iPad mini
The iPad mini is the smallest iPad yet. Built around a 7.9" display, it has the same 1024 x 768 resolution as the first two iPads, yet it's small and light enough to be comfortably held in one hand. In terms of display space, the 7.9" screen has 35% more area than a 7.0" tablet - yet at the same time 30% less than the full-sized iPad.
To further reduce the Mini's footprint, it has less border along the sides of the screen (in portrait mode), where previous iPads all have the same width of border surrounding the screen. Overall, two iPad minis side-by-side are just a bit larger than a full-sized iPad.
All three models of the Mini (as well as the new iPad 4) include 802.11n WiFi on both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bands, and there are two cellular versions - both support GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA+/DC-SHSPA, but one supports LTE bands 4 and 17, while the other supports CDMA and LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25.
For peripherals, the iPad mini uses Bluetooth 4.0, and it uses Apple's new Lightning connector for data and charging, just like the iPhone 5 and 5G iPod touch introduced a month earlier.
As with the iPad 2 and later, the Mini includes two cameras - a rear facing 5 MP/1080i camera for regular photos and video plus a front facing 1.2 MP/720p FaceTime camera for video chat.
Storage capacities are 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB, just like other iPads.
Prices qwithout cellular: 16 GB, $329; 32 GB, $429; 64 GB, $529. With 3G/4G/LTE cellular: 16 GB with 3G, $459; 32 GB, $559; 64 GB, $659.
Specifications
- announced 2012.10.23; preorder 2012.10.26; non-cellular version available 2012.11.02, cellular model to follow in 2-3 weeks
- requires iOS 6 or later
- CPU: dual-core 1 GHz (?) Apple A5
- RAM: 512 MB
- Level 2 cache: 1 MB
- performance: Geekbench
- overall:
- integer:
- floating point:
- memory:
- stream:
- display: 7.9" 1024 x 768 LED backlit, 163 ppi resolution
- video out: with adapter
- flash drive: 16, 32, and 64 GB
- ports: Lightning port, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, SIM card tray (cellular models only)
- WiFi: 802.11n (supports 5 GHz band)
- Bluetooth: 4.0
- G3: UMTS/HSDPA/GSM/EDGE or CDMA
- sensors: accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass
- microphone: built in
- Battery: rated at 10 hours, one month on standby
- size: 7.87 x 5.3 x 0.28" (200 x 134.7 x 7.3 mm)
- weight
- WiFi: 0.68 lb. (308 g)
- 4G: 0.69 lb. (312 g)
Online Resources
- iPad perfect for handheld computing, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2010.02.05. You can hold the iPad in one hand and operate it with the other, giving it real advantages over a laptop computer.
- Touch shifts the Apple empire, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 2010.02.05. Apple dominates mobile computing, and it will be difficult for competitors to match the value of the iPad.
- iPad targets netbook users, iPad 'flaws' don't matter, in-page search for iPhone Safari, and more, iNews Review, 2010.02.05. Also FSF considers iPad 'iBad' for freedom, Touch Mouse app turns iPhone into wireless keyboard and trackpad, privacy screen for iPhone, and more.
- iPad should support a stylus, CoolBook quiets MacBooks, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2010.02.03. Also the iPad as a genie in a bottle, Eudora Classic 6.2, notebook battery life, and more uses for 'obsolete' technology.
- Is the iPad Apple's true successor to the 12" PowerBook?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2010.02.02. The iPad has the same 1024 x 768 display as generations of G3 PowerBooks, iBooks, and the 12" PowerBook G4 - but it offers a whole lot more than any laptop ever has.
- The iPad shows the failure of journalism, Jason Walsh, Mac Life, 2010.02.02. Tech pundits latch on to every perceived shortcoming of Apple's iPad while looking to it to save the publishing industry.
- iPad a better choice than a netbook, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 2010.02.01. Apple's iPad is a new category of product explicitly designed for getting work done on the go.
- The iPad changes the mobile game, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2010.01.29. The iPad goes beyond Apple's Newton and iPod touch legacy to create a new and compelling mobile platform.
- iPad score card, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2010.01.29. Apple's iPad is almost everything expected, but there are areas where it comes up short.
- iPad to kill off laptops?, office app with Google Docs integration, SpotACop app, and more, iNews Review, 2010.01.29. Also iPad pros and cons, AutoPark helps avoid parking tickets, WhiteHouse.gov: Anywhere, Dragon Dictation reviewed, first iPad bags announced, and more.
- iPad priced from $499, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2010.01.27. The 9.7" iPad has a custom 1 GHz Apple CPU, runs iPhone apps, ships in 60 days, and defines a whole new category of products.
- Making the computer even more personal, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2010.01.25. Portability and wireless networking make computing on the go easier and more personal than ever.
- Why I didn't wait for the Apple tablet, Jason Walsh, Mac Life, 2010.01.20. Jason Walsh explains why he bought Dell Mini and made a 'Hackintosh' of it rather than waiting for Apple's new mobile computer.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
The Vintage Mac Museum
Deal Brothers
DealMac
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Macgo Blu-ray Player
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay