Mini iPad Rumors Intensify; iPhone 5 Sreen Size Hangs In The Balance
Posted by Michael Nace on Wednesday Jul 4, 2012 Under iPhone 5 Opinion
Fresh rumors are making their rounds about the release of the Mini iPad this to take on Google’s planned Nexus 7 tablet. If Apple makes good on a sub-9.7 inch iPad, how will that impact the iPhone 5′s screen size (and release date)?
It was just about this time last year that the tech community began to try out the rumor that a new-generation iPad would be co-released along with the iPhone 5. Dubbed the iPad 2S, iPad 2 Plus, iPad Pro, iPad Mini and iPad HD, the rumor always seemed odd, considering that we had just gotten the iPad 2 in the spring of 2011. Plus, how likely would it be that Apple would co-release a new tablet and the landmark iPhone 5 at the same time?
Of course, that never happened — we didn’t get an iPhone 5 or an iPad [fill in the blank].
Now, we’re beginning to hear fresh rumors of the proposed “Mini iPad” as a reality for real ease sometime between now and the end of the year. This time, around, however, we’ve got more information: we’ve heard from Jim Darymple that the Mini iPad prototype does exist. And now, we also know that Google is planning the Nexus 7 tablet, which will debut this year at the ultra-affordable $199 price tag. Along with the Kindle Fire and Nook, Apple is now the only major tablet maker to not offer a similarly-sized and equipped tablet device for around that price.
According to Bloomberg:
“Apple Inc. (AAPL) plans to debut a smaller, cheaper iPad by year-end, two people with knowledge of the plans said, to help maintain dominance of the tablet market as Google Inc. (GOOG) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) prepare competing handheld devices.
The new model will have a screen that’s 7 inches to 8 inches diagonally, less than the current 9.7-inch version, said the people, who asked not to be identified because Apple hasn’t made its plans public. The product, which Apple may announce by October, won’t have the high-definition screen featured on the iPad that was released in March, one of the people said.”
This isn’t an iPad-centric new blog, but I think we’ll all agree that the prospect of a Mini iPad is interesting, and we all hope that Apple gives it a try. Darymple told us earlier in the year that the Mini iPad prototype is exactly like the current iPad spec-wise — it’s just smaller. What would be a total coup in the tablet market is for Apple to release their own 7-inch iPad that is essentially the same price as its competitors, but offers much higher-performance features, such as a more powerful processor, or even the ultra-premium Retina display, which laptop users are paying through the nose for with the new MacBook Pros.
All of this being said, how will it impact the iPhone 5?
From a release date standpoint, I still don’t know how Apple is going to do it. Assuming that they do not announce or release anything in July or August, it will leave three months — September, October, and November — to ostensibly get out the iPhone 5, new iPod, iTV, Mini iPad, and iMac, if all of these devices are truly slated for 2012. I think it’s impossible — I’ve never believed that Apple would co-release much of anything, except for maybe computers. I don’t see the iPod and iPhone 5 being released together, or the iPhone 5 and Mini iPad, or the iTV and iPhone 5, or whatever combination you want to come up with. In my mind, something from this list isn’t going to get released in 2012.
Let’s hope it isn’t the iPhone 5!
If the Bloomberg rumors are true, and the Mini iPad is going to be announced in October, the recent August rumors for the iPhone 5 — however implausible they may seem, might be what Cupertino has in mind. Stranger things have happened.
Furthermore, the screen size of the iPad Mini would have some kind of impact on the display specs on the iPhone 5 as well, I think, and the theory that Apple will employ a new, longer-yet-not-wider screen with new aspect ratio might be all the more believable, since it would allow Apple to increase the screen size without crafting it in such a way that would in any way compete with the experience of a 7-inch Mini iPad.
remember when the first rumors of the elongated iPhone 5 screen came out? The notion was floated by a couple of commenters on the Verge forum, but many believed that this was a covert publicity stunt by Apple to get the word out on the street about their new display shape, and see what the reaction would be. The leaked iPhone 5 device reported on by 9to5Mac, however bogus they may be, could also be a part of the plan — to gauge the reaction to such a design.
I think that Apple will release a 7-inch Mini iPad. I also believe that they want to increase the display of the iPhone 5, but they also want to remain within spec of the iPhone design that has persevered even after other smartphones have superseded its screen size and form factor. Finally, I think that Apple will want to keep the iPhone 5 and Mini iPad fall enough apart in screen size to encourage users to own both. For this reason, I think the longer 4-inch screen is going to be a reality on the iPhone 5.
