AppleInsider Staff
In a post to his blog (via MacRumors), Marco Arment he noticed the two "curious entries" in Instapaper's device stats on Friday, positing the device identifiers could offer clues to the supposed tablets' internal hardware.
As a side note, Arment said, "There were also a few iPhone5,1 devices, but that’s not a surprise — that’s almost certainly next month’s new GSM iPhone," but didn't give specifics.
While the developer concedes the unknown "iPad2,5" and "iPad2,6" identifiers can conceivably be spoofed, he has "never had a device show up [on the logs] that didn’t end up being a real, about-to-be-released Apple device."
Arment goes on to explain that when Apple first launched the iPad 2 in 2011, the Wi-Fi, GSM and CDMA versions were tagged with the internal designations iPad2,1, iPad2,2 and iPad2,3, respectively. Alongside the release of the New iPad in March, Apple unveiled a quietly updated iPad 2 Wi-Fi model with a new A5 processor manufactured on the 32nm process, identifying it as "iPad2,4."
It is possible that the new "iPad2,5" and "iPad2,6" devices discovered by Arment could simply be GSM and CDMA versions of the iPad 2 carrying the 32nm A5 chip, but the developer believes such a move would be unusual so late in the product's lifecycle.
Mockup of alleged "iPad mini." | Source: iMore
If the unknown devices turn out to be a smaller iPad, Arment said, the Apple-assigned identifiers suggest "the iPad Mini is, effectively, an iPad 2" with an A5 processor and 512MB of RAM.
"This is all speculation, of course," Arment writes, "but I’m convinced: like the leaked Dock connector, this move is so ingenius that it’s most likely to be what Apple has really done.
Apple is rumored to debut the so-called "iPad mini" at a special event in October. Many expect the tablet to sport a 7.85-inch screen and boast a design resembling an iPod touch.
-m.jpg)
Charles Martin
William Gallagher
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
8 Comments
What about the blatantly spoofed identifiers that Apple put into a beta as a joke just a little while back?
So… it's probably just an iPad 2, then. And if Apple's keeping it around next year after the 4th model is released, I bet they'd make it even cheaper to build. Since the 32nm model got its own identifier, those would probably get one as well.
[quote name="Tallest Skil" url="/t/152237/unknown-ipads-show-up-in-ios-app-developers-access-logs-hint-at-ipad-mini#post_2179668"]So… it's probably just an iPad 2, then. And if Apple's keeping it around next year after the 4th model is released, I bet they'd make it even cheaper to build. Since the 32nm model got its own identifier, those would probably get one as well. [/quote] The iPad 2,4 got its own identifier because it's 32nm not 45nm. That's does require a different build and testing of the OS even if just the ASIC is altered. I would imagine this rumoured iPad mini would be pretty much 2011 iPad performance but with 32nm to cut down on power consumption and the 2007 iPhone display PPI but with IPS instead of TN.
[quote name="AppleInsider" url="/t/152237/unknown-ipads-show-up-in-ios-app-developers-access-logs-hint-at-ipad-mini#post_2179665"]boast a design resembling an iPod touch.[/quote] I don't see why they'd do this. People have to hold it in portrait. It only makes sense to shrink the side bezels when you can hold the device with one hand wrapped round the back.
I would call bulldust on those codes being the ipad mini.
it will just be GSM and CDMA versions of the ipad 2 with a shrunk CPU. Although, the complete absence of any codes that might be the ipad mini may suggest it is a long time away, or non existent.
If it was the legendary ipad mini, it would be ipad 4.x and 4.y, or maybe called something else altogether, like OSJDB 1.x. as it is an entirely new form factor, not just an internal change.
I would call bulldust on those codes being the ipad mini.
it will just be GSM and CDMA versions of the ipad 2 with a shrunk CPU. Although, the complete absence of any codes that might be the ipad mini may suggest it is a long time away, or non existent.
If it was the legendary ipad mini, it would be ipad 4.x and 4.y, or maybe called something else altogether, like OSJDB 1.x. as it is an entirely new form factor, not just an internal change.
The smoke signals from the most reliable Apple bloggers are pretty clear: The Mini is coming in October.