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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Over the past several months, numerous cases and physical mockups for Apple's rumored "iPad mini" have leaked, offering what many have believed will be a good approximation of what the device will actually look like. But according to a brief report from Mac Otakara, those case manufacturers may now need to shift gears as one company has reported that it has halted production on its iPad mini cases due to an unspecified design change.
Large OEM mobile accessory maker has stopped their iPad mini case production, because the form of iPad mini seems to be changed.

Source told me the round shape seems changed, then case designed based on leaked iPad mini may be dropped.
Case designs have historically been quite accurate in predicting the overall design of Apple's products, with the major exception of 2011's tapered "iPhone 5" design that never came to pass as Apple ultimately released the iPhone 4S with essentially the same design as the iPhone 4.

ipad_mini_black_shell_inside.jpg
It is unclear, however, exactly what may have changed with the iPad mini's design. Alleged part photos showing the rear shell and front panel have surfaced looking very much like the design generated by case manufacturers, but it is unknown whether those parts are actual production parts or perhaps older ones from prior to the design change. Even so, the design change may simply be a small tweak that may not be immediately obvious in low-resolution parts photos but significant enough to cause problems for case manufacturers trying to get a head start on the iPad mini launch.

Article Link: 'iPad Mini' Design Change Halts Production by Case Manufacturers?
 

Junipr

macrumors regular
May 4, 2011
157
588
If the big iPad is $499, and the iPod Touch is $299..

Will the iPad mini be $399?!?!?!??!?!!!??!?!?!

:math:
 

Mums

Suspended
Oct 4, 2011
667
559
iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone
iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
MacBook MacBook MacBook

Are desktops really dead??
 

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,959
1,420
Washington DC
If the big iPad is $499, and the iPod Touch is $299..

Will the iPad mini be $399?!?!?!??!?!!!??!?!?!

:math:

No, $299 for either the iPod or the iPad Mini.

iPod gives you retina and more drive space.
iPad Mini gives you more room to work but less resolution and less storage space.

Your choice, same price.
 

Virtualball

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2006
401
11
If the big iPad is $499, and the iPod Touch is $299..

Will the iPad mini be $399?!?!?!??!?!!!??!?!?!

:math:

This is the dumbest logic. One is a personal media player and one is a tablet. I'm not going to strap my Nexus 7 onto my arm and go for a jog, will I? It's like you're saying, "Why buy a $299 bike when I can buy an iPod for that price!" Different devices have different use and functions.
 

Nosrettap

macrumors member
Dec 22, 2010
63
0
iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone
iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
MacBook MacBook MacBook

Are desktops really dead??

Yup.
 

Zunjine

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2009
715
0
iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone
iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
MacBook MacBook MacBook

Are desktops really dead??

I think the frequency of stories probably nicely reflects the relative popularity of these devices.

iPhones outsell iPads. iPads outsell iPods. iPods outsell Macbook. Macbooks outsell iMacs. Nobody buys Macbook Pros... OK - not nobody, but compared to iPhones and iPads they're a niche product.

It's been years since notebooks started to outsell desktops. I believe smartphones now sell more than all PCs. Tablets and smartphones are the only growth areas of computing these days... that goes a long way to explaining the fact that no one is really talking or writing about desktops anymore.

And, on a more practical note, we're likely to be getting to the point where a powerful laptop attached to an external monitory is good for 99.9% of tasks that anyone used to use desktops for. Already laptops, basic ones, are more than powerful enough for most people. The only ones left who need desktop computers are the 0.01% who do heavy work with movies, sound and graphics, maybe CAD. I mean, other then them... who needs a desktop now?
 

MrX8503

macrumors 68020
Sep 19, 2010
2,289
1,609
People need to seriously stop crying about PC updates. PCs are on a slower update cycle compared to mobile, accept it.

That's not even taking into account that Apple's biggest profits come from mobile.
 

iZac

macrumors 68020
Apr 28, 2003
2,379
1,986
Shanghai
Good -people just need to take care of their things and at most put it in a little sleeve when it gets stuffed in a bag.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are plenty of reasons for people wanting a case - using it while travelling a lot, kids that mis-treat it etc, but it's not the absolute necessity that many assume.

Plus they all look awful. I bet Scott Forstall uses an Otter Box clipped onto his belt and we all know what his taste is like!
 

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,778
41,979
USA
Can't they just save what they made and use them for the Samsung tablets that will come out after the iPad mini?

(see - I can have a sense of humor about Apple v Samsung)
 

iSee

macrumors 68040
Oct 25, 2004
3,537
261
It is unclear, however, exactly what may have changed with the iPad mini's design.

Um, nothing has changed about the iPad mini's design. There is no iPad Mini in the first place, so there's no design to change.

Perhaps you meant to say that case manufacturers' best guess of the design of an unreleased and unconfirmed product we call the iPad Mini, all based on sketchy parts leaks, has changed.

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iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone
iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad iPad
MacBook MacBook MacBook

Are desktops really dead??

:confused: No, of course not. I use desktops all the time.

That's where I put my iPhone dock and sometimes I plug my MBA into an external monitor, keyboard & mouse and put all of them on a desktop. Shoot, my iPad is resting on my desktop right now.

Nope, desktops are here to stay.
 
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