Is the iPad Mini being given a 3G Support

The buzz around the iPad hasn’t died down yet and now we’re hearing all the latest in the iPad Mini. Considering how big the market is for budget tablets, what with the Amazon Kindle Fire showing quite an impressive array of features and the Nexus 7 from Google soon to hit the market, Apple had to get in on the act. But to be fair to the company, talk of a mini tablet has been going on for quite a while. 

Image Source: Gizmodo.com

Though the late Steve Jobs had not seemed very gung ho about the idea, insisting that the size of the screen would be counter-productive when it came to applications and their efficiency, the company seems to have gone ahead with its plans for the iPad Mini. Slated for a launch in mid-October and a release in November, the diminutive version of the uber-cool iPad has had the rumor mills buzzing for months.

There are opinions on everything- from its looks to the technology that will run it. What we think it might be is a slimmer version of the iPad, maybe with a close to 8 inch screen. It makes sense for Apple to keep the same impressive technology that carries the iPad, on the iPad Mini. We can expect 512 MB RAM, 8 GB internal storage and the A5 processor. There’s talk that the headphone jack is at the top and the dock connector is smaller in size. 

The internet is full of pictures of a supposed iPad Mini. It shows a 7.85” device and what’s got everybody excited is not the two dock connectors but the 3G support the device seems to sport. In the form of a NanoSim tray, this is the evidence people have been looking for to show that the iPad Mini, will indeed have 3G. 

And yes, the logical question is why is 3G is so essential. No matter what you want to do with your device- internet usage, video calls, TV viewing and a host of other things, a good 3G speed is vital. You get GPS, location-based services and you stay connected at all times. This technology that uses wireless communication can be used for video streaming, simple phone calls, sending multimedia texts, images and videos and for graphic-rich gaming. 

In the light of all this, the inclusion of 3G in the iPad Mini is good news indeed. In fact, it is believed that the Mini will be as popular as the iPad for its gaming coolness and for educational purposes. The iPad comes with a host of really great educational apps, most of which are very popular. We’ve moved from e-learning to m-learning, or mobile learning and the iPad Mini will continue with that trend. 

Also think about the iPad Mini in the workplace scenario. Seeing how business is global, not local, video conferencing is a concept that is here to stay. Having 3G lets you do just that no matter where you are. The iPad Mini will let you store data and refer to it as and when required through the conference call. If you’re running a fledgling business where money is of essence, then the iPad Mini is a great buy. Thanks to 3G, if the new device does carry it, you get a device that doubles up as a PC and can also be used to customize target specific advertisements. You won’t need to shell out loads of money to outsource this creative work. 

A November release means the iPad Mini will be in available in time for Christmas and that should make a lot of shoppers and enthusiasts happy. The iPad Mini will have competition from Amazon, Google and Microsoft with its Surface tablet, so the next few months will be interesting, to say the least.