By Michael Nace
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July 4th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
Happy 4th of July to all our U.S. readers and commenters! Let’s keep the discussions civil today, folks.
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July 4th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
I *REALLY* hope the screen isn’t just longer than the 4S but is wider too.
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July 4th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
A good 4th to u also MR.NACE.A 4″ screen will be plenty big enuff for me.I for one dont mind the form factor of the 4/4s.It feels good in my hand and when i am using it,thats what matters most to me.
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July 4th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Happy 4th of July Michael, hope you’re having a fantastic day! I’m still very skeptical about a mini iPad. I mean, it would be cool but ehh, I already have my new iPad and I’m happy with it and the size. I have my iPhone and I have my iPad so I’m all set. As for others, maybe they would like the thought of a smaller hardware, but still capable Apple device that still gives more real estate than the iPhone. It’s all about marketing, and what I think Apple should do is listen to the needs of their customers. If there is a higher demand for a mini iPad and if the predicted sales are going to be good, then do it. If not, then don’t. Marketing is all about popular demand, and I really, personally, haven’t heard much buzz for a mini iPad (but the thought is still cool). As for the iPhone 5 … I’m still sticking to late September/early October for its release. It’s all a waiting game now.
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July 4th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Yeah, August seems likely (I did insist on the June release date).
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July 4th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
If Apple comes out with an iPad mini, i probably wouldn’t have any interest in buying it, solely based on the fact that I already have the iPad 3. Now, If I never had an iPad then its possible I could go with the iPad mini instead, but since I already have the iPad 3 I can’t accurately make that call. I don’t know what I would do, I just know that I wouldn’t simultaneously own both.
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July 4th, 2012 at 7:54 pm
i’m sorry but there is no way a mini iPad will release.. if it does release, my bad, but i highly doubt it.
Apple has only 2 screen resolutions, the ipod/iphone resolution and the ipad resolution. Yes you could consider the iPod nano but its not really ‘iOS’
Based on the fact that the iphone 5 will most likely have a 3.5″+ display, I very much doubt they will fragment iOS further by adding yet another resolution.. But who knows, we are talking Apple after all
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July 4th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Another thought-
Out of the estimated 12+ Million users who bought the new iPad last quarter,
how many of those people would invest in the mini iPad?
There’s no doubt that they like the iPad because they already invested in it. So how many are complaining about the size? I have the iPad 3 and I think if anything I’d like a bigger one hahaha. But how many complain about being too big? Out of all the people I know that already own an iPad, none of them have told me that they think its too big. Ive only heard it from the people who ended up buying a Fire or Nook.
So it seems to me like majority of all the 12+million who bought the iPad last quarter are probably not going to be influencing Apple’s sales that much when the mini comes out, because most people who already have an iPad 3 are satisfied.
Note that I said “most” of the people, not all of the people. If 1 Million out of 12 Million are Not satisfied, then most of the users Are satisfied. Thats what I mean.
Im seriously questioning the amount of sales that the iPad mini would receive, unless they introduce new features exclusively for the mini… which I can’t see happening. You’d think the mini would actually have less features, just like the MacBook Air can’t do everything that the MacBook Pro can do. I just can’t see the mini outperforming the bigger one in any way shape or form
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July 4th, 2012 at 8:25 pm
I bought my wife an iPad 3 for her birthday. She loves it and I use it for reading the newspaper. I’d like my own, but find it hard to justify the cost because I drag my laptop to and from work (along with the iPhone) and an iPad just seems silly there. However, if it were a whole lot cheaper, then I could justify one for use around the house reading the paper and books – which I read on my iPhone because they don’t (won’t) make an iBook program for Mac.
I think an iPad mini could work.
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July 4th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
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July 4th, 2012 at 9:13 pm
If Apple wanted to release the next iPhone without iOS 6, they would have done it at WWDC. It is VERY unlikely at this point that Apple will release the iPhone in August or anytime before the debut of iOS 6. Maybe they plan on releasing the mini iPad in August for back-to-school since a smaller, cheaper iPad seems more of a student-friendly item than a new phone. Then they could still release the iPhone in October unhindered.
