iPad mini Shell Leaked, Design Seems Confirmed

An OEM in Shenzhen, China, is flashing some mighty conclusive photos of the iPad mini chassis, revealing that Apple will adopt the same mini dock connector as in the iPhone 5, and even similarly-designed speaker grills.

Stemming from tech.163.com, the images show the iPad’s rear shell in great detail, including the mini dock connector (which we’ll get a chance to see confirmed next week), and the rounded speaker holes that will make their first appearance on an iDevice next week, if all the rumors are to be confirmed.

The iPad mini has a visibly less-tapered design compared to its predecessors, including even the first-generation iPad.

Apple fans might feel disappointment looking at this rather bulky shell which clearly isn’t in line with the latest two designs in the company’s tablet line.

However, bear in mind that Apple’s products almost always look stunningly beautiful when finalized. The end-product might not look as fat as these images would have us believe.

There’s probably a great deal of concern regarding battery life as well. Apple has set a 10-hour standard for the lifespan of its tablets between charges. Setting the bar lower for a newer tablet would probably not be the best marketing move. In other words, expect a big battery to fill up all that space.

And let’s not forget Apple hasn’t experimented with new designs in a while now. The iPhone line is a good example of that. So is the third-generation iPad, which looks exactly the same as the iPad 2.

Apple’s redesigned iPad mini may be it a tad thick for these razor-thin times, but an all-new design would be like a breath of fresh air for the Apple fanbase.

After the scheduled debut of the iPhone 5 (September 12), Apple is expected to host a second product launch this year, specifically to release this miniaturized tablet. The timeframe is October, pundits say.