The alleged 7-inch tablet which was supposed to symbolize Apple’s foray into entry-level tablet market, dominated by Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Google Nexus 7 and other local vendors of the nation has finally arrived. Yes! The guess is right. The talk is about iPad Mini – the device which has thrilled the ‘Padminis’ of India and of course, the whole tech world.
The Cupertino-based tech giant finally confirmed all the rumors and launched the light-weight tablet at the CSan Jose’s luxurious California Theatre on October 23.
The Apple officials have confirmed that the iPad Mini WiFi only version is slated to hit the global market retail shelves on November 2. Available in black and white color options, the new tablet will be available for pre-order starting October 26 in over 30 countries, where the company plans to start selling the new iPad mini first. The list includes 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 UK.
Meanwhile, Apple has not disclosed any details on the pricing and availability of iPad Mini in India, however analysts are anticipating that the new mini tablet will hit the Indian stores at the price tag of around Rs 31,874/Rs 38,819/Rs 45,763 for 16/32/64 GB Wi-Fi plus Cellular versions respectively.
At the launch event, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said, “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.”
Schiller further went on saying, “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.”
As far as the Indian tablet market is concerned, the third generation Apple tablet the New iPad 3is doing remarkable sales at a price tag starting Rs 30,000. The tablet is available in the market in 16GB/ 32GB/64GB variants priced at Rs 30,500/Rs 36,500/ Rs 42,500 for Wi-Fi only models and Rs 38,900/ Rs 44,900/ Rs 50,900 for Wi+Fi + 4G models respectively.
If you are the one, who has almost made up the mind to purchase the third generation iPad 3, wait for a moment and check out the specs comparison between the two tablets and then take your decision on whether you should buy the New iPad 3 or wait for iPad Mini to release in the Indian market arena.
Dimensions & Weight: iPad Mini is much lighter, smaller as has been unveiled boasting a dimension of 200 x 134.7 x 7.2 mm and weighs in at 308 grams, while new iPad boasts a dimension of 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm and weighs around 652 grams. Further, both tablets are made up of Anodised aluminium.
Display: iPad Mini sports a 7.9 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, hence its not Retina Display like iPad 3. On the other hand, new iPad packs a larger 9.7 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution.
However, iPad Mini flaunts a bigger screen when compared to the displays of Google Nexus 7and other smaller tablets available in the market.
Processor: In terms of processor power, there is no difference has both iPad Mini and new iPad are powered by a 1GHz dual core Apple A5 processor. Moreover, if you concerned about the processor performance iPad 3 is more powerful, however, rendering pixels requires power, especially when it is Retina Display, on the other hand, iPad Mini has much less pixels to absorb the power.
Operating System: Both iPad Mini and iPad 3 boast the same iOS 6 operating system, which means improved performance. Known to all, Apple has made iOS as simple as possible in order to make it as accessible as possible.
Camera: In terms of camera optics, both iPad Mini and new iPad are equipped with a 5MP rear camera with autofocus, however, iPad Mini has a 1.2MP front camera and new iPad houses a VGA front camera for video calling purposes and features like Skype and Facetime.
Memory: On the storage front, iPad Mini will reportedly come in four configurations – 8GB/16GB/32GB/64GB of internal storage while new iPad comes in three configurations – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Further, new iPad has 1GB RAM and iPad Mini is believed to come with 512MB RAM, which is unconfirmed.
Connectivity:
iPad mini will come with a Lightning port, the new accessory by Apple which was introduced during the launch of iPhone 5, much smaller than the “classic” 30pin dock connector. Further, the current iPad Mini that will be available only with Wi-Fi capability, the one with 3G/4G cellular wireless Internet would be introduced to the market after “mid November.
Hence, in terms of wireless connectivity, the iPad mini is more advanced as there’s a 4G compatible model. The mobile internet-enabled iPad 3 only offers 3G connectivity, which is one of the reasons why it has been replaced with the new launched iPad 4.
Battery: iPad Mini is loaded with a 16.3 watt/hour lithium polymer battery and new iPad is powered by a 42.5 watt/hour lithium polymer.
Verdict
Comparing both the tablets based on the specs, the new iPad decimates the iPad Mini in terms of predecessor only, otherwise there is not much difference between the two in performance. Also, specs mean only little in the real world. The iPad Mini is a clear fusion of the internals of iPad 2 and the case of iPod touch, but its 7.9 inch display is the attractive feature. Its light weight and ultra portable nature is going to make consumers less tiring while carrying it around. Moreover, being priced significantly lesser than the bigger models, it should be a right choice for consumers who are not really concerned on a larger display.
Do you have a different opinion on the same? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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