iPad Mini with Retina Display Now on Sale

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

Apple's newly announced iPad Mini 2 is now on sale.

Apple's Retina display iPad Mini is officially on sale. Whispers started late last night after the company's online Apple store went down for updates. Sure enough, when the store came back, it brought with it the brand new iPad Mini.

Announced last month alongside the iPad Air, Apple talked less about the iPad Mini than it did the new iPad Air, though the iPad Mini's upgrades are not insignificant. The second generation iPad Mini received the Retina display everyone missed with the introduction of the first generation iPad Mini as well as the iPhone 5S's A7 SoC.

Full specs include that all important 7.9-inch 2048 x 1536 (326 ppi) display, Apple's 64-bit A7 SoC, up to 128 GB of flash storage, a 5-megapixel iSight camera, a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, LTE (optional), and a 23.8-watt-hour battery. 

Available in 'Space Gray' and plain old silver, the iPad Mini starts at $399 for the 16 GB model and goes right up to $699 for the 128 GB model. It’s also available in 32 GB ($499) and 64 GB ($599) capacities. The 16 GB and 32 GB models are currently shipping in 1-3 business days while the 64 GB and 128 GB models are shipping out in 5 - 10 business days. The LTE models (priced at $529, $629, $729, and $829 for the 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB models, respectively) are also shipping out in 5 - 10 days.

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Jane McEntegart
16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • stevejnb
    Eh, obviously, unless you *really* want iOS on your tablet, this is a bum deal for hardware. But, iOS offers a distinct experience that some people really value so, for those people, Apple can name their price.
    Reply
  • house70
    Too expensive for something that is trying to catch up with Nexus 7. For a screen that is 0.9 " larger one would have to pay twice the price? The fact that you're stuck with an inferior OS doesn't help, either.
    I guess we'll find out pretty soon whether Apple is using the same borked sensors as in iPhone5S or not.
    Reply
  • stevejnb
    House, I'm not exactly an iOS fan, but "inferior OS" is kind of in the eye of the beholder. As someone who considers Windows RT a better tablet OS than either of them, I hear people going on and on about "ZOMG but it only has 100,000 apps LOL" - if you consider this sound reasoning, well, iOS DOES have more apps than Android. What's more, Apple does have a remarkably well integrated system along with a bunch of services that are Apple only that people have invested a lot of money and hours into.

    Apple is my #3 choice for a lot of reasons, but I don't actually believe it's an inferior OS. Android has a good host of issues that make it less than ideal for a lot of people.
    Reply
  • house70
    11921653 said:
    House, I'm not exactly an iOS fan, but "inferior OS" is kind of in the eye of the beholder. As someone who considers Windows RT a better tablet OS than either of them, I hear people going on and on about "ZOMG but it only has 100,000 apps LOL" - if you consider this sound reasoning, well, iOS DOES have more apps than Android. What's more, Apple does have a remarkably well integrated system along with a bunch of services that are Apple only that people have invested a lot of money and hours into.

    Apple is my #3 choice for a lot of reasons, but I don't actually believe it's an inferior OS. Android has a good host of issues that make it less than ideal for a lot of people.

    I don't consider the number of apps. Rather, I take into account the opinion of a whole host of users that have migrated from iOS due to it's inherent limitations, as well as the fact that lately the only significant advancements made were copied straight from Android (because, you know, they were out in the open and free for grabs, so to speak). There are plenty of people that quit iOS after they "upgraded" to version 7, so this is not only my opinion.
    As far as the integration goes, I'll give it that, and I can certainly understand why someone who has invested rather heavily into it will be reluctant to switch to anything else and start all over. That being, said, I think the numbers of deserters has never been greater.
    I have said it before: if Apple could prove me wrong, I would give them another chance; so far they've tailed to do so. Just as likely (or even more likely) would be for me to switch to Windows Phone, provided they had the few important professional apps I use (which used to be supported in Win Mobile, but not anymore in WinPhone, for some reason).
    Reply
  • stevejnb
    House, anecdotal evidence isn't worth much, and I actually know of the phenomenon you're saying with the migration from iOS to Android. The problem is, I was an Android user for years - heck, I'm actually listening to a book being read to me on my trusty old Le Pan II tablet as I type this - and I convinced more than a few previously iOS user to give Android a try with their next phone. More than a few of them aren't thanking me for it. Simply put, a lot of people like the fire-and-forget nature of Apple and that it, far ahead of Android, spoon-feeds you your experience so you don't have to think about it much. This is, for a lot of people who don't really like having to wrestle with their machines even at the cost of notably superior functionality, is a huge selling point. Honestly, for me, if I were recommending a tablet or phone to my grandmother, it would be an iPhone/iPad. The greater potential functionality isn't worth the greater potential headache for some people.

