Take a seat around the campfire, youngsters, and the Macalope will tell you a tale of the three mythical Apple devices of yore!
Yes, as far back as the previous century rumors have swirled (rumors always swirl because they are almost always of toilet-bowl grade) about the devices three:
The set-top box (the Apple TV), the phones (the iPhone) and the tablet (the Samsung Galaxy Tab haha, no, the iPad).
Because we live in a magical future where all things that were once only dreamt of are now real, you can walk into an Apple Store (or even a Wal-Mart) and walk out with one of these devices…today! Although Apple would prefer it if you bought all three. And an iMac. And some overpriced RAM. They’ll even email your receipt to you so you don’t throw up on their nice floor. Not at the Wal-Mart, of course. They don’t care if you throw up there. Heck, Wal-Mart doesn’t even care.
But now that these devices are yesterday’s news, what rumors are we left to monger? Well, there’s the Apple TV (not to be confused with the Apple TV). Or there’s the iPad mini.
“Rumors of an iPad Mini Swirl in China”
The Chinese rumor mill has hit full blast today claiming to have details about the imminent release of an iPad mini. Chinese net portal, NetEase, has a story on a rumored new mini Apple tablet.
The Macalope hears you scoffing, but has NetEase ever been wrong about an Apple rumor before?
Wait, who?
The Macalope has no idea if or when Apple might ship a smaller iPad. Is it possible? Sure. Wired’s Christina Bonnington provides an iPad mini rumor round-up if you want to relive the thrills and spills of this roller-coaster ride to seemingly nowhere. As the Macalope has said in the past, while rumors do not prove the existence of such a device, their stupidity does not disprove its existence, either.
In the pantheon of Apple rumors, the iPad mini is more of a demi-rumor. And let’s just say that the horny one is singularly unmoved by “reports” from outfits we’ve never heard of before.
[Editors’ Note: In addition to being a mythical beast, the Macalope is not an employee of Macworld. As a result, the Macalope is always free to criticize any media organization. Even ours.]