$329 for ipad mini

[teh603]

They still haven't unlocked the app store.

[Tacty]

Originally Posted by Synamon

but it still might be my Christmas present to myself this year.

and you should start saving money for ipad mini 2 somewhere in february next year after this ipad3 debacle i will think more than twice to buy anything from apple ever again...

[mewmartigan]

I'm not a big fan of Apple (except for their outstanding MacBook Pro line) and I am really surprised the price is that high with all the older components in it.

Doesn't matter though....half the folks that line up will probably buy an iPad 4 and an ipad Mini and use their iPad 3 while waiting in line. Never underestimate the Apple faithful!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

Doesn't matter though....half the folks that line up will probably buy an iPad 4 and an ipad Mini and use their iPad 3 while waiting in line.

...while texting on an iPhone 5 and listening to music on an iPod touch 5

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

$100 overpriced, IMHO

Well here in the land downunder, the land of opportunity the price starts at $369. The $329 price in the US equates to $320(ish) here, so Australian's are being slugged an extra $49 for the same product.

I can see the wifi+3G being good as a tablet in a car as in-car navigation (the iPad seems to be the only tablet that you can charge off a USB port, every other tablet with GPS requires a power outlet requiring an inverter etc).

Seems like Apple are wanting to cash in on the small screen tablet market, but why such a low resolution for the size? The resolution would be acceptable at 7" but not at 8".

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Seems like Apple are wanting to cash in on the small screen tablet market, but why such a low resolution for the size? The resolution would be acceptable at 7" but not at 8".

Think of the iPad mini as a device similar to the iPod touch. Both have weaker specs and features compared to their older siblings, the iPad and iPhone respectively. It's Apple's way to force you to upgrade if specs and features matter to you.

Expect the mini to always be a generation or two behind the iPad.

[Barty]

I don't want to predict flop, since people have done that before with various iThing and been proven wrong, but wow this does have the general air of Epic Fail about it.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Seems like Apple are wanting to cash in on the small screen tablet market, but why such a low resolution for the size? The resolution would be acceptable at 7" but not at 8".

The resolution was acceptable last year at 9.7".

With the same pixels as the iPad2 and a smaller screen it will be an improvement over the iPad2, even if the resolution is not as high as the newer retina screen on the iPad3.

Anyway, to answer your question about why, it's so all the existing iPad apps will work on the mini.

[Chi Cygni]

Wasn't Jobs strongly AGAINST a 7" tablet? What are they doing exactly? I was considering buying an iMac but this is the same story, less bang for more bucks and somehow I don't see Apple leading the trends anymore.

Correct me if I'm wrong, my cheap Chinese knock off 7 incher with IPS display has better resolution than Mini? 1280 x 800 with all bells and whistles that I don't even need. And contrary to my (very) low expectations it works like a dream. For 136 € delivery included.

Tsk tsk.

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

$100 overpriced, IMHO

What tablet has 16GB, an aluminum unibody, and 10 hour battery life for $229?

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

What tablet has 16GB, an aluminum unibody, and 10 hour battery life for $229?

Nexus 7, light years ahead at 199.-

[dakini]

Originally Posted by Barty

I don't want to predict flop, since people have done that before with various iThing and been proven wrong, but wow this does have the general air of Epic Fail about it.

my suspicion is that there are enough Apple faithful to protect them from an eipc flop, though the specs and price certainly do not sound stunning by any stretch.

but, as i learned at work, some people i work with, who have iphones and ipads are looking at the ipad mini as "something in between". though none could say exactly what need it was filling.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Well here in the land downunder, the land of opportunity the price starts at $369. The $329 price in the US equates to $320(ish) here, so Australian's are being slugged an extra $49 for the same product.

The US price excludes sales tax, I assume your Australian one includes it?
So that is $32 of your difference right there.

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Nexus 7, light years ahead at 199.-

I'm as much an apple hater as anyone. But right now the nexus is still 8GB, doesn't have an aluminum body and doesn't have a 10 hour battery life. So in the words of President Obama, nothing you've just said is true.

[tomsem]

I might have said this before, but I think Apple hopes to sell a lot of these into the education market. A much easier sell than trying to equip classrooms with full-size iPads. Plus they are more kid-sized.