iPad mini has stereo speakers, Apple confirms
Apple has been producing iDevices for nearly six years now – but in all of the iOS devices that have been released in the past six years, the first one to come with stereo speakers is the new iPad mini.
If you’ve ever owned an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you’ll likely know that they’ve all had just one speaker. I say “likely” because iPhones have always had two grilles at the bottom, which look identical and are usually thought to be two speakers. Of course, only one of them is a speaker; the other is a microphone. But unlike the iPhone, the new iPad mini’s two bottom grilles will be all about audio playback – with the microphones being installed elsewhere on the device.
The introduction of stereo speakers on the iPad mini wasn’t enough of a big deal to warrant a mention at Apple’s keynote, apparently; but it’s worth mentioning, nonetheless. Dual speakers will undoubtedly mean a better audio experience for owners of Apple’s new, smaller iPad. And hopefully, it’ll mean better audio for other iDevices, as well, as Apple will likely make the rest of its lineup follow suit.
[Joshua Topolsky | The Verge]