But to me, the most logical time to release a mini iPad would be in March alongside the release of the next regular iPad. They already have a lot on their plate for this fall and they also already have an iPad-exclusive event every spring so why wouldn’t they announce the mini iPad then?
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July 4th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
I have a couple predictions here. First off I think the iPad mini is actually designed for the itv as the controller. When you buy the itv it will come with the mini iPad or you could just buy the iPad mini by itself.
2nd prediction. As far as the new iPhone release goes I believe that apple wants to go back to a June release. Of course they cant just release the new iPhone 4 months early for obvious reasons. Sooooo instead they will release the 2012 iPhone in August/ September. Then for the 2013 iPhone they will release it in July/august. Then by 2014 they can release the next iPhone back in June again.
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July 4th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
I honestly think about the iPad being smaller, but there are some factors that snap me back to reality. It’s really more of portable computer, well, a tablet, but it can do some basic computing functions easier than the iPhone such as taking notes in class and creating keynotes, reports on pages, and spread sheets beautifully on numbers (considering I’m an Economics major, this comes in handy, A LOT). And, it’s just so much more portable than an already portable MacBook Pro (which is still great, I love mine). I haven’t used a desktop computer in over 2 years because my MacBook Pro has become my essential work station at home, and something I can take with me on the go. But considering it has a lot of precious files, such as videos and my music from Logic Pro, I feel 100% safer bring my iPad to class, and love it. Making it smaller would be cool, but like I said above, that’s why I have my iPhone. I think the iPad is fantastic the way it is, easy functionality, easy to see with the fairly sized screen, and just a great product, period. But, people will disagree because they have different needs than I do, which is fine, everyone can voice their opinion. I’m just not sure how much people will benefit from a mini iPad, but that’s up to Apple to convince us, because I guess I’m not thinking outside the box as of right now.
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July 5th, 2012 at 1:33 am
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July 5th, 2012 at 1:46 am
@joe, I remember that not just 3 years ago, if you wanted a powerful computer, you had to buy a desktop. But apple has changed that. I know some of you will say no, but they truly have with the MacBook pro with retina display. It’s quad core over clocked 3.7 ghz processor and 16 gbs of ram (holy sh*t!) along with 7 hours of battery life officially make desktops unnecessary! I know people could have customized their laptops somewhat like this before, but the portability and the fact that you don’t have to do anything yourself to upgrade it truly set the standard. It’s funny though, just to look back and see the past technology. For instance today I was messing with some tapes and it’s funny seeing how we stored stuff on them compared to today.
And now we are all complaining about waiting an extra year to see another technology revolution. Happy 5th!
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July 5th, 2012 at 3:18 am
@Undefeatable – That’s so true, I was watching home movies today and my father converted some of them to dvds, and some of the tape got ruined. I also found some CDs in my room that I collected over the years, probably 30 or 40 CDs, and now I have one iPhone, with over 1,600 songs loaded on it. I could of never imagined the capacity of storage be able to reach where it is today, and now we have iCloud which is the next big thing. I mean, in one device, I have my phone, my internet, my music and videos, the ability to do all of your iWork documents, FaceTime video calls, turn by turn navigation, and now our devices can talk to us (Siri), not to mention all the cool applications. And I’m not just talking Apple either, technology has so rapidly progressed, I tip my hat to all the engineers who take part in creating such revolutionary ideas. I love it.
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July 5th, 2012 at 3:28 am
I’ve been considering the iPad for a while now but the cost has put me off. if the mini-iPad is released at a good price point then I can see myself buying it.
I was a little disappointed to read that if it is released it might not get the retina screen though, as they are becoming commonplace throughout the Apple ecosystem I’d have thought it would be a given, but apparently not (in this iteration) which would be a shame.
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July 5th, 2012 at 4:46 am
Happy July 4th everyone! Hope everyone had a good night and stayed safe!
And thanks to all the troops who fight for our freedom,
If it weren’t for you guys, we wouldn’t have a July 4th.
If it was up to me, and I was CEO of Apple, I’d give all our troops free iPhone 5s
And the rest can pay muahahahaa. (wait thats not evil…they already do that)
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July 5th, 2012 at 8:39 am
It think it is more of a price/competition move rather than screen size for the reasoning behind the mini iPad(iPad mini). i for one CAN afford a iPad 3 but i am not willing to invest that much money into it(i feel technology evolves too fast). Now at a price point of $199 to $249 that’s more reasonable for me. It will be ultra portable for my lifestyle and offer essentially the same features as the full size iPad. so for me those are the major selling point for the mini iPad and im elated to hear strong rumors about it’s release. Also, consider families with multiple children in the home, it is a budget friendly alternative to the full-size iPad in this scenario as well.
