Apple today introduced iPad mini, a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance¹ and an incredible 10 hours of battery life²―every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand. Apple today also announced the fourth generation iPad featuring a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.
“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, in the press release. “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.”
iPad mini comes in a beautiful new aluminum and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 0.68 pounds. The 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display delivers the same iPad experience users have come to expect, in a design that has 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 percent more usable viewing area when browsing the web. The dual-core A5 chip delivers responsive graphics and a fast, fluid Multi-Touch experience, while still providing all-day battery life.
iPad mini features a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5 megapixel iSight camera on the back with advanced optics for taking sharp still pictures and recording full 1080p HD video. The iSight camera includes video image stabilization and both cameras feature backside illumination to let users capture great pictures in low light. iPad mini also allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.
iPad mini features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for speeds up to 150 Mbps,³ which is twice the Wi-Fi performance compared to previous iPad models. iPad mini is available in Wi-Fi + Cellular models which are world-ready with built-in support for ultrafast wireless standards, including LTE¹ and DC-HSDPA, so you can browse, download and stream content fast from wherever you are. iPad mini data plans will be available with no contract so you can simply sign up and activate service directly from your iPad.⁴ The Personal Hotspot feature means you can share a fast cellular data connection via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB with up to five other devices such as MacBook Pro, iPod touch or another iPad.⁵
The new fourth generation iPad features the amazing 9.7-inch Retina display and includes a new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip, all while delivering an incredible 10 hours of battery life in the same thin and light iPad design. Other new features include a FaceTime HD camera, twice the Wi-Fi performance when compared to previous iPad models and support for additional LTE carriers worldwide.⁶
iPad mini and fourth generation iPad both feature support for the Lightning connector that is smaller, smarter and more durable than the 30-pin connector. Lightning connector accessories are available to support cameras, SD cards and VGA or HDMI digital video.⁷ Existing iPad Smart Covers and the iPad Smart Case are compatible with fourth generation iPad, and new polyurethane Smart Covers custom-designed for iPad mini are available in pink, green, blue, light gray, dark gray and (PRODUCT) RED for $39.
iPad runs over 700,000 apps available on the App Store, including more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad, from a wide range of categories including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. iPad also supports the more than 5,000 newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand and the more than 1.5 million books available on the iBookstore. The iTunes Store® puts the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store at your fingertips with a catalog of over 26 million songs, over 190,000 TV episodes and over 45,000 films. The new iBooks® app for iPad lets users read ebooks in over 40 languages. iBooks also lets users experience an entirely new kind of ebook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. Ebooks created with Apple’s new iBooks Author offer gorgeous, fullscreen ebooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, custom fonts, mathematical expressions and much more.
Pricing & Availability
iPad mini with Wi-Fi models will be available in black & slate or white & silver on Friday, November 2, for a suggested retail price of $329 (US) for the 16GB model, $429 (US) for the 32GB model and $529 (US) for the 64GB model. The fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi models will also be available on Friday, November 2, in black or white for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad will be sold through the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular and fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will start shipping a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models, beginning in the US on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered for a suggested retail price of $459 (US) for the 16GB model, $559 (US) for the 32GB model and $659 (US) for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will be offered for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. Additionally, iPad 2 is available at $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model where they are sold now.
Customers can begin pre-ordering all models of iPad mini and all models of the fourth generation iPad on Friday, October 26 through the Apple Online Store in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
¹LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details.
²Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
³Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.
⁴Only available on some carriers.
⁵Personal Hotspot requires supporting data plan. Customers should check with their carrier for availability.
⁶LTE is available through select carriers.
⁷Sold separately.
Source: Apple Inc.
Disappointed with the price.
+1. I really thought the max should have been $299. I think thats an important psychological price point. Does Apple really need an extra $30 per unit?? I’m surprised. We’ll see…..
just lay off the starbucks for a few days and you will be able to afford the extra $30 🙁
1
Starbucks or not, this is too expensive for the price point needed to be competitive in this “price sensitive” area.
Things like food, rent and kids’ shoes compete here.
Tbone, if a consumer is facing a decision between food, shelter and kids clothes vs an iPad mini then any price point is probably too high.
To each is own I guess and since in heavy in aapl, go for it.
Just remember to look at your kid in the eyes (and not your new iPad mini) when they ask why there’s no dinner or why they can’t get a winter coat.
Let’s be honest. An iPad for $329 is more than likely going to far outsell any other iPad ever released (especially with nearly an 8 inch retina display, LTE capabilities, and full access to all of the already existing full-size iPad apps). Again, Apple doesn’t really have much competition from it’s supposed rivals. Think of all the education institutions and teenagers (Including young college kids ) who can’t afford full size iPads and will want this product. I think the people complaining about the price are thinking more towards what they want to pay and not what they’re WILLING to pay!
