Here it is. Phil Schiller and Tim Cook just took the stage at their October 2012 Apple Event, and up until the very end, kept the iPad mini a secret. But it is a secret no more.
Coming in at 7.9″, with a 1024 x 768 resolution, the iPad mini “isn’t just a shrunken-down iPad, it’s an entirely new design,” as Schiller told the audience.
With a 7.2mm thick aluminium case, the iPad mini is 53% lighter and a fair-bit thinner than the iPad 4 (that was announced too), showing Apple’s desire to remain on top, even against the budget Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire lineups.
Wi-Fi models start with the 16GB for $369, 32GB for $479, 64GB for $589. Then a Wi-Fi and ‘Cellular’ model comes in from $509 for the 16GB, 32GB for $619 and the 64GB for $729.
Each model packs a dual-core A5 processor, a 5-megapixel back-camera (iSight branded) with 1080p video, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, with 720p video calling, 802.11n Wi-Fi, a Lightning connector and the same 10-hour battery as the iPad 4. Optional extras include LTE, with a Telstra logo showing up on screen, however it’s not known how soon that’ll work in Australia. 3G will be the backup just in case.
Will you be picking one up? Let us know in the comments. And tune in on Sunday for our opinions on the new iPad mini, as well as the new MacBook Pro, iMac and iPad.
