Apple filed for an 'iPad Mini' trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week.
The device maker referred to the recently-released tablet in the application as a fully-fledged device, which offers a slew of features ranging from calendaring to web connectivity.
Apple said the iPad Mini is a "handheld mobile digital electronic device comprising a tablet computer, electronic book and periodical reader, digital audio and video player, camera, electronic personal organizer, personal digital assistant, electronic calendar, and mapping and global positioning system (GPS) device, and capable of providing access to the Internet and sending, receiving, and storing messages and other data."
With the U.S. filing now complete, Apple filed for trademark protection on the iPad Mini brand earlier this month within Europe and Canada.
During its first three days of availability, the iPad Mini alongside the iPad 4 and 2 cumulatively sold three million units.
They're foreshadowing how apple is going to sue everyone that has "mini" in a product name.
It is ok to call you product iPad mini as long as it doesn't fulfill any said "functions". If one made a compact personal hygiene product and named it iPad mini that would be an acceptable use of the name as it is not in direct competition and it won't confuse customers.
Apple doesn't really care... They do sue market chains around the world just for having a Apple symbol, even though it doesn't look anything like Apple's.
Here is a tip, if you see an article written by Zak Islam, close the tab.