0 Apple unveils iPad Air , iPad mini with Retina display : what's new?

Apple took care of the cycled iPhone refresh last month at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, and thus it was logical for the company to move on to the iPad lineup next. As such, Tim Cook and Co. today revealed a new generation of tablets, including a redesigned, thinner and lighter iPad Air and the long-rumored, much-awaited iPad mini with Retina display.

Apple iPad mini 2

The Apple iPad mini 2 still has a 7.9" screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, but the resolution has quadrupled to 1536 x 2048 pixels and the pixel density has doubled to 324ppi.

The Apple iPad mini 2 will be available in November starting at $399, which is notably higher compared to the $339 starting price of the first iPad mini last year.

Apple iPad Air

The Apple iPad Air brings a new name, new design and more power. It received the new Apple A7 chipset along with the M7 motion co-processor. The other major upgrade is the design – it's based on the iPad mini and has narrower bezels (43% smaller) that make the tablet easier to handle.

The tablet is 20% thinner and now measures just 7.5mm, thinner than the iPad 2. The weight also went down big time - from 653g to 469g.


The Apple iPad Air will be available on November 1 starting at $499.

what's new? see how they stack up against last year's models.

	iPad (late 2012)	iPad Air
Display	9.7-inch Retina display	9.7-inch Retina display
Resolution	2,048 x 1,536	2,048 x 1,536
Pixel Density	264 ppi	264 ppi
CPU	1 GHz dual-core Apple A6X	64-bit Apple A7 with M7 motion coprocessor
Memory	1GB	TBD
Storage	16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB	16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB
Front Camera	1.2-megapixel	1.2-megapixel
Rear Camera	5-megapixel iSight camera	5-megapixel iSight camera
Cellular	GSM or CDMA, HSPA+ / LTE	GSM or CDMA, HSPA+ / LTE
WiFi	Dual-Band 802.11 a/b/g/n	Dual-Band 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
Accelerometer	3-axis	3-axis
Gyroscope	3-axis	3-axis
Dimensions	241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm	240 x 169.5 x 7.5mm
Weight (WiFi)	652 grams (1.44 pounds)	469 grams (1 pound)
Weight (Cellular)	662 grams (1.46 pounds)	478 grams (1.05 pounds)
Battery	42.5-watt-hour lithium polymer	32.4-watt-hour lithium polymer
Ports	Lightning, 3.5mm headphone	Lightning, 3.5mm headphone
Location (WiFi)	WiFi, Digital Compass	WiFi, Digital Compass
Location (3G / LTE)	aGPS, GLONASS, Cellular, WiFi	aGPS, GLONASS, Cellular, WiFi
Minimum Price	$499 WiFi-only, $629 Cellular	$499 WiFi-only, $629 Cellular
Details accurate at launch

	iPad mini	iPad mini with Retina display
Display	7.9-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD	7.9-inch Retina display
Resolution	1,024 x 768	2,048 x 1,536
Pixel Density	163 ppi	326 ppi
CPU	1 GHz dual-core Apple A5	64-bit Apple A7 with M7 motion coprocessor
Memory	512MB	TBD
Storage	16GB/32GB/64GB	16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB
Front Camera	1.2-megapixel	1.2-megapixel
Rear Camera	5-megapixel iSight camera	5-megapixel iSight camera
Cellular	GSM or CDMA, HSPA+ / LTE	GSM or CDMA, HSPA+ / LTE
WiFi	Dual-Band 802.11 a/b/g/n	Dual-Band 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
Accelerometer	3-axis	3-axis
Gyroscope	3-axis	3-axis
Dimensions	200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm	200 x 134.7 x 7.5mm
Weight (WiFi)	308 grams (0.68 pounds)	331 grams (0.73 pounds)
Weight (Cellular)	312 grams (0.69 pounds)	341 grams (0.75 pounds)
Battery	16.3-watt-hour lithium polymer	23.8-watt-hour lithium polymer
Ports	Lightning, 3.5mm headphone	Lightning, 3.5mm headphone
Location (WiFi)	WiFi, Digital Compass	WiFi, Digital Compass
Location (3G / LTE)	aGPS, GLONASS, Cellular, WiFi	aGPS, GLONASS, Cellular, WiFi
Minimum Price	$299 WiFi-only, $429 Cellular	$399 WiFi-only, $529 Cellular
Details accurate at launch