iPad mini will have a 7.85-inch screen - The rumours of an iPad mini tablet by Apple just won't go away, even more so now we have a couple of 7-inch tablets on the market powered by Android that are doing rather well thank you very much.

So what would an iPad mini look like; would it be enough to fend of competition from Asus and Google and the Nexus 7, or Amazon and its Kindle Fire? Here's what we know, and what we would like a 7-inch iPad to feature.

What to expect

iPad mini will have a 7.85-inch screen

All the rumours so far suggest that an iPad mini would come with a 7.85-inch screen, made by Sharp (although it will be marketed as being a 7-inch tablet). The 7-inch size will make it twice the size of the current iPhone 4S 3.5-inch screen, but considerably smaller than the iPad's 9.7-inch screen.

iPad mini's resolution will be 1024 x 768

The rumourmill suggests that the screen resolution will be half the size of the current Retina Display touting iPad. Screen size is important because it is half the resolution of the new iPad (3rd generation). That means apps can be successfully shrunk and still retain their look without developers having to develop for yet another device.

Apple will pitch it differently

Apple's former CEO expressed some distain over the idea of a 7-inch iPad mini and that shouldn't be forgotten.

In 2010, Steve Jobs said: "One naturally thinks that a 7-inch screen would offer 70 per cent of the benefits of a 10-inch screen...this is far from the truth. Seven-inch screens are 45 per cent as large as an iPad. This size isn't sufficient for making great tablet apps.

Ouch. However, a lot has happened in the last two years. Apple has a new CEO and, although the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook has failed to capture the imagination of consumers, or anyone for that matter, the launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire, and more recently the launch of the Nexus 7 from Asus and Google, has. A smaller more portable device can be successful.

iPad mini release date and price

The current rumour and speculation is that the iPad mini would be launched in the US and the UK in time for Christmas 2012 and be priced beneath the current iPad to appeal to both iPhone and iPad users alike.

Also expected is that Apple won't try and compete with the £159 price tag of the Nexus 7. There is no need for it to do so.

Apple won't want to cannibalise its hugely successful iPad sales by suggesting customers go for something cheaper. Nor will it want to damage sales of the iPod touch. Expect the iPad mini to be priced in the same way as the company's MacBook Pro range.

The iPad mini will feature a new dock connector

If the iPad mini is to be released in September in what has previously been the launch bed of the iPod range, you can expect it to be rocking a new dock connector if those rumours are true. Introducing a new dock connector on the iPad mini could be a softer way of introducing the new connector to the Apple accessory eco-system without upsetting the Apple cart straight away with the iPhone 5 or the next iPad.

It won't be called the iPad mini

That's what all the rumours are calling it, but it's unlikely to be called that when it comes to launch, just like the iPod touch isn't called the iPod without phone. Expect it to be something a lot cooler and more Apple. Maybe the iPad nano, or the iPad Play, or maybe the iPad Go.

What we want

All day battery life

It goes without saying that we want the iPad mini to have a good battery life, but if the device is pitched as being a great travel companion then having an all day battery goes without saying.

Retina display

While the rumours suggest a 1024 x 768 resolution we don't think that's good enough. That screen resolution doesn't get Apple anywhere near the same screen quality as the company's iPhone or iPad. Using an online Pixels Per Inch calculator that resolution delivers only 186ppi, compared to the Apple iPad 3, which delivers 264ppi.

A resolution of 1536 x 1152, however, would be just as scalable as 1024 x 768 but also give Apple a 276ppi, something that is a lot closer to the iPad's retina display.

Same features as the new iPad

Before we start creating a wish-list that involves all manner of things including the device doubling up as a teasmaid, we certainly want to make sure that the iPad mini has all the features the current iPad has. Anything less than that would be a step backwards in our mind. So that means we want 3G, Bluetooth 4, fast Wi-Fi, cameras and other goodies. read another article about motor matic injeksi irit harga murah