ipad-mini-witb-gray-cel-201410Yes, Rumorville again. How could we be so cruel as to deprive you of the latest from AppleInsider: Rumor: Apple’s iPad mini 4 will be a miniature iPad Air 2, could launch alongside A9-powered iPad Air 3?

Supposedly, too, the iPad Air 3 will appear this fall with the same dimensions as the 2, and the iPad Pro will show up as well.

Yes, the current iPad mini (photo) already has a Retina display, making it attractive as an e-book reader for those who don’t insist on E Ink. But the more powerful processor, if it comes to pass, will just add to the mini’s appeal as a machine for Web browsing, gaming and other purposes.

Bottom line? A little more competition for books as entertainment. And this is just part of a long-term trend. Those little increments of of technological progress add up over the years.

In setting book prices—see Chris Meadows’ latest thoughts—publishers would do well to consider the evolution of tablet and phablet hardware. Many book people hate to hear this. But for better or worse—I have mixed feelings—technology has become destiny.

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