Between Apple ’s presentment at its Tuesday mechanical press result , the press releases and spec bed sheet that followed , and our all - too - abbreviated hands - on session , we ’ve been able-bodied to get a fairly good first depression of the raw iPad mini and , to a lesser extent , the quaternary - propagation iPad . So while we hold back for our review units to arrive , here ’s what we roll in the hay so far .
The iPad mini
How small is it , really ?
The iPad mini is 7.9 inches tall , 5.3 inches wide , and 0.28 in thick . For comparability , notice that the new quaternary - generation iPad measurement 9.5 by 7.3 by 0.37 inches . The iPad mini ’s volume is less than half of the big one ’s . plain , the iPad miniskirt is lighter , too , weighing 312 gram ( 11.0 snow leopard ) versus 662 g ( 23.4 ounce ) . For the sake of further comparability , Google’sNexus 7 tabletis rough 7.8 by 4.7 by 0.4 inch and weigh 340 grams ( 12.0 ounce ) , so the iPad miniskirt is a bit larger , though thinner .
What about the screen ?
The iPad mini ’s screen is 7.9 column inch on the diagonal , compared with 9.7 inches for the full - size iPad . Although it ’s smaller than the veritable iPad ’s exhibit , its sloping measurement is double that of the iPod touch ( 4 column inch ) .
The iPad mini ’s display ply the same resolve as the original iPad and the iPad 2 : 1024 by 768 pixels . That ’s much lower than the 2048 - by-1536 - pixel resolution of the Retina video display get on the third - generation and fourth - genesis iPads . The raw grandiloquent iPod touch model have 1136 - by-640 - pel resolution .
However , keep in psyche that while the first two iPads offered 1024 by 768 , they did so on 9.7 - in screens , whereas the iPad mini has the same pixel dimensions on a 7.9 - inch covert . As a answer , thepixel densityof the iPad miniskirt is considerably higher than that of the honest-to-god iPads , working out to 163 picture element per inch on the iPad miniskirt , versus 132 ppi on the iPad 2 . That ’s not even near to the 264 ppi of the third- and quaternary - contemporaries iPads or the 326 ppi of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 . But next to the iPad 2 , this is a significantly sharper screen . One other event : The on - screen keyboard could be pretty tight . We ’ll find out more when we have more - extensive work force - on fourth dimension with the gimmick .
Does the silver screen alteration mean that developers will require to create yet another version of their apps ?
gratefully , no . Because the iPad mini ’s screen has the same resolution as the screenland on the first two iPad model , iPad apps that work out with those models — meaning the Brobdingnagian majority of iPad - optimized apps — will work with the iPad mini without any developer pinch .
On the other manus , everything will be small on an iPad miniskirt ’s filmdom . If a particular app apply especially humble interface elements — button , for example — those items may be more difficult to tapdance on the iPad miniskirt . We distrust that some developer will postulate to correct their apps to be more usable on the iPad miniskirt .
So does the iPad mini feeling like a full - size of it iPad , just minor ?
Not exactly . Although the overall design is like , a few significant differences make the iPad mini unique . The most obvious is the color scheme . Apple has adopted the iPhone 5 ’s color option for the iPad miniskirt : you may get one with a silver - aluminum back , a clean screen door bezel , and shiny silvern button and transposition . Or you could go with the black / slate model , which has a slating - pitch-dark atomic number 13 back , buttons , and switches with a glistening - black screen bezel . Like the iPhone 5 , the iPad mini haschamferededges between the body and the Methedrine display .
Instead of taper to a flimsy edge where it touch the screen , the back of the iPad mini is more squared - off — like that of the original iPhone and iPod touch . And on the tenacious sides , the bezels redact the iPad mini ’s display are much narrow than those of a full - size iPad , allowing Apple to squeeze in as much screen field as possible in the iPad mini ’s little package . One touch we ’re looking onward to examination : Apple saysthat the iPad mini ’s screen “ intelligently recognize whether your thumb is simply resting on the display or whether you ’re advisedly interact with it . ”
What about the other specs ? How do those equate to the full - size iPads ?
Though many hoi polloi anticipate the iPad mini to be basically a smaller interlingual rendition of the iPad 2 , with much the same inner hardware , it ’s actuallysomewhere betweenthe iPad 2 and the current full - sizing iPad . The iPad mini uses a dual - core A5 processor , like the iPad 2 . ( Because Apple does n’t publish clock swiftness for its iPad chips , we ca n’t compare them straight off . ) It has the same FaceTime HD ( 720p ) front television camera and 5 - megapixel ( 1080p - able ) back television camera as the quaternary - coevals iPad ; compare that to the VGA - answer front camera and 960 - by-720 - pixel back photographic camera we got on the iPad 2 . Similarly , the iPad mini offers Bluetooth 4.0 , with optional LTE wireless data ; the iPad 2 included Bluetooth 2.1 , with only 3 1000 connectivity as an choice . ( The iPad mini with LTE uses the same LTE cow chip as the fourth - generation iPad does , so it ’s compatible with more common carrier than the third - genesis iPad was . ) And like the fourth - generation iPad , the iPad mini sports a Lightning connector and include Siri .
