“We’ve just taken our first in-person look at Apple’s new iPad mini with Retina display, and our first impression is that it’s an iterative change from last year — but sometimes that’s all it takes to make a great product,” Dieter Bohn reports for The Verge.
“Although it doesn’t venture far afield from what we expected, Apple has always focused at least as much on precise execution as it has on anything else — and the result of that focus is a small-sized tablet that more than holds its own against increasingly earnest competition,” Bohn reports. “The same 7.9-inch display now features four times the pixels, a full 2048 x 1536 resolution, which makes text sharp and readable. Just as importantly, it makes iOS 7 look much better than it does on the original iPad mini, which often feels a little out of place on lower resolutions.”
Bohn reports, “The overall build quality, fit, and finish on the new iPad mini is also better than any other tablet on the market — which probably explains its starting price, $399. Apple says it will be available later in November.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related article:
Apple unveils 64-bit iPad Air and 64-bit iPad mini with Retina display – October 22, 2013
MDN, This page looks pretty terrible right now. You should get someone to add this line of CSS to your WordPress theme.
iframe { max-width: 100%; }
$399? Are you fscking kidding me?
MDN you need to alter that poll on the left and add an option for jacking up the iPad mini price to $399. That’s a far worse move than hiring John Browett.
Possibly so but I will preorder mine. I suppose it helps that I make my own income and don’t depend on government cheese for my diet. I also will make a lot of money using mine so the price is a minor inconvenience.
I suppose among low income, low value android customers the difference between 329 and 399 is a big deal. Among productive and successful Apple users, the difference isn’t that big of a deal. The value of the product is what really matters.
The difference in product spec evolution is huge:
A two generation upgrade to the processor ( original iPad mini is an iPad 2 spec), camera, display ( Retina) and now, a 128GB storage option, too…
Ouch dude!
I don’t get gov. subs, but I’m pretty close to the line sometimes. I don’t eat gov. cheese, the lowest I go there is good old fashion Wisconsin Cheddar – not the yellow stuff either.
I did do well enough last year with my iPod Touch 4th Gen to get my 5S this year, so maybe I’m finally movin on up. I know my customers love it when I whip out the iDevice for them to sign another successfully completed contract, and I’ve learned it’s good business to carry around my iDevice.
I recant my lamentation. I didn’t know that the non-Retina mini will remain available for $299. I see what Apple is doing now and the price is justified.
Looks like other case of pre-mature ejac……uh brain drain…😉
Should be $249 to steal some of Samsung’s customers.
Market share is still important, even if you are making a ton of profit…
Wrong.
Market share is immaterial without profit.
Ask Dell.
Um, They didn’t “jack up” the price. They actually lowered the price of the standard iPad mini from $329 to $299, while adding a new 64 bit, A7 processor, Retina display, mini for $399.
Yeah, reducing the price for old tech is HUGE! The pricing is about Apple protecting its margins. The mini was killing the iPad, so Apple’s raised the price to make the ‘Air’ more attractive. Another failed opportunity to compete for market share. The battery life for the retina pro’s is also a shocker – only an extra hour with the has well? Well below expectations.
You’re wrong. The previous mini was already old tech compared to the previous iPad. The previous mini was non-retina and had the A5 chip while the full sized was Retina and had the A6.
The current mini and the iPad air both have the A7 and Retina, which costs more.
What’s bad about protecting margins? Anything else would be anti-capitalist.
And it’s not “failed opportunity” to compete for marketshare, it’s another glorious victory in avoiding giving in to the church of marketshare. There’s no value in marketshare per se. If you’d be following this site (or thinking at all), you’d now that by now.
There’s nothing good in producing cheap crap that people hate for no profit just to gain marketshare. Quit contrary: there’s something evil in chasing marketshare, as that equals chasing monopoly, and a monopoly is inherently evil.
You may have missed the fact that the original iPad Mini was already iPad 2 tech. It was always “old tech” as you put it.
The guts were “old tech” but such had never been put into such a compact form before. That alone makes it new. Supercomputers a number of years ago had the same processing power as laptops have now, and even the iPhone has now, does that make miniturization just “old tech” in a new form, or does it make them new tech?
I’d argue that miniturizing something is absolutely new technology. You might argue otherwise.
I put “old tech” in quotes as that was handsomesmitty’s take on it, not mine. He seems to think that lowering the price on the original iPad Mini is not a big deal, as it is “old tech”. Personally, I think that lowering the price on the iPad Mini to give a cheaper option to those who might not care about the faster A7 processor or the Retina display is a positive, just as continuing to sell the iPad 2 is (although I do personally feel that the iPad 2 pricing is too high).
Apple is the only company I know of where so many people complain about them not providing options also comes under attack when they do.
I think that you and I are actually in agreement about the original iPad mini – I personally was VERY impressed by it when it was released.
So you want 64 bit OS/Retina_Plus screen/MIMO antenna/A7 chip/M7 for free?
Yes, and it is mine (as soon as I can order it) looks like another midnight dash.
I’ll be racing you. This household will get two minis and two iPad Airs, to join our two new 5Ss. And it’s just my wife and me. The fabulous resale value of our fourth-gen iPads and her mini will take a huge bite out of the upgrade cost. It’s simple: if it is new and from Apple, it’s worth every penny.
Very disappointed in the new mini pricing, specially in my Canada with $419 starting point !
I’m getting one to replace the iPad 2 that I sold.
Do NOT complain about the price. What is packed into this device is worth it, and the price keeps it coming from Apple.
Pay and enjoy!
Absolutely agree. Pay for quality and learn to appreciate it. Or go get a cheap OS and plastic POS hardware. Your call.
If you want nice clean fresh oats, be prepared to pay a fair price.
On the other hand, if you are willing to accept the oats after they have been through the horse the price will be considerably less.