Today Apple announced a slew of updates to its MacBook and Mac Pro lines along with the news that the latest OS X software is free—but let's be honest: we're here for the iPads.
In tandem with the slimmer new iPad Air, Apple announced a refreshed version of its iPad mini, the smaller, more affordable iPad that the company launched last October. The iPad mini hasn't seen an update since it was first announced almost a year ago to the day, but today's update is pretty big news for any fan of the 9.7-inch iPad's little sister.
Apple's new iPad mini features a high resolution, 7.9-inch "retina" display packing 2048 by 1536 pixels, an A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, 4x faster processing for CPU tasks and 8x faster graphics processing. Like the new iPhone 5S, the new iPad mini boasts support for an expanded set of LTE bands, which means better odds for a steady LTE connection. It also features an updated FaceTime HD camera for video calling and a 5-megapixel iSight camera for all of those iPad vacation photos people inexplicably love to shoot.
Available in silver and white and space gray, the new iPad mini with Retina will be out in stores "later in November", unlike many of the products that Apple unleashed on stage today. The base model 16GB Retina iPad mini will start at $399, while last generation's iPad mini will drop to an attractively affordable $299.
Source: Apple's iPad Mini Gets Faster And Sharper (http://readwrite.com/2013/10/22/ipad-mini-retina)