Don’t Buy an iPad or Other Type of Tablet Computer Until Apple’s Big Announcement on the 23rd

Sometimes when you buy tech products is as important as what you buy. I have a co-worker who bought an iPhone 4S about a month before the iPhone 5 came out, at the same price.  They now have this year-old phone for 2 more years under contract, when they could have spent the same amount for the new one.  Don't let this happen to you.  Apple is likely to announce a new iPad 'Mini' next week, so if you were thinking about buying any kind of tablet this week, hold off.

Apple has been inviting members of the tech press to one of their signature events in California this Tuesday the 23rd at 1PM.  Whenever Apple does one of these events, it's usually to announce new hardware, and at this time of year, the likely must-have gadget of the holidays.

As secretive as Apple can be about their product announcements, bloggers are as persistent to get details ahead of time.  These details usually come from the many companies that are needed to produce all of the parts that go into their 'magical' devices.

So here is what is predicted for Tuesday's big announcement, according to Gizmodo, a gadget blog: a 7.85 inch screen measured diagonally (current iPads are 9.7 inches), the computing guts of the iPad 2, the new 'Lightning' port like the iPhone 5, and possibly a variety of colors for the back like the new iPod Touches.

Apple is likely releasing an iPad 'Mini' after seeing the success Amazon has had with it's Kindle Fire line, which has a similar sized screen.  Nobody is sure however, what Apple would charge for this smaller iPad, as iPod touches with smaller screens range from $299 to $399, and the iPad 2 is still available for $399 as well.  Fans hoping for a $200 tablet may be disappointed.

Even though full details aren't clear yet, in fact, especially because they aren't,  I would suggest waiting until next Tuesday before you take the plunge and buy any tablet computer or even iPod Touch.  You can at least make sure you do or don't want Apple's latest before you decide.