As you probably know by now, the iPad mini finally materialized this morning. Apple's SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller unveiled the long-rumored tablet at the company's San Jose media event.
Pre-orders begin this Friday, October 26th, and Wi-Fi models will start shipping on November 2nd. And if you're looking for a way to protect your $300 investment, Apple has you covered...
Apple has just announced the iPad mini and this is what it looks like. It's got a 7.9-inch display with the same resolution as the iPad 2, is made out of aluminum and glass with diamond cut chamfered edges. "It's every inch an iPad", Phil Schiller said and I approve. Lots more info, images from Apple's press conference and some gorgeous press shots are all right past the fold...
Well it's finally happened folks. After years of speculation and anticipation, Apple has announced the iPad mini. As expected, it has a 7.9-inch display, front and back cameras, and an LTE option.
Phil Schiller just announced that pre-orders for the tablet start this Friday, October 26th. And the Wi-Fi only versions will start shipping November 2nd, and + cellular models a week later.
So what's Apple going to charge for this thing?
The iPad mini's 7.9-inch display is packed inside what The Verge's Joshua Topolsky deemed “an incredibly thin and light design”. Part of that design: the skinnier side bezels that we first caught a glimpse of in early mockups. The problem is, there's no way your thumb could rest on the side bezels without touching the display.
Enter Apple's multitouch expertise. When Steve Jobs was unveiling the iPhone in January 2007, he praised its multitouch user interface for being able to detect and ignore unintended taps and swipes. "It's super smart", he quipped.
It's all done in iOS and Apple had to refine its multitouch software so the iPad mini can automatically figure out when your thumb is simply resting on the display instead of interacting with the gizmo...
For the first time in more than 5 years, Apple offered up a live stream of this morning's media event to the public. So if you had an Apple TV, iPhone, or were at your computer, you could watch the event unfold live.
But if for some reason or another you didn't catch the live feed, we have some good news for you. Apple has just posted the video to its website and it's now available for playback. More details after the break...
So, the iPad mini is finally here. After all is said and done, the decision to buy one comes down to parting with at least $329 (or as much as $659 for a top-of-the-line model with 64 gigabytes of storage and 4G LTE cellular). You've probably read all there is about it, both here at iDB and on Apple's web site. Today, we won't ask you to reveal your purchasing decision. Instead, based on Apple's presentation and web reporting, is the iPad mini everything you hoped for? Cast your vote right below...
Apple made a number of big announcements at its media event this morning, including some new computers, and of course the iPad mini. But one revelation that seems to have flown under the radar is a new carrier deal.
Sprint is now (finally) an official iPad partner. The company just pushed out a press release a few moments ago stating that in the coming weeks, it will be offering LTE versions of the 4th gen iPad, and the iPad mini...
With Apple's dual-core A5 chip, the same found inside the iPad 2, the iPad mini has enough horse power to drive existing apps because pixel count didn't change: the device still features a 1,024-by-768 pixel resolution screen like the iPad 2. As a consequence of the smaller display, the pixels are more densely packed, yielding crisper images and fonts.
Its 7.9-inch display is rated at 163 pixels per inch versus 132ppi for the iPad 2 (264ppi for the iPad 3 and 216ppi for the Nexus 7). Taking it all in, The Verge had a chance to briefly play with the new gizmo after Apple's events, here are their impressions and a nice hands-on video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qL0UlqpfuQc
This is the iPad mini promo video that Apple played during today's event. While this video has been available all day on Apple's website, the company just published it on its YouTube channel. Enjoy!
As we always do at iDB, here is a comparison image pitting the iPad mini vs the iPad 2 vs the iPad with Retina Display.
How does the new iPad mini stack up to its bigger brethren? Take a look at the full comparison inside...
Now that we know all about the new iPad mini, its features, and its price tag, it's time to take a look at the technical specifications of the tablet. How is it going to measure up to Apple's other devices performance-wise?
Phil Schiller breezed over this a bit on stage, saying that the iPad mini was equal to or better than the iPad 2 in almost every way. And to prove it, Apple's just posted a full list of iPad mini tech specs on its website...
I've been asked a few times about Siri's presence of the new iPad mini. Yes, Siri will be included out of the box on the new iPad mini. Apple even has screenshots of Siri in action on their iPad mini page.
Check after the break for a few more screenshots of Siri in action for the iPad mini...