The iPad Mini

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Apple has taken seriously the idea of smaller devices like the kindle fire,  nexus 7 tablet, the samsung tab 7.1 and other tinier tablets in the market. Apple wants to get a share in this size category as well. Are they not contented to the good standing and being a leader in almost all of their gadgets and related products? The answer is obviously no.

Questions that come to mind when a "little brother" of a popular product is available  are, what is it's difference with the rest of the range? Does it has all the features of the full sized big brother? Is there an advantage of owning one or should I go for the full sized thing? Does it fits the accessories of the previous model or will I just be wasting them and would be forced to buy a new one instead? Let's find out.

The Ipad Mini

Appearance

Apple says that the mini " is the whole package in a smaller package". This statement gives the impression that the only difference is the size, which is 7.87 inches or 23% thinner than the iPad, and 53% lighter at 309 grams.This is a good thing as the size is more comfortable to stash away in a bag or in a purse, and makes it handier to carry along than it's big brothers. This can get the attention of younger apple fans which are always on the go and in a hurry and can not be bothered for bigger hand carries to tag along.

Battery Life

As this is more portable, possibility is this gadget will dominate activities like surfing the net, watching movies  or playing games on the go. The mini makes sure that user's will be entertained for longer before they charge the unit. It can give at least 10 hours of fun. This is another plus factor for bringing it to any place or anywhere away from the mains.

Compatibility of Accessories

Aside from the size, another distinct difference comes from the make of the USB connector. Instead of the usual 30 pin USB, it is packaged with the new lightning connector which doubles as the power and data cable. If you have an accessory for the iPad that uses 30 pin, you can use it too with the mini using a separate  lightning to 30 pin adaptor which is readily available from most retail stores.

Programs and applications, are there any tailored to fit for this size yet?

There are at  least 275,000 applications made for the iPad and all of them, according to apple, is compatible with the mini. Another good news indeed, as apple fans can easily transfer their paid applications into this little device without any problem. 

What about the native applications?

The mini has the same pretty retina display and can do the face time application in HD, or record videos using the iSight camera with 1080p HD. Siri is also available to automate the tasks by just using voice commands. The ultra-fast wireless connectivity and the powerful A5 chip make sure there is no lag in loading web pages, photos and other multi-medias. And with additional quids for paid applications, you can edit photos with iPhoto, shoot, edit and  create videos with i Movies, write and edit documents on the go. It is also compatible with airplay so you can watch or do anything from your mini with a larger HDTV output. You can actually do anything you can expect from a full sized iPad on the mini.

Variants

There are six variants of the mini. The 16GB, 32GB, 64GB wifi only and the 16GB, 32GB, 64GB wifi + cellular (with data sim) models. The sim card is the latest nano sized sim, like the iPhone 5, it is different from the previous iPad 3G's which take micro sims. The micro sim card is not compatible with the sim card tray.

It's processor is not like the new iPad though, it is an A5 dual core, like the iPad 2. But like the new iPad, it supports the next generation of wireless high speed mobile data transmission, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) just like the new iPhone 5 and the new iPad.

Where can I buy it?

Apple store is the first place to go if you want one. If you go and get it online, they are offering a free engraving service to personalize the device with your name, a message or anything you want to make it different. This is also good way to secure this from theft. The lowest price is the 16GB wifi only model which you can get it from £269, the 32GB is tagged at £349, and £429 for the 64GB. The cellular models are £100 more than their wifi only counterparts.

The mini is coming soon to

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My Thoughts

"The whole package in a smaller package" is not just a catchy phrase, but tells the truth about the new device. Although smaller in size, it does what the bigger size can do. So what's the reason of buying the more expensive one when you can get the performance and excitement at a fraction of the cost with the smaller version? Although this might affect the sale of the new iPad but will surely affects the competition of sales from the 7 inch tablet devices. 

The advantage of a smaller device is it is more handy to move around with it, specially when the benefit you can get from both of the devices are the same. No doubt this is an attractive device but there are still other reasons why many are still be looking for the other competition, and that's the ability to make telephone calls! Why did apple did not add this kind of hardware to this gorgeous device? Who knows, it might be present to the next generation mini!