Unveiling the not so well kept secret in the form of the iPad Mini last night, the slimline tablet release from Apple looks to be a big winner for business travellers – the lighter and smaller build of the Mini means a far more portable and travel-friendly device.
Just a couple of months out from the launch of the major revamped iPhone 5, Apple is back with a line-up of new releases, including the redesign, a “mini” version of its market-leading gadget.
With all the regular features available on the smaller iPad, what can you do with an iPad Mini that you can’t already do with the fourth generation iPad?
According to Apple’s vice resident of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, “Well, this: You can hold this in one hand.” Apple says the product is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper.
The iPad Mini screen measures 7.9 inches diagonally, which is 2 inches smaller than the iPad Fourth Gen, with a 1024 x 768 resolution display, but no Retina quality. It is 7.2mm thick, which is about the width of a pencil.
And the biggest difference? The weight. The iPad Mini is 53% lighter than the larger iPad. That’s good news for those of us cramming all our belongings into our handbags, with one less thing to weigh us down.
The battery life of the iPad mini is still 10 hours, which doesn’t bode well for those who use the iPad while running from meetings without a power socket in site.
The price is also another downside. Though it’s a shrunken version of the best-selling iPad, that doesn’t mean a significant decrease in cost. The new iPad Mini is well above the cost of the competition, with prices for the Mini starting at $369 with WiFi, and prices going up from there.
Apple last night also announced the release of the fourth generation iPad and a release of other software updates including new books application with continuous scrolling and new book authoring software designed for education use.
Pre-orders for the iPad Mini start from Friday and the new release will be available in Australia from November 2nd.
Will you be buying the new iPad Mini? Do you have a favourite tablet device?