By Alex Brooks iPad mini | Image courtesy of Apple
Apple today announced both the new iPad mini and a brand new updated version of the larger 9.7-inch iPad. Ahead of the announcement of the new iPads Apple took the opportunity to discuss iPad sales and related content. During the keynote CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple has recently sold its 100 millionth iPad and growth of iPad sales continue to outgrow that of the PC market 15% to 2%.
Apple also announced a new version iBooks with continuous scrolling, iCloud syncing and sharing options via Facebook and Twitter. Apple also released an update to iBooks Author to continue in the proliferation of Textbooks in the education market.
Before revealing the new iPad mini Apple surprised many by releasing an all new iPad, dubbing it the iPad 4th generation. iPad 4 includes a new A6X system-on-chip, expanded LTE compatibility and features the new Lightning connector. Apple claims that the A6X includes twice the CPU and GPU performance than the A5X found in the iPad 3.
iPad mini in hand | Image courtesy of Apple
As expected Apple also revealed the new iPad mini, a smaller iPad featuring a 7.9-inch display with the same 1024 x 768 resolution as the original iPad meaning that all apps will work on day one. The iPad mini is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the larger iPad and still includes 10 hours of battery life.
The iPad mini has an Apple dual-core A5 SoC, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi and global LTE.
The 7.9-inch display delivers the same iPad experience in a design that has 35 percent more screen real estate than other 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 percent more usable viewing area when browsing the web in landscape mode.
Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 alongside the 4th generation iPad and iPad mini.
The iPad mini and all models of the fourth generation iPad will be available to pre-order 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.
WiFi models of the iPad mini and iPad will be available on November 2.
The iPad mini starts at $329 (£269) for the 16GB WiFi model and tops out at $529 (£529) for the 64GB WiFi model. Cellular iPad minis carry a $130 price increase.
Source: World of Apple
