Apple really threw up a surprise today by announcing the fourth-generation iPad. We expected to see a few touch-ups to the third-gen, including a Lightning dock connector and a more efficient battery, perhaps, but we certainly didn't predict so many changes.
The iPad mini, announced by Apple earlier to day in front of a packed crowd in San Jose, means there are now three different iPads on the market for consumers to choose from. Whilst the scaled-down slate hasn't throw up too many surprises - tying in with the rumors and speculation of the past few months - it does now present prospective consumers with even more to consider before making a purchase, so in this particular post, we'll run down some of the key features of each.
It’s finally here, folks! Apple has just announced the all-new iPad mini at their event today. It’s (mostly) exactly what the technology blogosphere was expecting: a smaller iPad 2. Check out all the basic specifications, pricing and availability after the jump!
Apple CEO, Tim Cook took to the stage and unveiled a brand new version of iBooks for iOS. It’s loaded with tons of new features and options, and we’ve covered them in great detail right after the jump!
It should be common knowledge by now that Apple's executive team will take to the stage in California tomorrow to introduce us to a number of new products, one of which is rumored to be the mini variant of the iPad. It is also being suggested that the event will have a strong focus on education and will feature a number of releases and announcements that are geared towards allowing Apple to get an additional foot in the doorway of the education sector.
It isn't long now until the official Apple media event that we hope will eventually introduce us the new miniature iPad that we have been hearing so much about in recent months. It's extremely likely that the event this coming Wednesday will bring us more than just one product but so much attention and speculation has been lavished on the new iPad that it will be a relief to have some official information regarding it. With the announcement only days away, it seems like the Apple online store is already gearing up for customer searches by returning suggested "iPad mini" and "mini iPad" search strings.
According to a report from the generally-reliable 9to5Mac, the entry-level model of the upcoming iPad Mini will cost $329. Given the purported specification of the device, the price point was always going to be dramatically lower than that of the main iPad, and although it's not as cheap as the Nexus 7, it's still, one suspects, cheap enough to potentially command huge sales.
Among the three technology media events set for the last week of October – Microsoft’s Surface and Windows 8 launch event on 25th, Google’s event on the 29th, Apple’s event on the 23rd is the most heavily anticipated. It is widely expected to be centered around an all-new smaller iPad which is popularly referred to as the iPad Mini.
They say nothing in life is free, but when it comes to promotions for iOS and Android titles, that old cliché is thrown out of the window, for some of the very best apps – Fruit Ninja, Cut The Rope and even Angry Birds – have been available for the five-finger discount at some point in time. Now, the popular classic Carmageddon, which is just released on iOS, joins the list of titles to hold a promotional freebie, and you can download your free copy right now over at the iTunes App Store.
With the next Apple event being officially penned in for October 23rd, the floodgates are now open for iPad Mini related rumors to start doing the rounds. Although, it has been heavily speculated on over the last few weeks, there has been little in terms of possible technical specifications or component leaks. It has been less than twenty-four hours since Apple sent out their official invites but we are already seeing some photographs of what are reported to be the official displays being used in the miniature iPad.
