October 22, 2013

Apple Reveals The iPad Air & iPad mini 2 With Retina Display

October 22, 2013/ Nir Schneider

As expected, Apple has unveiled a couple of new iPads today. The highly anticipated fifth-generation iPad has been rebranded as the new iPad Air, and sports an identical iPad mini-like design with a narrower bezel that is 20% slimmer and significantly lighter than its iPad 4 predecessor weighing only a single pound. As expected from leaked parts, the new iPad Air will be offered in two flavors, silver with a white front bezel and in Space Gray which is replacing the darker black slate color to match Apple's iPhone 5s offerings. Sorry, not glamorous gold matching iPads for you.

The new iPad Air features the same 9.7-inch IPS Retina Display as before, but comes with a few other new internal hardware improvements like a 64-bit A7 processor with an M7 motion co-processor with Open GL ES version 3.0 support for enhanced graphics making the iPad Air twice as fast as its predecessor, advanced MIMO WiFi technology enabling faster data rates nearly doubling the WiFi performance, and an improved rear facing 5-megapixel camera with better low-light performance plus a new dual-microphone array. Disappointingly, Touch ID remains to be an iPhone 5s exclusive for now.

October 23, 2012

Apple Posts iPad Mini Video

October 23, 2012/ Nir Schneider

In case you've missed Apple's special event live video stream today, Apple has just posted the iPad mini video that was shown in the keynote which Apple has also put up on its site. The 7.9-inch iPad mini will start retailing for $329 alongside its bigger 9.7-inch brother the iPad 4 later this month. Watch the iPad mini video down below or jump over to Apple for the full keynote video.

October 23, 2012

Apple's New iPad Mini, All You Need To Know

October 23, 2012/ Nir Schneider

Today Apple has let all all out, releasing its ultimate portable iPad the company has made yet. The iPad mini. With a slim 7.2mm thick aluminum constructed body coming in at just .68 pounds which is 53% lighter and 32% thinner than the new iPad 4, a 7.9-inch display at the resolution of 1024x768, and packing a dual-core A5 CPU plucked from the iPad 2, the iPad mini is an outstanding portable tablet which can be held using one hand. Granted the iPad mini isn't as powerful or equipped with a Retina display like its older brother the iPad 3 and the newly refreshed iPad 4, but at the $329 starting price we can't complain.

You'll be happy to know that Apple's new iPad mini features twice a 5-megapixel back facing iSight camera that shoots full 1080p HD video, a front facing 720p HD FaceTime camera, optional LTE cellular chip, and same impressive 10 hours of battery life. Full specs below:

Models: Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular LTE
Display: 7.9-inch LED-backlit IPS display at 1024x768 resolution (163ppi)
Processors: Apple A5 dual-core chip
Cameras: 5MP autofocus back iSight camera with backside illuminated sensor, five-element lens and 1080p HD video recording - 720p HD front FaceTime camera
Connectors: Lightning charge and sync port
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
Size: 7.87-inch by 5.3-inch wide at .28-inch (7.2mm) thick
Weight: .68 pounds (308g)
Capacities: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB
Colors: Black slate with black front, silver with white front

Apple's new iPad mini is designed with a similar look and feel as the company's latest iPod Touch 5th generation and iPhone 5. The iPad mini is designed using diamond-cut chamfered edges, a solid unibody frame, and comes in silver and black anodized colors.

The new iPad mini has a .9-inch larger screen than that of Google's Asus-made Nexus 7 tablet yet it manages to have a slimmer and lighter form factor. It's also just $30 more costly than the 32GB iPod Touch 5. You can pre-order the iPad mini in either black or white with 16GB for $329, 32GB for $429 and 64GB for $529 starting October 26 and expect to get your hands on it on November 2nd. And if you're looking for that LTE equipped iPad mini starting at $459 for the 16GB model, Apple will start shipping those in mid November.