The iPad mini tablet may start at $329, not $250 The iPad mini was once thought to be limited to Wi-Fi connectivity, just like its two competitors, the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, but now reports suggest that this may not be the case. The base price for Apple's iPad mini tablet, widely expected to be announced Tuesday, could be set at $329, according to a report. That would be significantly higher than the $250 price tag that was rumored last week and far more than Google and Amazon's base $199 price for their respective 7-inch tablets. The 9 to 5 Mac tech news site, citing unnamed sources, said two other Wi-Fi-only versions of the tablet will also be available, going for $429 and $529. Additionally, the rumored tablet is expected to also be available in cellular-connected versions. These are expected to start at $459 and go up to $559 and $659. The latest report contradicts last week's speculation that the iPad mini would start at $250 for an 8-gigabyte model. The iPad mini, which may be officially dubbed iPad Air, is widely expected to be announced at an invitation-only event that Apple has scheduled in San Jose on Tuesday morning. The device is believed to include a 7.85-inch screen and look a lot like the iPhone 5 with a coated-aluminum backing. Additionally, the device may include two speakers and the new Apple Lightning dock connector. The iPad mini is expected to be light and thin. Apple breaks ground on $68-million data center in rural Orego