Yeah, I’m with you pretty much. It certainly does seem to be a psychological pricing point. I thought $249 would’ve been a killer price but I really thought that it would be $299. But I have no idea the cost of making the many which does matter. Apple is in business to make money so they need to keep their margins up. They can’t give it away like Amazon does just to bring in customers. We’ll just have to guess that Apple did it’s homework and they think that people will buy at this price. And people will buy it. And if you keep your margins up perhaps it doesn’t matter if you sell as many as long as you still make a profit. I wonder………….. if Apple will be able to have a better forecast on Thursday for the first quarter since they will be able to include the iPad mini at this price with higher margin? That might work out nicely. But obviously they would have sold more minis at $249. But with all the features of the new mini perhaps they just couldn’t sell it that inexpensively? I have faith in the folks at Apple. And I am no fanboy. In six months we may look back and say $329 was perfect. I think so.
I’m also surprised they did not start at $299 for the reason mentioned above.
Apple has notoriously high margins, so I thought they might trim it a little for Mini to get closer to the competition. Apple has never really chased prices, so I guess it was to be expected. Also, I think many of the other sellers have trimmed their margins significantly. I’m sure Amazon is happy to break even (I don’t know that they are not making a profit, just speculating) to draw people to buy products via Amazon. Sure, Apple sells stuff, too, but I think they rely more on profit from hardware than Amazon or Google.
It will not stop a single buyer from purchasing the mini. Apple puts out by far the best product and should be priced accordingly.
What a ridiculous statement. Of course it will stop people from buying – the question is how many and if the improved margins justify it, along with the supply they are able to produce.
Perfectly stated. Not slanted either way, just the perfect honest observation. Best post I have seen a long time.
I’m more concerned about the continuation of the $100 for each storage bump.
Totally agree
Very disappointed with the price of the iPad Mini and that they are releasing an iPad “4” so soon after the 3rd generation. Apparently my 3rd gen will not have the same shelf life of the 1 and 2. That is a shame. And does this mean there will be no iPad announcement mid next year or will there be one and we are just starting to see a 6 month product refresh cycle for the iPad?
Why do you assume your iPad 3 won’t have the same “shelf life”. I see nothing in today’s announcements that changes that. Until today, it was the most powerful iPad ever. Today, it’s the second most powerful. No doubt you can still get at least a couple of years out of it, and then still sell it for decent money. There is just no reason to start worrying.
There you have. Start the whining on record time. But how proud and lucky you felt when you brought your iPad 3rd gen home, don’t you remember? Let’s ask Apple to linger a couple of years its technology development just for your ego’s sake. You have your joy, let us have ours. And if you’re an Apple fan, you should be use to its technology pace by now.
7 months is not Apple’s typical technology pace.
I think this is as much about getting Samsung out of the supply chain as anything else so might not affect another update next spring we shall see. Side effect is to up specs to fend off RT tabs which can’t b a bad thing. Gonna be a serious downer for the competition from any direction.
This is upgraded so it doesn’t have the same hardware as the mini. The bigger brother iPad has to have the premium specs so not to be canibalized.
Your iPad (3rd Gen) will not be obsolete because you will still be able to get iOS updates for 3 years. That is what makes the (I) devices obsolete!
Agreed. People buy the knock-off iPads, Kindle fire and the like, not because they want them, but because they are cheap. By making this product more than $100 more than the 7 inch competition, I think they have priced themselves out of the market. At 250, they would have sucked all the oxygen out of the room, 299, would have been expected, but this price point is enough to make the buyer on a budget pass. I have an iPad 3, and have love it, but I don’t see the appeal of this model, at this high price.
This sort of reminds me of the bad old days of apple when they were selling Performa computers at Sears. If you remember, they were 4 year old CPU’s in a confusing array of models and numbers. Riding and profiteering on the innovation of the past. I think the current iPad line up is confusing, and disappointing. A Touch that costs nearly as much as a Mini, a Mini that can cost as much as a 4, and only a little less than a 2, but what happened to the 3? Bla… I’m Just saying.
For someone who is ‘just saying’, you sure are full of clueless opinions. If you think they would have ‘sucked all the oxygen out of the room’ at $250, how much more like the vacuum of space (or your head) would they have at $5 each? The bill of materials has been estimated at $200 or so and leaves little for any profit. AAPL is not a charity for your own selfish purposes.
I want the mini, the ipad 4, and i think ill take a imac also.
I think you don’t see the whole picture. Apple can’t price its products like everybody else’s crap; it’s not in its DNA. This is a piece of technology art at an affordable price. People don’t buy Amazon’s or Samsung’s tablets because of price, not all of them; they buy it because of size, comfort, mobility. When they know that for some few dollars more they can have the best tablet in the world at the perfect size for their convenience, they will pay the difference because they can tell the difference. I can hear Samsung crying out loud.
Interesting to see Bertrand Serlet in the audience.
I was wondering the same.
I saw him also. Always like him.
