As expected, Apple on Tuesday unveiled the iPad Mini. The long-awaited tablet features a 7.9-inch display and comes equipped with a dual-core A5 processor, a Facetime HD camera, a Lightning connector, and a 5 megapixel camera on the back. Contrary to previous rumors, the tablet will come in both Wi-Fi and 4G flavors and will still offer 10 hours of battery life - a feat for a device that's so thin, 7.9 mm to be exact.
As expected, Apple on Tuesday unveiled the iPad Mini. The long-awaited tablet features a 7.9-inch display and comes equipped with a dual-core A5 processor, a Facetime HD camera, a Lightning connector, and a 5 megapixel camera on the back. Contrary to previous rumors, the tablet will come in both Wi-Fi and 4G flavors and will still offer 10 hours of battery life – a feat for a device that’s so light and thin, .68 pounds and 7.9 mm to be exact.
Price-wise, the base model, which is Wi-Fi only and comes with 16GB of storage, starts at $329. Clearly, Apple won’t be engaging in any price wars with the rest of the tablet field, and it’ll be interesting to see if the pricepoint is low enough to attract consumers away from the Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire, which start slightly below $199.
Notably, the iPad Mini features the same resolution as the iPad 2 (note that the Mini doesn’t feature a Retina Display) which means that developers won’t have to recalibrate their apps to get them up and running and looking nice on the newest iPad. Also worth pointing out is that the new iPad Mini supports AirPlay.
In a press release touting the arrival of the newest member to the iPad family, Apple stated:
iPad mini comes in a beautiful new aluminum and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 0.68 pounds. The 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display delivers the same iPad experience users have come to expect, in a design that has 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 percent more usable viewing area when browsing the web. The dual-core A5 chip delivers responsive graphics and a fast, fluid Multi-Touch experience, while still providing all-day battery life.
Pre orders for Apple’s new tablet will begin on October 26 with shipping anticipated to commence on November 2. Also available are new Smart Covers from Apple which will set you back an additional $39.
Here is Jony Ive introducing the iPad Mini.
And here’s a new TV ad for the iPad Mini Smart Covers.
