Could The iPad mini Look More Like A Big iPod touch?

Recently, 9to5Mac posted a source-fueled article in which it claimed that Apple's fabled "iPad mini" would look "like a big iPod touch," featuring thinner bezels than anyone previously imagined. Since most folks think the upcoming, small-size tablet will look like a shrunk down version of the 9.7-inch model, this report came as something of a surprise. However, it was soon followed by a second report claiming the same thing, which cited previous published purported drawings of the iPad mini. In this second report, 9to5Mac pointed to iPad mini drawings originally posted by ThinkiOS (below). These drawings seemed to indicate that the iPad mini would feature a smaller bezel, and would therefore look more like a bigger iPod touch, rather than a smaller 9.7-inch iPad. Take a look for yourself: John Gruber also weighed-in on the matter, using logic and measurements taken from the 9.7-inch iPad and the iPod touch to suggest that the iPad mini will indeed feature a thinner bezel along its sides:

The iPad 3 — the whole device, not just the display — measures 241.2 × 185.7 mm. Divide and that comes out to roughly 1.3, which is very close to the aspect ratio of the iPad display (1.333…). In other words, the aspect ratio of the iPad as a whole is very close to the aspect ratio of the iPad display. You don’t even need to work out the math — just look at it. That’s not true for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The iPhone 4S is 115.2 × 58.6 mm; divide and you get roughly 1.97 — far different proportions than the 1.5 (3:2) aspect ratio of the display. Again, just look at it. Should not the iPad Mini fall somewhere in between? Not as close to the aspect ratio of its display as the iPad-as-we-know-it, but also not as far away from its display aspect ratio as the iPhone. You might need more thumb-rest room on the sides than you do on the iPhone, but not nearly as much as you do on the full-size iPad. If that assumption is right, the proportions of a 7.85-inch 4:3-aspect-ratio display iPad Mini are likely not the same as the proportions of the 9.7-inch 4:3-aspect-ratio display iPad.

Makes sense to me. The iPad mini is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 5 "sixth-generation iPhone" in September or October, this year. If you're still sceptical about the potential availability of a small-size iPad, remember: Apple has 163 reasons to release the fabled "iPad mini." What do you think the iPad mini will look like? Sources: 9to5Mac (1), (2); ThinkiOS; Daring Fireball

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