Interesting to see Apple’s largest single shareholder in the middle of the audience: Laurene Powell Jobs.
I just can’t believe the iPad 3S announcement. I bought the new iPad on day one. They couldn’t at least include the lightning connector 6mo ago? Ugh.
Now you are just suffering the disease called “the new product envy”
I thought I saw Bertrand Serlet. I did, I did! (Wish he could present.)
Maybe that was Derek Currie? Oh wait, that’s right he said the iPad mini wasn’t going to happen. What a troll!
What’s the name of that biker gang on Sons of Anarchy? I think they call themselves SAMCROW?
I am so glad that they didn’t introduce a tiny 7.85″ iPad mini. The decided to go with a large 7.9″ iPad.
Too bad BLN. No tiny iPad mini for you.
… and no denial that the iPad mini is real for you.
It is a fig newton of your imagination. They aren’t real.
Kids will go batshit over this. And $29 more dollars than $299. WTF Who cares, cheapskates! I’m down for 2 minis.
excuse me, $30 more.
…and AAPL’s down 15 points. WTF?
Wall street wanted a sub $300 ipad.
When Wall St. learns how to be productive and innovative, it will have the right to an opinion.
Until then it should pucker up…
Wall Street is infected.
I would have priced at $299 because of the psychological consumer reaction .
Also to just crush my competitors and own the mini market… Which by default (based on the recent past ) would also mean I own mobile browsing. It is probably good that I am not the Apple CEO because I would not be able to resist the chance to finally put the big hurt on Google NOW by severely reducing their mobile ad/search revenue.
Tim will eventually succeed in doing this but it will take longer.
Is it just me or are Apple now going by the way of MSFT with their naming conventions:
iPad
iPad 2
New iPad
iPad 4th Generation with Retina Display
Wtf?
it is you.
Let me show you…..
iPad, iPad2, iPad3……….here, they decided to change convention to be same as iMac (for example)
New iPad, iPad (4th gen), iPad (5th Gen), iPad (6th Gen)….etc.
It’s that simple.
Thank the gods it is not only 8 gigs. Going to wait for rev1 though. LOVE the size.
I am so happy for Ballmers Left Nut, he must be so happy at the new ipad mini release
-$10 nice to see the stock market reacting so well to the new products 🙁
Is that crow I smell cooking for Wall Street? Looks like it will be ready for dinner in about 3-4 weeks… Right after Apple gives initial sales numbers.
Why sell cheaper? With the current price they will sell everything they can produce anyway. Lower price would only cause immense demand that they would not be able to fulfill.
Very good point. It’s hard to argue with “we’re selling all we can make”. It’s too bad that somebody doesn’t like it because the stock is in the toilet big-time. I saw Gene Munster on CNBC state that he thought Apple was down due to the iPad sales for the last quarter. I’m guessing he calculated that by the 100 million iPad sales thrown out of there by Tim Cook. That could be? But I think the $329 price is not very popular with the street. That could change once higher margins are factored in.
Disappointed not widescreen! Very!
The letter boxing in the 4:3 7.9″ display is as big as the widescreen you would have got in an alternately designed iPad Mini.
Think of it this way….you got your wide screen display and a bit MORE!
Look, it is THE premium tablet. Apple products are a Value proposition, not the price leader. For overall satisfaction and usability, enough will be willing to pay a bit more for the iPad mini. Everyone else can still settle for Android or a limited purpose Kindle.
True. I think selling at $299 or less makes it sound like they are trailing in the race to the bottom ($199). The price $329 says “hey, this isn’t any cheap tablet, it’s an iPad”.
Both of my kids want one!
Have done a deal with them, they have a lot of chores to do then I will buy them one each.
I’m being sbit clever though, gonna pay for them from my business bank account and claim back the tax 🙂
The advantage of being a business owner :)))
Any idea what time on Friday they open the store for the mini?
Pricing is fine for the mini. $30 won’t be a deal breaker for most people.
I’m pleasantly surprised with the iPad 4G release. That shows some moxy and also solves the issue with the connector.
Crazy that they keep a 2 gen old iPad Around for sale but not the last gen. I would think you’d keep the iPad 3 at the $399 price point and not the iPad 2.
I think they kept that around because they talked a lot about how the mini has the same processor and screen resolution as the iPad 2. That way the mini specs don’t seem much lower when compared to the rest of the iPad lineup.
Bunch of idiots who are disappointed with the price…just how dumb are you? Did you forget a 16gig iPad 2 cost $600?
You get 1/4th less for half that price and better specs and processor…Dufusbag crybabies…your grill and massager cost more!
Silly me, I was impressed by the use of Joy Division as the backing music for the iPad mini commercial. “Love will Tear Us Apart”. Excellent!!
Note that they can always lower the price if they want – but they could never raise it!
I ordering the Mini wi-fi with 64g. Happy birthday to me!
iPad 2 16 GB is $399? Hello?!! Go learn some manners!