Apple announces the iPad mini and 4th gen iPad

October 25, 2012 by

Apple announces the iPad mini and the 4th gen version of the iPad, which was unexpected.

The iPad mini features were pretty much as expected due to various rumours. It will come with a 7.9-inch display, but to keep the cost down it will not come with a retina display instead it will have the screen resolution of 1024 x 768, which the ipad 2 has. But in reality the screen will appear sharper, due to the pixels being crammed in to a screen which is 2 inched smaller.

It comes in both black and white and measures 7.2mm thick and weighs 0.68lbs, which is 23% thinner and 56% lighter than the full sized iPad.

However the specs inside the iPad mini are also a little let down and some would say it a downgraded smaller version of an iPad 2, because it  uses the iPad 2’s A5 dual-core processor,  it also comes with the same 5-megapixel iSight rear camera, which is from the iPad 2. However there are a few differences from the previous ipad 2 model, now the face time camera has been upgraded to a new FaceTime HD front camera. The iPad mini now also comes with LTE support which now is compatible in more countries outside the US, such the UK.  The other major difference is that now it comes with the new Lightning connector port, which the iPhone 5 and iPad 4 currently has.

Some would say its a downgrade, but some things had to be downgraded to keep the cost down and to make it competitive with the Kindle fire and Nexus 7. Even with its compromises, it’s handy size and weight and it’s connection with Apples excellent eco system will make it a winner.

The Prices of a 16GB iPad mini will start at $329 (£269) for the Wi-Fi model, and $459 (£369) for cellular. 32GB and 64GB models will also be available for $429 (£349) and $529 (£429) in turn. Cellular models will be priced at $559 (£449) and $659 (£529) for the 32GB and 64GB models respectively. The wifi model will be will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, October 26 and it will be released November the 2nd and the cellular model will be available within 2 weeks time.
Apple also announced the new 4th generation iPad today, which came as a surprise  because  the Ipad 3 was only released last March.  However the iPad 4 only comes with only a few upgrades. The new iPad comes with a A6X CPU, which the company claims provides twice the performance of the iPad 3 processor. Like the iPad mini, its Facetime camera has now been upgraded to a FaceTime HD camera. The other difference is that LTE capabilities for the cellular model will now be able to support a wider range of networks across North America and Europe. Lastly  the other change is in the connector port now it has apples new Lightning connector port.

The iPad 4’s 5-megapixel iSight rear camera and the retina display is the same what is in the ipad 3.

In reality it is only worth upgrading if you are an avid gamer, because the new processor will render the gamer better. But it your an ordinary iPad user who uses  the Ipad for digital media and web browsing stick with the ipad 3, because the difference in speed will be hardly noticeable.

The 4th generation iPad will be priced the same as the previous iPad, which is a surprise with the 16GB model starting at $499 (£399) or $629 (£499) for cellular support. 32GB and 64GB models will also be available at similar prices to the iPad 3.

The 4th generation iPad will be available for pre-order starting on this Friday, October 26, the Wi-Fi model should be available on November 2. Apple said that cellular models will begin shipping in a few weeks time.

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More rumours emerge about the release dates of the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini

August 1, 2012 by

According to the tech website iMore apple is planning to announce the iPhone 5 at a press event on the 12th of September. The device will then be launched on Friday the 21 st of September. In the past iMore have been very accurate, so expect this to most likely happen. However its worth pointing out that it seems unlikely that the iPad mini will be announced at the same event, because  rumours have emerged from a website called ilounge that suggests that the actual launch date of that device will most likely be in November, due to apple not being able to have the device ready in time for a September launch. 

Apples new iOS 6 software is also expected  to be launched  at the iPhones 5’s press event . It worth noting that the iPhone 5 will most likely be launched with the new iOS 6 software. iOS 6 is expected to have up to 200 new features that includes Apples new maps,a further upgrade of Siri and deeper Facebook integration.   

 

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New price and date rumours of the ipad mini release

May 13, 2012 by

Price and date rumours of the ipad mini emerged again on the internet over the last few days. According to iMore ,which is a reliable source for apple rumours.  The ipad mini will be released in October and the price will be between $200 to $250’s and it will look virtually identical to the new ipad. But it will have a smaller screen with a 7 inch display, imore go on to say that the screen resolution will be slightly better than the new ipad, which is 2048×1536 resolution display with a pixel density of around 264 ppi, compared to the ipad mini which will get a 2048×1536 resolution display with a pixel density of around 326 ppi. 

In order to bring the price down Apple is likely to release it with only 8gb of internal memory.

If all these rumours are true it will be able to give the Amazon Kindle fire a run for its money. 

 

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