Apple say the iPad mini offer battery life history standardised to that of the full - size iPad : up to 10 hours of Wi - Fi WWW surfboarding , watch video recording , or listen to music ; or up to 9 hours of vane surfboarding over a cellular - datum connection .
In one regard , the iPad mini actually use newer applied science than the latest full - sizing model : The iPad mini have the same nano - SIM card as the iPhone 5 does , whereas all full - size iPads use the older micro - SIM visiting card .
How much does the iPad mini price ?
The iPad mini is usable in the same configurations as the quaternary - contemporaries iPad , but each manikin is $ 170 less . In other actor’s line , the 16 GB Wi - Fi model goes for $ 329 , 32 GB is $ 429 , and 64 GB is $ 529 ; adding LTE cellular data ups the price to $ 459 , $ 559 , or $ 659 , respectively . you may order one startle on Friday , October 26 . Apple suppose the iPad mini will start shipping November 2 .
Now that the iPad mini exist , why would anyone buy an iPod touch modality ?
With the 32 GB iPod touch priced at $ 299 and the 64 GB poser price at $ 399—$70 more than the entry - level iPad miniskirt — some the great unwashed are wondering why anyone would go for the iPod pinch . That ’s a valid question . But Apple would say — and we would agree , for the most part — that the markets for the two products are very different .
certain , the iPad mini offers a big screen , but the downside to such a size is that it no longer fits in your pocket . The iPod sense of touch , on the other bridge player , is still pocket-size ( 4.9 by 2.3 by 0.24 in , 3.1 ounces)—a crucial feature article for some masses . The iPod trace also offers more storage for your money , and a true Retina display . As with many matter in tech , huge and miniature both cost more , and the iPod spot is a marvel of miniaturisation . If you desire an iOS equipment with lots of warehousing and really long electric battery life that fits in your pants pocket , the iPod touch — or the iPhone , of course — is for you . If you ’re willing to give up pocketability and a good amount of battery life in Holy Order to get a much larger screen , Apple now has you covered there in a distich of unlike ways , too .
The fourth-generation iPad
What are the differences between the fourth - genesis iPad and the third - multiplication poser secrete earlier this year ?
On the exterior , the only obvious modification is that the late iPad uses Apple ’s newLightning connectorinstead of the older 30 - personal identification number dock connector . ( If you have older audio and ability accessories , you’re able to use them with the new iPad via Apple’sLightning - to-30 - tholepin adapter . ) But Apple has also advance the new iPad ’s front photographic camera to a FaceTime HD ( 720p ) version , in dividing line to the VGA - answer front camera on the third - generation iPad .
The other fully grown iPad changes are hidden indoors . First , the fourth - generation iPad boast a dual - burden A6X central processing unit with quad - core nontextual matter , a significant rise over the A5X C.P.U. in the third - genesis iPad . The new translation also has upgraded Wi - Fi circuitry : Apple claims that the fourth - coevals iPad supply up to twice the wireless performance of the third - genesis model . Specifically , the new iPad supportschannel bonding , which means that it can use two adjacent bands of the wireless spectrum , tolerate a theoretical double of the data rate . TV channel bonding can cultivate in the 2.4GHz frequency set , but you ’re much more likely to get its full advantages in the 5GHz band . ( In fact , Apple ’s own Base Stations , and many from other companies , do n’t support channel soldering — also known aswide channel — in the 2.4GHz mountain range at all , so you gain only when using the 5GHz chain . )
verbalize of radio receiver , the fresh iPad also has upgraded LTE circuitry that ’s compatible with more carriers around the world — and with Sprint in the United States .
Has the terms of the full - size of it iPad change ?
No . As common , Apple has updated the iPad railway line but kept monetary value the same . This means that the entry - level fourth - generation iPad , which includes 16 GB of depot and Wi - Fi , is $ 499 . $ 599 make you 32 GB of storage , while $ 699 buys 64 GB . If you require LTE cellular datum , you tack on $ 130 , for a total of $ 629 , $ 729 , or $ 829 , severally . The 16 GB iPad 2 — not the third - generation iPad , which has been stop — is still useable at $ 399 for the Wi - Fi interlingual rendition and $ 529 for the 3 G cellular - data example .
update 10/24/12 , 3:40pm , to correct photographic camera specification for the third - contemporaries iPad .
