In a surprise non-announcement, Apple's iPad mini with Retina display has unexpectedly gone on sale this morning. For the time being, the device is available online for shipping or with in-store pick-up.
What you can't do (yet) is just walk in and purchase one due to supply constraints and ongoing manufacturing woes as Apple is "working hard" to meet demand. Availability issues aside, what's there to get excited about the device?
For The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, the answer is simple: the iPad mini with Retina display is a no-compromise play - thou shall no longer sacrifice clarity for portability as the tablet packs in the same Retina display like its bigger brother, the iPad Air.
In fact, the only difference between the two is the screen size as the new iPad mini runs the same A7 processor that debuted on the iPhone 5s and made its way into the iPad Air. And just how speedy is the Retina iPad mini vs. the iPhone 5s and iPad Air?
Here are the first benchmark scores...