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July 5th, 2012 at 10:18 am
The smaller ipad would be targeted at a different market segment. When I saw the Nexus 7, the first thing I thought of was to pick it up for my son who turns 7 this summer. He uses the ipad 2 a lot, but i’m always concerned about him dropping it and then i’m out all that money. The Nexus 7 will be easier for him to hold, (hopefully there is drop resistant case available), it will fit comfortably in his backpack, and is a lot cheaper so it’s a great device to pick up for a kid. If Apple releases a competitive device, and the price differential is minimal, sure i’ll go for the Apple product.
Just saying that there will be demand for a smaller version, we’re just not likely the target audience for it. I’m still hoping for a 4.25inch screen on the IP5.
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July 5th, 2012 at 10:32 am
For those that have read my posts in the past, I’d love to have a mini-iPad with phone capabilities. Having it at an aggressive price point to challenge Google/Microsoft would, in my opinion, make it the killer device.
Having lost my iPad to a 3, now 4 year old… (it’s still in the house, but it’s now HER iPad), it would be nice to pick up 4 of them for the rest of us in the house.
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July 5th, 2012 at 11:37 am
@jeff, well you know it kind of does double as a phone? I read a report from AT&T a week ago about how they are afraid apple will do a voice over data thing, causing AT&T to loose so much money! I think we may see it in IOS 7 or 8. I mean, coming this fall we will be able to do FaceTime over 3G! I know you want a full feature phone that can call, but I think of it more like FaceTime! When you want to use it it’s there! But I mean, how many people want to hold a freeking iPad up to their head? A 7 inch one included!
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July 5th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
@Undfeatable, about the phone to the head, I still owe Michael a pic of that… But with the Bluetooth, and the headsets, I’m at the point of never using my phone to my head anyways (I may be a minority on this), but the VOIP/VPOIP (pronounced V-POIP… heh heh heh…) making this interesting!
One thing though, where I work (see where I’m from), they heavily frown on cameras without security getting involved, so FaceTime can’t happen.
For a while (until my daughter stole my iPad), I had a mount for it in my car, and having the 9.7″ GPS was quite fetching, but the cord management and issues with multiple devices just made it impractical, hence my desire for the iPadPhone.
Anyhow… the only way for me to now usise the iPad as a phone is to:
1. Steal it back from a 4 year old girl with more resolve and the ability to scream in public places with no regrets (on her part).
2. Jailbreak my iPhone to have the myFi re-installed. (Currently unjailbroken now)
3. Us the FaceTime.
Oh well, I can dream… Really, I won’t be disappointed if Apple doesn’t come out with the iPhonePad idea, but they’ll get my pennies if they do.
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July 5th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
err… iPad to the head… not the phone. That still looks somewhat normal (as normal as I can get…)
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July 5th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
@Jeff in Everett,
we are in the same boat with the iPad with phone capabilites(i’ve posted that idea on here before too).
@Eric
i agree that the iPad mini may not be targeted for everyone in the market for a Tablet. the price is going to be the biggest selling point for me.
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July 5th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
I think that we will see both the ipad mini and new iphone this fall. The rumored TV probably won’t hit until next year, in my opinion. At this point there are only rumors of the idea of a tv but nothing solid. The iphone is imminent, and the mini ipad rumors seem to have many legit sources backing it up (including actual production rumors). I don’t think the two devices would be competing too much for consumer dollars considering that a mini ipad would have a price point around $250-$350 (??). A lot of people are willing to fork out $500+ for an ipad or other Apple products during the holidays, so why would it seem so far fetched that consumers wouldn’t spend that same amount for a new phone and a mini ipad?
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July 5th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
I used to think the iPhone was the perfect size, and it is in most circumstances. But as I’ve used the iPhone more and more, there are times when I like my husbands samsung size. Like when I’m waiting for my car repair, watching Wimbledon and I realize I’m getting too old to see that tiny screen. LOL! And my husband so politely pointed out that by the time I get my Otterbox defender case on it, it’s the same size or even slightly bigger with less screen size. The problem is that the iPhone is so delicate. There’s no way I can’t have the Otterbox on my iPhone but I think if I had a Samsung, I would not need a case. Anyway, thank you Michael for all you do here. While I don’t post a lot, I read this blog every day,
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July 5th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
I’m not too sure how I feel about a mini iPad, i don’t actually own an iPad at all as apart from reading the news in the smallest room in the house first thing in the morning I just can’t see how I can justify one. Although it has a smaller screen which I hope may be increased with the new iteration my iPhone does everything I need.
