It’s hardly news to report that new iterations of the iPad Mini and Nexus 7 are on the way. Both are virtually guaranteed to turn up before the end of the year. However, speculation is rife that both will sport high-res or “retina” displays, following in the footsteps of their bigger brothers.

Apple was once the king of commercials, with its ads being head and shoulders above the competition. Unfortunately that’s no longer the case, with Apple’s new iPad ads failing to inspire. Other companies, including its sworn enemy Microsoft, are happily filling the void left by Apple’s disappearance into the advertising abyss.

The shipment figures for tablets as a whole for Q4 2012 are in, and they suggest that tablets are pretty much ready to take over the world. While PCs remain the biggest seller overall, the lead this form factor has over the others is dwindling, and fast.

One of the reasons the iPad has sold in such high numbers, and kick-started the tablet revolution to boot, is the sheer variety and number of things you can do with the Apple device. However, I doubt whether anyone had thought of this particular use before… until now. Meet the iPotty, a training toilet designed to house an iPad.

HTC may have failed to set the world alight with its tablet offerings so far, but perhaps the dual threats of a 7-inch and 12-inch device sporting Windows 8 RT are the answer.

The Apple iPad certainly isn’t cheap. In fact, it isn’t even affordable for many consumers. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook has moved to defend the pricing of the company’s tablets, and his words suggest Apple will never seek to undercut the competition.

The country where all iPads are produced is about to get the latest models released on its shores. Apple clearly knows where its future lies.

The iPad Mini is a great little tablet. I must admit I’d like one, but the price tag is a little too high for my liking. There’s also the fact that the screen cannot boast of being Retina Display quality. Something Apple will surely fix with future iterations.

If you’d like a lesson in how to appear to apologize to someone without actually apologizing then take a leaf out of Apple’s book. The Tim Cook-led company has managed to blur the lines between apologizing and goading with its notice to Samsung in relation to the Galaxy Tab.

The Nexus 7, branded by Google but made by Asus, has succeeded in turning the heads of reviewers and emptying the wallets of consumers. Buoyed by this success, Google looks set to expand the Nexus tablet range by muscling in on Apple’s territory… a Nexus 10 made by Samsung could be incoming.