Why believe one rumor when you can believe three? Now tech sites are claiming new iMac desktop and 13-inch notebook are also set to be unveiled with the 'iPad Mini' on October 23.
Apple could be set to reveal a new 21.5-inch iMac and a Retina-display 13-inch MacBook Pro to coincide with the widely anticipated launch of its seven-inch iPad Mini device at the end of this month.
Now that Apple investors, tech journalists, bloggers and parts suppliers are all agreed that the iPad Mini is set to launch on October 23, attention has shifted to what else will be revealed on that day. Following images posted to Chinese site WeiPhone.com, speculation is now centered on a new, thinner, curved iMac. Apple Insider reported way back in September that inventory levels for Apple's range of desktop computers have been running dangerously low.
Given Apple's supply chain expertise (the latest iPhone 5 shortage not withstanding), such a state of affairs can only be seen as intentional and therefore the first sign that existing stock is being sold off to make way for a new model.
The launch of a 13-inch notebook with Retina display has been expected for some time. The 15-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro was launched way back in June 2012 and many have put the delay in launching a baby brother down to perceived manufacturing difficulties.
However, what is certain is that Apple will not be releasing a new iPhone on October 23. Still, that hasn't stopped speculation about what to expect on the next version of the company's all-conquering smartphone. A patent application uncovered on October 12 reveals that future iterations of the device could use something called a Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) Window to hide or reveal features as and when required. A PDLC Window can change its opacity so that one moment, it is the same color as the phone's body and then the next moment it becomes transparent, revealing beneath it a camera lens, fingerprint scanner or even a solar charging panel. This could allow Apple to push design and aesthetics to another level, the iPhone appearing as a uniformly colored piece of material until in use and then only revealing the components necessary for the interaction.
