rumor mill

Gamers in need of a new toy, start the countdown clocks, as Microsoft announced a May 21 event to reveal the next generation Xbox from the company's headquarters in Redmond, WA.

The event will be live streamed around the world on Xbox Live and xbox.com at 10 a.m. PT. People in the US and Canada can watch live on Spike TV. Look for the first gaming titles to be introduced at E3 in June.

With Xbox's push in the last year to be your living room's entertainment hub, don't be surprised to see an emphasis on Xbox as a media control center. What features do you hope to see in the latest Xbox system?

A week from today, Apple is holding its "one more thing" event of the Fall, which the tech world is speculating will be the reveal of a smaller tablet, dubbed the iPad Mini. On Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT at the California Center in San Jose, CA, Apple has "a little more to show" us, as the event invite says, and seeing how most of the iPhone 5 rumors were right, an iPad Mini is all but inevitable.

With competitor tablets from Amazon and Google a popular alternative to the current 10-inch iPad, why should consumers get excited about Apple's new tablet? As we mused earlier this year, a seven-inch iPad Mini priced around $250-$300 might finally be the one device that gets techies to streamline an ereader and tablet into one product.

Other than the high price point, the reason many consumers have avoided the current 9.7-inch iPad is that the size isn't ideal for in-bed reading and the necessary convenience of one-handed use during a public transit commute. But combine Apple's familiar iOS interface with a portable size, and it's a bookworm/media junkie/everyday Internet browser's dream tablet.

Do you agree? Will you purchase an iPad Mini if announced by Apple next week?

After Apple's September iPhone 5 event proved that months of leaked photos and specs rumors were spot on, does this mean whispers of the possible iPad Mini now hold more weight? With anonymous sources claiming an October reveal of Apple's first smaller tablet, get ready for a steady stream of product "pictures" and mock-ups.

The latest is this iPad Mini physical mock-up that shows the just-under-eight-inch tablet with a new Lightning dock connector and, unlike the iPhone 5, a headphone jack that remains at the top of the device. View a video of what some are calling the look of the new iPad after the break.

How much longer can you wait for the new iPhone? While we've speculated Apple's latest phone will be announced on Sept. 12, the latest round of rumors suggest that pre-orders for the next-generation phone will start that day as well.

Another clue that we're only weeks away from the latest Apple must-have? Wireless carriers are dropping prices of the iPhone 4S, an act loyal Apple fans know is rare. The16GB iPhone 4Snow costs $150 with Sprint on a two-year contract and includes a $100 American Express gift card. In accordance with Apple's new price-matching policy, the company will give customers who buy a Sprint-powered iPhone in their stores a $100 Apple store credit. Both Target and Best Buy are also offering deals on their current iPhone models.

Want to upgrade to the iPhone 5 when it's announced in a few weeks? Follow our tips to prep your current phone for resale and make a little extra cash for all those new iPhone 5 accessories.

Just a month after the debut of the latest iPad, the Apple-product rumor mill is moving again, this time with speculation that an iPad Mini will hit store shelves later this year. With a reported cost of $300, an iPad Mini would place Apple front and center of the more affordable and smaller tablet market, which includes the Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Do we need an iPad Mini, though? One of the iPad's greatest differentiators in the tablet scene is its size; a user can feel comfortable browsing the web, editing photos, or watching new releases on the nearly 10-inch screen. With rumors of Apple looking to compete in the world of smaller tablets, the sole reason we could see to add yet another gadget to our tech family is: it'd make a perfect ereader. Using the full-size iPad to read a book while curled up in bed or squished on a crowded bus isn't always an easy one-handed task. However, an iPad Mini might offer reason enough to finally streamline our ereader and tablet into one product.

Do you agree? For what reasons would you purchase and use an iPad Mini?

Source: Flickr User inUse Consulting

Rumors run rampant about new tech products, especially when it comes to Apple. There's no shortage of gossip around Apple launch dates (or estimated launch dates), and while it's fun to imagine what the next shiny product will look like, you sometimes forget where the line between rumor and fact is drawn. Here, we'll look back at the recent iPad rumors and explore which ones were fiction and which ones became a reality.

Rumor: It will be called the iPad 3 or iPad HD
Fact: The new iPad is simply called iPad. No numbers or letters attached, because Apple "doesn't want to be predictable."

Rumor: It will come with 4G LTE speeds.
Fact: It sure does! Offered up through AT&T, Verizon, Telus, Rogers, and Bell, the new iPad will come in two flavors: WiFi-only and WiFi + 4G.

Rumor: It will have a better camera.
Fact: Indeed. The new iPad comes stocked with a 5MP rear-facing iSight camera and a forward-facing VGA cam, vs. the iPad 2's HD rear-facing and VGA forward-facing.

See the rest, including the truth about a cheaper iPad after the break.

The iPad 3 will be announced this Wednesday, March 7, in San Francisco, but the rumors on what it will look like and what kind of specs it will be packing have been swirling for months. While we'll have to wait until Wednesday to know for sure, take a look at what the iPad 3 announcement might include below.

• 4G LTE — The iPad 3 could be blazing fast with 4G LTE download speeds, likely from both AT&T and Verizon.
• A better camera — The current iPad model comes with an HD rear-facing camera and a VGA forward-facing cam, but rumor has it the iPad 3 could top that, making Facetime calls even clearer.
• A bit thicker — Leaked casing photos indicate that the iPad 3 could be 1mm thicker than the iPad 2.
• A Retina display — Sources say that the iPad 3 will come with an incredible 2048×1536 Retina display.
• Larger battery — Though the iPad 2 has great battery life, the iPad 3 is said to be coming with a larger battery for longer browsing time.
• A mini-iPad? — Though this rumor seems the most far-fetched, there are rumblings of a smaller, mini-iPad that will be priced under $400.

Update Looks like invitations are being sent out to the iPad 3 announcement next week, March 7 in San Francisco!

Past rumors have placed the iPad 3 announcement in "early March," and a new tweet from CNBC all but confirms that the iPad 3 will be announced next week. Instead of the traditional California announcement, though, this unveiling supposedly will take place in NYC. CNBC also leaked that the iPad 3 will be packed with 4G LTE speeds, and according to other supposed leaked photos, it will also sport an improved camera. Of course, these leaks and rumors are unconfirmed, but we won't have to wait long to find out if they're legit.