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