Apple Debuts Stacked Holiday Lineup: iPad mini, iPad 4, New iMac, Retina MacBook Pro 13'', & Updated Mac mini

The Apple event that'll finally confirm or squash all the rumors will start at 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT, so it won't be long until we find out whether or not there indeed will be an iPad mini, or an updated 9.7-inch iPad, or new Retina MacBooks, redesigned iMac or Mac mini, or all of the above!

Stay tuned to this space to learn what Apple has in store for the rest of the year. If you'd like to follow along, Apple has a live stream. It should be available on Apple.com if you have Safari 4+ on Mac OSX, and iOS 4.2+, as well as the new Apple TV events channel.

• The announcer says that the event will be starting shortly and to turn all devices to silent mode. The Apple flood into all tech news for the rest of the day starts now.
• Not into it? Read our in-depth test of Piledriver.
• Tim Cook is on stage. As usual, he starts with some business updates. Lots of hyperboles about how great the iPhone 5 is doing. 5 million sold in the first weekend, breaking records for all smartphones. Now a promo video of the iPhone 5 launch showing the super excited Apple faithful.
• Now a recap of Mountain Lion and iOS 6, and how they're working together. How long will it be before they'll be the same OS?
• Cook talks about iBooks. 1.5 million books, 400 million sold. Today a new version of iBooks that has continuous vertical scrolling, like a long webpage. No more page turns if you don't like it. You can now highlight quotes in your books and even tap to share to your Twitter or Facebook.
• Cook says that the Mac has been outgrowing the PC by 7x, or 15% vs 2% growth recently.
• Phil Schiller on stage to talk about Macs. "Today is a big day for Mac." Yep, there is a 13" MacBook Pro with a new slim design. 0.75-inches thin. 3.57 lbs, almost a pound lighter than the older one.
• 2560x1600 in a 13-inch screen. IPS panel. That's the same resolution on today's 30" top monitors.
• Backlit keyboard, dual mics, massive batteries on the inside.
• Ivy Bridge, integrated graphics only. If you want discrete graphics, it'll be the 15".
• $1699, shipping today. All the existing models will still be there at the lower price points.
• Next, Mac mini Ivy Bridge refresh. Schiller jokes: "You knew there'd be something called mini in this presentation didn't you?" Shipping today.
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• Brand new iMac, with a 5mm thin edge. It's super, super thin compared to the old one. But do people really need a super slim AIO on a desk?
• Made it tons thinner by laminating the glass and scrapping the optical drive. External optical drive
• Not retina, so even the 13" Retina MacBook Pros have higher resolution screen than the 27" iMac.
• IPS panels are individually calibrated, so that should make graphic artists happy.
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• Nvidia Kepler GPU. GT 640M on the entry level. GT 660M on higher-end.
• Apple now offering hybrid drive options, but it is calling it the "Fusion Drive". It optimizes the common files on the flash. Yes, the PC world has a lot to say about this, we know.
• Cook is back on stage, boasting that Apple has sold it's 100 millionth iPad. Lots of talk about how well iPad is going in education and textbooks. Also how well it is doing well in the business world. While Android is super competitive against all other platforms on smartphones, the iPad is clearly running away with it on tablets.
• Another thing is clear: Tim Cook is getting better at stressing hyperboles.
• iPad 4th Gen. A6X chip -- 2x the performance over the A5X in the old "new iPad".
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• Lightning connector, new Wi-Fi chip, FaceTime HD camera. Expanded LTE to cover more carriers worldwide.
• Yes, there is an iPad mini. "You can hold it in one hand" 7.2mm thin. It looks like a massive Samsung Galaxy Note.
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• 7.9-inch, 1024x768.
• 0.68 lbs.
  
• With the same resolution as iPad 2, all the old apps work perfectly without change.
• Schiller is comparing the iPad mini against the Nexus 7. Uh oh, fightin' words.
• Thanks the 4:3 ratio, Apple is pointing out how much nicer it is to browse in landscape mode.
• Again, Apple harps on the iPad-optimized apps vs the blown up phone Android apps. Apple's not wrong on this front. Android needs help on the tablet apps.
• Uses the A5 chip, just like the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.
• Regular non-HD front camera. 5MP camera on the back, probably same as the iPad 3.
• Lightning connectors all around. 10 hour battery life, just like the new iPad 4.
• Starts at 16 GB at $329. Android's $200-$250 range is safe.
• Preorders for iPad mini and iPad 4 start this Friday, October 26. Wi-Fi shipping November 2.
• And that's a wrap! Expect Apple Stores to be packed this holiday season.