Apple Prepares iPad mini Unveiling, LTE Update for UK, Sources Say

As Apple prepares to unveil a new and miniaturized version of the iPad, reports from the UK say the Cupertino giant is preparing more updates than initially thought. In addition to launching the rumored iPad mini, Apple also plans to launch an LTE-capable iPad for the British.

Via the Guardian comes word that Apple is planning to revise the current generation of iPads by including LTE support for the United Kingdom. Currently, the third-generation iPad only does 3G in the country.

In the same report, the paper adds that Apple’s iPad mini, rumored to come out later this month, will be Wi-Fi-only – to keep manufacturing costs down, as well as to preserve interest in the full-size models for their additional wireless benefits.

Makes sense if you think about it, but a tablet using only Wi-Fi in this day and age doesn’t sound like a very smart move either. There’s the iPod touch for that, and the player now ships with a bigger screen too.

The revised full-size iPad will also boast Apple’s new Lightning connector, according to multiple sources contacted by the newspaper.

Back to the iPad mini, the same people said its launch is “imminent,” adding that “retail sources […] anticipate new products in November.”

According to high-profile media outlets, Apple is readying invitations for its second fall event as early as today.

The consensus is that Apple needs this event to introduce a new category of device that will effectively muffle all competing attempts to take away market share in the tablet industry.

The iPad mini is said to be made mostly with iPad 2 parts, including the A5 processor shared by the second-generation iPad and the latest iPod touch.

Should Apple ship the iPad mini in November, as reported by the aforementioned sources, the company will probably have the strongest pre-holiday lineup in history.