As expected (again), Apple announced the rumored iPad mini earlier today. Just as the name suggested, this is a mini version of the iPad. With a beautiful 7.9 inch display and 1024×768 resolution (the same resolution as the iPad 2), the iPad mini tries to maintain the iPad experience on a smaller, lighter device.
According to Apple, the iPad mini is 23% thinner, 53% lighter, and best of all, it fits in one hand.
iPad mini specifications
The iPad mini is powered by the A5 chip, FaceTime HD camera, 1080p HD recording, 7.2mm thin, and 308g in weight. It also uses the new Lightning connector (the one that is introduced in iPhone 5).
The entire enclosure body is still made in aluminium material, making the iPad mini as sleek as the original iPad.
Though the size is smaller, thankfully it can still maintain the 10 hours usage time. Unfortunately, no Retina Display on this one (yet). More can be read on Apple’s official site or by watching the Apple’s official iPad mini video:
So why would people want a mini iPad? Well, people like the iPad but some think that it’s still too big and bulky to carry around. Having a 7 inch (or 7.9) tablet makes it easier to carry around for reading books, checking emails occasionally, or to view your documents. Considering that the iPad mini is heaps smaller but still has a large screen size, the iPad mini might be the tablet of choice. When I go back home overseas again, I will most likely buy one for my mom.
iPad 4 (iPad 4th Generation)
The most surprising move, however, is that Apple also announced the iPad 4 on the same day. It’s basically the same thing with the iPad 3, but beefier. It is now powered by the new A6X chip (twice as fast as the predecessor), has the Lightning connector, and a faster Wi-Fi + dual-band support. That’s pretty much it, so I don’t really understand why they are trying to push this hard as an iPad 4. I assume they want to migrate every iOS device as quickly as possible to the Lighting connector perhaps?
Nevertheless, this might upset some iPad 3 users (which was out in about half a year ago) and who can blame them?
Will you be getting the iPad mini?
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