Apple has delivered on what iPad mini fans have been hoping for. After rumors of a 2014 launch due to supply constraints, Apple finally an iPad mini with Retina Display at its Oct. 22 event.
When Apple introduced its iPad mini last year, the tablet was a huge hit despite its lack of the iconic Retina Display that was so popular on other Apple smartphones and tablets. Numerous rumors, even some a few days ago, claimed that Apple might not announce an iPad mini with Retina Display due to supply constraints of the new high-resolution 7.9-inch panels used in the second-generation iPad mini.
While Apple did come through and was able to deliver an iPad mini with Retina Display, the company is obviously facing supply constraints, as it announced the smaller iPad would begin shipping in late November, compared to the just-announced iPad Air that will go on sale on Nov.1. The new iPad mini will feature a 7.9-inch Retina Display with a resolution of 2,048 x 1.536 compared to the 1,024 x 768 found on the original iPad mini. The tablet's pixel density is now double at 326 pixels per inch (ppi), compared to the original's 163 pixels per inch (ppi).
The iPad mini with Retina Display has also received an upgrade to the 64-bit Apple A7 with M7 motion coprocessor found in the iPhone 5s and iPad Air. Apple is not skimping on camera quality either with the Air's smaller sibling, as the new iPad mini is using the same 5-megapixel rear camera that ships with the iPad Air.
Apple also claims that the second-generation iPad mini is up to 4x faster at CPU tasks, and up to 8 times faster at graphics tasks when compared to its predecessor, thanks to the new processor. Apple is using MIMO technology (Multiple-In-Multiple-Out) in in its latest tablets. The wireless technology includes 2 antennas, which can increase your Wi-Fi performance up to twice the normal speed.
Just like the iPad Air, the iPad mini with Retina Display will be available in both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 4G LTE models. Wi-Fi models will be available in 16GB for $399, 32GB for $499, 64GB for $599, and 128GB for $699. The Wi-Fi + 4G LTE models will cost $529 for 16GB, $629 for 32GB, $729 for 64GB, and $829 for 128GB. The iPad mini will also come in the same color choices as the iPad Air - Space Gray and Silver.
Apple will also be keeping the original iPad mini around, just as it has done with the iPad 2. It will now sell the first-generation iPad mini 16GB Wi-Fi for $299 and the 16GB Wi-Fi + 4G LTE model for $429. The original iPad mini will also come in choice of Space Gray or Silver and will ship from Apple's online store within 24 hours.
For now, the company will only commit to saying that the iPad mini with Retina Display will ship in late November. It has not announced any type of pre-order option as it has done in the past, most recently with the iPhone 5c. It looks like the iPad mini is getting the same treatment the iPhone 5s. The new iPhone flagship was in such short supply that the company could not offer a pre-order option. The 7.9-inch Retina Display iPad may face the same fate and will likely not be available for pre-order either.
