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Apple Introduces New 7.9-Inch iPad Mini Starting at $329

Tuesday October 23, 2012 11:17 am PDT by Jordan Golson
As rumored, Apple announced the new iPad mini at today's media event. The device features a 7.9-inch display with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels, measures just 7.2 millimeters thin and weighs 0.68 pounds.


Internally, the iPad Mini has a dual-core A5 processor, a Facetime HD camera on the front and a 5-megapixel camera on the rear, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, and 4G LTE cellular connectivity in some models. Despite its smaller size, the iPad mini still offers up to 10 hours of battery life.
“iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless―all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.”
With the same resolution as the iPad 2, all existing iPad apps that work on the older iPad 2 will work on the iPad mini without any need for developers to make modifications to their existing apps.

The iPad mini starts at $329 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi model, with the 32 GB Wi-Fi model priced at $429 and the 64 GB Wi-Fi model coming in at $529. The models with cellular capability cost an additional $130. All models are available in the same black/slate and white/silver color schemes seen on the iPhone 5.

Pre-orders for the iPad mini will start on Friday, October 26 with the Wi-Fi models shipping on November 2 and the cellular models starting to ship two weeks later.

Apple has also introduced new polyurethane iPad mini Smart Covers in six different colors, priced at $39 each. Apple also now has a full suite of Lightning adapters to support USB camera connections, SD cards and VGA or HDMI connectivity.

Related Roundup: iPad mini 4 (2015)
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Caution)
[ 672 comments ]


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dgdosen
60 months ago
Lack of retina means this will probably be one of the shortest product life cycles in history - maybe as short as my iPad3 :)
Rating: 73 Votes
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nickn
60 months ago
Comparing the new 32GB Nexus 7 to the 32GB Mini, the Nexus has a far faster CPU, a slightly better GPU, a standard USB port, a higher resolution screen and thus a far higher PPI, but yet costs over $180 less. Sure, the new iPad Mini will be a hit.... People will also surely love the new crApple maps app on iOS 6, which will work even better since the wi-fi mini will not a have a GPS, unlike the Nexus 7, and passbook will work great, especially with no NFC capabilities, again, unlike the Nexus 7. What a failure of a product Apple has excreted...
Rating: 69 Votes
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Irock619
60 months ago
No retina display and priced over $300 = no buy for me.
Rating: 63 Votes
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you people smh
60 months ago
They had me at hello...

...Lost me at $329
Rating: 46 Votes
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bushido
60 months ago
what about iTunes 11 sigh
Rating: 42 Votes
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audioteknika
60 months ago
This bad marketing decision is the starting point of the downfall of Apple, whether you like it or not.
Rating: 41 Votes
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MacSignal
60 months ago
iPhone 5 gets an A6 and this stays with the A5? :confused: I guess we already know something about what we can expect with the next iPad Mini update.
Rating: 37 Votes
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negrohero9
60 months ago
this is way too expensive for non retina
Rating: 36 Votes
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MMOTotal
60 months ago

Comparing the new 32GB Nexus 7 to the 32GB Mini, the Nexus has a far faster CPU, a slightly better GPU, a standard USB port, a higher resolution screen and thus far higher PPI, but yet costs over $180 less. Sure, the new iPad Mini will be a hit.... People will also surely love the new crapple maps app on iOS 6, which will work even better since the wi-fi mini will not a have a GPS, unlike the Nexus 7 and passbook will work great, especially with no NFC capabilities, again, unlike the Nexus 7. What a failure of a product Apple his excreted...


Buying a Nexus 7 would be pointless for me. It's not just about the hardware. It is that Apple has created an eco system that is damn near impossible to escape. If you have invested heavily in the Apple eco system this is a no brainer.

If you have flexibility then go with the Nexus or whatever else they are doing.
Rating: 33 Votes
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drummingcraig
60 months ago

"...manufactured to tolerances currently unheard of in our industry".

~Phil Schiller



And factory workers everywhere winced. :D
Rating: 32 Votes

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