If as a few commenters have said, and I also brought it up some time ago the mini iPad had a built in phone then that may change things as long as there was some kind of headset (I think Apple recently filed a patent for one) to go with it.
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July 5th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
@Vernicularis,
There we go! Thats a feature I think would boost the mini iPad sales. Like you said, if the mini had phone capabilities, I definitely think it’d boost the success of the product more than anything. Especially if it doesn’t have a retina display, having that extra capability would definitely help
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July 5th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Dang if apple came out with a new iPhone, iPod, iMac, atv, and iPad mini (which they won’t) then that would be the most insane thing Ive ever seen. But hey, this is apple.
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July 6th, 2012 at 12:23 am
I don’t really know what happened to the demand for a device with the size of a Galaxy Note. Personally I thought the size of it was quite nice at 5.3 although I can’t say I would buy one and use it has my primary phone, but an iPad mini with say 5.5 or 6 inch screen with just internet might be a nice product. As far as iPhone screen size I think 4.3 would be ideal, android phones feel to big for me with 4.8 inch screen sizes like the GSIII. And with all the phones on the market everybody is bound to get what they want in a phone.
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July 6th, 2012 at 5:41 am
I don’t see the reasoning behind the tall thin screen being right for the iPhone 5, just of the iPad Mini’s screen size. Regardless of the aspect ration, 4″ is still way different to 7″, so there is no need to have a stupid, letter box shaped iPhone. Also, if the rumoured edge-to-edge screen was used, there would be minimal impact on the width of the iPhone with keeping the same aspect ratio.
Keep the aspect ratio the same please Apple.
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July 6th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
@Darren AMEN! As long as the dimension ratios are unchanged I’m fine with a slightly bigger screen.
That long letter shaped iPhone is straight up ugly whoever thought of that…
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July 6th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Another vote for 4″ or 4.3″ iPhone with same aspect ratio. The long-narrow mock-ups just look weird and seem less useful as they would have less screen real estate than a screen that kept the current aspect ratio.
I think we will see a 7.85 iPad Mini priced in the $249 to $299 range. There are a lot of people (me included) who have not been able to justify the price of the iPad, but would be willing to spend up to $300 on something we may not really need. To me those size differences will be enough to distinguish the iPhone from an iPad-Mini.
The timing will be interesting as the Christmas season approaches. Will Apple have a blow-out event and introduce 2 or even 3 big products at one event or stagger them? With the way their products are being integrated to work with each other and iCloud I’m thinking one event to showcase the integration. Presumably with iPhone 5 and an iPad Mini you are also looking at devices with price points low enough that you could buy both for less than $500. I think that helps reduce the risk that customers are going to have to choose one over the other.
I also don’t think the timing of an iPhone announcement is as important to sales as an iPad Mini or iTV announcement. People tend to buy phones when they come out, when they’re upgrade eligible, or when their old phone breaks. I think a phone (even an iPhone) is less of a Christmas present item than an iPad Mini or iTV will be. I mean who could buy an iPhone 5 in Sept/Oct and wait until Christmas to open it?!
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July 8th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
I’m back to waiting and hoping for an iPad mini. I could have used it on my current trip – to the point that I went online with my 4S, while riding in my car, to research and BUY a Nexus 7. After reading all the specs, and being pretty ‘wowed’, I saw there is no rear facing camera. A real deal breaker for me.
Come on Apple, and get my iPad mini produced.
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July 8th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
There is only one problem….Apple will not release a cheap iPad with a low-res screen. Or at least if they do they will not be living up to their own standards. I would like to see a bigger iPod focused more on gaming, to rival ps vita (not like its a threat). that would be so awesome!
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May 6th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
This may not be the best place to ask but, I have been looking for a place to bring my Mac for servicing. Does anyone have any info on this apple repair service? It’s located in West Los Angeles, which is only 5 minutes from my apartment. It’s called – Mac Repair Los Angeles, 11322 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste B Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310) 966-9099.
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