    It's a big like comparing a Windows PC to a Mac. Windows is a far more capable platform when looking at complete potential, but you're far more likely to run into hardware/software issues on a Windows machine compared to a Mac. Choose your poison. Most people prefer the Windows experience, but, I know more than a few people who are well aware of what using Windows is like, but they prefer Mac computers. Android vs iOS, same deal.

    And yeah, I agree - the number of apps doesn't really matter if it has what you want. The thing is, just take a look around this forum when someone mentions Windows RT and you'll immediately see people crawling out of the woodwork to proclaim "BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE AS MANY APPS AS ANDROID OR IOS LOLZORS!." Evidently, the app-number p!$$ing contest does matter to a lot of people.
    Reply
  • house70
    11922002 said:
    House, anecdotal evidence isn't worth much, and I actually know of the phenomenon you're saying with the migration from iOS to Android. The problem is, I was an Android user for years - heck, I'm actually listening to a book being read to me on my trusty old Le Pan II tablet as I type this - and I convinced more than a few previously iOS user to give Android a try with their next phone. More than a few of them aren't thanking me for it. Simply put, a lot of people like the fire-and-forget nature of Apple and that it, far ahead of Android, spoon-feeds you your experience so you don't have to think about it much. This is, for a lot of people who don't really like having to wrestle with their machines even at the cost of notably superior functionality, is a huge selling point. Honestly, for me, if I were recommending a tablet or phone to my grandmother, it would be an iPhone/iPad. The greater potential functionality isn't worth the greater potential headache for some people.

    It's a big like comparing a Windows PC to a Mac. Windows is a far more capable platform when looking at complete potential, but you're far more likely to run into hardware/software issues on a Windows machine compared to a Mac. Choose your poison. Most people prefer the Windows experience, but, I know more than a few people who are well aware of what using Windows is like, but they prefer Mac computers. Android vs iOS, same deal.

    And yeah, I agree - the number of apps doesn't really matter if it has what you want. The thing is, just take a look around this forum when someone mentions Windows RT and you'll immediately see people crawling out of the woodwork to proclaim "BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE AS MANY APPS AS ANDROID OR IOS LOLZORS!." Evidently, the app-number p!$$ing contest does matter to a lot of people.

    I see your point; basically, there are people that prefer to be able to choose their configurations/devices to their liking, even if it entails some thinking, and there are people that prefer to just be enrolled in the look-alike cohorts. I would not have much against that, because not everyone is technically oriented, but when the OS upgrades come tainted by usability problems (bad sensors, headache-inducing rendering, even BSODs), I can also understand the ones that have decided to switch.
    Given the fact that the majority of people still prefer to have a choice when it comes to how they use/setup their computers (be it PCs, smartphones etc.), I still have some faith in mankind ( I guess searching for options/solutions is what differentiates us from other species).

    And all that still does not change the fact that the iPad Mini is way overpriced, and it gets away with it simply because it represents a monopolistic technology, so to speak. Lack of options forces users to pay whatever price for the (only) device on the market.
    Reply
  • COLGeek
    Love it, or hate it, but it will likely sell by the bucket load.
    Reply
  • ericburnby
    No desire to use Android. My iPad can do per-app VPN and single sign on (along with other Enterprise features) that Android can't unless I'm willing to give up my freedom.

    My daughters would also shoot me. Right now they can mix down 48 tracks of digital audio on the iPad or connect their MIDI keyboards to play along with pre-recorded tracks. Android can't because it's useless at handling audio or MIDI.

    But hey, it has widgets and other amazing features. It just can't do the heavy lifting my iPad can.
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    This tablet has a A7 processor, a lean OS and display that outclasses other competing tablets out there. I doubt the sanity of someone that claims this hardware is a ripoff for $400, especially considering the iOS7 + A7 results in the fastest mobile SoC so far.

    Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Apple-iPhone-5s-performance-review-CPU-and-GPU-speed-compared-to-top-Android-phones-benchmarks_id47739#trex2
    Reply
  • house70
    11923701 said:
    ... or shut your pie hole.

    Not gonna happen. Now run back to your mommy and cry a bit because grownups won't listen to you, lololol.
    Reply