New images of case molds claiming to be for a smaller iPad and next-generation iPhone have emerged online. The so-called iPad mini case mold as slightly thinner than the current iPad, but roughly two-thirds its size, with speakers flanking either side of a 19-pin dock connector on the bottom. GottaBeMobile claims that the images of the smaller iPad case mold come from a “trusted source inside the Apple supply chain”, who also supplied images of a next-generation iPhone case mold, which appears to match prior part leaks, and reinforces the idea that it will be taller than the current model, with a metal plate on the backside. Strangely, both reports refer to the molds as “engineering samples”. Apple is widely expected to introduce its next-generation iPhone later this year, and it appears increasingly likely that it may also announce a smaller iPad model at the same event.
