Apple’s iPad Mini won’t kill the competiton
Apple introduced many different products Tuesday Oct. 23, but the one that everyone is waiting for was the iPad Mini. Several other products received upgrades as well. Lets start with the iPad Mini.
iPad Mini
This is the iPad that you can use in one hand and easily maneuver with a 7.9 inch screen. This product will start taking pre-orders on Friday Oct. 26th and will ship Nov. 2.
For Apple to start competing with other less expensive tablets, such as the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire, the company needed to create a cheaper, more affordable tablet. Well they did that but not as cheap as we were expecting. The basic iPad Mini model is priced at $329 which is $129 more than a Kindle Fire.
I will say that this is a nice update if you want a smaller device that you can hold in one hand. Even with the smaller size this iPad can do everything the iPad can do including access to its over 275,000 apps.
I am not completely sure why Apple chose the price it did but I do not believe it is the iPad that everyone thought would kill the competition. Everyone was looking for this to be the first affordable iPad and it did not quite deliver on price.
4th Generation iPad
This announcement was bound to make a lot of people mad. Just 6 months ago Apple released the new iPad, a beautiful retina display and a new super fast A5 processor. Apple now announced a 4th generation iPad with the faster A6 processor, lighting connector, 5-megapixel iSight camera, ultrafast wireless and HD Facetime. This is not a huge update and everyone knew that it was going to happen eventually but this update is sure to make a lot of people mad, who upgraded just six months ago.
New iMac
Apple finally announced its newest iMac and they changed the whole design. Say goodbye to the optical drive because Apple has removed it from its new iMac in order to make it thinner and oh boy have they made it thinner. It has a 5mm edge and its screen comes in 27 inches, with a 2560 x 1440 display, and 21.5 inches with a 1920 x 1080 screen. The price for these new iMacs start at $1,299.
This computer packs a lot in a small space, with its Core i5 or i7 processors, up to 3TB of storage, and four USB 3.0 ports. Apple also introduced what it calls Apple Fusion Drive that mixes a 128GB SSD and a 1TB or 3TB hard drive in order to run the OS on the SSD for optimal speed.
Apple also revealed a more affordable 13 in MacBook Pro that starts at $1,199 for people who are not willing to spend more than $2,000 on the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Last but not least Apple released an update to the Mac Mini which is not twice as fast with its new Intel i7 processor and pricing starts at $599.
With all the updates to the iPad, this is a perfect time to look on eBay or Craigslist to find a used iPad for a great price.
To view Apple’s entire keynote speech click here.
Update: If you have bought a New iPad (3rd generation) in the last 30 days, then return it to Apple for a free upgrade. The easiest way to return your iPad is at your local Apple store.
Erik Hoffman is a web designer and computer consultant. He has run a computer consulting company for the past four years where he enhanced businesses by designing and developing user-friendly websites that have helped companies reach targeted revenues.