Possible Photos of Second-Generation iPad Mini Rear Shell Surface

MacRumors · Feb 21, 2013, 11:13 AM

Mobiles Pie points to a forum thread [Google translation] at Chinese site WeiPhone sharing a number of photos of what may be the rear shell of the second-generation iPad mini.

The photos show a shell very similar to that of the current iPad mini, although from some angles it does appear to be slightly thicker. It is difficult to tell, however, whether the apparent increased thickness is a genuine design change needed to add a Retina display and accompanying battery improvements to the device or if it is simply a bit of an optical illusion due to the fact that the edges of the shell have not yet been chamfered as they are in the final product.

The photos also show a bright blue Apple logo and "iPad" text on the rear shell, but it is possible that this is simply part of the process used to create the mirrored logo and text as seen on the current product. Alternatively, it may be an effort to add additional color to the iPad mini as Apple did with the iPod touch last September and has been rumored to be using for an upcoming lower-cost iPhone.

Perhaps notably, the forum user who posted the images had posted back in December [Google translation] sharing images of what he said was the initial machining process for the iPad mini rear shell. Their legitimacy is, however, unconfirmed.

Update 12:24 PM: Nowhereelse.fr has taken a close look [Google translation] at the two photo sets from December and this week, noting in both sets the presence of boxes labeled "Catcher", which is indeed one of Apple's primary casing suppliers. The site believes, however, that the latest batch of photos is of the current iPad mini rather than a second-generation model.

Article Link: Possible Photos of Second-Generation iPad Mini Rear Shell Surface

AustinIllini · Feb 21, 2013, 11:14 AM

Could be?

JaySoul · Feb 21, 2013, 11:15 AM

Clearly the iPhone Math.

gotluck · Feb 21, 2013, 11:15 AM

Thicker is fine if it has retina

nepalisherpa · Feb 21, 2013, 11:16 AM

Those pictures are too clear. If they are not blurry then they are not legit!

bacaramac · Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM

My guess is original shell from the 1st gen. They decided to do the same edge as iPhone 5 and moved away from full rounded edge.

JackieTreehorn · Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM

How am I going to wrap that around my wrist?

chrismarle · Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM

A new iPad mini?! But I just bought mine last November and it won't work anymore when the iPad mini 2 will be available! Let's sue Apple for updating products!

Intarweb · Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM

That's definitely going to make the first iPad mini obsolete.

syd430 · Feb 21, 2013, 11:20 AM

Slightly thicker and heavier? Brace yourselves, the angry mob is comming

TouchMint.com · Feb 21, 2013, 11:21 AM

Instead of diff color shells just diff color logos?

carl0sian · Feb 21, 2013, 11:23 AM

Retina dislay and faster processor may be the breaking point to me getting an iPad mini.

AQUADock · Feb 21, 2013, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaySoul

Clearly the iPhone Math.

It says ipad on it therefore it must be the iPhone math.

Tankmaze · Feb 21, 2013, 11:25 AM

if its thicker could be one of those replicas ?

JarScott · Feb 21, 2013, 11:25 AM

Hopefully these are the first signs of a Retina iPad mini. That would turn a good product into a great product.

Gemütlichkeit · Feb 21, 2013, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syd430

Slightly thicker and heavier? Brace yourselves, the angry mob is comming

They're always here lol

madsci954 · Feb 21, 2013, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TouchMint.com

Instead of diff color shells just diff color logos?

Genius!!!

slffl · Feb 21, 2013, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotluck

Thicker is fine if it has retina

No it's not!!! Then it's not the iPad MINI anymore! The great thing about the mini was it's size and weight. When you add a retina display you need more CPU = bigger battery = more size and weight.

If the iPad Mini retina is heavier than the current mini, I'll be picking up the current model.

----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by carl0sian

Retina dislay and faster processor may be the breaking point to me getting an iPad mini.

Which will make it larger and heavier. So why not get a full sized ipad?

tonyshaker · Feb 21, 2013, 11:28 AM

HERE WE GO AGAIN.(WITH THESE RUMOURS)

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.(AS APPLE ALWAYS SAYS)

david shapiro · Feb 21, 2013, 11:28 AM

Oh my! Quick guys! Sell your iPad mini! This is clear proof we have an exceptionally amazing new one coming in two or three weeks!

RawBert · Feb 21, 2013, 11:30 AM

Scratched.

mikeorchard · Feb 21, 2013, 11:31 AM

I'm guessing they're first generation pre-production if anything, not second.

The Bulge · Feb 21, 2013, 11:31 AM

Blet.

LostMyiPhone · Feb 21, 2013, 11:31 AM

No thanks.

I like my iPads big. Any smaller and I might as well use my phone.

Although I don't personally like it, I do see the appeal for some and certainly from a business perspective.

