Update, January 7, 2013: I should have included this note a few months ago. Go away. All of this post is wrong. The iPad Mini leaks were for a real device after all.
Nate over at The Digital Reader received one of the dummy iPad Mini I pointed out were being sold on eBay.
He reports something that — at first glance — bolsters my thinking that it’s all an elaborate Chinese hoax:
The dimensions of the FiPM (5″ by 7.875″) are slightly shorter and slightly wider than the 7″ Kindle Fire HD. And last but not least, that’s not a true 4:3 screen. It measures 4.5” by 6.375?. That’s too tall, and you can even see the icons look stretched.
Boldfaced emphasis added by me.
However, there’s more to it than that.
Here are two screens compared. The top is the fake iPad Mini and below it is the iPad 2:
Click = big
1) The black bar at top is too tall
2) “iPad” at top left is too far from the corner.
3) The battery indicator is different and too close to the edge
4) The space from edge of screen to icons is asymmetrical
5) Look closely, the text below the icons is different on the Mini
Some of you might be tempted to think, “Well, some idiot just screwed up the screensnap.”
But remember what else Nate wrote:
And last but not least, that’s not a true 4:3 screen. It measures 4.5” by 6.375?. That’s too tall
So the entire thing is borked from the get-go!
Apple now has just eight days to send out invites to any rumored iPad Mini event — if the October 10th speculation is based on any insider leak.
I’m beginning to think that later this month we’re going to see headlines like, “Where’s the iPad Mini?”
I’m more inclined to think this is all an elaborate Chinese hoax.
Previously here:
Ten Days Remain To Make iPad Mini Real
Is The iPad Mini An Elaborate Chinese Hoax?
China Selling Dummy iPad Mini For US$13
I’m literally reading this on my ipad mini