Apple's new iPad mini with Retina display starts at $399, first-gen iPad mini drops to $299

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Apple's new iPad mini with Retina display will debut in November for $399, while the first-generation iPad mini will live on with a new, lower entry level price of $299.

iPad mini


The new iPad mini packs in just as many pixels -- 3.1 million -- as the Retina display on the full-size iPad Air. That means the iPad mini actually has a higher pixel density on its display than its larger brethren, at 326 pixels per inch.

It's also powered by the same A7 chip as the iPhone 5s and iPad Air. It's up to 4 times faster at CPU tasks than the first-generation iPad mini, and up to 8 times faster at graphics tasks, all while still offering 10 hours of battery life.

Apple has boasted that the 7.9-inch Retina display on the iPad mini offers a 35 percent larger area than screens with 7-inch tablets. It's also the only small tablet to deliver Apple's full iOS ecosystem and App Store.

New iPad mini with Retina display


The new iPad mini can play movies at full 1080p high-definition resolution, and there are now 475,000 applications designed specifically for the iPad.

The new Retina iPad mini features two antennas to support Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) technology, bringing twice the Wi-Fi performance at 300Mbps. Cellular models also come with expanded LTE coverage to accommodate even more LTE networks worldwide, while continuing to deliver comprehensive support for other fast cellular technology around the world (DC-HSDPA, HSPA+), all in a single model.

iPad mini with Retina display now has a next-generation FaceTime HD camera with improved backside illumination sensors featuring larger pixels for better low-light performance. The iSight camera with a 5-megapixel sensor and advanced optics, combined with iOS 7 and the image signal processing of A7, further improves still image and video capture on iPad bringing faster auto-focus, up to three times video zoom, five times still zoom, better dynamic range and automatic image and video stabilization.

The new model comes in silver and white, and space grey and black, and is available for $399 for the entry-level 16-gigabyte model. It's set to launch later in November.

The first-generation iPad mini will also live on, with the 16-gigabyte model now available for $299, or $30 less than its previous price.

New custom-designed polyurethane Smart Covers for the iPad mini with Retina display will be available for $39 in a range of colors, including blue, green, pink, yellow, black and (RED). iPad mini Smart Cases have been completely redesigned with aniline-dyed leather available in six colors, including beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and (RED) for a suggested retail price of $69.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 203
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member

    iPad Mini- EXACTLY what several of us assumed.  A7+Retina for $399 and old Mini for $299.  Awesome!

     

     

    Can't wait to hear from pmz... Love this thread.

  • Reply 2 of 203

    That's pretty awesome that they could go retina without taking a hit on battery life. 

  • Reply 3 of 203
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member

    I didn't see any mention of the weight of the retina iPad mini. Did it go up?

  • Reply 4 of 203
    I'm sure Scott will find something negative to say about this... ;)
  • Reply 5 of 203
    A little surprised there is no Touch ID....
  • Reply 6 of 203
    Be interesting to see the ratio of the retina model to the regular with the $100 premium.
  • Reply 7 of 203
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Masteric View Post



    A little surprised there is no Touch ID....



    Me too.

  • Reply 8 of 203
    So, I'm pretty happy with these announcements, except... WHY IN THE WORLD would anybody get the iPad 2 at this point? I feel apple should either retire it & sell the 3 or 4 discounted, OR drop the price.
  • Reply 9 of 203
    I do wish Apple would support multi-user for the iPad.
  • Reply 10 of 203
    Oh, and $70 and $80 for the cases is waaaay over the top IMO.
  • Reply 11 of 203
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Masteric View Post



    A little surprised there is no Touch ID....

    Yes and no. Two factors: 1. Demand of 5s is so great that they might have trouble making enough sensors for multiple product lines. 2. It is not uncommon for Apple to hold something back for the "tock" year of their tick-tock cycle.

  • Reply 12 of 203
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Masteric View Post



    A little surprised there is no Touch ID....

    Probably the increased hassle factor of that touch scanner unit's manufacturing issues (as reported)  just didn't add as much value as for a smaller device like a phone that probably is more at risk to get left behind.

     

    For straighton security there's always the not-simple passcode....

  • Reply 13 of 203
    Originally Posted by Masteric View Post

    I do wish Apple would support multi-user for the iPad.

     

    Buy your own. They want everyone to have one. It’s not that difficult to understand.

     

    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post

    I didn't see any mention of the weight of the retina iPad mini. Did it go up?

    Here:

  • Reply 14 of 203
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post

    I didn't see any mention of the weight of the retina iPad mini. Did it go up?

     

    Probably. If it went down, they would have noted that.
  • Reply 15 of 203
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Captain J View Post



    Be interesting to see the ratio of the retina model to the regular with the $100 premium.

    More interesting to see how the market reacts to the effective price increase of the Mini.

  • Reply 16 of 203
    Where are all the users that claimed we would not see a Retina Mini this year??
  • Reply 17 of 203
    boeyc15boeyc15 Posts: 986member
    IMO - this is too expensive.
  • Reply 18 of 203
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by snowweasel View Post



    So, I'm pretty happy with these announcements, except... WHY IN THE WORLD would anybody get the iPad 2 at this point? I feel apple should either retire it & sell the 3 or 4 discounted, OR drop the price.

    There's a lot of two year old toddlers out there that would disagree. It just widens the potential market.

  • Reply 19 of 203
    kevtkevt Posts: 195member

    Retina Mini is the one for me. And as someone who's been critical of iPhone 5c pricing, I'll say I don't mind paying the extra here - the specs fully deserve it. Retina and A7.

     

    And to top it off iWork file compatibility between iOS and Mac OS versions, now they'll have a seemless iCloud office experience. Terrific Apple Event. 

  • Reply 20 of 203
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Captain J View Post

    Be interesting to see the ratio of the retina model to the regular with the $100 premium.

     

    Retina model also has the new processor, right. That's a pretty big upgrade for only $100 for those sitting on the fence.
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