Photos show purported iPad Mini parts -- black and white
New shots of parts for a smaller iPad have popped up on the Web, suggesting the device is already being manufactured.
With a debut of a miniaturized version of the iPad possibly just two weeks away, the rumors are coming hot and heavy. The latest: purported shots of parts, from displays, to rear casings and screen covers.
Apple news site UkrainianiPhone (via Gizmodo) today posts photos of these parts, which the outlet claims were snapped in a Chinese factory.
Among the changes suggested by the four shots are that the unit sports a Nano-SIM tray for cellular connectivity, a Lightning connector (instead of a 30-pin adapter), a microphone jack in the same corner as current iPads, and a plastic element along the top to let wireless signals pass through a black anodized aluminum back. The display itself also appears to have a narrower bezel on the sides, matching up with mock-ups that have appeared over the last month or so.
The photos come just a day after a report that production of the product is under way in Brazil. If that's true, as well as these leaked photos coming from China, it would also lend credibility to an earlier report of Apple tapping both Foxconn and Pegatron -- two separate manufacturers -- to split up production of the device ahead of its launch.
Apple has rumored to be working on a smaller version of the iPad for months, with rumors of such a device dating back to before the first model was announced. A report yesterday suggested Apple plans to send out press invites to event where the device will be formally unveiled as soon as next week.