syd430 · Feb 21, 2013, 11:34 AM

Looks like Brazil has to add one more product to that lawsuit

Feb 21, 2013, 11:13 AM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Possible Photos of Second-Generation iPad Mini Rear Shell Surface Mobiles Pie points to a forum thread [Google translation] at Chinese site WeiPhone sharing a number of photos of what may be the rear shell of the second-generation iPad mini. The photos show a shell very similar to that of the current iPad mini, although from some angles it does appear to be slightly thicker. It is difficult to tell, however, whether the apparent increased thickness is a genuine design change needed to add a Retina display and accompanying battery improvements to the device or if it is simply a bit of an optical illusion due to the fact that the edges of the shell have not yet been chamfered as they are in the final product. The photos also show a bright blue Apple logo and "iPad" text on the rear shell, but it is possible that this is simply part of the process used to create the mirrored logo and text as seen on the current product. Alternatively, it may be an effort to add additional color to the iPad mini as Apple did with the iPod touch last September and has been rumored to be using for an upcoming lower-cost iPhone. Perhaps notably, the forum user who posted the images had posted back in December [Google translation] sharing images of what he said was the initial machining process for the iPad mini rear shell. Their legitimacy is, however, unconfirmed. Update 12:24 PM: Nowhereelse.fr has taken a close look [Google translation] at the two photo sets from December and this week, noting in both sets the presence of boxes labeled "Catcher", which is indeed one of Apple's primary casing suppliers. The site believes, however, that the latest batch of photos is of the current iPad mini rather than a second-generation model. Article Link: Possible Photos of Second-Generation iPad Mini Rear Shell Surface
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 11:14 AM	#2
AustinIllini macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Austin, TX	Could be? __________________ Victory ILLINOIS Varsity
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 11:15 AM	#4
gotluck macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: East Central Florida	Thicker is fine if it has retina __________________ Windows 7 PC & 8740w - iPhone 4 (6.1 Jailbroken - StraightTalk w/ AT&T SIM) - HP Touchpad (CM10 Jelly Bean) - iPod Classic
	7

Feb 21, 2013, 11:16 AM	#5
nepalisherpa macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: USA	Those pictures are too clear. If they are not blurry then they are not legit! __________________ Mid-2010 13" MBP/128GB Crucial M4 SSD/250GB Stock HDD/8GB RAM/Dual Boot: OS X 10.8.2 & Windows 7 Professional iPhone 5 32GB Black iPad 2 32GB WiFi Black
	24

Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM	#6
bacaramac macrumors 65816 Join Date: Dec 2007	My guess is original shell from the 1st gen. They decided to do the same edge as iPhone 5 and moved away from full rounded edge. __________________ iMac 27" 3.06Ghz 2TB Time Capsule AppleTV3 x 2 16GB iPhone 5 White/Silver AT&T iPod Touch 4th Gen White and 5th Gen Yellow iPad mini White/Silver 16GB WiFi
	2

Feb 21, 2013, 11:15 AM	#3
JaySoul macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2008	Clearly the iPhone Math.
	24

Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM	#7
JackieTreehorn macrumors regular Join Date: May 2005 Location: Amsterdam	How am I going to wrap that around my wrist? __________________ How's the smut business, Jackie? 27" iMac i7 \| 13" MBA 3rd Gen 128 SSD \| iPad 3 64Gb \| iPhone 4 32Gb \| iPhone 4s 32Gb \| AppleTV 2nd Gen \| AppleTV 3rd Gen \| iPod Classic 120Gb \| iPod Nano 8Gb
	6

Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM	#8
chrismarle macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Canada	A new iPad mini?! But I just bought mine last November and it won't work anymore when the iPad mini 2 will be available! Let's sue Apple for updating products!
	10

Feb 21, 2013, 11:19 AM	#9
Intarweb macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2007	That's definitely going to make the first iPad mini obsolete.
	1

Feb 21, 2013, 11:20 AM	#10
syd430 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Australia	Slightly thicker and heavier? Brace yourselves, the angry mob is comming
	5

Feb 21, 2013, 11:21 AM	#11
TouchMint.com macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Phoenix	Instead of diff color shells just diff color logos? __________________ www.TouchMint.com iPhone App Developer Apps of the month: Baseball Stats Tracker Touch (Over 10,000 Copies Sold!) Quiz and Flashcard Maker
	1

Feb 21, 2013, 11:23 AM	#12
carl0sian macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2011	Retina dislay and faster processor may be the breaking point to me getting an iPad mini.
	2

Feb 21, 2013, 11:25 AM	#14
Tankmaze macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2012	if its thicker could be one of those replicas ? __________________ Check out our game Tank Maze
	1

Feb 21, 2013, 11:25 AM	#15
JarScott macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2011 Location: England, UK	Hopefully these are the first signs of a Retina iPad mini. That would turn a good product into a great product. __________________ iPhone 4 16GB Black, iPad mini 16GB White There's no point a device being good at what it does if what it does is not very good.
	2

Feb 21, 2013, 11:28 AM	#19
tonyshaker macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2012	Aahhh HERE WE GO AGAIN.(WITH THESE RUMOURS) THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.(AS APPLE ALWAYS SAYS)
	4

Feb 21, 2013, 11:28 AM	#20
david shapiro macrumors regular Join Date: Dec 2012	Oh my! Quick guys! Sell your iPad mini! This is clear proof we have an exceptionally amazing new one coming in two or three weeks!
	1

Feb 21, 2013, 11:30 AM	#21
RawBert macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: North Hollywood, CA	Scratched. __________________ THE ART OF RAW Steve Lives On
	3

Feb 21, 2013, 11:31 AM	#22
mikeorchard macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2013	I'm guessing they're first generation pre-production if anything, not second.
	0

Feb 21, 2013, 11:31 AM	#23
The Bulge Banned Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Up your ass.	Blet.
	1

Feb 21, 2013, 11:31 AM	#24
LostMyiPhone macrumors member Join Date: Dec 2012	No thanks. I like my iPads big. Any smaller and I might as well use my phone. Although I don't personally like it, I do see the appeal for some and certainly from a business perspective.
	1

Feb 21, 2013, 11:34 AM	#25
syd430 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Australia	Looks like Brazil has to add one more product to that lawsuit
	3

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