An 8-Inch Screen

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is currently available with a 7-inch screen. So is a flavor of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook. To differentiate its product but still make it more mobile than its larger counterpart, Apple should deliver an 8-inch display in its iPad Mini. It’s not such an outlandish idea. According to reports, the company could be preparing a 7.85-inch screen.

Since Apple just brought 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology to the new iPad earlier this year, it’s highly unlikely that it’ll do the same with the iPad Mini. However, the company could still bring 3G to the device. By doing so, it can differentiate its product from the Kindle Fire, which only comes with WiFi connectivity.

When Apple eventually launches the iPad Mini, the company will need to make sure it’s as mobile as possible. In order to do that, it’ll have to make the device much thinner than its predecessor. Granted, the new iPad is quite thin, but any device named “Mini” will need to have an even thinner design.

Assuming Apple launches its iOS 6 platform at some point in the next couple of months, it would only make sense for the company to offer that in the iPad Mini. In the past, Apple has only offered its latest iOS flavor in new devices, making it seem likely that it will to do the same with the Mini.

According to several reports, Apple is currently planning to launch its mobile products with a new, smaller Dock connector. By doing so, it can build thinner devices, and according to some reports, the smaller plug will boast more features. Considering the iPad Mini will be somewhat small, expect to find the smaller Dock connector in the device.

Apple’s Retina display is now available in the company’s latest mobile devices. With that in mind, it would only make sense for Apple to bring the screen to its iPad Mini. Granted, the Retina display is expensive, which could be an issue for a cheaper, smaller device. However, it’s become an expectation among consumers, and Apple can’t forget that.

A key component in Apple’s mobile products lately has been its FaceTime feature. In fact, the feature, which was first announced in the iPhone 4, now works across Macs, iPhones and iPads. Considering Apple has positioned FaceTime as an alternative communication platform, it must find its way to the iPad Mini.

One of the biggest issues with smaller tablets such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook tablet is that they come with 8GB of on-board storage. To show a clear delineation in value between the iPad Mini and those other products, Apple should offer 16GB of on-board storage. More storage is always more appealing.

Apple made the nonsensical decision with the new iPad to not offer Siri in its slate. Instead, the platform is only available in Apple’s iPhone 4S. Apple should make it right with the iPad Mini and bring the virtual personal assistant to that device. Siri is a Trojan horse for Apple. Siri gives people a reason to try and buy its smartphones, and Apple can’t forget that.

So far, Apple has decided to keep its physical “home” button on all its mobile products. However, its competitors on the smaller side of the tablet market, in many cases, don’t have a home button. Maybe in the iPad Mini, Apple should lose the home button and add a virtual key. It might be somewhat surprising, but doing away with the home button really is a smart idea.