Apple unveils iPad mini at a starting price of $329

After years of rumours and speculation, Apple has finally announced the much awaited younger sibling to the world's most popular tablet -Ipad Mini at a starting price of $329. The iPad Mini has got a 7.9 inch display with 1024x668 resolution compared to 9.7 inches on the original iPad.

The new aluminium and glass design makes the iPad Mini 23 per cent thinner and 53 per cent lighter than the third generation iPad. The iPad Mini also features a front-facing FaceTime HD camera, a 5MP iSight camera on the back with advanced optics for taking sharp still pictures and recording full 1080p videos. It is powered by dual-core A5 chip that delivers responsive graphics and a fast, fluid multi-touch experience. The 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display delivers the same iPad experience, in a design that has 35 per cent more screen than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 per cent more usable viewing area when browsing the web.  The Mini is LTE enabled and has got the Lightning connector onboard. Apple claims that the Mini will have 10 hours of battery life.  

Just like the iPad, the iPad Mini will be available in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular variant with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage capacity. While the iPad 2 Wi-Fi variant version is priced at $399, the basic Wi-Fi - 16GBb capacity iPad Mini will be available for $329. The 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi version will be available for $429 and $529. The Wi-Fi + Cellular variant is priced at $459, $ 559 and $659 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacity respectively.

Along with the iPad Mini launch, Apple has also refreshed its 9.7 inch tablet. The updated iPad continues to have the Retina Display but has the new A6X processor with twice the graphics performance of the earlier A5x processor. Even the 30 pin dock connector has been replaced with Apple's new Lightning port that will be found on the iPhone 5.

Available in Black and White, the iPad Mini will go on sale from November 2 in a selected few countries. However, the iPad Mini will be available to pre-order on October 26 in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.