More iPad mini cases with tiny hole at the back surface

Rumours about the iPad mini are emerging consistently, and the same rate as those surrounding the upcoming iPhone. The latest bit of information regarding the 7.85-inch iPad is that according to a report by Apple Insider, a few more cases have surfaced, which are apparently designed for the mini tablet. Like the previous ones, these cases sport the tiny hole at the rear.

Tiny hole featured again

As per the report, the author Neil Hughes states, “A handful of third-party cases from overseas allegedly designed to fit Apple's rumored "iPad mini" feature space on the back for a rear-facing camera, as well as a mysterious tiny hole at the center. The protective cases were discovered and highlighted on Friday by Giz-China.com, and show space for a camera at the top left of the device. That suggests that like all other portable iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPod touch, the smaller iPad will feature a rear-facing camera. Also shown on the cases is a small, centered hole atop the back. That's consistent with leaked parts claimed to be from Apple's next iPhone which also show a new mystery hole on the back of the device, located between the camera lens and LED flash”.

The tiny hole at the back has been seen before on a previous case that was apparently designed for the iPad mini. However, soon after, the case manufacturer pulled down the page listing the case. This move by the manufacturer could signify two things; either this could actually be what the tablet will look like once unveiled or the manufacturer did this in order to generate traffic.

Redesigned speaker grille and new dock connector

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the possible use of this tiny hole at the back. Various reports claim that it could be a new rear-facing microphone that can help during video recording. The inclusion of a mic at the back of the tablet should help the tablet in noise cancellation or improve audio quality while capturing videos through the rear camera.

From the leaked images that surfaced earlier, we can see that the iPad mini features a mini dock that is expected to become an integral part of forthcoming iOS devices. This doc will feature a 19-point configuration as opposed to the 30-pin version available on past and current iOS devices. Apart from the dock, there appears to be a speaker grille at the bottom. This is a design similar to that expected to be featured on the next generation iPhone.

The iPad mini is expected to feature a display size measuring 7.85 inches, and will go head to head with other similar-sized tablets such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Google Nexus 7.