I’ve been quietly watching from the sidelines to see what, if anything Apple is going to do with the iPad Mini.
So far, there have been (the standard) sightings of the Mini, leaked to the internet.
And oodles and oodles of speculation about what features will be baked into it.
To be honest, I can’t say that I’ve followed any of this chatter closely.
I’ve done that dance before.
Wait with bated breath, only to be let down when the <insert name of much anticipated Apple device here> actually arrives.
At this point, it’s just that I know how Apple does.
Why should the iPad Mini be any different?
We all know what the iPad mini should be.
But it’s unlikely that it will be what we expect.
I firmly believe that the iPad Mini should be a small version of the iPad.
It should be fully functional with all its current features intact.
That means, the iPad Mini should have: a forward and read-facing camera, wifi, 3G, essentially everything the current iPad 3 has.
But will Apple give us the device we expect?
Probably not.
It will most likely be like the original iPad.
You remember how disappointed you were when you opened up your iPad and realized that there was no camera.
But wait!
Here comes the iPad 2, with what?
Wait for it…
…A camera!
Bastards!
Why did do they do that to us?
Wasn’t the iPad really just a big iPhone?
Didn’t the iPhone already have 2 cameras!?
So why strip the iPad of what everyone assumed would have been a natural feature to include in the iPad?
Money, obviously.
But they’re not going to do that to the iPad Mini?
Are they?
Isn’t the whole point of the iPad Mini offering to compete with the other smaller form tablet devices in the market today?
Shouldn’t the strategy be to bake all the bells and whistles that devices like the Kindle Fire and Galaxy Note have?
Wouldn’t it be counter-intuitive to withhold features that consumers are already used to on the current iPad?
I got my son the Kindle Fire, and it really is a great device.
Now there’s the blown out HD version, which is a real step up in a number of respects for Kindle.
Higher resolution screen.
Faster processor.
More storage.
Additional ports.
4G LTE.
They blew it out!
Apple would be wise to follow suit and go H.A.M. with the iPad Mini.
H.A.M.=hard as a motherfucker for my Kanye West challenged readers.
Unfortunately, experience tells us that Apple doesn’t always do what’s best for the consumer.
So while I’m interested to see the new iPad Mini, I’ve set my expectations very low.
Do I want it?
Sure.
I’d rather have an iOS device that synchs with the rest of my Mac world, than some other device that doesn’t.
Will I be disappointed.
Sure.
History tells us that Apple is notorious for putting out products that often fall far short of user expectation.
Apple should just release the iPad Mini and put us all out of our collective misery already.
But with a constantly moving announcement date, its unlikely that we’ll see an iPad Mini in the wild anytime soon.
Stephen Chukumba 