPad models this year with one of them a smaller version, and today a budget iPad mini is tipped for an October release.

It is being suggested that Apple is planning on releasing a 7-inch iPad, and according to iMore the company is targeting a release alongside the iPhone 5 in October, and the device will be priced between $200 and $250. Sources are claiming that the company is looking to have an aggressive pricing level for the device to repeat what it did back in 2004 with the iPod and the MP3 market.

Exact dimensions for the device are not yet known, but the device is said to be identical to the current 9.7-inch version and just scaled down, which seems to mean to include a 2048 x 1536 resolution display like the new iPad. If this is true this will mean the iPad mini would have a pixel density of around 326 ppi, which is the same as the iPhone 4S and higher than the 264 ppi found on the new iPad.

It would be hard to think that Apple would provide a device with a panel that large with a pixel density as high as that for a price tag of only $200 to $250, but it is claimed that Apple will be keeping the costs down by only providing 8GB of storage. This compares to the entry level iPod Touch that has 8GB of storage and starts at $200.

Apple is not replacing the iPod Touch with the smaller iPad with both products being sold in the product range, so the company may reduce the pricing for the iPod Touch. There has been speculation that Apple were set to go with a screen size of 7.85-inch for the smaller iPad, with the device ready to go.

Previously the late Steve Jobs has been dismissive of tablets of this size, but the tablet PC market has changed with the likes of the Amazon Kindle Fire becoming available. The smaller iPad would be able to run the apps that are already available without any modifications, and Apple has offered the iPad 2 at a lower price since launching the new iPad.

Ever since the original iPad was released there have been rumours the company would release a smaller version, but while devices such as the Kindle Fire are available, sales numbers have not been released. There is obviously a certain segment of the market where this lower price level is ideal for various reasons.

Obviously this is only rumours with no solid proof, but iMore has been accurate with a number of Apple product launches in the past that included the iPhone 4S and the new iPad. Do you think a budget iPad mini makes sense?

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