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(UPDATE: Confirmed) Stereo Speakers on iPad Mini?

S

SR71

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Original poster
Jan 12, 2011
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Boston, MA
So, from the looks of it, it appears that the iPad Mini has stereo speakers, while the iPad 4 does not. I wonder why they added it to the iPad Mini, but not the iPad 4... I mean, it can easily fit it, and it'd probably make the sound much better. Personally, I think this is going to be great for when I watch movies or videos, or listen to music on my iPad Mini.

Anyone else glad to see this?
 
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Technically the iPad 4, as well as all other iPads, have stereo speakers. They have a left and right channel speaker on the inside, but only one external sound baffle.
 
It's got a mono speaker, and a microphone, just like every iphone since the iphone 4.

It'd be cool for stereo, but thats not what it is.
 
SR71 said:
So, from the looks of it, it appears that the iPad Mini has stereo speakers, while the iPad 4 does not. I wonder why they added it to the iPad Mini, but not the iPad 4... I mean, it can easily fit it, and it'd probably make the sound much better. Personally, I think this is going to be great for when I watch movies or videos, or listen to music on my iPad Mini.

Anyone else glad to see this?
Click to expand...

I don't think it has stereo speakers.
 
NT1440 said:
It's got a mono speaker, and a microphone, just like every iphone since the iphone 4.

It'd be cool for stereo, but thats not what it is.
Click to expand...

Don't know what the iPhone has to do with this, but there seems to be two speaker grille cutouts on the back of the iPad Mini. What leads me to believe that these are both speakers, and not a speaker and a microphone, is the fact that the iPad Mini has microphone cutout on the top of the device.

So, let me rephrase my original question: Does the iPad Mini have two speakers instead of one single speaker like the iPad 4?

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Buckeyestar said:
I don't think it has stereo speakers.
Click to expand...

What makes you think it doesn't have stereo speakers?
 
SR71 said:
Don't know what the iPhone has to do with this, but there seems to be two speaker grille cutouts on the back of the iPad Mini. What leads me to believe that these are both speakers, and not a speaker and a microphone, is the fact that the iPad Mini has microphone cutout on the top of the device.

So, let me rephrase my original question: Does the iPad Mini have two speakers instead of one single speaker like the iPad 4?

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What makes you think it doesn't have stereo speakers?
Click to expand...

Apple only points to one grill on their site as a speaker.

http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/specs/
 
SR71 said:
I noticed that as well. I really do wonder what that second grille is for, then, if the iPad Mini does only have one speaker. Any guesses?
Click to expand...

It's possible both grills are speakers just for the sake of keeping the website looking clean they only pointed to one. The left one looks like a speaker to me, or it may just be there for the sake of keeping the iPad looking symmetrical and clean instead of having on grill on one side..
 
macingman said:
It's possible both grills are speakers just for the sake of keeping the website looking clean they only pointed to one. The left one looks like a speaker to me, or it may just be there for the sake of keeping the iPad looking symmetrical and clean instead of having on grill on one side..
Click to expand...

It most likely is another speaker, but it's definitely not a stretch to think that Apple might've done this to make it look more symmetrical, I mean they do take design very seriously, however this does beg the question: why doesn't the iPad 4 have the same two grilles if Apple did indeed put the second grille there just for the sake of making it symmetrical like they did with the iPad Mini?
 
I've been wondering about this as well because of the two speaker grills. Even if they aren't stereo speakers, perhaps the sound is better than a regular iPhone or iPad. Guess we will find out.
 
I'd assume that if the second grill was a speaker, it would have been a bullet point during the keynote. It seems that it would be a big deal.
 
AFDoc said:
OMG some of you are dim. It's not a second speaker it's a mic ffs. Look at your iPhone, see it has 2 "grills" on the bottom. Speaker and mic.
Click to expand...

Post #3 already said that and I'd assume most of us know how the iPhone works. What's strange is that this is the first iPad with 2 grills.
 
You think you'd get the stereo effect from speakers that close together? You wouldn't. And what about landscape use?

Also, two tiny, tinny speakers would not sound better than one tiny, tinny speaker.
 
AFDoc said:
OMG some of you are dim. It's not a second speaker it's a mic ffs. Look at your iPhone, see it has 2 "grills" on the bottom. Speaker and mic.
Click to expand...

If you had read the thread you would've seen that someone already suggested that, and it was proven incorrect by me. Here's my response: Don't know what the iPhone has to do with this, but there seems to be two speaker grille cutouts on the back of the iPad Mini. What leads me to believe that these are both speakers, and not a speaker and a microphone, is the fact that the iPad Mini has microphone cutout on the top of the device.

So, let me rephrase my original question: Does the iPad Mini have two speakers instead of one single speaker like the iPad 4?
 
Stereo speaker jack as shown

Speaker pointer as shown does not say stereo

The diagram does not say stereo for the speaker at the bottom. If it were Stereo, it would have been announced, pointed to and raved about by Apple.


http://www.techlicious.com/blog/apple-ipad-mini-is-less-more/

"The specifications may tell a different tale. Both the Nook HD ($199 on barnesandnoble.com) and Kindle Fire HD ($199 on amazon.com) have better resolution displays than the iPad mini: 1440 x 900 pixels and 1280 x 800 pixels respectively. Furthermore, while the Nook HD offers half the storage capacity of the least capacious iPad mini and of the Kindle Fire HD (16 GB), it is expandable via a built-in microSD card slot, while the iPad mini (like all iPads) and the Kindle Fire HD are not. The Kindle Fire HD also features stereo speakers, whereas the iPad mini (like all iPads) has a single speaker."

However, since the Mini has a microphone already as shown in top photo, the second picture shows two sets of holes and that leads us to wonder if its two speakers, just not stereo. However, again why did Apple not show two arrows pointing to both sides, not just one pointer to the right side speaker ?
 

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I assume an iFixIt tear-down will resolve this debate. Though, I'd imagine Apple would be boasting about this feature somewhere on the page if it were the case.
 
3rd Rock said:
Stereo speaker jack as shown

Speaker pointer as shown does not say stereo

The diagram does not say stereo for the speaker at the bottom. If it were Stereo, it would have been announced, pointed to and raved about by Apple.


http://www.techlicious.com/blog/apple-ipad-mini-is-less-more/

"The specifications may tell a different tale. Both the Nook HD ($199 on barnesandnoble.com) and Kindle Fire HD ($199 on amazon.com) have better resolution displays than the iPad mini: 1440 x 900 pixels and 1280 x 800 pixels respectively. Furthermore, while the Nook HD offers half the storage capacity of the least capacious iPad mini and of the Kindle Fire HD (16 GB), it is expandable via a built-in microSD card slot, while the iPad mini (like all iPads) and the Kindle Fire HD are not. The Kindle Fire HD also features stereo speakers, whereas the iPad mini (like all iPads) has a single speaker."

However, since the Mini has a microphone already as shown in top photo, the second picture shows two sets of holes and that leads us to wonder if its two speakers, just not stereo. However, again why did Apple not show two arrows pointing to both sides, not just one pointer to the right side speaker ?
Click to expand...

That pretty much sums up the confusion over it having one or two speakers.
 
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