We're sure you're aware of the new iPad mini that Apple introduced in San Jose on Tuesday. The device sports a 7.9" screen and starts at $329 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version—about $129 more than competing 7" Android tablets. Apple claims it didn't want to just shrink down the full-sized iPad, though; instead, it started over and designed a new, smaller iPad from scratch.
Ars went hands-on with the device after Tuesday's event.
Indeed, it's a smaller version of the iPad, but in use, the iPad mini doesn't "seem" significantly smaller. Apple claims you can hold the device with one hand, which may be technically true for some of our larger-handed readers. For me, it was just barely doable, but still possible.
I found it was fairly easy to type on the iPad mini's keyboard in portrait mode by just using my thumbs (and again, I have moderately small hands). Landscape mode was not possible with thumbs, however. For me at least, I'd have to put the device down if I wanted to type on the screen in landscape. But I was impressed by the thumb-ability of the iPad mini in portrait mode, considering the size compared to, say, an iPhone.
The iPad mini isn't exactly like the full-sized iPad, though. For one, it comes off as a bit thicker. And even though the back of the iPad mini is the same silver/carbon aluminum as that on the back of the iPhone 5, it felt a little plasticky in my hand.
The slight increase in thickness combined with the new back made it feel a little cheaper than my third-gen iPad, but not as cheap as some other 7-inch tablets I've handled.
Although the device does not sport a "retina" class display like its full-sized brother, the difference didn't seem to bother most of the people in the briefing area. Considering the price tag of $329, adding a retina display would have made the iPad mini prohibitively expensive compared to the competition (it's already walking that line as it is!).
Apple CEO Tim Cook also stopped into the briefing room (along with Scott Forstall) to check out people's reactions to the iPad mini. Cook demoed the device to a small group of us in the back before saying hi to several of us (myself included) and moving over to the iMac area.
Speaking of iMacs...
We also got a glimpse at the new, ultrathin iMacs introduced on Tuesday. They indeed make current iMacs look like giant bricks by comparison.
As a current iMac owner, I did feel like the screen seemed less reflective than what I'm used to, although real world use would tell us more about the reality of that claim. Overall I was impressed by the design and wish I had the budget to replace my current machine.
The iPad mini (Wi-Fi version) ships on November 2, while the new iMac (as well as the new Mac mini) ships in November. The new 13" Retina MacBook Pro ships today. Keep up with Ars in the coming weeks for full reviews on many of the devices announced today.
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